BDN Maine Outdoors

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Bangor Boating & Marine Show Fun for the entire family!

March 23-25

Whether you like to fish, water ski, explore, go tubing, or just kick back and relax, we’ve got the boat you’re looking for – and prices you’ll love – at the Bangor Boat Show. You’ll find all the gadgets and accessories you could want – or need – too!

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n From the EDitor

T

he Bangor Daily News is pleased to present its newest custom publication, BDN Maine Outdoors, where you’ll find updates for outdoors enthusiasts, ideas of what to do in the great outdoors, and where to go explore Maine’s beauty, whether alone or with family and friends.

A unique partnership fueled the creation of BDN Maine Outdoors. Advertising supplements are nothing new. This publication is, in large part because it turns the typical formula for similar publications on its ear.

Leaf through the pages and you’ll likely notice three distinct sources of information. That was intentional. First (and last), you’ll see entirely independent stories written by BDN Outdoors

staffers. Closer to the center of the publication, on each side of a four-page center package, you’ll find tales produced or commissioned by BDN advertising’s Custom Publications division. And the content in the center package was generated and paid for by our anchor sponsor, the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine.

In this first edition, you’ll read tales of avid hunters and anglers, news of upcoming events and issues, and tips to keep you safe while you explore all that the great outdoors has to offer.

The next of this year’s four scheduled BDN Maine Outdoors publications is set to hit the streets (or trails) in June, with subsequent editions to follow in September and December. Each will have timely information to

keep you snowshoeing, hiking, ATVing, and paddling through the seasons as you hunt, fish, birdwatch, tromp through the woods, or simply pass the time watching the waves roll in along the rocky coast.

No matter how you found us – in your mailbox, on a newsstand, or at a sporstman’s show — we’re glad you’ve got a copy of BDN Maine Outdoors in your hands and hope you’ll let us know if there’s anything you’d like to see us write about in future editions.

Also, don’t forget to check in at bangordailynews.com/outdoors regularly for updates on what’s going on outside your door.

Happy hunting, hiking, fishing, exploring – in other words, go enjoy the Maine outdoors. n

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n INSIDE

6 Happy Birthday, L.L. Bean Celebrate as iconic Maine companies help mark a milestone.

8 Meet the ‘Shed Hunter’ Meet Sadie, a dog who found what moose leave behind.

15 Youth Turkey Hunt Learn how Maine’s sporting heritage is staying vibrant and safe.

20 Fiddleheadin’

Enjoy a centuries-old tradition of good taste.

22 It’s Time To Fish

Visit Grand Lake Stream on opening day of fishing season.

9 Proper feeding of deer in the winter 10 A preservation group assists with the Allagash dam repairs 19 Kayaking in the waters of Mount Desert Island

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n INSIDE

Aislinn and John

bangordailynews.com/outdoors Publisher Richard J. Warren BDN Maine Outdoors Editor Aimee Thibodeau Graphics Editor Eric Zelz Writers John Holyoke Aislinn Sarnacki Photographers John Clarke Russ Linda O’Kresik Gabor Degre Robert Bukaty Contributing Photographer Dave Small BDN Maine Outdoors Extra Special Adverstising Section Editor Brian Swartz Contributing Writers Frank Frost Sheila Grant Gerry Lavigne Advertising Director Steve Martin Advertising Sales Jeff Orcutt jorcutt@bangordailynews.com Creative Services Bridgit Cayer Faith Burgos John Koladish Michele Prentice To advertise in our next edition, please call Jeff Orcutt at 207-990-8036 Toll-free in Maine 1-800-432-7964 ext. 8036 or email advertising@bangordailynews.com

J

P

rofessionally, I’m a Bangor Daily News reporter, focusing primarily on the outdoors, arts and literature. My BDN blog, “Act out with Aislinn,” launched November 2011 and includes “One-Minute Hike” outdoor videos as well as articles on outdoor recreation.

On my blog, I discuss outdoor destinations, events and gear with readers, who sometimes guide me to my next blog video location.

Personally, I’m a strange blend.

I’m a wilderness romper and fashion-forward bookworm. Both animals and art have the ability to hold my attention more than anything else.

My enthusiasm for the outdoors started at a young age, in the woods of my hometown, Winterport, Maine, where I’d collect bugs and chase after wild turkeys. My parents bought me a Old Town Loon kayak for my 16th birthday, but my true passion is hiking, perhaps due to the annual trips my family takes to Baxter State Park.

While working at a Bangor outfitter, I became a gearhead and learned from experienced thruhikers, paddlers, bird watchers and climbers. While studying journalism at the University of Maine, I completed an Honors College thesis on hiking, a yearlong project about Maine trails and how being active in the environment has a positive impact on a person’s health.

You can reach me at asarnacki@ bangordailynews.com or by calling 990-8287. n

I

grew up tromping around the fields and woods of Maine, and as the Bangor Daily News Outdoors Editor, I’m now getting paid to do the same thing. The difference: Now I have the chance to share stories with thousands of readers who appreciate the state’s traditional outdoor pursuits.

Since becoming the BDN’s outdoor columnist in 2002, I’ve been welcomed into homes and hunting camps, swapped flies (and lies) with fly fishermen on many of the state’s famous rivers, and have spent countless hours driving on remote dirt roads, in search of a new tale to tell, a new adventure to share, a new memory to be savored.

I see my job as one that has many moving parts. Sometimes I’m a tour guide. Sometimes I’m a hunter, or an angler, or a hiker or a runner. Sometimes I’m just an average Mainer, spending time outdoors, trying to figure out where all the deer went. Sometimes I’m an antagonist, taking aim at ill-advised fish and game laws, or at those who take our natural resources for granted.

Sometimes I poke a little fun at myself.

But mostly, I’m a story-teller.

Since 1993, in one form or another, I’ve been sharing those stories with readers of the BDN. You can reach me at jholyoke@ bangordailynews.com or by calling 990-8214. n

©2012 Bangor Daily News.

All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without express written consent. Requests for permission to copy, reprint, or duplicate any content should be directed to athibodeau@bangordailynews.com

For more great outdoor content, go to bangordailynews.com/outdoors.

You’ll find birding columns by Bob Duchesne, a full roster of BDN bloggers, and stunning nature photos by Dave Small.

Stewards of Maine’s Environment Since 1845 Poland Spring’s respect for the environment, our stewardship of water sources and the land around them, and our commitment to being a good employer and a good neighbor, are all part of our heritage as a Maine company.

We’re proud to turn a rapidly renewable natural resource into nearly 800 full time and seasonal good jobs for Maine people.

bangordailynews.com 491 Main Street, Bangor, Maine 04401 To subscribe call 207-990-8040 or toll-free in Maine 1-800-432-7964.

About the cover Fly fisherman fish on the Dam Pool at Grand Lake Stream. The first day of the open-water fishing season traditionally draws anglers from all over the region.

BDN FILE PHOTO BY GABOR DEGRE

Join John on his Out There blog at http://outthere.bangordailynews.com Join Aislinn on her Act Out with Aislinn blog at http://actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com.

Poland Spring • Hollis • Kingfield

www.PolandSpringWorksforMaine.com

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n FEATURE Story

Happy Birthday, L.L. Bean

Thomas Rod Co., Shaw & Tenney team up with L.L. Bean for 100th anniversary

BY JOHN HOLYOKE, OUTDOORS STAFF WRITER • BDN Photograph by LINDA OKresik

B

y all measuring sticks, L.L. Bean is a venerable Maine company. Heck, this year the Freeportbased retailer is celebrating its 100th anniversary in grand style.

But when the company started thinking about ways to celebrate that historic birthday, they didn’t have to look very far to find a couple of local companies with interesting pedigrees of their own.

