PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 29, 2021
While land trusts and sportsmen do not always see eye to eye, working together in support of the Land for Maine’s Future program has been natural. Established in 1987, this popular conservation program has always invited diverse interests to head outdoors. As a result, hunters, hikers, snowmobilers, kayakers, birdwatchers, anglers and others are drawn to LMF properties throughout the year. The program has also supported working farms, forests, and waterfronts across the state. The path, blazed by Maine land trusts and sportsmen who joined forces a decade ago for conservation goals that benefit all Mainers, in 2021 led to the revitalization of Land for Maine’s Future, greater emphasis on community conservation and increasing access for outdoor recreation in southern Maine, and enactment of landmark legislation to restore healthy deer populations to northern, eastern and western Maine. ~ David Trahan, Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, and Jeff Romano, Maine Coast Heritage Trust