And sails, motors and paddles
Maine Island Trail challenges boaters to clean Maine’s wild islands
One of Maine’s most unique recreational assets is the Maine Island Trail. Consisting of over 240 islands and coastal properties, the Trail has grown over 32 years thanks in large part to the volunteer stewardship of its mostly privately-owned, uninhabited islands. It is this work that compels many island owners to be part of the Trail, allowing visitors for daytime recreation or overnight camping. What started as a simple, grassroots agreement between island owners and visitors willing to lend a hand has gradually become more organized. A program of Island Adopters came first, eventually followed by a corps of some 30 volunteer Monitor Skippers who bring groups of volunteers to the islands using the organization’s ubiquitous red skiffs. As a result, groups of volunteers working on the islands together has been the image of the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) for 20 years.
In this Coronavirus season, however, group-based activities may not be possible. Instead, MITA will rely heavily on individuals to conduct stewardship work using their own boats. The organization is asking its 6,900 members, and anyone else who is so inclined, to clean up the islands and report their activities via a simple web form. They have dubbed this effort “A Call to Oars!”
“The idea is to turn this challenging situation of Coronavirus on its head,” says Program Director Brian Marcaurelle. “In response to social distancing rules, MITA will go back to our roots and empower individuals to do rewarding volunteer work on their own boats and schedules.”
The request is a simple one. Participants will download the Maine Island Trail App, visit islands where they can do so safely, carry trash off, and send a brief web-based report back to MITA at MITA.org/report.
“This is an important undertaking,” notes MITA Executive Director, Doug Welch. “Between our large-group cleanups and small-group outings, MITA logged over 2,300 hours of group-based volunteerism last year. We cannot afford for that effort to just disappear in 2020. We have islands to keep clean and owners to keep happy in order for the Trail to continue to succeed.”
The staff is cautiously optimistic that the combination of boaters’ pent-up energy with warm weather will result in smooth sailing for the program. “MITA is composed of can-do folks who love a challenge and an excuse to go boating,” Marcaurelle notes. “And we as a population are eager for safe, refreshing outdoor experiences. So we hope that whether they sail, power, or paddle, all Maine boaters will be part of A Call to Oars!”
For more information email info@mita.org or visit www.MITA.org/Call-to-Oars
About MITA
Spanning some of the world’s greatest cruising grounds, the Maine Island Trail is a 375-mile water trail for small boaters extending from the New Hampshire border to Canada. An “only in Maine” phenomenon, the Trail is based on handshake agreements with land-owners who share a common commitment to coastal access. From an original 30 islands in 1988, the Trail has grown to include over 230 islands and mainland sites open for daytime and overnight recreational use along the entire coast of Maine.
The Maine Island Trail Association (“MITA”) is a 6,900-member organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the wild islands of Maine. Through 32 years of community-building, stewardship and education, the organization developed America’s first recreational water trail and a model of sustainable recreation. True to its grass roots, MITA combines a hands-on approach to caring for the islands with modern efforts to engage younger people. In addition to its traditional media products, and a new MITA App, it created Maine Island Trail Ale, brewed by Rising Tide Brewery in Portland. MITA members enjoy access to Trail properties for day use or overnight visits in return for observing low-impact techniques and guidelines. More information is available by contacting MITA at 207-761-8225, emailing info@mita.org or visiting www.mita.org