Maine Island Trail Association

Last updated
Maine Island Trail Association
AbbreviationMITA
Founded1988(36 years ago) (1988)
FoundersDave Getchell Sr.
Type Nonprofit
Headquarters100 Kensington Street, Portland, Maine
Location
  • U.S.
Area served
Coastal Maine
ServicesConservation
Preservation
Executive Director
Doug Welch
Key people
Brian Marcaurelle (programme director)
Website https://mita.org/

The Maine Island Trail Association (abbreviated MITA) is a grassroots, volunteer-run conservation and preservation group based in Portland, Maine, United States. It was co-founded by David Getchell Sr. in 1988, following a land survey, conducted by the State of Maine, of the state's uninhabited coastal islands. The survey discovered around 1,300 unclaimed geographical features, including islands and sandbars. [1]

Contents

It also manages the Maine Island Trail, a recreational water trail which runs the entire coast of Maine, [2] connecting (as of 2023) 182 island and 76 mainland sites available for day visits or overnight camping. [3] MITA itself does not own any land; [4] it supports land trusts and private landowners in the upkeep of its islands. [2] [5] [6] On private and state-owned properties, public access is provided in exchange for MITA's caretaking. [4]

As of 2023, MITA has almost 10,000 members. [7] Its executive director is Doug Welch, [8] while its programme director is Brian Marcaurelle. [9] [10]

David Getchell

MITA was co-founded by David R. Getchell Sr., [7] a native of Bangor, Maine. He died in 2018, aged 89. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maine</span> U.S. state

Maine is the easternmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and northwest, respectively. Maine is the largest state in New England by total area. Of the 50 U.S. states, it is the 12th-smallest by area, the 9th-least populous, the 13th-least densely populated, and the most rural. Maine's capital is Augusta, and its most populous city is Portland, with a total population of 68,408, as of the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aroostook County, Maine</span> County in Maine, United States

Aroostook County is a county in the U.S. state of Maine along the Canada–United States border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,105. The county seat is Houlton, with offices in Caribou and Fort Kent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Michaud</span> American politician (born 1955)

Michael Herman Michaud is an American businessman and politician from Maine. Michaud served as the U.S. representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district from 2003 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The primarily rural district comprises nearly 80% of the state by area and includes the cities of Lewiston, Auburn, Bangor, Presque Isle, and Ellsworth. It is the largest Congressional district by area east of the Mississippi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Katahdin</span> Highest mountain in Maine, US

Mount Katahdin is the highest mountain in the U.S. state of Maine at 5,269 feet (1,606 m). Named Katahdin, which means "Great Mountain", by the Penobscot Native Americans, it is within Northeast Piscataquis, Piscataquis County, and is the centerpiece of Baxter State Park. It is a steep, tall massif formed from a granite intrusion weathered to the surface. The flora and fauna on the mountain are typical of those found in northern New England, with the summit hosting fragile and endangered alpine tundra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Southern Maine</span> Public university in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston, Maine, U.S.

The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the southernmost of the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universities, Gorham Normal School and Portland University. The two universities, later known as Gorham State College and the University of Maine at Portland, were combined in 1970 to help streamline the public university system in Maine and eventually expanded by adding the Lewiston campus in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chellie Pingree</span> American politician (born 1955)

Chellie MariePingree is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Maine's 1st congressional district since 2009. Her district includes most of the southern part of the state, including Portland and Augusta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradbury Mountain State Park</span> State park in Cumberland County, Maine

Bradbury Mountain State Park is a public recreation area in the town of Pownal, Cumberland County, Maine, managed by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. The state park covers 730 acres (300 ha).

Baker Mountain is a wild, trail-less mountain located in Beaver Cove, Piscataquis County, Maine. It is flanked to the northwest by Lily Bay Mountain. Elephant Mountain is about 2 miles (3 km) to the southwest, and White Cap Mountain is about 5 miles (8 km) to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saddleback Maine (ski resort)</span> Ski area in Sandy River Plantation, Maine

Saddleback Maine is a ski resort located in Sandy River Plantation, near Rangeley, Maine, on the northwestern slopes of Saddleback Mountain. It is the largest independent ski area on the east coast, in terms of number of skiable acres (600). It has (6) lifts, (85%) snowmaking percentage, vertical drop, and skier days. After almost five years of closed doors, Saddleback Mountain was sold to the Arctaris Impact Fund and reopened on December 15, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maine Island Trail</span> Recreational water trail in Maine

The Maine Island Trail is a recreational water trail that spans the entire coast of Maine, connecting over 200 islands and mainland sites available for day visits or overnight camping. The 375-mile (604 km) trail is operated by the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA), a non-profit membership organization based in Portland, Maine, with over 6,000 members. Trail properties are owned by private landowners, conservation organizations, and federal, state and municipal agencies, all of whom make their land available to MITA members in exchange for Leave No Trace use and careful stewardship. All sites—many of which are concentrated between Casco Bay and Mount Desert Island—are accessible by personal watercraft, such as sea kayaks, sailboats or powerboats.

