MADRID TOWNSHIP – On Saturday, Oct. 15, seven volunteers from the Narrow Gauge Riders ATV Club and High Peaks Alliance assisted Maine Forest Ranger Mark Rousseau with the cleanup of an illegal dump site on Linkletter Timberlands property in Madrid Township.
The volunteer work project was part of a statewide cleanup effort organized by the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine and the Maine Forest Service, Division of Forest Protection for “Landowner Appreciation Cleanup Day.” Forest Rangers and volunteers from various recreational land user groups worked together to remove illegally deposited refuse from over 100 sites across the state on Saturday as a way of saying thank you to private landowners for keeping their lands open to the public for recreational use.
According to Ranger Rousseau, “Illegal dumping and littering is often cited as the major reason why private landowners post their property and put up gates to prohibit access. We are truly fortunate here in the State of Maine to have so much private forestland open to public use. Maine’s Forest Rangers and recreational groups such as the Narrow Gauge Riders ATV Club and High Peaks Alliance are committed to protecting these lands so that they will continue to be open for public recreation for generations to come.”
Assisting Ranger Rousseau with the removal of two pickup truck loads of trash from Linkletter Timberlands property were: Stanley E. Bubier, Jerry Haines, Harry Norwood, Melinda Bickford and Don Whittemore of the Narrow Gauge Riders ATV Club and Ben Godsoe and Lloyd Griscom of the High Peaks Alliance.
If you would like more information on Landowner Appreciation Cleanup Day or would like to volunteer for next year’s cleanup day please call the Maine Forest Service at 1-800-750-9777.
What a nice thing to do. One can find debris everywhere in the woods these days and it’s the number one obstacle with landowner relations. If everyone picked up just one thing every time they leave the woods after a day of hunting fishing or riding on private lands, we would all be better off for it. And they will also feel good about themselves for having done it. Thank you guys.
Just STOP charging at the Landfills, and maybe the tires and large debris will stop ending up in the woods. People aren’t born slobs, they just can’t afford fees at the Town dumps!
Your are absoulty right. I have never been a proponent of Town’s charging for tires and houseold appliances for this very reason, but you have to draw the line somewhere. If your not going to charge for these things, you obviously have to built the expense into Municipal budgets to cover the cost of freon removal and tire disposal., etc
It’s still not a difficult task to pick up what’s already out there in the wilds of Maine.
yes, if disposing of items like tires and electronics was free, people would not be dumping illegally.
also, if getting a driver’s license was free and insurance requirements et cetera were dropped, people would not be driving illegally.
if drugs and alcohol were unregulated, people would not be using and cultivating them illegally.
if hunting and fishing licenses were free, people would not be hunting illegally.
if food and other items essential and non-essential were free, people would not be taking them illegally.
it costs money for towns to dispose of your garbage. if you don’t want to pay for it, deal with it yourself or go ahead and be an inconsiderate jerk and hopefully you’ll be caught and fined for breaking the law. people might not be born slobs when it comes to their own space, but they sure don’t give a thought about others’.
Great job and a big thank you to the NGR ATV Club, High Peaks Alliance, and Ranger Rousseau for there work in helping to keep our lands free of waste. Not only will this help the keep these private lands open to use by outdoors persons now, but in the future. I’m sure the culprits are only a small majority, but certainly tarnishes the image of all. Keep up the good work and hopefully there will be more volunteers in the future.