>>Fishermen's Voice Monthly Newspaper, Gouldsboro Maine

In recent years private land owners have been closing off traditional community access routes to the water. Owners often assume the right to close off access, but research into local archives, history, and the law are some means communities can use to preserve a right of way. Fishermen's Voice file photo

On November 6th, Maine voters will go to the polls and vote on five ballot questions. Question #4 is a $35.5 million bond request that includes funds for land conservation, Maine’s State Parks and Historic sites, riverfront community development, and working waterfront preservation. The question reads:

Do you favor a $35,500,000 bond issue to invest in land conservation, water access, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation opportunities, including hunting and fishing, farmland and working waterfront and to invest in state parks, historic sites and riverfront, community and farm infrastructure to be matched by at least $21,875,000 in private and public contributions?

In the past year the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Working Waterfront Access Pilot Program (WWAPP) has had great success in achieving its mission of protecting strategically significant working waterfront properties along Maine’s coast. Question #4 includes $3 million to continue this ground breaking work of preserving assets at the heart of our coastal communities.

During the first round successful applicants included a municipality, two fishing co-ops, a private commercial fisheries business, a land trust, and a community-based nonprofit. The projects protected access that supports over 475 jobs and a relating $8.5 million in annual income directly dependent on just over 7 acres of working waterfront These properties provide berthing, wharfage, parking, supplies, bait, sales, gear storage, landings and access for over 250 boats.

The types of access that can be preserved and protected by this program range from full service facilities that provide access and services to a hundred boats spanning the spectrum of fisheries in Maine to permanent right of ways providing access to mudflats for harvesters. To date this program has provided matching funds to secure properties with a combined fair market value of over $5 million dollars. The state’s investment has leveraged an additional $1.9 million dollars in the form of bank loans, grants, foundation assistance, private donation, municipal support and other state programs.

With over 175 inquired into the program since it opened in the spring of 2006 there is clearly an interest in preserving the limited access we have and in making the most of the state dollars to address the lack of affordability those engaged in fishing activities face when trying to purchase and maintain the properties they need to survive. The $3million dollars awaiting voter approval will ensure that this program is able to continue its work across the coast of preserving the strategically significant properties that are so critical to the continued economic success of the fishing sector.

For more information about Question #4 go to http://vote4maine.org/

For more information about the Working Waterfront Access Pilot Program go to http://www.wwapp.org/