I've done some research at the town offices and here is some of what I found concerning the public land on Cow Island. The town of Tuftonboro owned the land dating back many, many years and back in 2003 decided to convert the land into a public trust, to be held by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust (LRTC), but managed on a day to day basis by the town itself. There were 15 or so letters in the file, 2 were opposed to the idea, the remainder were supportive. It seemed almost all those who responded were islanders, or owned some property out on Cow Island.
The two against the idea were concerned about public access, as there are no docks; the potential for trash to be left around, and the potential of fire from a camper getting out of control. Those in favor of the idea like the whole concept of the land becoming permanently protected, never to be developed beyond the shoreline lots already in place, to include the prohibition of logging or any other agricultural activities. Ultimately, the trust was put in place and the actual paperwork is in the hands of the LRTC. I cannot seem to find a copy, but will keep looking. It will be interesting to see what, exactly, has been approved and signed.
There are three access points, but only one, the beach, is considered reasonable to use by the public. The three access points can be seen on the tax map # 25,
http://www.tuftonboro.org/Pages/Tuft...s/map%2025.PDF. The beach is plot 25-2-2, and can be found in between the "Hole in the Wall" and the northern most point of Cow Island. That northern most point is one of the other access points and if you look closely you can see a corridor running from the point into the interior. Surrounding the island is what appears on the map as a road the circumscribes the island. That is not actually a road, but is instead a power line ROW. The other access point is a similar corridor bisecting plot 25-2-174, in the western most section of the island.
As I mentioned, the beach is the only realistic access point. There should be a sign clearly identifying the public access, but in talking to one of the selectmen this morning, he told me there have been numerous instances of the sign being torn down or vandalized. The selectmen are considering other options in an attempt to help preserve access. They want to be notified if anyone tries to chase people off. The code officer and a town policeman have already been out to speak to one of the islanders, and are fully prepared to go out again to press the point that the public right to access the interior of the island cannot be unilaterally revoked by anyone on the island.
Anyone contemplating hiking the island is urged to be respectful of the islanders who own property on the shore and should follow the seven principles of "Leave No Trace"
http://lnt.org/learn/7-principles These principles were developed by the US Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. They are fully supported by the Appalachian Mountain Club and most every other conservation group I can think of. We, the public, have every right to enjoy the land but the islanders have very real, and genuine concerns. First and foremost would be the chance a fire would get out of control. Other concerns are the trash that could be left behind, or damage to the natural resources that could result from careless hikers. Please remain ever mindful of their rights as property owners.