The tussle in Maine over beach access between oceanfront property owners and members of the public goes back centuries. Beachfront owners, citing a colonial-era law adopted when Maine was part of Massachusetts, claim they own the shore all the way to the low-tide mark--and that the public can only use private tidelands if it's for "fishing, fowling and navigation." But the Maine Supreme Judicial Court last week shifted the landscape. It ruled 6-0 in favor of an Eastport scuba diver who wanted to access his neighbor's property at low tide. The Surfrider Foundation, which promotes greater coastal access, intervened in the case.

Adam Steinman is the Surfrider Foundation's environmental counsel in Maine and a surfer himself.