Not so long ago, the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) declared that the downward spiral of accessible recreational land was the sportsman’s issue of the decade.

Few disagreed.

Without access to private Maine woodlands and farm country, there can be no hunting, snowmobiling, camping and ATVing.

We have all known that sinking feeling when our favorite recreational area is suddenly declared off limits by harsh signs and bold, black letters that warn “No Trespassing.” These signs are becoming as commonplace as alder runs, especially in Central and Southern Maine. So a little more than a year ago, the governor created a Task Force on Traditional Uses and Public Access to Lands in Maine. Chaired by Conservation Commissioner Pat McGowan, this study group has pretty much concluded its work and issued a final report in draft form.

Among its key recommendations:

1. Increased funding for Land for Maine’s Future Program (LMF).

2. Expanded landowner relations program (read increased funding).

This is disappointing. It reminds me of the story about King Arthur calling in all of his advisers seeking advice on how to deal with a fearsome giant sloth that was about to attack across the moat. His chief consultant urged the construction of a huge catapult that would be erected atop the castle wall. “What will we load the catapult with, rocks?” asked King Arthur.

“No, no, Noble One,” said the chief consultant, “Money. Large bags of money. Lots of money.”

Let’s face it.

We tend to get our hopes up. Just the name “task force” stirs images of powerful battleships steaming purposefully toward the enemy belching steam against the dark horizon. These study groups rarely measure up to their touted potential or our expectations. But comprised of mostly bright and well-intentioned citizens – some volunteers – these task forces try hard to accomplish something lasting and of value. So we owe them our attention and interest.

The goal of the task force was to find creative ways to convince private landowners to let us play on their land. In the past, large woodland owners allowed us to access their land as a way to generate good community relations and public good will. The task force seems to be saying that those days are gone forever. The corporate conscience is gone and now we must buy the public’s access to private land .

How creative is this as a solution?

And, of greater concern, doesn’t it send a signal to the enlightened landowners who are still permitting access? Want to boost the profit margins of your forest holdings, why simply deny public access and the LMF folks will have to purchase recreational access with public bond money.

The task force finding does have a redeeming dimension. It provides a needed resource, a comprehensive summary of public policy and existing laws that impact the land access issue. And beefing up the state’s landowner relations program makes sense, but it also involves throwing money at the problem.

Apparently the task force scrupulously avoided the most potent device of all for keeping Maine land accessible: tax incentives. Tax policy is a powerful component that can shape and steer corporate behavior like no other. According to McGowan, the tax incentive discussion became bogged down when some task force members representing woodland owners objected to any change that trifled with the state’s Tree Growth law, which is simply a tax break for big landowners.

A pity, and a lost opportunity. When it comes to preserving access to Maine land for traditional use, there is nothing wrong with advocating more educational efforts, more study groups, and even more money for purchasing conservation easements. The feel-good stuff only goes so far in the real world. Corporations that own massive tracts of Maine forestland are “bottom line” folks. A public policy that withholds tax breaks (incentives) to those landowners who close down their lands to traditional use has the power to solve this state’s land access problem like no other.

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].