There are the north Maine woods, and then there are the North Maine Woods (NMW).

North Maine Woods is the organization that manages 3.7 million acres of the north woods for outdoor recreation. In fact, the organization called North Maine Woods is a multiple-ownership, multiple-use entity that was formed back in 1972.

At the time, Seven Islands Land Co. manager John Sinclair, Al Leighton and some others had the vision and good sense to realize that with so many different landowners allowing recreational access to their land, there needed to be a way to recover some of the costs of accommodating these public visitors. There was also a need to standardized gate fees and recreational use policy.

So over the years, the names of many of the landowners participating in the North Maine Woods organization have changed, but for the public visitor who uses the land to hunt, fish or camp, the experience has remained relatively seamless.

The same cannot be said for many other areas of the state where land access has posed all kinds of thorny problems.

In other words, the north woods of Maine are still accessible to sportsmen in exchange for relatively modest gate and user fees.

Who can we thank?

Obviously, the landowners who comprise the organization called North Maine Woods. Today there about 24 timberland owners participating in North Maine Woods. Some are well known names like Huber, Irving, Prentiss & Carlisle, Webber and Domtar; others are less well known, but no less deserving of credit for their enlightened policy toward land access.

People, good people, have played a key part in NMW’s success and longevity. Most sportsmen who pass through the various checkpoints of NMW have come to appreciate the cordial and helpful attitudes of the gatekeepers. These folks do a great job of providing us with road maps, fishing updates, bug alerts, camping site vacancies, logging truck activity and road conditions.

And if anybody deserves special recognition, it is NMW’s executive director Al Cowperthwaite. Not the type to call attention to himself, Cowperthwaite has nonetheless provided steady and skillful leadership at the helm of NMW for the past 30 years.

A sportsmen himself, the understated Aroostook County native has kept NMW on track with his easy going nature, innate people skills and his capacity to adapt to changing times. The mere fact that NMW has endured all these years inspite of all the changes in land ownership patterns and timberland management has to be in no small part attributable to Cowperthwaite’s affection for his job and deep belief in his mission.

Over the years, North Maine Woods has taken its share of flack from a vocal minority of the sporting public who resent gate fees, however reasonable. These critics are misguided and must not realize what is going on in the rest of the country. All of us who enjoy outdoor recreation owe a debt of gratitude, not only to NMW’s present landowners for allowing us largely unfettered use of their 3.7 million acres of woodlands, but to clear thinking leaders like Al Cowperthwaite and John Sinclair.

According to Al, this promises to be a a memorable year for public visitors to the north Maine woods. Roads are in good shape. No major bridge washouts. Moose, grouse, and other wildlife is plentiful and the fishing is hot. You can find more information by checking out NMW’s Web site: www.northmainewoods. org. This year’s annual NMW magazine is a prizewinner with great photos and stories. For a copy, you can contact North Maine Woods online at [email protected], or phone at 207 435 6213.

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal.He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is [email protected].