Heather Donahue, star of low-budget horror classic The Blair Witch Project, was famously misled by ominous symbols on trees. Now she lives in rural Maine and has upset a landowner there by marking trees with orange paint signifying a public easement in the woods.
Donahue painted the orange blazes using historical maps to show what she holds is the center of a public easement. Abutting property owners were incensed and the first successful recall petition drive in the town's 212-year history followed. Donahue was removed in April and an election to pick her successor is planned for next month. Tyler Hadyniak, one of the abutting property owners, said the recall wasn't just about the orange blazes or the woodland trail. He said it addressed a pattern of behavior by Donahue that chafed longer-established residents in the year since she took office.
The Associated Press reports that she "isn't especially interested in reliving the glory of starring in "The Blair Witch Project,"" but look, it's Heather Donohue blazing trees in rural Maine. The bottom line, as she puts it: "It's not because of an orange mark like this," but because she's fighting to protect public lands from encroachment by private parties.
Donahue has defenders in town … "I mean, this is where humans flourish," she said of the Freedom woods. "I've figured out a way to do a lot with very little. That was all kind of centered around being able to walk in the woods."
Previously:
• Billionaire told he can't block access to public beach
• Rich people must allow access to a public beach
• Beach bully cited by California Coastal Commission
