The Legislature finds that Maine is blessed with an abundance of natural resources unique to the northeastern United States; that these natural resources provide Maine residents and visitors to the State with an unparalleled diversity of outdoor recreation opportunities during all seasons of the year and a quality of life unmatched in this nation; that the continued availability of public access to these recreation opportunities and the protection of the scenic and natural environment are essential for preserving the State’s high quality of life; that public acquisition programs have not kept pace with the State’s expanding population and changing land use patterns so that Maine ranks low among the states in publicly owned land as a percentage of total state area; that rising land values are putting the State’s real estate in shoreland and resort areas out of reach to most Maine citizens and that sensitive lands and resources of statewide significance are currently not well protected and are threatened by the rapid pace of development; and that public interest in the future quality and availability for all Maine people of lands for recreation and conservation is best served by significant additions of lands to the public domain. [PL 1993, c. 728, §2 (AMD).]

The Legislature further finds that Maine’s private, nonprofit organizations, local conservation commissions, local governments and federal agencies have made significant contributions to the protection of the State’s natural areas and that these agencies should be encouraged to further expand and coordinate their efforts by working with state agencies as “cooperating entities” in order to help acquire, pay for and manage new state acquisitions of high priority natural lands. [PL 1987, c. 506, §§ 1, 4 (NEW).]

The Legislature declares that the future social and economic well-being of the citizens of this State depends upon maintaining the quality and availability of natural areas for recreation, hunting and fishing, conservation, wildlife habitat, vital ecologic functions and scenic beauty and that the State, as the public’s trustee, has a responsibility and a duty to pursue an aggressive and coordinated policy to assure that this Maine heritage is passed on to future generations. [PL 1987, c. 506, §§ 1, 4 (NEW).]