'One result of the project is the posting of signs on the BPL islands that describe "Leave No Trace" low-impact principles'

After the Bureau of Parks and Lands approved the capacity guidelines, MITA published them in its guidebook and posted them on the islands. Steves Island, for instance, is considered "full" if twelve people set up camp there. Compliance with these guidelines is voluntary. Visitors are encouraged to politely squeeze into existing campsites if capacities have been met but they feel time, distance, or weather conditions make it unwise to look for another place to spend the night.
Another result of the usage-management project is the posting of signs on the BPL islands that describe "Leave No Trace" low-impact principles. (See page 49 of magazine.) These principles address topics such as walking on durable surfaces, camping at existing sites, packing out trash and human waste, minimizing the effects of campfires, being respectful of wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors and those living and working on the coast.

Steve Spencer is the Outdoor Recreation Specialist for the Bureau of Parks and Lands, and had a hand in setting up the Maine Island Trail. According to Spencer, "We are fortunate that a large majority of island visitors, both professionally and privately led, are extremely responsible and considerate. This gives us hope that voluntary compliance and education will eliminate the need for enforcement and reservation systems." He believes that by giving users the information they need to manage their own use, they will act with goodwill in the best interests of the islands and themselves.

Kayak outfitters also hope that by being proactive, they can avoid regulation of their operations. The Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors (MASKGI) is one of the groups that partnered with MITA and BPL to develop the camping capacity figures. According to Natalie Springuel, the president of MASKGI, association members have pledged to limit the number of clients they take to public islands to comply with the capacity guidelines. "We are very committed to minimizing impacts to the islands we visit," says Springuel. "We instruct all our clients in 'Leave No Trace' practices." MASKGI members review their trip schedules and itineraries with each other, to avoid having two guided groups competing for campsites on the same island. Some of the outfitters have made arrangements to camp on private islands, thereby reducing their impact on public campsites. Unfortunately, only half of Maine's sea kayak outfitters currently belong to MASKGI.
To further reduce demand for space on the public islands, the Maine Island Trail Association is encouraging people to rethink the way they use the water trail. MITA recently added several mainland camping spots to the trail. A few are commercial facilities, while others are private properties made available by their owners at no charge. MITA also promotes day-tripping from mainland lodgings and campgrounds as an alternative to island camping. Day-trippers are much less likely to cause environmental degradation during their short visits, and they don't contribute to the social pressures of too many overnighting campers.

We are not alone
In the past, the Maine Island Trail Association and the Bureau of Parks and Lands were hesitant to implement strategies on the public islands that might detract from the natural setting and interfere with the feeling of wilderness. They generally restricted intervention to cleaning the shorelines of washed-up debris and identifying each island with a small blue BPL sign. MITA posted the "Leave No Trace" guidelines on each island two years ago. As part of the Maine Island Usage Management Project, staff members and volunteers are beginning to "harden" some of the camping spots, to limit the spread of environmental damage. They erected a tent platform on busy Hell's Half Acre Island last summer, and plan to build other tent platforms to concentrate use. On some islands, specific clearings have been designated as the only permissible sites, and they may be bounded by logs or rocks to prevent further "campsite sprawl." Nascent tent sites may be covered with brush to allow vegetation to recover, or they may bear "closed" signs. The newest site we discovered on Steves Island, for example, will be covered with brush. Maps will be posted to show the locations of acceptable tent sites, and on a few islands the individual sites also will be marked.