Visit http://www.youtube.com/maineislandtrail for more video!

ROUND POND, ME –Local lobstermen and members of the business community here teamed up with 25 volunteers from around the state to clean 220 derelict lobster traps from the shores of Bar Island in Muscongus Bay.

“This project shows what can be accomplished when diverse groups work together to tackle a tough problem,” said Doug Welch, Executive Director of the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA), which coordinated the event. “We received an extraordinary level of cooperation from our partners on this project, including local fishermen, the Round Pound Village Improvement Society, the Maine Coastal Program, the State Marine Patrol, and the island owners themselves.

The Maine Island Trail is recognized as one of the 50 Best American Adventures in the April/May issue of National Geographic Adventure Magazine. The honor places Maine’s wild coastal islands in the company of the Colorado River/Grand Canyon, Hawaii’s Na Pali Coast, the Florida Everglades, and other iconic boating destinations that are also included on the “50 Best” list.

The award has a special resonance at a time when many Mainers are struggling with difficult economic circumstances, said Doug Welch, Executive Director of the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA), a non-profit organization that manages access to the 182 coastal sites that comprise the Trail.