Thomas Rod Company, where Steve Campbell crafts bamboo fly rods as the most recent owner/ operator, turns 116 years old this year.

And Shaw & Tenney of Orono, which makes oars, paddles and other wooden products, makes L.L. Bean look like a newcomer: It’s been in business for 154 years, since 1858.

With that kind of track record for excellence, it’s no wonder that products from both of those manufacturers are featured among the special 100th anniversary items that L.L. Bean has rolled out in celebration of its centennial.

Campbell has produced 25 limited-edition bamboo rods for the celebration, while Steve Holt, the owner of Shaw & Tenney, unveiled a special L.L. Bean paddle during a press event at his Orono shop. The paddles were crafted from wood salvaged from Quakish Lake by West Branch Heritage Timber. Some of that wood has been studied by scientists who say it is more than 500 years old.

Holt said L.L. Bean approached him late last fall to talk about the heritage product project, and after some discussions, he decided producing a Shaw & Tenney paddle was a natural pairing.

“As a small Maine company and with L.L. Bean as an icon, it made great sense for us,” Holt said. “It’s not something that we normally do. We’re mostly retail.”

Holt said Shaw & Tenney’s website generates a lot of business, but the majority of their trade comes from referrals from satisfied customers. We’ve been in business for 154 years and we’re known as an icon for our products,” Holt said. “If you want a solid, one-piece, high-quality paddle or oar, you’re eventually going to end up calling us.”

Holt said the company does a lot of work with laser engravings and sends products all over the

Brandon Viger, employee at Shaw & Tenney in Orono, uses a sanding drum while working on an anniversary paddle for L.L.Bean. world, with commemorative paddles can be found on walls as decorations as often as they are used in the water.

“A lot of our products are used more and more for non-traditional uses,” Holt said. “They’re in Fortune 500 boardrooms. You’re going to see a flagpole in a Steven Spielberg movie, [‘Lincoln’], that’s coming out this summer.

Our pack baskets were in the new movie, ‘The Hobbit.’ We do a lot in the marine reconnaisence community, with military paddles.”

Holt proudly displayed one of the paddles at the January press event. Shaw & Tenney paddles

are always beautiful. These are simply more beautiful.

“It has slightly different characteristics. I don’t know if there’s been a change in the cellular structure, but it does look different,” Holt said.

And because it’s a limited-edition item, Holt fully expects many of the L.L. model to follow many other Shaw & Tenney products and become pampered heirlooms, rather than utilitarian tools. The paddles will retail for $169.

“I would expect a fair number of these L.L. Bean paddles might end up on display. A lot of our paddles never touch the water,”

Holt said.

Last year Thomas Rod Co.’s Campbell said it had been a 20-year dream for him, as a rodmaker, to craft rods that would be sold by the state’s foremost outdoor retailer. “[I always said], ‘Wouldn’t it be awesome to have rods in L.L. Bean?’ The most famous outfitter in Maine and one of the most famous rod-making companies from Maine, together? A perfect match.”

That match came to fruition after a few meetings between L.L. Bean reps and Campbell.

Campbell and L.L. Bean officials announced a partnership that would do just that in June, and over the ensuing months Campbell made and delivered 25 special 7-foot, 3-weight models.

Those that haven’t already been scooped up by collectors are available for $3,495.

“It’s a true 1912 circa fly rod,” L.L. Bean senior product developer for high-end fishing said at the time. “I still felt that it needed to be [representative] of where the company was. When the company started, that’s the rod that you’d find on the market. And it just happens to take a ton of labor hours to produce that rod today.”

In June, Miller said he expected early sales of the rods — which went up for grabs on Jan. 1 — would be brisk.

“It should be a matter of min-

utes rather than months” for the rods to sell out,” Miller said as Campbell worked on another batch of rods for delivery to the company.

On Feb. 1 Campbell reported that Miller’s estimate might have been a little optimistic … but not much.

A week earlier, Campbell had received word that 14 of the 25 rods had been sold, in the first three weeks of their availability.

Fred E. Thomas founded the company in Brewer, moved his operation to Bangor, and eventually sold it to New Hampshire rod-maker Sam Carlson. Carlson, in turn, sold to Campbell in 1999.

Since then, the Brewer native has run the operation as a oneman business, first out of his home, and now out of a handsome workshop attached to his home. Rod-making is not a fulltime job for him now, but in June he said he held out hope that opportunities like the L.L. Bean project could help facilitate that.

“I’d have to have a pretty good idea that I’m going to be able to consistently sell 50 rods a year to quit my other job, but that’s what I’d like to do,” Campbell said at the time, estimating that as a fulltime rod-builder, he could double his current output of 25 rods a year. “I’m pretty excited to see what happens. It’s hard to tell.

The possibilities are endless, really.” n

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Fisheries biologist introduces his sons to the Maine outdoors Next generation of sportsmen learns about outdoor recreation

By Frank Frost, CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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have three sons who love to hunt: Matthew, age 16; Nicholas, 14; and Noah, 12. The fall days in October and November are some of the best times to be outdoors in Maine, and we make as many hunting trips as work, school and sports commitments allow.

We live about 3 miles from downtown Caribou, in a rural area that allows us to get out right from the house on frequent, short hunting trips starting in October and going right through the muzzleloader season on deer.

Since the boys were very young and able to walk with me, I’ve been taking them along on grouse hunts. When each of them turned 10, they took turns on deer hunts from our house and in the North Maine Woods.

While we live in an area that is tough hunting for deer, they all enjoy and look forward to the challenge of sitting, still-hunting,

and tracking each year.

Prior to each of them turning 6, I purchased lifetime fishing/ hunting licenses for each of them – an investment that I’m sure they will use throughout their adult lives.

There have been numerous articles on the benefits for youths to spend time in the outdoors, and now as my children have spent two to six years hunting in the field with me, I have seen many of those benefits firsthand.

Learning the natural history of not only the game animals that we pursue, but also many of the nongame animals that we encounter is a lifelong learning activity.

I have seen my sons grow and improve in patience and perseverance, whether it be sitting for hours in bitter cold or convincing them not to give up in the aftermath of missing that whitetail buck they had been so patiently waiting days for. We have

shared the heartache of these mishaps several times.

In the end, they realize things aren’t always easy, but when you persevere and finally harvest a biggame animal, the rewards are so much sweeter.

There are the many other life lessons as well: land stewardship, acknowledging the privilege of using private land and always asking permission first, gun safety and knowing when and how to load/unload your firearm, and always identifying your target.

Frank Frost is a fisheries biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, working at the Ashland Regional Headquarters.

In 2011, he participated in Maine’s moose hunt for the first time as a sub-permittee on a bull tag in District 5. Two of his sons and two nephews enjoyed the hunt as well.

photo courtesy of frank frost

Since his sons were young, Maine state fisheries biologist Frank Frost has introduced them to hunting, fishing and spending time in the great Maine outdoors. His sons are (from left) Nicholas, Noah, and Matthew.

This photo was taken in October 2008.

MDI’s South Bubble is great place for kids’ first hike

By Brian Swartz, Advertising Staff Editor

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o find out if your children might be interested in hiking, take them up South Bubble this spring. If they enjoy the short hike and the views, they might just become your future hiking buddies.

South Bubble rises between Jordan Pond and North Bubble in Acadia National Park. Take the Loop Road north from the Jordan Pond House or south from Bubble Pond and pull into the clearly identified parking lot.

The trail starts here. Follow it through the predominantly hardwood forest to where the trail swings left and starts uphill over stone steps. Tell the kids not to run here because the jumbled steps and nearby tree roots could snag a foot or ankle.

