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No more camping on Maine’s Tumbledown Mountain amid increase in litter, fire damage

Campers at this illegal campsite on Tumbledown Mountain used nearby live trees as firewood. Photo: Maine Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Parks and Lands


Camping areas on a popular Maine mountain are now closed due to litter and damage left behind by visitors.

State officials say visitors on Tumbledown Mountain have been leaving behind discarded equipment, fire damage, trampled vegetation, and human and dog feces. Those camping areas are now closed.

A fire-scarred rock area on Tumbledown Mountain resulting from illegal camping (Courtesy Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands)

Bill Patterson with the Maine Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Parks and Lands says the behavior is damaging a fragile habitat and creating an unwelcome environment for visitors.

Hikers are asked to help by becoming familiar with the seven Leave No Trace principles and educating others, especially children, about respecting the outdoors. Hikers can also call up the bureau to report camping, campfires, or any other illegal use of the mountain.

 

 

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