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Description:
Maine's coast is speckled with hundreds of islands that are used
for recreational purposes by thousands of tourists each year. Nature-based
tourism opportunities are important to the state's tourism economy.
Sea kayakers, pleasure-boaters, sailors, row-boaters, and schooner
passengers flock to the islands each year to get a taste of paradise.
Careful management of this growing use can mitigate ecological impact,
but effective recreational management is dependent on science-based
information. In December 2003, Maine Department of Conservation
signed the Recreation Management Plan for the Public Islands on
the Maine Island Trail, which required the formation of an island
monitoring task force. This task force is led by Maine Sea Grant
extension agent Natalie Springuel, and includes Maine Department
of Conservation, National Park Service, Maine Island Trail Association,
University of Maine Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department, and
others. While many public and private island owners have informally
and anecdotally monitored user impact for some time, this task force
seeks to implement science-based methodology to provide concrete
data to guide island use and management. The long-term goal is to
track ecological change on islands as a result of recreational use.
By comparing ecological data with established standards of acceptable
change, island managers can make better-informed decisions about
managing islands. Indicators will include landing-site bank erosion,
intertribal population densities, trail formation and condition,
campsite soil and buffer conditions, and vegetation communities.
Another important goal is to tap into the huge interest in island
stewardship among both private and commercial island users. The
task force seeks to develop several monitoring methods that can
effectively be carried out by island users themselves, thereby engaging
recreationists in meaningful research. The first monitoring season
will be just wrapping up in time for the National Tourism Extension
Conference.
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