Sportsmen are losing access to the woods and waters of our state at an alarming rate. That’s why the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine urges all Maine sportsmen to vote yes on Question 5, a new $12 million bond issue for the Land for Maine’s Future Program, on Nov. 8.

For 20 years, the Land for Maine’s Future Program has purchased and protected critically important wildlife habitat and hunting and fishing access to the lands and waters that sportsmen need to pursue their outdoor heritage.

Now, the LMF cupboard is bare. The last bond issue of $50 million, enacted in 1999, has been spent.

If Question 5 is defeated, there will be no more Land for Maine’s Future Program. It would be years before we could ramp up a new program and obtain new funding. A whole lot of access and habitat could be lost in the meantime.

A close examination of LMF’s purchases demonstrates that a very high percentage have included access to key lakes, ponds and rivers, and lots of valuable habitat for Maine’s game and nongame animals, including endangered species.

As part of the 1999 LMF bond, SAM successfully advocated for a 10 percent set-aside that put $5 million into a new water access program, in which the LMF monies are spent specifically to acquire important water access sites. But in fact, nearly all of LMF’s purchases have involved water in some way.

In the new LMF bond issue, 10 percent of the money will again go into the special water access fund. In addition, $2 million will be directed to a new “working waterfront” program to secure docks and other facilities and coastal access points that are important to our commercial and recreational fishermen.

One remarkable benefit that LMF has achieved is the leverage of hundreds of millions of dollars of private matching funds for its purchases.

Northern Maine sportsmen know how important this program is to their outdoor opportunities. State officials were negotiating for the purchase of a township that lies just east of Baxter State Park, when multi-millionaire Roxanne Quimby jumped in to outbid the state. As soon as Quimby secured the property, she kicked out hunters and snowmobilers. Her actions have severely impacted the area’s outdoor economy and the opportunities of sportsmen to snowmobile, hunt and fish in that part of the state.

Sportsmen can’t afford to leave the field wide open to Quimby and others who don’t appreciate Maine’s outdoor heritage and traditions. The Land for Maine’s Future Program is desperately needed to secure and protect the special places that have provided our fondest outdoor memories and will provide our best opportunities for hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and other outdoor activities in the future.

Please talk to family and friends and make sure they understand the importance of a yes vote on Question 5 on Nov. 8. And don’t forget, you can vote by absentee ballot simply by contacting your city or town office.

George Smith, executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, wrote this commentary on behalf of SAM’s board of directors.