Vol. 4, No. 2 Contents
Headline Back Issues
Spring 2000
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Gulf islands feeling pressure of their growing popularity (cont'd)Learning to know betterFor the most part, island stewards believe that overuse problems result more from sheer numbers of people and from ignorance rather than malicious intent on the part of visitors. Those who look after islands say educating visitors about the fragility of islands and how they can help protect them is an important part of controlling overuse problems. Acadia and other US agencies and organizations including MITA promote the "Leave No Trace" program, a national low-impact standard for use of natural areas. Along with sponsoring workshops on the "Leave No Trace" approach, MITA encourages a "philosophy of low impact use and environmental awareness" among its members and other island visitors by involving members in monitoring recreational use of the islands and by organizing bi-annual island cleanups. MITA has been accused of increasing traffic on Maine's islands by promoting the Maine Island Trail, but according to co-founder David Getchell Sr., the organization was created in 1987 not to promote island visitation, but to address it. "Back then we saw the pressure coming and we figured that it would be better to have an organization of the islands and the people who wanted to care for them," he said. In any case, Getchell believes overuse of islands is a specific, rather than a widespread problem. Another venue for educating island visitors is the outfitters that rent kayaks and guide tours to islands. These companies can be instrumental in setting examples for how to enjoy islands without destroying them. David Armstrong, owner of the Outdoor Adventure Company in St. George, New Brunswick said he offers kayaking trips along the province's Atlantic coast that promote environmental awareness among his customers. Trips to private islands are always pre-approved by their owners, he noted, adding, "We also often take out people to do a cleanup of the island prior to our summer season and then when we stop on an island for lunch we are careful not to disturb anything." Maine Sport Outfitters in Rockport also designs its trips with good stewardship in mind, according to Matthew Levin, Director of the outfitter's outdoor school and President of the Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors. He said the company observes voluntary capacity guidelines for state-owned islands, and also leads trips to its own island properties as a way to help spread out the volume of visitors. But Levin, like Getchell, is not convinced that increased use is a pervasive problem on Maine islands. "I haven't really seen that much evidence of that," he said. |
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