Recreation and Regulation: A Policy Analysis of the Registered Maine Guide Program

This article is a thorough policy analysis of Maine’s Registered Maine Guide (RMG) statutes, rules, and interpretations, with a focus on the recreational class of guiding. The analysis included a review of similar policies from other states, defining existing issues, developing alternative solutions, and seeking feedback from key stakeholders via a survey and interviews. The RMG system was created in 1897 and the basics have remained consistent for well over a century: people who receive compensation for leading others into the woods and onto the waterways of the state of Maine must be Registered Maine Guides. There are now six Guide classifications for different types of activities and specific environments. RMGs work in all corners of the state, particularly in rural and remote outdoor recreation and forested areas. Though the Registered Maine Guide label is highly visible and well-respected, the program has encountered issues for decades, particularly in relation to who and what activities require a license. In some instances, exemptions and entirely new licensure programs have been developed in response to conflicts. This is the first comprehensive policy analysis of the RMG program since a legislative review was completed in 1988, and it will hopefully establish a new baseline of information from which future RMG policy discussions can be based.