An Act to Protect Recreational Trails by Establishing the Trails for
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1762
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: BLIER, STEWART, FECTEAU, DAUGHTRY
Amends: 5 MRSA §6201, 5 MRSA §6203-G, 12 MRSA §1892-A

Legislative Document
No. 1762
H.P. 1180
House of Representatives, April 22, 2025
An Act to Protect Recreational Trails by Establishing the Trails for 
the Future Program
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative BLIER of Buxton.
Cosponsored by Senator STEWART of Aroostook and
Representatives: DRINKWATER of Milford, Speaker FECTEAU of Biddeford, MASON of 
Lisbon, PLUECKER of Warren, ROBERTS of South Berwick, Senators: BALDACCI of 
Penobscot, President DAUGHTRY of Cumberland, HICKMAN of Kennebec.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §6201, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2023, c. 284, §1, is further 
amended to read:
2.  Cooperating entities.  "Cooperating entities" means those private nonprofit 
organizations, municipal conservation commissions, local governments, federal agencies 
or other bodies designated by the Land for Maine's Future Board pursuant to section 6203‑E 
or, 6203‑F or 6203-G.
Sec. 2.  5 MRSA §6203-G is enacted to read:
§6203-G.  Trails for the Future Fund
1.  Fund established.  There is established the Trails for the Future Fund, referred to 
in this section as "the fund," that is administered by the board.  The fund consists of the 
proceeds from the sale of bonds authorized for the purposes set forth in subsection 3 and 
funds received as contributions from private and public sources for those purposes.  The 
fund must be held separate and apart from all other money, funds and accounts, except that 
eligible investment earnings credited to the assets of the fund become part of the assets of 
the Land for Maine's Future Trust Fund under section 6203-D.  Any balance remaining in 
the fund at the end of a fiscal year must be carried forward for the next fiscal year.
2.  Grants.  The board may make grants to state agencies and designated cooperating 
entities for the purposes identified in subsection 3.  Grants must be made according to rules 
adopted by the board.  Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules 
as defined in chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
3.  Fund proceeds.  The proceeds of the fund may be applied and expended to acquire 
property or interests in property that are designed to protect public access to recreational 
trails consistent with the provisions of Title 12, section 1892-A.  The board shall include 
as a condition of an acquisition or grant made under this section the requirement that the 
recreational trail on the acquired property may not be altered or developed in a manner that 
precludes its existing use, including use by a snowmobile or by an all-terrain vehicle, if 
applicable.  Consistent with the provisions of Title 12, section 1892-A, covenants obtained 
through expenditures of these funds are held by the Commissioner of Agriculture, 
Conservation and Forestry.
4.  Matching funds.  For each grant made under this section, the board shall require 
the grant recipient to provide matching funds at least equal to the amount of the grant.
Sec. 3.  12 MRSA §1892-A is enacted to read:
§1892-A.  Trails for the Future Program
1. Program established; administration. The Trails for the Future Program, referred 
to in this section as "the program," is established to protect public access to established 
recreational trails, including snowmobile trails and all-terrain vehicle trails, through the 
acquisition of property and the establishment of easements.  The department shall 
administer the program either directly or by contract with a suitable organization.
2. Review panel. The department shall establish a review panel to advise the 
commissioner in the operation of the program, including, but not limited to, evaluating 
potential properties for acquisition, evaluating applications and recommending to the 
department applicants for participation in the program.
3.  Selection criteria.  The review panel under subsection 2 shall establish selection 
criteria with which to evaluate applications for protection of recreational trails under the 
program. The criteria must include, but are not limited to:
A. The interest of the owner of the property on which there is a recreational trail to 
make the recreational trail publicly available via lease or transfer of the property to 
advance the department's goal of preserving and increasing public access to 
recreational trails;
B. The threat of conversion of a recreational trail to the extent that it would become 
unavailable for public recreational use; and
C. The degree of community support for the proposed protection of a recreational trail.
4. Program requirements.  An acquisition or grant made pursuant to this subsection 
is subject to the requirement that a recreational trail on a property protected under the 
program may not be altered or developed in a manner that precludes its existing use, 
including use by a snowmobile or by an all-terrain vehicle, if applicable.  Any change to 
the access or layout of a recreational trail protected pursuant to this section must be 
approved by the snowmobile club, all-terrain vehicle club or another club or group that 
maintains the recreational trail.  If no club or group is responsible for maintaining the 
recreational trail the proposed change must be approved by the commissioner. 
5.  Grant agreements.  The commissioner shall enter into grant agreements with state 
agencies and designated cooperating entities, as defined in Title 5, section 6201, subsection 
2, for the purpose of receiving grants from the Trails for the Future Fund under Title 5, 
section 6203-G.
6.  Right of first refusal.  The commissioner shall retain a permanent right of first 
refusal on any property with an established recreational trail acquired in fee or protected 
by covenant or other less-than-fee interests under Title 5, section 6203-G.  Exercise of the 
right of first refusal must be at a price determined by an independent professional appraiser 
based on the value of the property at the time of the exercise of the right.  The commissioner 
may assign this right to a suitable organization or a local government if, in the 
commissioner's judgment, such an assignment is consistent with the purposes of this 
section.
7.  Termination.  If the commissioner determines that the public purposes of a grant 
made under subsection 5 are no longer served, the commissioner may, consistent with the 
provisions of Title 33, chapter 6-A, terminate a grant agreement made under subsection 5 
conditional on repayment of the original grant amount or an amount equal to that proportion 
of the then-current value of the protected property that represents the ratio of the original 
grant amount to the original fee interest value at the time of the grant.  Any funds recovered 
under this subsection must be deposited into the Trails for the Future Fund under Title 5, 
section 6203-G and may be expended only for the purposes of this section.
SUMMARY
This bill creates the Trails for the Future Fund and the Trails for the Future Program to 
protect public access to established recreational trails, including snowmobile trails and 
all-terrain vehicle, or ATV, trails, through the acquisition of property and the establishment 
of easements.  The bill requires that an acquisition or grant made pursuant to the program 
is subject to the requirement that the recreational trail on the property may not be altered 
or developed in a manner that precludes its existing use, including use by a snowmobile or 
by an ATV, if applicable.  The bill also requires that any change to the access or layout of 
a recreational trail protected pursuant to the program must be approved by the snowmobile 
club, ATV club or another club or group that maintains the recreational trail.  If no club or 
group is responsible for maintaining the recreational trail the proposed changes must be 
approved by the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.