The trail climbs a short distance to the intersection with North Bubble Trail, a more difficult hike.

Stay straight on the South Bubble Trail, which quickly reaches the saddle between the Bubbles. Veer left here, where the hardwoods give way to jack pine and stunted spruce and fir.

South Bubble Trail rises east and then south through the trees.

Again, encourage energetic youngsters not to run far ahead.

Then the trail levels near the summit cairn and signpost. Both sit on a low granite outcropping where parents can pose their youthful hikers beside the signpost and then photograph them. On a clear day, North Bubble looms in the background.

The South Bubble Trail continues south onto open ledges.

Pick a comfortable place to unpack and enjoy a light picnic lunch.

While chowing down, the children can see all the natural beauty around them.

Tell them about it: That’s Pemetic Mountain on the left and Penobscot Mountain on the right.

That’s Jordan Pond sparkling in the sunlight. And that’s the ocean way down there.

Children usually don’t appreciate gorgeous scenery like their elders do, so take the side trail to Bubble Rock. This is something that kids can appreciate: It looks like a big potato. Parents often photograph their children standing by Bubble Rock, a glacial erratic that perches precariously (or seems to) on the east edge of South Bubble.

The kids might not care about glaciers and erratics, but it doesn’t hurt for adults to explain how Bubble Rock got there.

Ask the kids if they can imagine ice covering everything around South Bubble. That would be a lot of ice, wouldn’t it?

A child’s first hiking experience can send the youngster hiking for a lifetime, and South Bubble Trail is a great place to start.

Western Maine Fly Fishing Expo set for March 24 The Western Maine Fly Fishing Expo will take place from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, March 24, at the Bethel Inn Conference Center in Bethel. Artists, boat builders, guides, outfitters, taxidermists, and other exhibitors will participate in the expo, which is sponsored by the Mollyockett Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance.

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Byron ‘shed hunter’ seeks what bull moose leave behind

Sadie the black Lab could nose out shed antlers

By Brian Swartz, Advertising Staff Editor

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lbert Ladd hunts mostly deer and coyote, but he also hunts antlers, the hobby that’s earned him the designation of “shed hunter.”

The 63-year-old Ladd lives on three acres on Route 17, just south of Coos Canyon in Byron, a town bisected by the Swift River north of Rumford and Mexico in Oxford County.

“I’ve lived here all my life,” he said. That includes the many years when he worked in the pulp mill at the New Page paper mill down in Rumford.

“Before I went into the mill, I cut wood for a living for a number of years,” Ladd said. “I’m always in the woods, hunting and trapping.”

Sometime about 1983, Ladd was hunting deer with a muzzle-loader when he found about 10 shed moose antlers all in one area.

“That really got me going right there.”

During his travels in the woods, Ladd often encounters moose, so he knows where he can find antlers that the bulls start to drop in midto late winter. He usually seeks moose antlers. There are “so few really good-sized bucks around here now” that deer antlers remain scarce, he commented.

Ladd never knows exactly what he will find and when he will find it while hunting for moose antlers.

“I’ve found them as early as Oct. 30 and sometimes later in April, when the younger ones still have their horns,” he said. “The last good year I hunted hard, I found 81. The year before that, I found 80.”

Often he finds two antlers in close proximity, suggesting that the same moose dropped them.

“The bulls usually do shed [their antlers] at about the same time, but I’ve found them a mile away from each other. I’ve found them lying atop each other.”

“I’ve got antlers from the same moose three years in a row. The horn is pretty much the same every year the way they grow it,” he said. “I once found antlers from the same moose four years in a row.”

For years Ladd was accompanied by his black Lab, Sadie, a “shed hunter” in her own right.

“She could smell them in the snow, or I’d see her looking at me, and her tail was wagging, and I would know she had something for me,” he said. Sadie recently died, and Ladd now has another black Lab, Baylee.

“[But] we really haven’t been out looking for horns,” he said.

According to Ladd, sometime during the 1980s, a Roxbury resident found a set of four interlocked antlers still attached to bull moose skulls.

“They were old, not fresh,” Ladd said. “This was unreal: One point came up and grew back toward the base of the antler on one bull, and the other’s bull antler got hooked inside that. They got their antlers stuck together, and they died that way.”

A market exists for moose antlers. Ladd has photographed antlers that, when spray-painted and emblazoned with a surname and arrow and fastened to a tree, made great directional signs to private camps. He has sent antlers to a Vermont artisan, Kenneth Klingler of Klingler Woodcarving & Art Gallery in Cabot.

“He’s a heck of a painter. I traded him some antlers to do carvings for me on my antlers,” Ladd said.

Some Maine artisans make furniture from moose antlers, he indicated. Ladd does sell some antlers that he finds.

“I put up a sign at the house, or people come by word of mouth,” he said.

During the last few years, Ladd has found fewer shed antlers.

“I had great places in the past where I would find them,” he said, adding that clear-cutting has

photo courtesy of albert ladd

Until a few years ago, “shed hunter” Albert Ladd of Byron was accompanied by his black Lab, Sadie, on excursions to find shed moose antlers in the Oxford County forests. “She could smell them in the snow,” Ladd said.

affected a lot of moose habitat, and increased pressure from people looking for horns has led to there not being as many antlers in the woods.

“I see a lot less moose sign now,” Ladd observed. “Everything is putting pressure on them. I really think it’s the ticks that’s the worst, making [moose] so stressed out and weak by spring that too many of them are dying.”

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Proper supplemental diet can benefit deer during winter Road safety a factor in selecting site

By Gerry Lavigne, CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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any people feed deer in winter. Whether winter feeding improves deer nutrition and survival depends on which types and amounts of supplemental feed are used, as well as where and how deer are fed.

If you choose to feed deer in winter, start feeding them early, introduce foods gradually, don’t change feeds abruptly, and stick with the program until spring green-up.

White-tailed deer are selective feeders. They normally pick only the most nutrient-packed, easily digestable plant parts available and cannot efficiently digest grass hay.

When forced to do so, they will die. Avoid feeding hay to whitetails during winter. It may be lethal to them.

During winter, deer need a lot of calories to keep warm and also need protein to keep their bodies functioning. Winter diets also need a certain amount of indigestible fiber to aid digestion.

As with all animals, deer need a daily supply of vitamins, minerals and water to maintain health.

When providing supplemental deer foods, it is best to offer foods that will meet all or most of their daily nutritional needs.

Many people put out vegetable trimmings discarded by supermarkets. Comprising of celery, cabbage, lettuce trimmings, old fruit, or other waste, these foods are deer killers if deer have to rely solely on

them for their survival. People lose weight by eating salads, and so do deer.

Veggie trimmings are high in water content and low in carbs and protein. Please, leave them in the supermarket dumpster.

Waste apples and potatoes are palatable to deer and contain ample calories, but are not a healthy stand-alone diet. Fruits and spuds are high in water and too low in protein and fiber for wintering deer. If deer cannot access high quality natural forages around your feeder, they will not thrive.

As a winter supplement, cracked corn, oats, or barley are an improvement over veggies and fruit, but single diets of grains are not optimal. They may contain adequate amounts of carbs and most proteins, but lack fiber and some minerals.

Deer will readily eat sunflower seeds, but do not be tempted to put out large amounts for deer.

Besides the expense to you, sunflower hulls are lethal for deer when ingested in quantity. There is a chemical compound in the hull that kills the microbes in a deer’s paunch, leading to the deer’s demise.

