DOC Trying to Stop Trash Dumping
by Rob Poindexter · Apr 11th 2010 ·
The Department of Conservation, and Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife say the problem of illegal trash dumping is on the rise all over the state. As a result more and more landowners are making their property off limits to the public. If this continues how could this affect outdoor recreation across the state.
The DOC says they get more than 50 complaints a year about illegal trash dumping and that number is steadily on the rise. Robert Duplessie is the Director of Landowner Relations and he says that some cities and towns have made their transfer stations and dumps self-supporting causing an increase in fees to dump larger items. "Fees have been increased to take appliances or tires or couches to the dump or transfer station," says Duplessie, "sometimes people have found other means to dispose of these goods."
Duplessie says he's concerned the illegal dumping will prompt landowners to post their property against trespassing causing a loss of access to the property for recreational uses. In some cases it's the sportsmen who have risen to the occasion to help the affected landowners. "Often times local ATV clubs, snowmobile clubs or sportsmen's clubs will go and clean up the problem," says Duplessie, "because everyone wants to keep the good landowner relations because without the goodness of all the landowners we lose all the privilege of access we have and it's a great privilege."
Unless authorities can catch the litterers in the act it's nearly impossible to prosecute them. In some places the Maine Forest Service has started using remote cameras at known dumping spots to try and catch the offenders and put an end to the illegal trash dumping before everyone suffers for the actions of a few. "Often times a landowner that is a good landowner, that shares their lands for everyone, for recreational access and then it gets abused in someway by someone."
Check out the new Landowner Relations website
www.maine.gov/lor/accessing_land.htm
Landowner Liability Law Brochure
www.maine.gov/lor/brochures/LandownerLiability_2008.pdf
For More Information about the Landowner Relations Program
Bob Duplessie, Director
Recreational Access & Landowner Relations
18 Elkins Lane # 22 SHS
Augusta, ME. 04333-0022
207.287.8091 office
Email Bob Duplessie, Director
www.maine.gov/lor
