Photo by Dave Mention

Every year a handful of people contact MITA about sharing their islands with our members. Here’s the process we go through in evaluating new properties.

New Island Criteria

Generally speaking new islands and sites should share most if not all of these criteria. Islands/sites may be accepted if they do not meet each of these criteria but a strong case should be made for inclusion.

1. The owners are willing to have the island on the trail
2. The owners share the MITA ethic of low impact travel and respectful visits
3. Islands/sites are contiguous or adjacent to existing trail (including neighboring states)
4. Islands/sites are on or adjacent to the coast (salt water or rivers feeding into salt water)
5. It is reasonable to access the island from the shore from a small boat
6. Accessing the island will not endanger visitors
7. Islands have a predominantly wild character (i.e. no large developments)
8. Accessing the island/site should not endanger any plant or animal species
9. The island/site should not incur a significant expense to visit or maintain
10. The island/site should be absent of any environmental hazards
11. Island/site should be within our ability to provide an acceptable level of stewardship services
12. There is a recreational and/or aesthetic value in accessing the island.

OK, I think it’s a good match. What’s my next step?

Contact the office and speak with Trail Director Dave Mention. He can talk with you about your island, share insights about recreational use in the region, and arrange a site visit. MITA will write a sample text and send it to you for approval. After all your questions have been answered and after MITA is clear on how you want to share your island, MITA will finalize text, charts, and any other communication about your island. It will appear in the next edition of the annual Guide to the Maine Island Trail.