So what’s left? Major agricultural feed stores in Maine market nutritionally balanced feeds formulated especially for deer. These feeds contain the right amount of calories, protein, minerals, and fiber to serve as a sole diet for

Agway and Nutrena sites participate in deer-feeding educational program These Maine-based businesses carry nutritional deer feed and participate in the deer-feeding educational program sponsored by the Maine Deer Management Network: Andy’s Agway, Dayton Bob’s Home & Garden, Dover-Foxcroft Brooks Feed and Farm, Brunswick

Hayloft Farm Supply, South Berwick Lucerne Farms/Feed Depot, Fort Fairfield Lyman’s Farmstore, Fairfield

Campbell’s Agway True Value, Farmingdale, Skowhegan, and Winslow

Mac’s True Value, Unity

Enterprise Farms Inc., Richmond

Union Agway, Union

Down East Coal & Stove, Gouldsboro

Wentworth Family Grocery, Brooks and Brunswick

Foxcroft Agway, Dover-Foxcroft

Maine Potato Growers Inc., Presque Isle

white-tailed deer during winter.

They can be purchased in bulk, or by the bag. As a stand-alone diet, deer need about 2 to 3 pounds of this feed per day.

If you make the commitment to feed deer, feed them twice daily.

Put out all the deer can eat — and then some. Remember, you may start out feeding two or three deer initially, but others usually arrive as time goes on. Increase their feed as needed to ensure that all deer are getting enough.

Deer are very competitive around feeding areas, with dominant or stronger deer pushing aside smaller deer. Again, put out enough feed for all to get their fill.

Spread it out in many small piles to minimize fighting and try to keep feeds dry.

Deer fed by people spend only an hour or two each day eating. If you feed deer, expect your prized

shrubbery and trees to be heavily damaged by browsing. Your neighbors may also experience severe plant damage as well.

Deer collisions with motor vehicles are all too common near deerfeeding sites. Where possible, locate deer feeding sites at least a quarter mile from roads, preferably in habitat that deer naturally use during winter.

Free-ranging dogs can be a problem at feeding sites near residential areas. Almost any breed of dog will chase deer, often with fatal results for the deer. Please, keep dogs controlled as is required by Maine law. Coyotes can also be a problem in deer-feeding areas.

For more information on deerfeeding issues, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has produced a brochure on the subject at mefishwildlife.com or by calling 287-8000. In addition,

bdn file photo by brian swartz

Mainers can help white-tailed deer survive a cold winter by providing them a supplement diet that incorporates nutritionally balanced feeds.

DIF&W and the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine are co-producing a DVD all about winter feeding of deer.

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Preservation group assists state with Allagash dam repairs Without help, waterway wouldn’t exist

By Brian Swartz, Advertising Staff Editor

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uring the past few years, the nonprofit Lock Dam Preservation Association has helped the Maine Department of Conservation repair three critical dams on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

The dams impound water along the AWW. If any dam was breached, water levels would be negatively impacted downstream.

“The Allagash works on water. If you don’t have enough water, you can’t float a canoe on it or anything else,” said Rick Denico, LDPA president.

The Bureau of Parks and Lands oversees the 92-mile AWW, once a thoroughfare for harvested logs headed downriver to the St. John and now an adventure trail for paddlers, fishermen, and outdoor recreationists.

“State-run lands are always in need of maintenance and improvements,” said Denico. “They have projects that they’d like to do, but money can be an issue.

“The Lock Dam Preservation Ltd. Association was formed in 2007-08 to aid AWW projects,” Denico of Vassalboro said.

The LDPA’s founding members includes Denico and John Banks, Penobscot Indian Nation; Charles Cianchette, Cianbro Corp.; Ed Cullivan, sportsman; Camille Denico, Rick Denico’s wife and the association’s secretary; Richard Fennelly Jr., Black Bear Hydro; David Flanagan, Viking Lumber; Tom Gardner, Gardner Timber; Rep. Jeffrey Gifford, Lincoln; and the late Bill Fiedler and Tom Thornton.

Thornton owned Nugent’s Camps on Chamberlain Lake until his death last October.

Preservation association members all had ties to the Allagash. “[I have been] associated with the Allagash region since my father contracted to build the first concrete single-lane bridge over the Allagash River in Allagash village in 1953,” said Denico, who has served on the AWW Advisory Council from 19982007. He has been a tech advisor since 2007 and was appointed by Gov. Paul LePage as an AWW advisor in 2011.

The Lock Dam Preservation Association works with the Bureau of Parks and Lands on projects that are important to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Denico said.

“We ask them what they need. If they have a project, we then go and find the money for it,” he explained.

“We don’t foot the whole bill, but raise seed money for the larger

projects.”

Over the last few years, the association has focused on repairs to Telos Dam, Lock Dam and Churchill Dam. Charles Cianchette and Maine Warden Service pilot Charlie Later flew Denico, BPL engineer John Picher, Fiedler, and others on dam inspection trips.

“The Allagash works on water. If you don’t have enough water, you can’t float a canoe on it or anything else.”

RICK DENICO, lock dam preservation association

“You’d fly in, park your plane on the ice or water, and check each dam,” Denico said. “All the dams can be evaluated very quickly, reducing the time spent from days to hours.”

All three dams needed repairs. At Telos Dam, a stop-log system was installed so a higher water level could be maintained on Chamberlain Lake in winter. New main gates are being installed, according to Denico.

“Most of them [existing gates] had cracked and [had] broken stems on each gate, so they could totally fail at any time,” he said.

“They’re about 6-by-8-feet and 18-feet-high stems,” Denico said.

“This year we will replace the last gate.” Cianbro Corp. has provided a crane and crew to work on these gates each year for free.

“The winter draw down, if too great, reduces prime lake trout breeding habitat, according to Denico. Now the lake is drained only

2 feet, a level that protects the trout habitat.

“We also developed a winter-gate thawing procedure that can be used on Telos and Churchill dam gates to thaw them and take excessive strain off the lifting bearings,” he said.

To free frozen dam gates at Telos and Chamberlain, staffers from BPL and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife fieldtested “a steam-heater unit, a little mini-boiler that runs on kerosene,” Denico said. “You plug it in to produce hot water and steam. Then a wand is used to spray the heated water and steam on the frozen gate, and in 15 minutes you can cut the ice and free the gate.

The dam gates often froze shut in cold weather, Denico indicated. “If you get a rainstorm in the middle of the winter and the lake starts rising and you don’t open the gates, you could breach the dam,” he said. The BPL now stations a steam-heater unit at Chamberlain Bridge for use at Telos Dam or Churchill Dam. The Lock Dam Preservation Association donated $10,000 for the Lock Dam rebuild project that increased the dam’s height and depth to eliminate breaching, Denico indicated.

“Lock Dam was a wood-faced earthen structure,” he said. “The wood structure was rotted and falling away. In spring, water would flow right over the earthworks. The dam wasn’t high enough, and some of the structural parts were gone.”

If Lock Dam was lost, water would not flow out of Telos Lake because of differences in dam base heights.

Some 2,500 cubic yards of blasted rock were placed on the old dam base to eliminate the breaching problem. A contractor blasted rock near Indian Lake, and drivers and 10-wheel trucks donated by Gardner Timber and Viking Lumber hauled the rock to Lock Dam. An excavator and operator then placed the rock

photo courtesy of rick denico

A volunteer from the Lock Dam Preservation Association installs a bearing protector on a gate lifter at Churchill Dam on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

on the dam.

Dysart’s donated all the fuel used for this project, Denico noted.

At Churchill Dam, the bearing protectors had not been replaced on the old gate lifters when they were reinstalled on the new dam, he indicated.

“The bearings were right out in the weather, and it was only a matter of time before they would fail. We designed a bearing protector system and helped BPL employees install the 10 units on the dam.”

Looking back on the dam-related projects, Denico commented that Telos Dam is in functional, working order, except for one remaining gate to replace.

