STONINGTON — Here’s a dilemma: How do you promote the fact that there are publicly owned islands along the coast of Maine and then try to keep the use of those islands limited so as not to destroy them?

Couple this with an ever-increasing number of recreational boaters looking for new vistas to explore and you have the potential for overuse of these fragile jewels.

It wasn’t until the mid-1970s that Maine began the process that ultimately led to thinking about the question of what to do with them now we know we got ’em. That’s when the state began to learn just which islands it owned.

There are about 3,000 islands along the coast. Of these only 170 have some human habitation, most of which is seasonal, according to the Maine Island Trail Association. MITA grew out of the effort by the Department of Conservation and the Island Institute to take the island census. Institute president Philip Conkling hired Dave Getchell to help in determining which islands could support some form of public recreation.

It turned out that of the some 1,100 islands that are publicly owned, about 100 of them fell into the category of being able to support recreation. The list was narrowed, and today there are 48 included in the Maine Island Trail, according to Karen Stimpson, executive director of MITA.

The Maine Island Trail is Getchell’s brainchild expressed in the association’s mission: “… to establish a model of thoughtful use and volunteer stewardship for the Maine islands that will assure their conservation in a natural state while providing an exceptional recreational asset that is maintained and cared for by the people who use it.”

From its humble beginnings, MITA has grown to more than 3,000 members, and along the way owners of other islands have come to realize the value of having other sets of eyes looking after their property. There are another 35 or so private islands included in the Maine Island Trail, which extends 325 miles along the coast from Portland to Machiasport, and another 12 islands in the Canadian maritimes.

Most privately owned islands remain in the island trail year after year, but there are a few from time to time which are taken off the list by their owners. MITA and the state will also remove an island from the list if there is seabird nesting. If an eagle is nesting, the island is off limits, even for five years after the eagle leaves.

Members of MITA have permission from the owners of the private islands to use designated camping spots on their islands, thus giving MITA members a choice of 80-plus islands to visit or camp on along the Maine Island Trail.

Volunteers are the heart of MITA’s efforts to preserve these islands. Now in its 11th year, the organization promotes low-impact use among its members, who are told to carry out everything they bring onto an island, including solid human waste. As unpleasant as it may sound, it’s a better alternative than having to camp near someone else’s mess.

So how has the island trail concept worked? Steve Spencer, an outdoor recreation specialist with the Bureau of Parks and Land, said it has been a “huge success” from his perspective. It has become a model for other water trails nationwide as well as in Maine. The Damariscotta River Association, for example, acts as steward for a state-owned piece of land in Newcastle, and the Appalachian Mountain Club maintains a section of the Appalachian Trail on state land in the Mahoosus Mountain range near Newry.

Each fall and spring volunteers like Sid Quarrier and Bob Ramsdell, both retired, visit the islands to give them preseason and postseason checks. Quarrier travels the length of the trail in one of MITA’s open, 16-foot Lund motorboats and he and Ramsdell recently visited the islands in the Stonington archipelago. About 16 of the islands are included in the Maine Island Trail — eight are public islands and the rest are privately owned. The area is a popular one along the trail, partly because of the relative shelter provided by the many islands.

But because they are relatively easy to get to, they are also used more than other islands in the trail. Because of their popularity, they may be among the first to be considered for managed use, said Karen Stimpson, executive director of MITA. Managing use is something Stimpson said would be a daunting task. “We never set out to be managers,” she said. In the meantime MITA will continue in its stewardship role, working with users of islands to minimize their impact through the MITA guidebook, its newsletter, and discussions with people already using the islands.

In addition to suggesting alternative, less-busy islands to help minimize impact, MITA is suggesting mainland bed and breakfasts or campgrounds, Stimpson said.

If it gets to the point of managing use, visitors might begin to see such things as tent platforms or parts of islands closed to use.

On his tour out of Stonington, Quarrier pointed out camping areas on a couple of islands where campers had trimmed limbs from living trees. On Hell’s Half Acre Island, trimming was very evident.

Quarrier brought home the idea of stewardship in a brief anecdote about the captain of one of the Windjammer fleet who brought customers to Hell’s Half Acre for shore dinners. During one of the on-island campfires, it seems, the captain groused to Quarrier of the lack of firewood on the island. Quarrier pointed out that perhaps the fire he had roaring under his kettle had something to do with it, and perhaps if he brought along fuel for his fire from shore, there would be no problem with future vegetation on the island. Quarrier said the paying customers who had gathered around for this discussion came down on his side. The captain, Quarrier said, now brings along his own firewood.

Campfires on public islands are something the state tries to discourage, instead encouraging self-contained stoves. In state brochures campers are cautioned that fires are the single greatest threat to island ecology. If you must build a campfire, the Department of Conservation says, you must first obtain a permit, and build your fire below the high water mark or in a hollow scooped out of sand or gravel. Use driftwood “since trees both living and dead are used by nesting birds.”

The captain-Quarrier discussion is a good example of how the network of 3,000 MITA stewards keep an eye on our islands. When someone is around to point out our environmental faux pas, maybe we won’t make the same mistake next time.

“Use will occur on these islands regardless of whether we (the state) do anything,” Spencer said. “The key is to educate people on low impact use.”

Stimpson agreed. “When people are in the island wilderness they want to do right” and most often they will as long as they have the correct information.

Another key is constant monitoring of the use. The state does not have the resources available to do this. MITA does. Members are encouraged to adopt an island and visit it frequently during the boating season. Members are also urged to fill out a log each time they visit an island. MITA is looking for information about the number of people observed on the island, whether they were visiting the island for the day or camping overnight, the type of boat or boats beached or anchored there, and the number of people and whether they were a group or family. MITA visitors are also encouraged to provide details about the condition of the island and campsites. All this information then becomes part of the long-term data base to help MITA determine the course of future management.

There is a wealth of educational material available about these fragile island ecosystems, described by some as mountain tops surrounded by water. The Department of Conservation’s brochure Your Islands on the Coast says: “Like mountain tops, they are ribbed in rock, but their soils, plants, grasses and wildlife communities are fragile. You can best enjoy the islands by treating them with gentle respect and by trying in every way to leave them as you find them…”

If you are thinking of camping on one of Maine’s publicly owned islands, you should brush up on your minimum impact camping skills and ocean navigation. There are a few things you should consider before heading out. Know which islands are open for camping or visiting. Just like on land, you are trespassing if you land on somebody’s island without their permission.

Know and use all appropriate safety gear and clothing. Have a compass and chart — fog is frequently lurking out there. Know or take someone along who knows the local tides, currents, winds, and weather. Even if you’re going for the day, be prepared to stay overnight — you can get trapped by fog or bad weather. Know that the water is cold. Remember you won’t have fresh water sources available, so you’ll have to carry adequate supplies of drinking water.

The Department of Conservation at 22 State House Station, Augusta 04333-0022 can supply some information to get you started. It has NOAA chart numbers for the areas you may be visiting so you can order the appropriate charts.

The Maine Island Trail Association (which you can join for $40) also has information available at P.O. Box C, Rockland, 04841 (call 596-6456) or MITA, 41A Union Wharf, Portland 04101 (call 761-8225). When you join you will get a very detailed guidebook for the current year, covering most of what you will need to know to appreciate and visit these islands.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also has information about nesting sea- and waterbirds, and lists numerous organizations which have information about the islands in the Gulf of Maine. Among them are: Acadia National Park (288-5463); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Gulf of Maine Project (781-8364); Maine Audubon Society (781-2330); Maine Coast Heritage Trust (729-7366); Maine Coastal Program (287-3261); and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (287-2871).