Hearings on Land for Maine’s Future bills (L.D. 983 and L.D. 687) are taking place soon. Hidden in the text of both is a kill mandate. This consists of three words – trapping, hunting and fishing – which must be allowed on any land purchased through the program. Remove these three words and we have great bills – leave them in and a small minority of people have control over all the wild spaces we want to preserve. We call on our legislators to remove those three words.

Ecologist Richard Louv addressed 500 or so guests in 2019 in Portland. His message tied together the land and the animals.

With climate change at the forefront of international debate, Louv’s call for a more empathetic approach to the relationship to our habitat and the creatures we share it with will help to serve as an antidote to human loneliness and preserve life on Earth.

Biologist Frans de Waal writes, “Through fascinating stories of human-animal interaction, Richard Louv urges us to be open-minded about animals and reposition our species inside the natural world.” Louv’s newest book, “Our Wild Calling,” makes the case for protecting, promoting and creating a sustainable and shared habitat for all creatures – not out of fear, but out of love.

We hope that our land trust leaders and legislators see the wisdom in Louv’s approach. If we are going to reverse the negative effects of climate change, we need to preserve the land – and we also need to leave the animals who live there in peace.

Elaine Miller
Brunswick