There are a number of wind power projects in the state of Maine, totaling more than 900 megawatts (MW) in capacity. In 2020 they were responsible for 24% of in-state electricity production. In 2019, Maine had more wind capacity than the other five New England states combined, at 923 MW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Maine gubernatorial election</span>

The 2010 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010 to elect the governor of Maine. Incumbent Democratic governor John Baldacci was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third consecutive term. Primary elections took place on June 8, 2010. The candidates who appeared on the November ballot were : Eliot Cutler (Independent), Paul LePage (Republican), Libby Mitchell (Democratic), Shawn Moody (Independent), and Kevin Scott (Independent).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camden Hills State Park</span> State park in Knox County, Maine

Camden Hills State Park is a 5,710-acre (2,310 ha) public recreation area overlooking Penobscot Bay in the town of Camden, Knox County, Maine. The state park features multi-use trails to Mount Battie, Mount Megunticook, and other scenic locales. The park is managed by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shackford Head State Park</span> State park in Washington County, Maine

Shackford Head State Park is a public recreation area on Moose Island in the city of Eastport, Washington County, Maine. The 87-acre (35 ha) state park occupies a peninsula that separates Cobscook Bay and Broad Cove. The land is named for John Shackford, an American Revolutionary War soldier who once owned the headlands. The park is managed by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliot Cutler</span> American politician, lawyer, and convicted felon

Eliot Raphael Cutler is an American former lawyer, political candidate, and convicted felon. He was twice an Independent candidate in Maine's 2010 and 2014 gubernatorial races. In 2010, he placed second in a multi-way race, receiving 208,270 votes, equaling 35.9%, narrowly losing to Republican Paul LePage. In 2014 he garnered only 8.4%, placing third behind both the Democratic candidate as well as LePage, who was re-elected with 48.2% of the vote. Cutler had previously served in the Carter Administration as part of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. In May 2023, Cutler pled guilty to four counts of possessing child pornography, after being arrested in March 2022.

The Maine Coast Heritage Trust is a nonprofit land conservation organization. Its conservation partner is the Maine Land Trust Network, which is one of its programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal River Conservation Trust</span>

The Royal River Conservation Trust (RRCT) is a volunteer-run conservation group based in Yarmouth, Maine, United States. Established in 1988 and funded by its members, it owns many preserves and trail networks, and has assisted in the creation of town-owned parks and preserves, state parks and state wildlife-management areas. The trust, one of eighty land trusts in Maine, covers seven towns and cities in Androscoggin County and Cumberland County which form the watershed of the Royal River: Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, Pownal, New Gloucester, Gray, Durham and Auburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maine Land Trust Network</span>

The Maine Land Trust Network promotes discussion among the eighty land trusts in Maine, United States. It was established in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Chebeague Island</span> Place in Maine, United States

Little Chebeague Island is an uninhabited island in Casco Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Maine, United States. It is located around 0.85 miles (1.37 km) west of the southern tip of the larger Great Chebeague Island. As its name implies, the two are connected—by a sand bar which appears at low tide.

References

  1. "History". Maine Island Trail Association. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  2. 1 2 O'Connell, Jenny (2023-06-06). "On Frenchman Bay, An Island Steward Razes the Roof". Down East Magazine. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  3. Robichaux, Stephanie (24 May 2010). "Hit Maine's Watery Trail". National Geographic. Archived from the original on May 31, 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  4. 1 2 Paradysz, Amy (2017-06-04). "Society Notebook: Buoying support for the Maine Island Trail Association". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  5. "10 best things to do in Maine". Travel. 2023-06-09. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  6. Trotter, Bill (2023-08-29). "More than 5,000 pounds of debris cleaned up around Maine islands". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  7. 1 2 "History". Maine Island Trail Association. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  8. "Staff". Maine Island Trail Association. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  9. Writer, Mary PolsStaff (2017-06-18). "Christina Hassett stewards Little Chebeague Island for the Maine Island Trail Association". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  10. Writer, Peggy GrodinskyStaff (2019-04-21). "The Purifier: Brian Marcaurelle helps to keep wild Maine islands – and the waters around them – clean". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  11. "Remembering the life of David Getchell Sr". obituaries.bangordailynews.com. Retrieved 2023-11-03.