PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 20, 2021
Two bills will soon be heard by the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, which will decide whether to advance a bond for the Land for Maine’s Future program. There is a dark side we don’t hear about because it’s buried in the fine print. “Hunting, fishing, trapping and public access may not be prohibited on land acquired with bond proceeds, except to the extent of applicable state, local or federal laws, rules and regulations and except for working waterfront projects and farmland protection projects.” Public access to land funded by taxpayers is appropriate. Hunting, fishing and trapping are not. Requiring hunting, fishing and trapping access usurps land managers’ authority. If we can protect the land, why shouldn’t that include the animals who live on it? ~ Don Loprieno, Bristol