Coastal Access Toolkit
There are multiple ways coastal access challenges can be addressed. More...
Common Law & Statutes
For information about land ownership and More...
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Accessing the Maine Coast
Accessing the Maine Coast is a self-help resource for Maine people.
This website contains information to help waterfront users, coastal communities, and land owners address issues related to coastal access. The intent of this website is to offer specific tools that address specific needs.
About the Project
Legal and Policy Tools for Coastal Access in Maine and the Nation: Project Background
In March 2007, partners from Maine Sea Grant, Maine Coastal Program, The Center for Law and Innovation of University of Maine School of Law, and Island Institute received a grant from the National Sea Grant Law Center. These funds were granted to conduct research on legal and policy tools for coastal access in Maine then to translate these findings into outreach approaches that would enable coastal property owners, public interest entities, and recreational users to locally address their coastal access issues. This Web site has been designed as one element of this suite of outreach approaches. Additionally, regional workshops, targeted audience presentations, and new publications are under development. Contact us for questions related to the project’s objectives.
Accessing the Coast of Maine: Issue Background
A tide of demographic and economic change is moving through Maine’s coastal towns, harbors, and communities.
According to a 2007 study by the Island Institute, nearly 60% of Maine’s coastal access (land along the shore that is available for use by recreational or commercial interests) is privately owned and therefore at risk of being sold and lost forever.
Nearly 70% of Maine’s working waterfront access (land that provides access to coastal waters for persons engage in water-dependent marine-related businesses) is privately owned and therefore vulnerable to conversion to another use if sold on the open market.
Escalating coastal and island real estate values are putting coastal property beyond the reach of working families who depend on the water for a living. Access points disappear as changing land use eclipses traditional uses of the coast.
Communities, waterfront users, and landowners are all affected by the decline in coastal access to Maine’s shores. Beach visitors lose their favorite spots, clammers lose their rights to use a private path, waterfront landowners fear liability, crowding, and inappropriate use if they let the public use their land. The list of challenges is long and this Web site has been designed to provide information and tools to Maine communities to facilitate their ability to locally address coastal access issues, possibility reducing the need for litigation.
Disclaimer
This site is designed to help users understand how the law might apply to their needs. This site does NOT provide legal advice, which is the application of law to someone's specific circumstances. We recommend you consult a lawyer if you want professional assurance that our information, and your interpretation of it, is appropriate to your particular situation.