“This final gate will be installed in the fall of 2012. The other two dams are in good shape,” he said.

The Lock Dam Preservation Association is currently helping rebuild “a short section of The Tram,” a 3,000-foot tramway between Chamberlain and Eagle lakes, he said.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REPORT

Improved SAM News

By David Trahan, Executive Director By now you have figured out that the SAM News has changed, we hope you will agree for the better. The SAM News is the most important vehicle we use to communicate with our members on legislative and out-door issues effecting sportsmen.

That will not change: Members will still be the first to receive this important information several weeks before the general public, but now the SAM News will include more columns and feature stories written by SAM and Bangor Daily News outdoor writers.

Instead of the News going just to SAM members, it will now appear free on 870 newsstands throughout rural Maine. We believe this new statewide distribution enables us to reach tens of thousands of potential SAM supporters and more effectively promote our message. We hope you approve; please, give us your feedback.

New Partners We are excited to announce our renewed corporate partnership with Robbins Lumber of Searsmont and Huber Corporation. We welcome them back.

We are also excited about a new partnership with the 3,800 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

Men and women of Local S-6, at Bath Ironworkers represent 3,300 of those members, and like SAM they are excited about promoting youth and disabled veterans programs. Our common interests in the outdoors and the vast potential for grass roots activities strengthen SAM and some of that potential is highlighted in the SAM News. Welcome aboard!

Deer Management Network Gerry Lavigne, retired deer biologist, has energized SAM members and Fish and Game clubs across the state with the Maine Deer Management Network.

We kicked off this initiative on January 21. The fund-raiser at our SAM Conference Center raised $3,100.

Between 90 and 100 people enjoyed wild game from raccoons to coyotes.

To learn more, please, visit the website at: sportsmansallianceofmaine.org.

New SAM Board Members We are excited to announce the election of two new board members, Gerry Lavigne of Boyd Lake and Erik Hart of Winthrop. Gerry is well known to sportsmen as SAM’s go-to guy on deer. Gerry is leading our deer management network. Erik Hart is an avid fisherman and passionate duck hunter. His experience will be

helpful as we develop youth and veteran programs, especially of the Messalonskee project highlighted in the SAM News.

Volunteers Needed Volunteers are needed for the State of Maine Sportsman Show, to be held March 30-April 1 at the Augusta Civic Center. If you are interested in volunteering, please, contact Becky at becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine. org or call (207) 622-5503.

Going to an electronic SAM News will save SAM money on postage. If you would like to receive the SAM News by email, please, contact Becky Morrell: becky@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org

SAM News – February 2012

By George Smith

Legislature Gets Reports and Recommendations The legislature’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee received reports this session on subjects from rebuilding the deer herd to reversing the decline of nonresident hunters. But it remains to be seen if any of the dozens of recommendations submitted with these reports will be acted upon.

The Maine Game Plan for Deer has gotten the most attention, with several detailed reports to the committee by John Pratte, DIF&W’s wildlife planner, ranging from deer feeding to an update on the plan’s accomplishments.

The last report: Deer Population Goals and 5-Year Benchmark Report, is particularly interesting. It included a list of needs totaling $661,000. You can access that and other deer plan reports from a list on DIF&W’s website, www.maine.gov/ifw/.

Here are a few interesting quotes from Pratte’s presentations. “Illegal hunting

Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine 205 Church Hill Road Augusta, Maine 04330 Telephone: (207) 622-5503 Fax: (207) 622-5596 EMAIL:

members@sportsmansallianceofmaine.org

WEBSITE:

www.sportsmansallianceofmaine.org

Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine

Officers

President – Jim Gorman Vice President – Bob Engelhardt Clerk– Jim Hilly Treasurer – Paul Davis Directors Doug Alexander Nick Archer Cheryl Timberlake Jim Tobin Matt Dunlap Erik Hart Gerry Lavigne

Staff

David Trahan – Executive Director Becky Morrell – Operations Manager The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) is a non-profit corporation founded in 1975 to promote conservation of Maine’s wildlife resources and to be an advocate for hunters, anglers, trappers and gun owners throughout the state.

continues to be a problem in Maine.

Wardens have improved their surveillance techniques.”

“Predation continues to be a factor – both coyotes and bears…. the bear population has increased and we are working with guides to deal with that.”

“We began implementing predation controls as soon as the plan was adopted. We are trying to eliminate coyotes before deer yard up, and then remove coyotes if they are still present after deer have entered the yards. We’ve directed this activity to 10 priority deer yards in the state. We felt the funding on hand would allow us to protect deer in these 10 yards through the winter and spring. It will take 3 to 5 years to continue this project in those yards.”

“We have very few deer in many deer yards throughout the state.”

Members of a legislatively-authorized Nonresident Hunter Task Force, whose report – including an extensive list of

recommendations – was presented on January 23, deserve great credit.

While the group decided against recommending Sunday hunting, believing it had no chance of being enacted, it did not shy away from other controversial proposals including giving nonresidents more moose and any-deer permits and allowing nonresidents to hunt on the first day of the firearms season on deer.

A lot of the Task Force’s time was spent discussing what and how to market to nonresident hunters. One high priority recommendation calls for a lot more research “so we know what hunters want and need and can work with the tourism industry to make it happen,” as one Task Force member explained it.

The entire report can be accessed on DIF&W’s website, from a list at the bottom of the home page.

For more outdoor news, go to www.georgesmithmaine.com.

Welcome New SAM Business Members:

Sonney’s Smelt Camps, Dresden Webb Camps, Randolph James Worthing Smelt Camps, Randolph Baker’s Smelt Camps, Pittston James Eddie Smelt Camps, Dresden Steve Leighton Smelt Camps, Bowdoinham

SAM Legislative Update Legislative Report LD: 372 An Act To Reduce Deer Predation The bill appropriates $100,000 to the department to reduce predation on deer.

Committee Action: Ought to pass, 12-1, Rep. Eberle, No LD: 274 An Act To Increase the Moose Permit Allocations for Zones 2 and 3.

Committee Action: Ought not to pass, Unanimous LD: 213 An Act To Provide Funding for the Fish Stocking Program This bill provides a General Fund appropriation of $500,000 for fiscal years 2011-12 13 and 2012-13 for the purchase of fish for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s fish stocking program.

Committee Action: Ought-to-pass as amended, Unanimous LD: 637 An Act To Increase the Amount

Tagging Agents Receive for Tagging Game This resolve directs the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to amend the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s rules regarding the tagging of game to ensure that tagging agents receive an additional $1.00 from each registration fee they collect for tagging game.

Committee Action: Ought-to-Pass, Unanimous LD: 1408 An Act To Amend Water Quality Standards for Fish Hatcheries Current law requires a nutrient management plan for a fish hatchery to address storage, management, and use of fish waste from the hatchery with the goal of improving water quality. This bill requires the plan to have the goal of maintaining water quality.

The department has assured the

Senator Kevin Raye introduces LD 1652 On Jan. 23, 2012, Sen. President Kevin Raye (R-Perry) introduced LD 1652, “An Act to Ensure a Reliable Funding Stream for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.” A coalition comprising Maine Audubon, the Nature Conservancy, and the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine supported this bill.

In his testimony, Raye said, “Maine’s fish and wildlife are unique resources in the eastern United States. Although a majority of Maine residents participate in fish and wildlife-related activities, the financial burden of funding Maine’s wildlife agency is borne almost entirely by those who fish and hunt.”

After coalition representatives testified, representatives from the Maine League of Conservation Voters and the Natural Resources Council of Maine also spoke in support. There was no opposition.

During the Jan. 25 work session held by the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, the coalition urged committee members to form a taskforce to work on a plan and report it to the committee on March 7.

