MOREislands lie off the coast of Maine than any one person can know in a lifetime. There are more islands in the Maine archipelago than in the Caribbean, more than in Polynesia or on the Dalmatian Coast. THIS WORK IS COPYRIGHTED. DO NOT COPY! About a third of these islands are 10 acres or more in size, and 14 are inhabited year round, mostly in Casco Bay, Penobscot Bay, and south of Mount Desert. There is scheduled ferry service to about 20 of them—some of it private, some of it public and run by the state. It’s good to know about these ferries because you will need to keep an eye out for them and also because they come in handy for meeting friends or swapping crew. Follow this link for complete ferry listings. IF YOU HAVE COPIED THIS YOU ARE VIOLATING Although it is difficult to imagine when you discover these remote, secluded little communities today, the outlying islands were, in fact, the first footholds of European settlement in the New World. The history of islands such as Damariscove and Monhegan date back to the earliest years of the seventeenth century when they were not only ideal fishing locations, but relatively safe from attack by mainland Indians. The mainland was not settled permanently until the end of the French and Indian Wars in 1763. Even then, as commerce grew along the coast, the islands remained the most convenient locations, easily serviced by coasting schooners. Fish, lumber, and ships were the early items of trade, followed later by granite, ice, and lime. INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW. PLEASE RESPECT Today a new cycle of growth seems to be under way. Islands are now increasingly prized for recreational use and for second homes. Another recent trend has been a resurgence of interest in the traditional uses of islands, such as lumbering and raising sheep. THIS INFORMATION BY BUYING THE GUIDE! Public and Private Property. Although half of Maine’s islands are publicly owned, most of these are very small. Not counting Acadia National Park, federal and state agencies and conservation groups own over 1,500 islands totaling nearly 16,000 acres. This number is increasing. The other half of the islands—and most of the island acreage—is in private hands. In terms of acreage, 94 percent of Maine Islands are private property. THIS WORK IS COPYRIGHTED. DO NOT COPY! Mainers have always felt free to land anywhere and use the beach below high water for the traditional purposes of fishing, fowling, and navigation, as provided in the Massachusetts Colonial Ordinance of 1641. But the world has changed. The issue is cloudy when it comes to the use of private beaches for recreational purposes such a sunbathing, picnicking, or exploring. Recent court decisions upholding the rights of coastal property owners threaten the centuries-old perception that the public has access to the intertidal zone, between low water and the high-tide mark. IF YOU HAVE COPIED THIS YOU ARE VIOLATING In the 1970s the State of Maine researched the titles to every Maine island, rock, and ledge to compile the Coastal Island Registry. Ownership of islands without clear title reverted back to the state. Most of the small state-owned islets and ledges are managed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife exclusively as bird-nesting or seal-breeding sites. Larger islands fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks and Lands, and their use is managed jointly with the Maine Island Trail Association. MITA links about 100 public and private islands in a water-trail system that promotes both small-boat exploration and coastal stewardship. Other islands are under federal control, either as part of Acadia National Park or of Petit Manan Wildlife Refuge. And finally, many islands and coastal tracts are protected by nonprofit organizations such as the Nature Conservancy, the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, the Island Institute, and local land trusts. INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW. PLEASE RESPECT This guide details both where you can and cannot land. It identifies publicly accessible state and federally owned land, islands, and parks, as well as nature preserves and areas owned or managed by not-for-profit organizations. We encourage cruisers to adopt the Maine Island Trail’s sense of stewardship of those islands, that those who use them are responsible for taking care of them. THE WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO BRINGING YOU But what about privately owned islands? When is it OK to go ashore? “Private” here is not an evil word. Maine is blessed with many generous landowners who welcome respectful visitors as a way of sharing the beauty and the bounty under their control. For this, the cruising community cannot be thankful enough, nor respectful enough. But we are even more deeply indebted to island owners. Their careful stewardship is what has preserved most of Maine’s islands, keeping them ruggedly beautiful in their isolation and providing a home to much of our coast’s wildlife. THIS INFORMATION. BUY THE GUIDE! The increasing popularity of small-boat exploring, however, and the increasing numbers of cruising boats are straining relationships between landowners and uninvited visitors. Once-remote islands are now more accessible to more people. Certain islands have been overused, and the curious are invading others. COPYRIGHT 2002 DIAMOND PASS PUBLISHING To respect the efforts and the privacy of island landowners and to help maintain the delicate balance between island owners and uninvited visitors, here are some guidelines we follow ourselves:
If an island is obviously inhabited, we stay aboard, whether or not the owner is there.
We assume uninhabited islands are private unless we know otherwise, and we generally don't go ashore, particularly if there are nesting seabirds or any signs asking us to stay away. Occasionally, there are signs indicating how the owner would like you to treat the island. One of the most effective signs we have seen is on a small island near Stonington: “In our absence, the owners know they are dependent on your good judgment and sense of fitness as to what you do. If you value privacy and beauty, surely you will understand that the owners treasure the land on which you stand.”
If we land on an island that we thought was uninhabited but meet someone ashore, we introduce ourselves and ask permission to explore.
We try to respect the privacy of people living on islands and their desire for peace and solitude.
We limit our group ashore to six people or less. Even on public and private islands where visitors are welcomed, crowds are not. Club cruising groups should be particularly sensitive of this issue, since often their collective crew members can resemble small armies.
We realize that our example ashore and in the harbor not only affects how we are welcomed onto the islands, but how everyone following us will be received.
For island owner's policies on visiting and for their concerns, or for asking your own questions, visit our "Islands" forum.
As the islands become repopulated with second homes and as more yachtsmen, canoeists, and kayakers come to Maine, a new sensitivity toward the islands is being developed and promoted by the Maine Island Trail Association. We strongly recommend that adventurers in small boats who rely on island camping join.