Governor’s Award to recognize MASKGI’s accomplishments

It’s nice to be recognized for good work, isn’t it? On Nov. 17 the Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors, MASKGI for short, will receive the 2003Governor’s Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Maine’s Natural Resource-Based Industries. The natural resource industries include agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, forestry, and tourism and recreation. MASKGI’s award is in the tourism and recreation category.

I’m told that “recognition will be given to businesses, organizations or individuals whose innovations and creative actions have inspired or resulted in improved business performance, public education about the natural resource industries, protection of the natural resource base, improvements in the environment, or advancement of the industries in general.”

For members of the organization, the news is welcome and an acknowledgement for all the time and effort during the past seven years. I pestered Paul Travis of Bangor, the current president of MASKGI, for his thoughts. (I must tell you, that I gave him the benefit of a written response to my query.)

“Receiving this award is important for us as an organization on a couple different levels. Inside the organization, it is a validation that the commitment by our outfitter and individual members for the last seven years to provide safe, responsible, and professional sea kayaking experiences on the Maine Coast is the right path. From York to Passamaquoddy, the quality of our operations and services has framed our identity and allowed us to become an integrated part of the working waterfront.”

“Clearly this award represents an opportunity for us to renew our commitment to professionally represent the sea kayaking industry in the growing geo-tourism economy on the coast. Because we are a new player on the working waterfront, we see our continued emphasis on education and outreach as part of our responsibility of keeping our sport safe and integrated with local communities. We also accept our role as environmental stewards of public resources like the Maine public islands and need to include this in our outreach mission as well,” Travis added.

And, he said, “Because we are a distributed organization, with members residing the length of the coast, the award has provided us a great opportunity to summarize a lot of hard work by many of our members. The end result is that our education and outreach committee is energized and pushing forward with new initiatives to carry our message forward. Sea kayak guides by definition are action-oriented people. I think you will see our excitement in winning this award quickly turn into actions in the kayaking and working waterfront communities.”

For more information on the award and the process of deciding who might get it, I contacted Jody Harris, strategic planning coordinator in the State Planning Office (I had to ask a few others before being directed her way). She sent me a chunk of the following information to digest.

The governor’s award is based on a number of criteria including: overall improvement in the financial condition of a natural resource or the protection or improvement in the environment or natural resource base on which the industry depends; promotion of innovative approaches, techniques, or technologies; demonstration of accomplishment; and whether the accomplishments serve as a model for others

Awards in each of the categories were chosen by a panel for each of Maine’s natural resource-based industries consisting of industry and state agency representatives who evaluated applications that pertain to their industry. Each panel recommended two or three applications for final review by the selection committee, which consisted of one representative from each panel and a representative from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

For those of you who don’t know about MASKGI it’s a “non-profit organization of sea kayak outfitters, guides, and instructors who embrace the highest of professional business practices and conduct. The organization was created in 1996 to promote safe and responsible sea kayaking on the coast of Maine.”

Members are expected to practice standards regarding ethics, safety, and Leave No Trace. Some of those standards include: preserving the natural resources and free enterprise system upon which the individual members are dependant; to protect the safety of the paddling public and the guides working for outfitters by providing safe, high quality services, equipment, and facilities; and promoting education in sea kayaking safety and paddling skills.

Members agree to maintain safe facilities, vehicles, kayaks, and equipment; provide proper skills development and safety training; carry adequate liability insurance; practice ethical business standards by speaking favorably of others and not engaging in predatory pricing practices; abiding by contractual agreements, and to promote sea kayaking for the general good of the industry.

MASKGI’s membership includes 20 major outfitters as well as a bunch of individual guides and instructors. More information on the organization can be found at maineseakayakguides.com.

Travis outlined the projects MASKGI has participated in, including:

. Co-sponsored and published an informational brochure “A Sea Kayaker’s Guide to Safety and Stewardship in Maine.” Several thousand copies of this free brochure have been distributed in retail locations, information centers, and at events.

. Actively partnered on the advisory committee for the new 10-year management plan for Maine’s public islands authored by the Bureau of Public Lands and the Maine Island Trail Association.

. Co-sponsored the Maine Coast Natural History Seminar since its first year. Included participation on a panel on resolving working waterfront issues in 2001, provided Leave No Trace training in 2002, and provided a safety presentation for kayakers in 2003. Currently planning for active participation in 2004 seminar.

. Partnered in developing island use capacities for Maine’s public islands on the Maine Island Trail.

. Actively involved with the State of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to rewrite the Specialized Sea Kayaking Guide Exam. Special emphasis was placed on creating a Leave No Trace island camping component of the exam.

. Co-sponsored the Gulf of Maine Expedition 2002. This 1,300-mile sea kayaking expedition’s mission was to raise awareness about the Gulf of Maine and teach safety and stewardship principles through public education programs in 23 communities in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and along the Bay of Fundy. Past MASKGI president Natalie Springuel was a key organizer and participant in that expedition.

. In 2003 initiated and successfully completed the first of a series of Leave No Trace trainer courses in partnership with the Maine Island Trail Association. MASGKI now has more than a dozen LNT trainers and master educators within its membership.

And putting their business practices where their preaching has been, many MASKGI members have restructured their operations to minimize group sizes to lessen physical and visual impact on islands and the waters, redirected their trips away from high-use public lands by developing private arrangements with landowners, and worked with each other to coordinate trip destinations to eliminate overlap and overcrowding in popular paddling areas.

MASKGI has worked closely to develop working relationships with the U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the state Department of Marine Resources, Bureau of Public Lands, Maine Sea Grant, and the University of Maine Association.

Congratulations, MASKGI, on the fine work and your award!

Jeff Strout can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.