Sportsmen s groups revile it as that W word.
Environmentalists cherish it, and they are waging a constant battle for more of it.
The battle over wilderness what it is and how much there should be is again on center stage as the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands updates its plan for the nearly 600,000 acres of public land it manages. The property ranges from state parks and historic sites to remote preserves. During the more than yearlong process of developing a new management plan, environmental groups urged the inclusion of a wilderness category. There are currently eight categories that range from special protection areas to timber management areas. Sportsmen s groups adamantly opposed a wilderness designation.