Jane Rust is a beachfront property owner in Biddeford.

As a beachfront property owner in Biddeford whose husband’s family has been going to the same beach for six generations since 1899, I suggest considering the following ideas.

It is understandable that families whose access is limited feel frustrated to see virtually empty spaces. But these spaces act as unofficial wildlife reserves. Baby seals need quiet places to rest. Our beach has offered this refuge. Shorebirds need quiet places to feed. If this area is full of humans, wildlife activity would be hurt. There are very few alternative beaches for this type of activity.

In a July 16 letter to the editor (“Return Maine’s shores and beaches to the people“), the writer expressed the wish to use any part of a beach. As property owners, we consider the beach in front of our cottages to be our front yards. Is this writer proposing reciprocity? If it is OK to make use of our front yards, then are inland front yards available, too?

Is it OK if unknown, uninvited people show up in a front yard because it has nice grass and they want to practice soccer drills? Is it OK if a yard that is full of lovely flower beds be used without permission by a group wanting to have a special occasion celebration who erect a tent, turn up the music, put out the corn holes and have a good time?

Yes, tourists are an important part of Maine’s economy. But they are fickle. Two examples: Day trippers stay home if it rains and some people stay away to make political statements. (According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 85,000 fewer Canadians visited Maine in May than last year).

Tourists need to be encouraged, but property owners need to be respected also. Beachfront property owners are year-round residents, or property owners who rent their cottages (a more stable type of tourist), or they are “summer” people who really ought to be called “seasonal” people. They are in residence from May to October.

Summer people come from near and far, countries halfway around the world and many states. We come no matter what the weather because our beach is part of our lives. Our beach property is the site of weddings, christenings and celebrations of life. Summer people clog the roads but they also fill the pews. For example, the Episcopal diocese has 17 summer chapels in Maine, including four locally.

We know how to shop locally because we were in Maine before big-box stores were invented. The multiple generations of summer people mean we have a strong sense of community, demonstrated by land donated to Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge and significant monetary donations to Timber Point. We are grateful for the municipal services provided, especially by the police who keep our properties safe year-round. But we are a bargain — our children are educated elsewhere.

If you are reading this and were one of the nameless people who helped property owners after the coastal storm of 2024, thank you. While many property owners had extensive and expensive repairs and renovations, this was also a boost to the economy.

Property owners should be nurtured, not lambasted.