Resolve, Directing The Department Of Inland Fisheries And Wildlife To Establish A Working Group To Explore Opportunities To Maintain Public Access Of Land

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Joe Baldacci and 2 co-sponsors

LD 1308 creates a multi‑stakeholder working group to explore and recommend ways to maintain and improve public access to land, including private lands used for recreation.

Signed by Governor

#propertyaccess #public-privatepartnerships #recreation

Summary — LD 1308 (2025)

Title: Resolve, Directing the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife To Establish a Working Group To Explore Opportunities To Maintain Public Access of Land
Bill Number: LD 1308
Introduced: March 27, 2025
Status: Signed by Governor (June 17, 2025) — emergency measure
Subject areas: Property access, public‑private partnerships, recreation

Purpose and intent

LD 1308 directs state agencies to establish a multi‑stakeholder working group to explore opportunities to maintain and improve public access to land, with particular attention to access to privately owned lands used for recreation (hunting, fishing, hiking, etc.). The overall intent is to identify practical, collaborative approaches that balance public recreational access with private landowner interests.

Key provisions

Establishes a working group charged to explore opportunities and examine issues related to public access to land, including access to privately owned lands.

Initial drafting directed the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW); the enacted version (Committee Amendment A, S‑314) involves both the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF).

The bill is a resolve (tasking/ study measure), not an appropriation establishing a new program or regulatory change by itself.

Note: The legislative summary and fiscal notes provided do not include granular details such as membership, reporting deadlines, required deliverables, or statutory changes; those details would be in the full text of the resolve.

Who is affected

State agencies (IFW and DACF) — responsible for convening and supporting the working group.

Private landowners — the working group will examine issues affecting their property and liability/ access arrangements.

Recreational users (hunters, anglers, hikers, etc.), municipalities, land trusts and conservation organizations, and other stakeholders involved in public‑private access and land management.

Fiscal and procedural notes

Fiscal impact: Two fiscal notes (05/31/25 and 06/10/25) estimate a minor General Fund cost increase for state agencies; costs are expected to be absorbed within existing budgets.

Legislative action: Reported out OTP‑AM by the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, amended (Committee Amendment A, S‑314), passed by the Legislature (emergency measure requiring a two‑thirds vote), and signed by the Governor on June 17, 2025. As an emergency measure, it took effect immediately upon signature.

Potential impact

As a study/working group resolve, LD 1308 is intended to produce information and recommendations that could lead to future policy changes, model agreements, or programs to sustain public access while protecting private landowner rights. Concrete policy outcomes would depend on the working group’s findings and any subsequent legislative or administrative actions.