An Act To Maintain the Amount of State Land That Is Open for Hunting
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §1847, sub-§4 is enacted to read:
4. Land open to hunting. The bureau and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife shall communicate and coordinate land management activities in a manner that ensures that the total number of acres of land open to hunting on public reserved lands and lands owned and managed by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife does not fall below the acreage open to hunting on January 1, 2008. These acres are subject to local ordinances and state laws and rules pertaining to hunting.
Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §1853, sub-§1, as amended by PL 1999, c. 592, §§6 and 7, is further amended to read:
1. Annual report. The bureau shall submit a written report on or before March 1st of each year to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over public reserved lands. The report must include the following information:A. A complete account of the income and expenditures pertaining to public reserved lands during the preceding calendar year;
B. A summary of the bureau's management activities during the preceding calendar year regarding timber, recreation, wildlife and other subjects as appropriate;
C. A list of any gates or other constructed barriers to public access by motor vehicle to any public reserved lands and their locations, when they block the sole or primary motor vehicle access, whether those barriers are located on public or private land and whether or not they are owned by the State or by private parties;
D. A summary of any campsite or recreation facility fees charged under section 1846, subsection 5;
E. A description of the proposed budget, including allocations for the bureau's dedicated funds and any revenues of the bureau from permits, leases, fees and sales for the following fiscal year beginning on July 1st; and
F. The status of ecological reserves including the acreage of reserved public land designated as ecological reserves, results of monitoring, scientific research and other activities related to the bureau's ecological reserves . ; and
G. A description of any changes in allowed uses of the public reserved lands, including the acreage affected and the reason for the change.
The joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over proposed public reserved lands shall review the report and submit a written recommendation regarding the bureau's proposed budget to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over appropriations and financial affairs on or before March 15th of each year. The bureau shall submit the information required under paragraph G to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over wildlife management matters on or before March 1st of each year.
Effective July 18, 2008