Committee members voted to do so.

committee that the Department of Environmental Protection and IF&W have made arrangements to address the emissions issues within the permitting, and next session the Governor’s office will introduce legislation to fix the law.

Committee Action: Ought Not to Pass, Unanimous LD: 1327 Resolve, To Study the Organization of the Fisheries Management Activities of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Make Recommendations to Improve Efficiency and Effectiveness Committee Action: Tabled LD: 1242 An Act To Restore the Deer Herd in Certain Wildlife Management Districts in Maine Committee Action: Tabled Pending an Amendment. The mandatory $10 deer stamp has been removed from the bill.

SAM Bills LD 1657: 2448 An Act to Amend the Laws Governing Health Insurance for Certain State Employees No public hearing scheduled at press deadline Rep. Michael Shaw LD 1747: An Act to Prohibit Municipalities from Imposing fees on ice fishing shacks Public hearing scheduled for February 8, 2012, 1 p.m. Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Senator Kevin Raye LD 1653: An Act to Make Fisheries and Wildlife Projects Eligible for Tax Increment Financing Funds No public hearing scheduled at press deadline LD 1652: An Act to Ensure a Reliable Funding Stream for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Set aside these dates on your calendar for the upcoming sportsmen’s shows!

• March 9-11: Eastern Maine Sportsman’s Show, University of Maine Field House

• March 24-25: Northern Maine Sportsman Show, Presque Isle

Sen. President Kevin Raye (R-Perry) introduces LD 1652, which would establish “a reliable funding stream” for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Photo by Christopher Cote

At the request of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, Rep. Michael Shaw (D-Standish) sponsored LD 1747, “An Act to Prohibit Municipalities From Imposing Fees on Ice Fishing Shacks.” The Town of Randolph passed a town ordinance that set an annual $15 fee for ice-fishing shack.

Currently, state law prevents municipalities from enacting fees on freshwater ice-fishing shacks; if passed, LD 1747 would benefit saltwater fishermen and would protect commercial smelting operations from a tax such as that imposed by Randolph.

Photo courtesy of SAM

• March 30–April 1: The State of Maine Sportsman Show, Augusta Civic Center.

Raffle News

Congratulations to David Ames of Wiscasset, Maine for being the lucky raffle winner of the 270 Marlin generously donated

by Staley & Son’s Gun Repair in Waldoboro Thanks to all who entered.

We appreciate your continued support.

MEMBERS!

Print your 2012 Spring Raffle tickets here:

CLICK HERE

(click this button and the tickets will open in a new window so you can print as many as you’d like.)

Order More Tickets!

Yes, I want more tickets for this great raffle.

I’m sending you the 6 tickets above, and I need an additional _________ tickets. ($5 each, 3 for $10, 6 for $20) I’ve enclosed a total of $__________.

Thank You to SAM’s Outdoor Partners

FREE TO USE FREE TO JOIN

Maine’s Largest Online Hunting Resource

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Youth hunting, fishing efforts supported by Union at BIW 11-year-old nephew bagged 20-pound tom on his first turkey hunt

By Sheila Grant, contributing writer

The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and the Local 6 of the International Association of Machinists at Bath Iron Works are teaming up to provide hunting opportunities for disabled veterans and youth programs for future hunters and anglers.

“One thing that I think SAM lacked in the past was the ability to tap into volunteers, people on the ground to run programs,” said David Trahan, SAM’s executive director, noting that the Machinist Union statewide has many members of both genders involved in outdoor sports. “We’re pretty proud of the deal we’ve struck with them.”

SAM already partnered with the Local 6 to fill a volunteer shortfall at a youth ice fishing event this winter. In addition, SAM owns 50 acres on Messalonskee Lake. With the organization’s new volunteer pool, the property may be developed into a recreational site for youths and disabled veterans.

“That is an exciting project,” said Trahan. “I would like to hold a spring youth turkey hunting event at our Messalonskee Lake site, but if that isn’t available yet, we will work with Local 6 and other District 4 Machinists to set up some youth turkey hunts elsewhere in the state.”

Introducing the next generation to hunting and fishing is important to the survival of Maine’s sporting heritage, Trahan said.

“These things are not just about the PR,” he said. “They are rewarding, and fun.”

SAM member Dave Cambridge agrees. His first experience introducing a youth to turkey hunting was with nephew Madison Dick, 11 at the time.

“I had a friend who lived in Waldoboro, Roger Greene, who was a registered Maine guide with a specialty in turkey hunting,” said Cambridge. “Madison had hunted partridge before and wanted to give turkey hunting a try.”

Cambridge took his nephew, who had never been outside of Aroostook County, to Moody’s Diner on the first day of their trip. That evening, Greene took the pair to scout the area they would be hunting, and they spotted some turkeys.

“We went out bright and early the next morning and got into position,” said Cambridge.

“Roger called a couple of times and got a turkey to respond. The turkey came in, a 20-pound tom

“It’s more fun to go with the kids than to go with my friends, and to see a little guy in a camouflage outfit made for a man six feet tall is even more fun.”

DAVE CAMBRIDGE, SAM MEMBER

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEANE SMITH

Three youth that harvested turkeys on Youth Day 2010. The youth are (left to right) Brock Kitchin, Angela Silk, and Noah Pierson. This picture was taken at the home of Deane Smith, in Dixmont. The birds were taken in Brooks, Glenburn and Bangor. The kids had a super time. For Pierson, it was his first bird and his second bird, all in the same minute. Pierson’s hunt was sponsored by John Silk of Dixmont and Dave Call of Bangor. Tony Richard sponsored Kitchin’s hunt.

all by himself, and Madison was patient enough to let the bird get within range. He fired and got the bird in one shot. At the time, it was all he could do to lift that bird. He was very proud of it.”

On the way home, the pair stopped at Dysart’s.

“When we got home, his remark to me was, ‘Gee, Uncle Dave, I got to go turkey hunting, I got to shoot

a turkey, I got to meet a great guy, and to eat in two famous restaurants.’ He’s now 18 and a very avid hunter for just about anything he can hunt in season. He’s very respectful of others and about getting permission to hunt on private property,” said the proud uncle.

Cambridge may be at the front of the line this spring to teach another young hunter.

“It’s more fun to go with the kids than to go with my friends, and to see a little guy in a camouflage outfit made for a man six feet tall is even more fun,” he said.

Members of the Local 6 are looking forward to the experience, as well.

“As a sportsman and outdoorsman, my interest is to keep that tradition going,” said Joel Pitcher,

chairman of the Local 6 Human Rights Committee.

“The way to do that is to reach out to youth that don’t have that opportunity because a family member or somebody close to them hasn’t taken them. Through our partnership with SAM, we can reach out into different communities and offer kids a chance to get out and do that,” he said.

“Local 6 has about 3,200 members from all over the state,” Pitcher said. “Not everyone is an outdoorsman or woman, but there are a lot of avid sportsmen and women here.

“That was the reason David was interested in this relationship. SAM has sportsmen and women from all over, so that gives us the opportunity to reach out shoulder to shoulder to youth,” Pitcher commented.

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Sporting groups unveil Maine Deer Management Network Sportsmen seek to restore deer herd, improve hunting opportunities

By Brian Swartz, Advertising Staff Editor Maine sportsmen are lending Bambi a helping hand.

The white-tailed deer population has precipitously declined in central, eastern and northern Maine this century — to the point, in fact, that fewer hunters now pursue the state’s most popular big-game animal.

“It’s no secret that the deer population is in tough shape in Maine,” said Gerry Lavigne, a retired state deer biologist.

“The deer herd in The County has been devastated,” said Caribou resident Dick Fortier, a Presque Isle Fish and Game Club director.

