WOODS & WATERS

Do you know what

A PURPLE BLAZE MEANS?

IN THE MAINE WOODS, PURPLE MEANS PRIVATE

BY BOB DUCHESNE

IT MAY BE the best law you have never heard of. Eleven years ago, the Maine legislature passed An Act To Protect Owners of Private Property against Trespass. The law placed new requirements on hunters to get written landowner permission when hunting with dogs and when night-hunting coyotes on private land. It required hunting dogs to be outfitted with radio collars, so that they could be retrieved more quickly when straying onto private land. And it made purple paint official. Using purple paint, landowners can declare No Trespassing around their property boundaries. Arkansas was the first state to adopt a purple paint law 33 years ago. It is now the law in 16 states, though Maine is the only New England state to have enacted it so far.

THERE’S NOT Each state has its own spin on the statute. Purple in Texas bans all trespass. In North Carolina, purple means no hunting or fishing. Pennsylvania

A LOT OF PURPLE allows an exception for retrieving hunting dogs. In Maine, the paint requirements are specific. The law reads: AROUND THE STATE “Conspicuous purple paint marks may be placed on trees, posts or stones on the restricted property as long as the marks are vertical YET. RESPONSIBLE lines at least one inch in width and at least 8 inches in length placed so that the bottoms of the marks are not less than 3 feet from the ground or more than 5 feet from the ground at locations that are

RECREATION ON readily visible to any person approaching the property and no more than 100 feet apart.” PRIVATE LAND CAN Purple paint has advantages. A single can of spray paint is far cheaper than the pile of signs it takes to mark a large boundary. KEEP IT THAT WAY. Signs are typically made of metal, which can rust, or cardboard,

which can wear away. Signs are sometimes vandalized or stolen.

Purple paint has drawbacks too. Foremost, many people — possibly the majority of Mainers — don’t know what it means. Before purple became law, two stripes of silver color meant the same thing, and arguably many Mainers didn’t know about that either. Silver markings are still in use and still mean no trespassing.

Another potential problem is that paint conveys no other information, such as landowner name and contact information. If two separate but adjacent properties are both marked in purple, a hunter with permission to hunt on one property might not realize he’s strayed onto the neighbor’s land.

However, since purple paint is not yet in widespread use, neither of these potential problems has become a major issue.

Why purple? The color is so unnatural in the woods that it stands out clearly. It’s visible even to most color-blind people. It’s also not typically used for trailblazing. With more states adopting the law, manufacturers are now producing paint specifically for that purpose, sold under names like No Trespassing Purple.

Ultimately, it’s an important law.

Over 90% of the land in Maine is privately owned. Much of Maine’s outdoor recreation happens on somebody else’s property. The best way to continue Maine’s traditional access to private property is to absolutely respect landowner rights, including respect for posted land. Maintaining landowner relations is so important to the state, two Maine game wardens are assigned to the task.

In many ways, posted land is the sign of somebody’s accidental failure or complete disregard for the public use of private property. Some of the most egregious examples of disregard occur when garbage and debris are dumped in the woods along private roads. Property damage caused by off-road four-wheeling is a chronic problem in some areas. Even the accidental rut damage caused to private roads during mud season can lead to posted land.

The warden service advises that all land be treated as if it were your own, even going so far as to pick up litter. The wardens would like to know about any illegal activities witnessed.

Even deep in the northern Maine forest, where one landowner may hold a million acres, respect for property rights is paramount. The same issues of dumping and road damage affect everybody. Furthermore, simple things like staying out of the way of logging operations is essential. Obey speed limits (usually 45 m.p.h.) and pull over to allow trucks in both directions to pass. Don’t stop on bridges or park around blind corners. Don’t park in the middle of side roads, even if they look unused. Avoid damaging soft roads. Keep campsites clean. Little things matter.

There’s not a lot of purple around the state yet. Responsible recreation on private land can keep it that way.

BOB DUCHESNE is a local radio personality, Maine guide, and columnist. He lives on Pushaw Lake with his wife, Sandi.