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The span of opportunities available to enjoy Maine through
participation in outdoor ventures is tremendous. A sampling of
those might include sightseeing by car, white water rafting,
snowmobiling, and hiking, which currently occur in contiguous
areas. To risk losing these activities by failing to preserve
them through Greenway inclusion would be a great loss socially,
culturally, and especially economically. At the risk of oversimplifying,
it seems relevant to point out that the function and success
of all recreation depends on the quality and protection of the
natural landscape. It is important to locate them and make associations
between them; it is essential to offer a level of protection
currently not in place.
Federal Recreational Areas
The National Park Service manages and directs both Acadia National
Park and the White Mountain Forest in Maine. Additional National
Park services are administered to the Appalachian Trail, to which
11,000 acres of land have recently been added, "bringing
the total of NPS, A.T. acquisition to over 27,000 acres (Maine
Bureau of Conservation 1993 SCORP, p. 8)". Federal funds
were granted to Maine in 1991 in the form of the Symms National
Recreational Trails Fund Act ($154,000) and an amendment to the
Intermodal Surface Transportation Enhancement Act (now TEA 21)
netted $3 million for alternative transportation.
State Recreational Areas
The State of Maine manages 600,000 acres of land through the
Bureau of Parks and Lands including 32 state parks, twelve historic
sites, 330 boat-launching sites, and 29 Public Reserved Land
units. The Public Reserved Lands are described as "the Maine
wild lands, which are managed for a variety of resources values
including recreation, wildlife and timber (Department of Conservation)".
These lands cover almost half a million acres of the Bureau of
Parks and Lands in 29 units that vary in size from 500 acres
to 43,000 acres. Baxter State Park, noted in a previous section,
has its own management authority, but is recognized as a state
holding. The State of Maine also manages coastal islands, boat
access sites, five major snowmobile trail systems and several
abandoned railroad lines which are designated for use by ATVs,
mountain bikers, horse back riders, and hikers. The Department
of Transportation and the Office of Environmental Services have
designated five state roads and two US roads as scenic byways.
Non-Governmental Recreation Areas
There is no lack of private recreational activities in the state
of Maine. The major resources represented are ski resorts, adventure
companies, snowmobile and ATV clubs, canoe and bicycle non-profit
organizations. The patterns of recreation resources accentuate
the reality of user overlap that occurs between activities.
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