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George Smith Wednesday, August 08, 2007

The Governor's Task Force Regarding the Management of Public Lands and Publicly-held Easements is ably chaired by Paul Jacques, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Jacques has extensive knowledge of access issues and is a skilled group leader.

Gov. John Baldacci created the task force in response to legislation proposed by my employer, the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine and other outdoor organizations including the Maine Snowmobile Association and Maine Professional Guides Association. He deserves credit for stepping up to address this problem.

No matter what your outdoor preferences, it must be said that Mainers are blessed with good access and use of both parks and public lands, most of which are managed by the Departments of Conservation and Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

But disagreements over the Allagash Waterway and the ugly battle over the Katahdin Lake purchase for Baxter Park, as well as concerns over the establishment of ecological reserves and the ongoing demands for more wilderness or a national park in the north woods, have stirred up the troops and caused a great deal of angst and anger.

It's time to put all that aside and figure out how to get along in Maine's most beautiful places.

Boiled down to essentials, the task force must get the facts -- by creating a baseline inventory of the existing management and recreational uses and types of access on public lands. Simply put, find out what we can do and where we can do it. Then the task force will move on to the most difficult assignment -- identifying strategies and resources necessary to resolve the battles over access to and use of public lands.

The governor appointed an impressive group of people to the task force, including a university of Maine wildlife ecologist, timberland owners, conservationists, snowmobile and ATV users, natural resource agency staff and leaders as well as a handful of lawmakers. I am also privileged to serve on the task force.

These folks are not spending their summer on vacation. They met in late July, when task force members were asked to provide a brief description of the "central issues facing us to be addressed by this task force."

My list was brief. I asked, "Why can't we get along?"

Until we understand what motivates each of us and drives the conflicts we're suffering over our outdoor recreational pursuits, there will be no chance of figuring out how to resolve those conflicts.

Hunters have lost hundreds of thousands of acres that have been posted, developed, or put in zones prohibiting the discharge of firearms. They are motivated to keep every remaining acre -- including all those in public ownership -- open to hunting. That is important both for game management and the future of hunting.

Former Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Bill Vail said it best when he told sportsmen at one of SAM's annual Sportsmen's Congresses, "In the future, the question will not be is there any game to hunt? The question will be is there any place to hunt?"

Non-hunters want to enjoy their recreation without worrying about hunters. Fear is a factor -- and no amount of testimony about the absolute safety of hunting makes a difference to them.

Those who enjoy ATVs and snowmobiles want to ride into all of our beautiful areas, while hikers seek solitude and quiet there.

Although I have been a longtime advocate for multiple-use, I do recognize that some of these uses -- given the mindset of the users -- are incompatible. Resolving that incompatibility will be a major challenge.

The answer will come from the responses to my question, "Why can't we get along?"

We can, if we respect each other's concerns and interests and continue the Maine tradition of being good neighbors on our privately owned lands and on the public property we all own.

George Smith is executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine. He lives in Mount Vernon and can be reached at george@samcef.org.

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