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The
first time I paddled to Crow Island in Muscongus Bay was in 1988.
My friends and I were the only visitors. We pitched our tents right
next to each other because clearings on the island were so limited.
On a trip last summer, the expansive open space beneath the tree
canopy reminded me of a mainland campground. Similar recent environmental
damage is evident on many other Bureau of Parks and Lands islands
along the Maine coast.
Increased recreational use of public lands is not a problem unique
to the islands of Maine. Those grappling with similar concerns in
coastal areas frequented by boaters may find the steps being taken
to manage Maine's public islands instructive.
Increasing
numbers of visitors
Vacationers have long enjoyed traveling along Maine's dramatic coastline.
In the last several years, many have found ways to get beyond the
mainland to explore the neighboring waters and islands. They are
climbing aboard windjammers, paddling their own sea kayaks, or joining
outfitted kayak expeditions. Ten or fifteen years ago, a sea kayak
on the roof of another car was a rare sight on our stretch of Interstate
95, and would elicit much arm-waving. Today on summer weekends here
in Maine, sea kayaks on top of cars seem almost as common as RVs
heading to Acadia National Park. The number of sea kayak outfitters
with Registered Maine Guides has grown from six companies ten years
ago to thirty this year.
A recent Maine State Department of Tourism advertising campaign
was designed to appeal specifically to kayakers. The ad read: "Get
out of your car to truly see Maine. 64 lighthouses. 2,000 islands.
5,000 miles of coast. Zero deadlines. It would take a lifetime to
paddle it all. Take your time. It will be here, just like it's been
forever." But will it be here, "just like it's been forever,"
if tourism promotion leads more people to a limited number of public
wild islands?
The
Maine Island Trail Association
The Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) was founded in anticipation
of this recreational pressure on Maine's public islands. In 1987,
well before the explosion of sea kayaking in New England, the Bureau
of Parks and Lands (BPL) charged MITA with maintaining a water trail.
Thirty-five BPL islands deemed suitable for recreational use formed
the backbone of the Maine Island Trail, the first recreational water
trail in North America. In subsequent years, so many individual
owners offered to share their islands with MITA members that the
numbers of public and private islands on the trail today are nearly
even. Association members can start a cruise in Portland and travel
northeast along 325 miles of the rocky Maine coast, to within twenty
miles of the Canadian border. Along the way, they can overnight
on some of the 87 islands within the trail network.
One of the challenges MITA has faced since its inception has been
to protect the wildness of islands while providing recreational
access to them. A basic tenet within the association has been that
along with the privilege of access comes the responsibility of taking
care of the islands. Members learn about low-impact practices to
employ on the islands, so their visits will be undetectable by future
visitors. Some "adopt" favorite islands and make regular
stewardship trips; others travel in MITA motorboats to monitor use
in specific regions. They clean shorelines of washed-up plastic
oil containers, Styrofoam cups, bits of monofilament rope, soda
bottles, and the like. By their examples, members hope to inspire
others to treat the islands gently.
Anyone, not just MITA members, is welcome on the BPL islands within
the trail, and it is these public islands that are showing the most
evidence of overuse. People are traveling to them not only by kayak,
but by motorboat, canoe, private sailboat, and windjammer. Many
members log their observations regarding visitor numbers for inclusion
in MITA's usage statistics. Rachel Nixon, MITA's Trail Manager,
has analyzed the observations that members have submitted over the
past several years. "We have found that the number of visitors
to BPL islands has increased by 40% since 1995," says Nixon.
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