PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 27, 2021
The Maine Voices column by Jerome A. Collins, “Land Trusts’ practices raise unanswered questions (Dec. 21),” is an unfortunate example of rehashed and inaccurate criticisms of land conservation that have been debunked. Most Maine land trust conserved lands remain on municipal property tax rolls. A 2018 study reported that 85% of the acres land trusts have conserved (2.14 million acres) are productive working forestlands; another 36,000 acres are working farmlands; and more than five dozen properties provide guaranteed water access to clammers, wormers, and other marine fishermen. A diverse network of outdoor recreational areas are now available to all of us, thanks to Maine’s 80-plus land trusts. Hikers have more than 1,250 miles of trails. Mountain bikers and snowmobilers have hundreds of miles of terrain. Families have dozens of beaches. And hunters have access to more than 90% of these lands ~ Tim Glidden, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and Doreen MacGillis, Maine Land Trust Network Steering Committee and executive director of the York Land Trust