Kleiner “We need to bring the deer herd back.”

“There aren’t as many deer as there were,” said Don Kleiner, executive director of the Maine Professional Guides Association. A Maine Master Guide, he lives in Union.

Deer hunting has been a Maine autumn tradition for generations, and many businesses are economically dependent on hunters in November.

“Guides and lodges depend on the deer season,” Kleiner said.

“From the lodges’ standpoint, you’re paying your mortgage on a three-week [deer-hunting] season.”

While deer numbers remain adequate in southern Maine, the decline elsewhere has impacted outdoors-related businesses. “The economy has taken an awful hit,” Fortier said. A hunting safety instructor, he credits the lack of deer for a steady decline in hunters attending classes.

“A lot of businesses in The County are hurting because of the lack of deer,” Fortier said.

“The economic impact has been tremendous. Fewer deer equal fewer hunters,” Kleiner said.

Sportsmen mention several factors when asked why deer numbers have declined. Fortier cited coyote predation and the lack of deer yards, enough feed for the deer herds, as well as bitter wintertime cold as the primary reasons why Aroostook deer numbers have plummeted.

“We’ve had a couple of tough winters in a row. That’s when the herds can’t get out [of the deer yards] to feed and come back,” he said. “The snowmobile trails are good for them [for traveling], but

they’re good for the coyotes, too, to get into the deer yards.”

“There is the issue of coyote predation and loss of cover,” Kleiner said. “All this is exacerbated by the cycle of tough winters we’ve had, even down to the coast.”

According to Lavigne, bear and coyotes are serious predators of newborn fawns, with both predators often killing enough fawns to flatten out deer populations in specific areas.

Jerome Richard, education director for the Maine Bowhunters Association, questioned the impact of extended hunting on deer populations.

“With the bow, black-powder, [and] firearms seasons, deer face 10-12 weeks of hunting pressure,” he said. “Maybe we need to look at that, as well.”

Landowners often catch blame for not maintaining proper deer habitat, according to Richard.

“You can’t keep adding [hunting] pressure and telling the landowner he is the problem,” he cautioned. “We want to make sure everyone is looking at the whole picture.”

The state and various sportsmen’s groups are taking steps to bolster white-tailed populations.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has unveiled Maine’s Game Plan for Deer, which will focus on restoring deer populations in eastern, northern, and western Maine. The plan details five elements that are necessary to rebuild the northern, eastern, and

western deer herd and summarizes the specific steps that must be undertaken to benefit deer populations.

To obtain a copy of Maine’s Game Plan for Deer, visit www. mefishwildlife.com, click “Maine’s Plan for Deer,” and then click “Maine’s Game Plan for Deer.”

The state’s deer plan anticipates extensive collaboration with nongovernment organizations, as well as hunters, Lavigne said.

“They (DIF&W) are right to reach out for help in restoring the deer herd. The logistics of improving habitat, reducing predation losses, and enforcing the game laws would be impossible without a lot of help from Maine hunters and landowners.

“What is needed is some way for all of [DIF&W’s] outdoor partners to network to exchange ideas, increase management skills and monitor progress in restoring Maine deer,” he said.

To accomplish these goals, sportsmen’s groups unveiled the Maine Deer Management Network during a Jan. 21 press conference at the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine offices in Augusta. Organizations participating in the event included the Durham Rod and Gun Club, the Maine Bowhunters Association, the Maine Professional Guides Association, the Maine Trappers Association, the NorwayParis Fish and Game Club, the Penobscot County Conservation Association, the Pleasant River Fish and Game Club, the Presque Isle

BDN photos by Brian swartz

Richard Fortier (right) of the Presque Isle Fish & Game Club presents a $500 check for the Maine Deer Management Network to David Trahan, Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine executive director. The presentation took place in Augusta on Jan. 21, 2012.

Fish and Game Club, and SAM. According to Lavigne, the Maine Deer Management Network will focus on habitat management, predation management and hunting.

“Habitat management involves both summer and winter [deer] range,” Lavigne said. “The amount and quality of wintering habitat greatly affects deer survival.

“There is a role for each of us to play … to improve deer habitat

where we hunt,” he said. Acquiring and preserving winter habitat would help.

Lavigne believes that controlling coyote numbers would directly benefit deer. Some 1,500-2,000 “coyotes are tagged annually” by Maine trappers, but another 4,000 coyotes should be removed before winter to benefit the wintering deer herd, he said.

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A state-run predator-control program will target more remote areas that northern Maine trappers often cannot reach, Lavigne indicated. The DIF&W has identified 15 such remote deer yards; authorized personnel will focus on the pre-emptive removal of coyotes within a specified radius around each deer yard, he said.

Developing coyote hunting into the next big-game animal in the state would expand hunting opportunities and reduce coyote numbers, Lavigne said. He compared this potential hunting activity to the advent of bear hunting 40-50 years ago, where bears were considered nuisances … not worth

the effort to hunt.

Lavigne described the Maine Deer Management Network as “a place where information can be exchanged and hunters can find out about different programs.” The SAM website will be the resource for this, he said.

Members of the Maine Deer Management Network will find opportunities to strengthen the connection between hunters and the non-hunting public, Lavigne said. The network will educate hunters and the public about the impacts of hunting and outdoor recreation on Maine’s economy, he indicated.

A young doe pauses to listen for sounds recently at Acadia National Park.

photo BY BRIAN SWARTZ

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Coastal, inland waters lure kayakers to Mount Desert Island Outfitters equip, instruct novice paddlers

By Brian Swartz, Advertising Staff Editor

K

ayakers flock to Bar Harbor like diners do to the Jordan Pond House in Acadia National Park.

East of Penobscot Bay, no other port attracts kayakers like Bar Harbor does. Being the annual gateway to Acadia National Park for more than 2 million people helps, due to sheer numbers, but another factor helps, too: Local outfitters make kayaking look easy.

Several kayak outfitters are based on Mount Desert Island; local guidebooks list phone addresses, phone numbers, and Web sites.

Competition keeps prices affordable, and although outfitters and their clientele frequent the same waters, every outfitter offers a variation on the kayaking theme.

From the Bar Island sand bar to the gravel beach beneath the Bar Harbor Inn to private docks alongside West Street’s bustling commercial district, kayakers launch their colorful craft to explore the Porcupine Islands and Frenchman Bay. Passersby lean over the West Street or Shore Path railings or stand along the sand bar to watch guides lead fledgling kayakers — some visibly nervous — into the local waters.

As elsewhere in Maine, MDI outfitters teach people how to handle a kayak, from boarding and disembarkation to safety to proper paddling (“left, right, left, right,” not “left, left, right, right” as I’ve seen canoeists circumnavigate a cove).

Training (and tours) start by midmorning and continue until nigh sunset. Men, women, and children (the last not too young) don lifejackets and helmets, listen intently as the guide speaks, and then slip into kayak cockpits and push off for high adventure.

From Bar Harbor, the typical kayak tour encompasses Bar Harbor “harbor,” Bar Island, and Sheep Porcupine Island. Paddles dipping rhythmically and flashing in the summer sunlight, kayakers cruise past the islands’ rugged granite shorelines. The guide details local landmarks, including sea caves and eagle or osprey nests.

Wind and wave may change an itinerary. A strong sea breeze can stir chop on Frenchman’s Bay and roughen the water between Bar Island and Sheep Porcupine (second island from the left when viewed from Cadillac Mountain). A guide will adjust the trip accordingly and keep kayakers inshore.

Some kayak tours turn seaward

istockphoto/Thinkstock

A kayaker takes in a sunset view off the coast of Mount Desert Island.

Kayakers cruise past the islands’ rugged granite shorelines.

