Too many tourists can definitely be too much of a good thing. The least important tourist, in my mind, is the backpacker wilderness seeker granola eater who spends almost nothing here, but demands that we place a lot of land off-limits to suit their fine sense of the environment and protect their experience. Send them to Spain.

So says George Smith of the Sportsmans Alliance of Maine in the KJ today.

Smith, writing about "bringing the right kind of tourists to Maine," places backpackers at the bottom of the tourist food chain with regard to welcome.

The "smartest approach would be to target the biggest spenders, so that we minimize the number of tourists necessary to achieve the maximum economic benefit," according to Smith.

"Nonresidents who spend their summers here" and anglers--recreational fishermen--are the big spending, short staying plums we should be reaching out to attract.

Damn, where do I start with this?

First off, with all due respect George, why'd you have to go and dis us backpackers?

I'm a backpacker. And a rafter, kayaker, hiker, mountain biker, road biker, beer drinker (alright, so the last one may be mildly irrelevant, but it does go well with the other activities).

Would you rent a room to this backpacker wilderness seeker Pop-Tart eater?

I have money. And I spend it. Backpacking (and pursuing the other above mentioned outdoor activities) in Maine, across the U.S. and around the world. Lots of it.

Others do too.

Where'd you get the idea that we and our non-motorized recreational brethren don't add significantly to the economy?

That's nuts.

I rent cars, stay in motels, eat in local restaurants, shop in grocery stores, buy local books and maps and souvenirs on my way to and from backpacking trips. Whether I'm traveling upstate to Millinocket or flying west to the Sierras of California.

And since I'm nowhere near dead yet (in theory, anyway), I have many more places to visit and more cash to spend.

Backpackers are a part of the economic mix. An important part.

And no, we don't all want to see our backcountry lands locked up for elitist pursuits. A minority do, but most do not.

Thoughtful backpackers understand that multiple uses in the backcountry can and do co-exist without diminishing the pleasant outdoor experience we seek.

Jeez, I feel like I've gone back thirty years to when I first moved to Maine (from, gulp, Massachusetts!). And to the local merchants of a particular Eastern Maine town where my Dad had just bought a business, who would crudely tell him their warped version of Maine tourism marketing success: "Keep Maine green, send your money ahead, then don't bother coming."

Well, this in't Maine in the early 70s, nor is it Spain in the 1950s.

It's 2006 and Maine sorely needs a boost to its economy. A quantum leap, if you will, to help us emerge from our current Third World economic status.

Part of that leap forward will be a well-thought out plan to promote eco-tourism, also known as nature-based tourism, an emerging industry that is adding significantly to the economy of other states and even whole nations with large rural areas with poor economies.

Plenty of nature-loving eco-tourists (which includes us cheap smarmy backpackers) would like to come to Maine to see and enjoy the incredible natural beauty of our state. But as a state we don't market ourselves very well. And we don't make it easy for people to get around once they get here.

That has to change. And I believe it will.

A Maine Nature-Based Tourism Initiative is in its initial stages of implementation. Exciting projects like the Maine Woods Initiative undertaken at great financial risk by the Appalachian Mountain Club, and the Maine Huts & Trails System, are just two shining examples of what can and will be done to draw recreational visitors of all stripes with real money to spend to our state.

Here's a couple of positive facts regarding eco-tourists from The International Ecotourism Society that may allay some of the fears about those Pop-Tart eating slackpacker types:

1. Experienced ecotourists were willing to spend more money than general tourists, and 2. Most ecotourists preferred trips lasting 8-14 days.

So, not to worry George. The eco-tourists will come and spend their wads of cabbage (if we promote Maine properly). And they won't hang around too long so as not to be too much of a bother.

Deal?

And by the way, how's your Spanish?