Maine state parks had another near-record year for visitation, said Andy Cutko, director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands.
He said that for the third time in four years, the parks welcomed over three million visitors — more than twice the population of Maine.
But Cutko said its been difficult finding enough seasonal staff.
"That was a challenge," he said. "We were short more than 50 people from our seasonal workforce, and so we really appreciate the extra effort that our existing park rangers and park managers took on with a heavy visitation of people."
Next year, the bureau is planning to put out seasonal hiring notices earlier in the year.
The bureau also obligated $50 million from the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan for improvements and maintenance at state parks, Cutko said. Those projects range from new equipment to accessible trails, and construction will continue in the new year.
The state also continues to acquire new public lands, in line with the Maine Climate Council's goal of preserving 30% of the state by 2030.
Cutko said the state acquired more than seven thousand acres this year in Franklin, Washington and Aroostook counties.
"Obviously, they're really important for just public access and hiking and fishing and hunting, but they also protect water quality and wildlife habitat and biodiversity, and they can be important for sequestering carbon," he said. "Increasingly, I think we're recognizing the importance of our of our forests for acting like a sponge and cleaning the air."
The bureau also has funding commitments to acquire six more properties, making up more than 40,000 acres.
Maine has already preserved nearly a quarter of the state, with public lands making up more than 600,000 acres of conserved land.
