Leahy Quoted in Morning Sentinel Article on Open Land Access Trash Concerns

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

May 11, 2015 Outreach, Research, UMaine in the News

Jessica Leahy, an associate professor of human dimensions of natural resources in the University of Maine School of Forest Resources, spoke with the Morning Sentinel for an article about some Maine landowners restricting recreational access because of trash left by visitors. The article cited Leahy’s 2008 study that found the biggest reason Maine landowners cut off public use is littering and illegal dumping. About 30 percent of private landowners were “actively considering” placing restrictions or prohibiting access to their property, primarily because of problems with littering and illegal dumping, according to the study. “You could have all the positive use you could imagine — grandfathers taking their grandkids fishing — but it really only takes one bad incident for the landowner to close off access to the land,” Leahy said. She added much of the garbage is left from local people who are not using their transfer station, and not from recreational users.