AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Maine Professional Guides Association, the Maine Snowmobile Association, and the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine are conducting a survey to determine attitudes, opinions and experiences of outdoor recreational users of private land.
The survey will be sent to 1,000 recreational users randomly selected from Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife license and registration databases.
The data gathered will be compared to survey results from a similar survey sent to landowners. In the landowner survey, it was discovered that many landowners are considering posting their land against public access, experience unwanted recreation use, and face problems such as illegal dumping and road damage. The past research also showed that landowners strongly wanted to feel respected. In the upcoming survey, comparable questions will be asked of recreation users.
The survey is the next step in research performed by Dr. Jessica Leahy of the University of Maine in Orono. Leahy is an associate professor in the School of Forest Resources. Findings from the survey will help in addressing landowner/land user issues throughout the state. Over 90 percent of Maine is privately owned, and the bulk of Maine’s outdoor recreational economy is dependent upon access to that land.
The survey is funded by an Outdoor Heritage Fund grant secured by the Maine Professional Guides Association and the Maine Snowmobile Association.
