For those of you who visit Maine’s public islands in the Maine Island Trail, this summer holds a few changes you should note. Capacities for the number of campers and parties on 36 of the 46 public islands have been changed, four have slightly higher numbers, the rest are lower.

More significant, however, is that designated single-party islands, and only one of them, Strawberry Island in Muscongus Bay, will accommodate 12 people. The rest are limited to eight or fewer persons, many with only four and a few with only two overnight visitors permitted.

And the most significant measure being taken this summer is the hiring of a caretaker to live on Jewell Island in Casco Bay for the summer, to try to rein in the party atmosphere and degradation of this heavily-used spot that features the Punchbowl and Cocktail Cove. (Any wonder why there’s been a long-standing party atmosphere here?)

Right behind this on the significance scale is the possibility that in the summer of 2002 there will be a volunteer caretaker who will check daily the eight public islands in the Deer Isle area, in an effort to spread the word of Leave No Trace, fragile island ecosystems and voluntary compliance with island capacities. Steve Spencer, a recreation specialist with the Bureau of Public Lands, said caretakers on Bigelow Mountain have helped to spread the word on Leave No Trace principles, assist campers in finding appropriate sites, perform routine maintenance and provide visitor information. Having a person on site also helps keep rowdy activity and campsite sprawl checked.

Leave No Trace’s seven principles are: Plan ahead and prepare; travel and camp on durable surfaces; dispose of waste properly; leave what you find; minimize campfire impact (in many cases that means no fire); respect wildlife; and, be considerate of others.

The Maine Island Trail Association, which works cooperatively with the state’s Bureau of Public Lands, completed a series of three public meetings last Wednesday evening in Ellsworth to glean some thoughts on this summer’s management practices. The other forums were conducted in South Portland and Rockland, said Trail Manager Rachel Nixon.

The island trail organization has to proceed cautiously in making recommendations for island use, said Karen Stimpson, executive director, because it relies on a lot of good will and good-hearted compliance. Since MITA is not an enforcement agency, it depends on user cooperation to try to preserve the fragile island ecosystems. It’s much better to get ideas for preservation from the people who use the islands than to come up with a set of rules and regulations independently and then impose them, she said.

The process is a fluid one. If something doesn’t work, the chances are good that it will be changed next year. If something works, chances are it will be tried elsewhere. One experiment from last summer, the tent platform on Hell’s Half Acre Island near Stonington, will be duplicated this year with another platform on the island. Because the island’s soil has been compacted by heavy use from boaters, the only place to pitch a tent will be on a platform this year. By taking this step, the hope is, there should be less wear and tear, and over a period of 10 years some natural recovery should take place. A platform is the ultimate in what is called site hardening, and don’t be surprised if more of them are used on other heavily used islands.

Another concern addressed at this spring’s meetings is campsite sprawl and the proliferation of new, unauthorized campsites. If you visit the islands this summer, you’ll see site maps in addition to the relatively inconspicuous informative signs already there. The new addition will show where the campsites are, and sites will be designated, probably by letter. Campers will be asked to camp only in the designated areas. In some instances, this will mean closing rogue sites.

Steves Island in the Deer Isle area, for example, will be limited to three sites, 12 people total per night. Several new, unauthorized sites have appeared over the past few years. Harbor Island, also in the Deer Isle area, will get a new sign designating three sites.The meadow site will be limited to a certain radius from a marker. A small-party site will be designated on the eastern side with a note that larger parties not use that site. The capacity for the island is 16 people per night.

Hen Island in the Mount Desert area now has a 10-person limit on two sites. Rogue sites will be closed off. There are no alternative islands nearby, so parties arriving late in the day or in bad weather may find they have to share a site with others. Someone suggested one site be designated a small-group site, the other for larger groups.

Here’s the list of newly designated single-party islands and their capacities. Western Rivers area: Goat, 4; Bird, 4; Erratic, 4; Muscongus Bay: Little, 2; Strawberry, 12; Havener Ledge, 2; Penobscot Bay, west: East Barred, 7; Little Thorofare, 2; Hay, 8; Deer Isle area: Weir, 5; Little Sheep, 4; Apple, 4; Mount Desert area: Little Hog, 6; The Hub, 4; and east of Schoodic: Daniels, 8; Indian River, 2; Stevens, 8; and Little Water, 4.

While MITA’s fresh in my mind, I’ll pass along the dates they’ve set aside for the annual spring island cleanup. Volunteers are always welcome, by the way. Remember, they even invited me to go along last fall? If you’re interested in helping, call Tania Neuschafer in the Portland office at 761-8225. Volunteers will be in the western rivers area on Saturday, May 12; the Stonington area on Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20; the Penobscot Bay area on Saturday, May 26; in the Muscongus Bay area Saturday and Sunday, June 2-3.; the Muscle Ridge area on Saturday, June 9; and the Casco Bay area on Saturday and Sunday, June 16-17.

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This just in: Don’t forget the 16th annual Bangor Boating and Marine Exposition April 6-8 at the Bangor Auditorium and Civic Center.

The hours are 4-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. -5 p.m. Sunday. Boats from dinghies to sport fishermen will be on display, and factory representatives will be on hand to answer questions. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, as well as the Penobscot Bay Power Squadron will be on hand to talk safe boating. Admission is $4, children under 12 are admitted free.

Here’s a chance to think about warmer weather despite Mother Nature’s best attempts to keep us buried.

Jeff Strout’s column is published on Thursdays. He can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.