Very strong public support
Vast majority of Mainers want common beach uses protected
More than 70% support new laws that “expand public access”
(Portland, Maine) Polling conducted in recent months indicates strong support among Maine residents for legislative action to protect public use of the state’s beaches and intertidal lands.
Many believe that those uses are already protected under the centuries-old “public trust doctrine.” But they also think new laws may be needed to thwart increasingly aggressive private landowners who mistakenly claim that they have the right to banish the public from intertidal lands traditionally understood to be owned by the State of Maine.
Digital Research, Inc. of Portland (DRI) conducted its research earlier this year as part of its semi-annual “Critical Insights on Maine,” a survey of 650 participants who were polled by phone and online. All participants were registered voters who live in Maine and the results had a sampling error of +/- 3.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
Asked about new laws “that expand the public’s access to Maine’s ocean beaches,” 71% expressed clear support. Only 8% admitted to strong opposition. Also, by 16 percentage points (52% to 36%), those responding believe the public should be able to harvest organisms that grow on shoreline rocks and beaches, such as seaweed, without permission of a landowner.
The Maine Seaweed Council (www.seaweedcouncil.org) is a nonprofit organization seeking to protect the ecosystems of Maine’s marine algae, while also promoting the economic growth that can result from the responsible harvesting and cultivation of seaweed from Maine’s tidal waters. The seaweed council says the polling results are encouraging.
“I knew we had support, but I didn’t know it was this widespread,” said Bonnie Tobey, the group’s president. “We’re entrepreneurs who make a significant contribution to Maine’s economy, and that depends on access to the intertidal zone. It’s nice to see that most Mainers agree on this.”
DRI’s research focused on the use of Maine’s intertidal zone by working waterfront and beachgoers alike. It was conducted in March and April, and thus results were unaffected by widespread media coverage this summer of controversies surrounding the recreational use of beaches. Such clear splits are generally rare when Maine people are polled about social or political issues, raising the possibility that the polling might encourage lawmakers who may already be planning corrective action. The Maine Legislature reconvenes in January, 2024.
Digital Research, Inc. (www.digitalresearch.com) is locally owned and one of Maine’s leading market research companies. Its semi-annual omnibus survey of 600 or more Maine registered voters has been of keen interest to Maine reporters and editors since 1996.
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