These are good questions that can be answered this way. It appears Maine has a problem and it appears other states don’t – or at least not as big a problem. Maine lags far behind most of the rest of the nation when it comes to purchasing land for public use. There are several reasons for that but I think the two biggest issues are public perception and taxes.

Public perception in Maine is such that people don’t feel the need to buy up available land for recreation because vast amounts of land have always been made available to the residents there to use. Maine is a unique state in that it is one of few that assumes land is open unless otherwise posted.

Most of northern Maine has been owned in the past by large timber companies, paper giants and land investors. Out of the kindness of those entities, they have worked to keep the lands open. That priviledge is changing and more needs to be done to educate the citizens and point out how this is changing and how it will affect our future – the future for our children.

But this is hard to do when those that should be taking the lead in this respect don’t get it themselves. Many of the state’s leaders still sit smugly in their overstuffed chairs smiling contentedly about the many thousands of acres open to recreation and at times claim responsibility for that access.

Real serious efforts need to be put into place that will work toward changing that perception and showing people this land is shrinking and the writing on the wall says it won’t be available forever.

The second issue involves taxes. Maine is overtaxed. It is the most taxed state in the Union. The people can’t take anymore yet they keep demanding more social programs paid for by the state. When taxpayers can’t pay their taxes and keep up with their bills month to month, it is certainly a difficult chore to convince them to borrow more money, that will raise taxes more, in order to buy up public land.

It’s not too late to make some changes but the longer we wait the more difficult the challenge will become and the more costly to Maine’s taxpayers.

At Moose Droppings, Moose reports that North Carolina is completing a deal that will send 76,500 of land into state ownership. This land is part of 218,000 acres International Paper Company has sold throughout 10 different states.

I was following this story since last March. The state seemed eager and thrilled at the opportunity to buy up this land for its people. There were no individuals or groups working to buy up this land and close it or limit it to certain groups. The land will be available for everyone to use. 65,000 acres will be open to all recreationists. The remainder goes toward the enlargement of a state park, a civil war site on the Roanoke River and some other conservation easements.

None of us have any control over private land sales but we do have control over how our tax money is spent. Right now Maine is doing a lousy job of protecting the interest of its people when it concerns public lands. That needs to change and I think it would be in the best interest of voters to consider what has gone on especially with the Baxter land swap, when you duck into the polls this November.

Tom Remington

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