Governor Issues Executive Order

            The top legislative priority of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine was achieved in February – without legislative action - when Governor John Baldacci issued an executive order creating the Task Force Regarding the Management of Public Lands and Publicly-Held Easements in Maine.

            Senate President Beth Edmonds offered to sponsor SAM’s bill to create this task force, but the Governor’s order made legislative action unnecessary.

            SAM’s bill called for a task force to study management plans and legal documents governing public lands to determine the opportunities available for motorized access, including snowmobiling and ATV riding, and traditional uses including hunting, fishing and trapping, looking specifically at all management plans for public lots, eco-reserves, and land encumbered by state-owned easements.

            We’re excited by the Governor’s interest in this and appreciative of Senator Edmonds help in moving this along.  Karin Tilberg also deserves credit for working with SAM’s executive director on the wording of the order and the membership of the Task Force.   SAM and Senator Edmonds have agreed to withdraw our legislation as it is no longer needed.

            We expect the task force to address the growing concerns – especially from people in northern Maine – that their access to and uses of public lands are being reduced. 

            As the Governor reported in his executive order, “conflicts and competition between recreational users of public lands – especially focused on motorized versus non-motorized uses and access – must be resolved.

First, the task force will get the facts by creating a baseline inventory of the existing management and recreational uses and types of access on public lands.  We’ll find out what we can do and where we can do it.  Then we’ll try to identify strategies and resources necessary to reduce conflicts and competition between recreational users of public lands.

            The cooperation of the Governor and Administration will allow us to get started on this important task immediately, and to easily collect all of the necessary information from state agencies and programs. 

            We have asked the Governor to appoint members to the task force who represent all perspectives and who are actively involved in some aspect of these issues, including land managers, state agency leaders, and environmental and sportsmen’s groups.  We really expect a high level group of state leaders who can sort through these issues and help us resolve the conflicts that have divided us on so many recreational issues.

            We are also pleased to report that Bob Meyers of the Maine Snowmobile Association and SAM’s executive director will serve on the Governor’s Task Force.

Statement of Bob Meyers, Executive Director, Maine Snowmobile Association

Recreational access has become a significant stumbling block that has diverted too much  attention from the important goal of ensuring that land is conserved across the state for all types of public access. I too am grateful for the leadership shown by Senator Edmonds and Karin Tilberg in bringing the diverse parties together to find a permanent solution to these issues.