The owner of a sea kayak business was told she’d have to get five other kayak operators to send a letter to the state explaining why their businesses should be considered seasonal for workers comp purposes.

A blueberry grower who used to plant a U-pick sign in his fields converted into a nonprofit operation because he couldn’t afford to carry liability insurance anymore.

The owner of a recreation park found that the permitting costs associated with disturbing three acres of land was the same as a Wal-Mart project involving 30 acres.

These were some of the stories aired by small business owners who were in Augusta Monday attending the Blaine House Conference on Natural Resource Industries. It was the first time people from agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, fisheries and tourism came together to discuss the common threats and the possible solutions that face their industries. One out of every five jobs in Maine is natural-resources based, with an economic impact of $8.5 billion.

“This conference will be a success if there’s a greater understanding on the part of Maine people of the challenges facing these industries, and if there are new ideas for dealing with these challenges,” said Richard Barringer, professor of public policy at the Muskie School and co-chairman of the conference.

The challenges are immense. Escalating insurance costs and a declining number of providers threaten to put many natural-based companies out of business. Sprawl is creating pressure to convert farmland, forests and working waterfronts into residential neighborhoods. The lack of a clear, predictable public policy on natural-resource-based industries dampens investment. Taxes and regulations are burdensome. Schools and colleges don’t encourage students to consider careers in these industries.

But conference attendees didn’t focus only on the problems. Major areas identified for action had been researched and analyzed by the state in advance of the conference. Papers that examined the issues and suggested recommendations were available online so attendees could do their homework beforehand.

By the afternoon sessions, people were breaking into small groups thrashing the recommendations around. Among them: coordinate public and private initiatives to maximize the clout of the natural-based industries; roll back taxes; develop marketing strategies that promote all Maine-made natural products; develop insurance programs similar to Maine’s Dirigo Health plan; and appoint advocates within each state agency to lobby for the interests of natural-resource based industries.

The recommendations were summarized and presented to Gov. John Baldacci, who thanked the 700 or so people who attended the conference for getting the work started “from the ground up.”

“My commitment is to continue and sustain that,” he said. “The real test comes in the future.”

Baldacci pledged that his administration will continue to work on enhancing the future of Maine’s natural industries by assessing and implementing the recommendations. Weekly reports are expected from commissioners and agencies.

Marrying economics and the environment can work. The keynote speaker, David Refkin, president of TI Paperco Inc., is responsible for providing Time Inc. with 600,000 tons of paper for its magazines.

Time has made a commitment to using paper from sustainable forests, said Refkin.

“We have a responsibility to incorporate environmentalism in our purchasing strategy,” he said.

In Maine, that translates to more business. Refkin said Time purchased 12 percent of its domestic paper stock from Maine in 2002. This year, it’s buying 16 percent, or more than 100,000 tons.

“I think this is great news for the state of Maine,” he said. “Our goal is to keep on rewarding those companies (that practice sustainable forestry).

“Economic and environmental win-wins are taking place.”

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