Promoting Outdoor Recreation

By Regis Tremblay

While most of the attention for the past few months has been on the Department’s budget and a slew of hunting and fishing related issues, I thought it would be good to reflect on what the Department does to promote outdoor recreation and ecotourism, the lifeblood of the state’s economy.

Providing quality outdoor recreational activities in a clean and pristine environment is at the core of our mission. After all, the combined impact on Maine’s economy from hunting, fishing, wildlife watching, white-water rafting, snowmobile and ATV riding, hiking, camping, canoeing and kayaking exceeds $2.4 Billion annually.

It also must be pointed out that DIFW doesn’t work alone, but in partnerships with the Department of Conservation, which manages and maintains our state parks and forests, and the Department of Marine Resources which regulates coastal activities and recreation and protects both commercial and recreational boaters. Not to be forgotten is the Department of Agriculture that works to support large and small scale farming in Maine. Since 90% of all the land in Maine is privately owned by farmers, foresters, and private citizens, Maine’s economy would not survive without access to their property.

Without close working relationships with the Department of Environmental Protection, keeping Maine clean and safe for humans and wildlife, the natural resources would not survive. Finally, since Tourism is touted as the state’s largest industry, DIFW is an active partner with the Office of Tourism in promoting and marketing outdoor recreational activities, as well as the unique and special quality of our state.

So, in this month’s column, I thought I would give a high level, birds-eye view of the work your DIFW does to support outdoor recreational activities, which are the foundation of our economy.

Many people do not realize that DIFW acquires land for a variety of purposes and in a variety of ways, principally to develop land for the protection, preservation and enhancement of inland fisheries and wildlife resources. Public Recreation is allowed on all of these lands for all or most of the year.

Roughly 200,000 people ride ATVs and snowmobiles and thousands more hike and cross-country ski on thousands of miles of maintained trails. The Department allows access on specifically designated Wildlife Management Areas statewide, generally with existing trail networks already in place. The Maine Warden Service enforces ATV and snowmobile laws and works with local landowners to protect their land and to provide and maintain access to private lands while the Department’s Recreational Safety Division not only provides safety courses for hunting and boating, but courses for ATV and Snowmobile riders in one of the state’s booming industries.

Wildlife Management Areas and boating access sites are open for public access and remote wilderness recreation including Whitewater Rafting, a fast growing segment of the economy that is regulated, licensed, and patrolled by the Maine Warden Service. Additionally, Maine’s wild brook trout fishery in remote ponds and streams is the crown jewel of the East with more native brook trout than all of the eastern states combined.

And of course, the Department provides for hunting, fishing, and trapping activities for 500,000 residents and non-residents each year. Our hatcheries stock more than 1.2 million fish in most of our 6,000 lakes and ponds, many in remote wilderness areas.

The Public Information and Education division actively promotes all of these outdoor recreational activities by attending in-state and out-of-state sportsman’s shows; through numerous publications, maps and brochures; PSAs and short videos; and our website @ www.mefishwildlife.com where sportsmen can buy licenses, register recreational vehicles, and get regular fishing and hunting reports.

Thousands of dollars raised from the Moose Lottery are used to sponsor annual youth scholarships at summer conservation camps that introduce children to the outdoors and the many possibilities for recreation, conservation activities, and safety.

DIFW’s “Hooked on Fishing” Coordinator works with a private Board of Directors to operate and maintain the Maine Youth Fish and Game Associations facility at Pickerel Pond, specifically for youth fishing opportunities, and serves as the liaison to dozens of local clubs and communities that promote Kids Fishing Derbies.

Becoming an Outdoors Woman is a program that introduces women 18 years and older to hunting, fishing, canoeing and kayaking, and a myriad of skills such as building a fire, using chain saws, map and compass reading, and even self-defense.

DIFW’s Engineering Division maintains dams, bridges, and buildings owned, operated and/or managed by DIFW, while the Wildlife Division maintains access roads on and in WMAs, and the DIFW Federal Aid Coordinator works in conjunction with Engineering to acquire, build and maintain boater access sites.

All of this is not a random, haphazard approach, but a systematic state-wide planning effort that builds on wildlife species planning ongoing in Maine since 1968; a landscape approach to habitat conservation, Beginning with Habitat, initiated in 2000; and a long history of public involvement and collaboration among conservation partners. This Strategy covers the entire state, from the dramatic coastline to the heights of Mt. Katahdin. All DIFW planning efforts incorporate and emphasize providing public recreational opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife watching, nature appreciation, recreational boating, ATVs, and snowmobiles.

Regis Tremblay is the Director of the Public Information and Education Division. This article was done with research and help from Wildlife Educator, Lisa Kane, and Marketing Representative, Emily Jones.

DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

Promoting Outdoor Recreation