The guide details local landmarks, including sea caves and eagle or osprey nests. from Bar Harbor and work along MDI’s eastern shore toward Compass Harbor. Outfitters also launch tours from Bass Harbor, Northeast Harbor, and Southwest Harbor, which provide access to Eastern Way, Somes Sound, and Western Way. Inland, kayakers can also access: • Eagle Lake. Take Route 233 west from Bar Harbor and use the trailerable ramp on the lake’s north shore.

• Echo Lake. Use the trailerable ramp just off Route 102.

• Jordan Pond. Use the handcarry boat ramp near the Jordan Pond House.

• Long Pond. Use the trailerable ramp just off the Pretty Marsh

Road in Somesville or a similar ramp on the pond’s south shore in Southwest Harbor.

• Northeast Creek. Draining MDI’s northern marshes and streams, this creek flows into Thomas Bay near Mount Desert Narrows. Park at the gravel pull-out beside the Route 3 bridge and hand carry a kayak to the creek “inside” the extremely busy highway.

Kayakers typically paddle inland, away from the bridge.

• Seal Cove Pond. Follow the signs to this remote trailerable ramp beneath Bernard Mountain in Tremont.

Of course, kayakers can also launch from any public dock on MDI, including scenic and somnolent Pretty Marsh on the Quietside. Kayakers often use a short beach adjacent to the Northeast Harbor Town Dock; kayakers launching from NEH quickly reach Eastern Way. Kayakers venturing onto salt water must respect the marine environment. Onshore and offshore winds can quickly raise whitecaps and pin muscle-powered kayakers against a lee shore.

Even on a perfect summer afternoon when a sea breeze does not reach Acadia’s hidden, treeshaded glens, Frenchman Bay can

rock and roll.

The island’s three major ports — Bar Harbor, Northeast, and Southwest — are alive with boats and boaters during summer.

Kayakers must constantly watch

for boats; not all boaters necessarily watch for kayaks, especially boaters unfamiliar with local waters.

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n FeATURE Story

Not all ferns are edible, but Maine’s ostrich fern, or fiddlehead, is a traditional treat By aislinn sarnacki, outdoors staff writer

A

ntonio D’Ambrosio, like many foragers, keeps his fiddlehead spot a secret. At his Wilderness Lodge in Elliotsville Township, he waits for those little edible ferns to sprout from the newly thawed ground and coil into delicious bundles.

In the meantime, he updates his fiddlehead Facebok page, a tribute to the wild spring delicacy. The page’s 8,000-plus followers swap stories, recipes and foraging tips, anticipating the brief harvest season.

“Fiddleheads bring back a lot of memories for a lot of people,” D’Ambrosio said. “People share stories about picking fiddleheads with their grandfather or mother and father. And when one person writes a story, it just multiplies.”

Fiddlhead picking, or “fiddleheadin’,” is a Maine tradition, one that was established well before European settlers set foot on American soil. The young, coiled leaves of the edible ostrich fern have long been traditional food in many Native American cultures, especially in New England, where the ostrich fern thrives.

Finding the right ferns

Around the world, people snack on ferns. But not every fern is edible. In Maine, edible fiddleheads come from the ostrich fern.

Some other ferns, if eaten, can cause food poisoning — days of nausea, vomiting and other unsavory symptoms.

D’Ambrosio offers his assistance to rookie fiddlehead foragers. They send him photos of plants, and he gives them the green or red light — to pick or not to pick. Often, it’s not the right fern.

It’s an ostrich fern if: ä The coils are about an inch in diameter. ä A brown papery sheath is peeling off the coils. ä A deep “U”-shaped groove is on the inside of the fern stem. ä The fern stem is smooth (without fuzz).

In Maine, fiddleheads usually emerge in clusters of three-12 on the banks of rivers, streams and brooks in April and May. Often people stop when they see them growing on the side of the road, but it’s important to ask property

photo COURTESY OF iStockphoto

“Fiddleheads bring back a lot of memories for a lot of people” antonio d’ambrosio owners’ permission to harvest.

“It’s been an issue, people going and picking without permission,” said Lauren St. Germaine, University of Maine Cooperative Extension home horticulture coordinator. “I know a couple of clients here who are upset; they went to harvest some fiddleheads on their own land, and they were gone.”

Fiddleheads should be har-

vested when the coils are an inch or two above the ground. But don’t pick them all.

“Areas close to towns where everybody knows about them can be over-harvested,” said Dave Fuller, agriculture and non-timber forest products professional at UMaine Cooperative Extension.

Fuller, who has conducted a four-year study on sustainable fiddlehead harvesting, suggests picking half of a fiddlehead crop, leaving the rest to grow into mature ferns and reproduce.

If you’re not a forager, you can buy fiddlehead plants online and grow them in a shaded, welldrained area in your back yard.

Water them often.

Don’t have a green thumb? You can purchase fiddleheads at farmers markets, roadside stands and grocery stores in the spring.

Washing, cooking and storing

The taste of the young ferns is subjective, of course, but they have been described as a cross between asparagus and spinach with a bit of nutty or woody flavor. They also have some nutritional value. A half cup is just 35 calories and contains 28 percent of your daily fiber. Fiddleheads also contain a considerable amount of Vitamin A. It’s important to clean and cook fiddleheads properly. “You can get sick from eating fiddleheads if you don’t cook them properly,” said St. Germaine.

“They haven’t found the particular toxins that make people sick, but there have been incidents of people getting sick after eating them raw or lightly sautéed.”

Snap off browned ends and brush off the papery covering. Then thoroughly wash the

greens in water several times until the wash water appears clean. No matter what recipe you’re following, make sure to steam or cook fiddleheads at a steady boil for at least 10 minutes, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If saving them for later, keep them refrigerated.

Kathy Savoie, UMaine Cooperative Extension educator, offers simple steps for freezing the tasty greens: ä Clean them as you would for cooking. ä Blanch a small amount at a time for two minutes in 4-6 cups of water. ä Rapidly cool fiddleheads for two minutes in an ice water bath. ä Dry the fiddleheads. (A salad spinner is great for this.) ä Pack the fiddleheads in a freezer grade bag, leaving some room for expansion and removing as much air as possible. ä When ready to put them into a meal, thaw the fiddleheads and boil them for at least 10 minutes before serving.

When D’Ambrosio posted photos of fiddlehead dishes during Thanksgiving, several page followers asked him about his preservation technique. He freezes them just like Savoie, but he tosses the frozen greens in the boiling water without thawing them first, which he said prevents them from turning into mush.

He’s more than happy to share his cooking tricks, foraging expertise and recipes, but his fiddlehead spot is under wraps.

Visit D’Ambrosio’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ pages/fiddleheads-a-wild-delicacy-of-maine-and-the-northeast-/103371506363215. n

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Shrimp and Fiddlehead Medley Courtesy of University of Maine Cooperative Extension Makes 6 servings

AP FILE PHOTO BY ROBERT F. BUKATY

A pair of ferns appear to be nuzzling as they begin to unfurl their fiddlehead fronds on a warm and sunny morning in Freeport. Boiled or steamed fiddleheads are a traditional dish in Maine and the Canadian Maritimes.

It’s important to clean and cook fiddleheads properly.

Fiddlehead Dijon Courtesy of University of Maine Cooperative Extension Makes 6 servings 1½ pounds fresh fiddleheads 1 tbsp cornstarch 1 cup nonfat buttermilk 2 tsp Dijon mustard ¾ tsp lemon juice ½ tsp dried tarragon ¼ tsp pepper Clean and prepare fiddleheads.

Place fiddleheads in a vegetable steamer over boiling water. Cover and steam 20 minutes or until tender but still crisp. Set aside and keep warm. Combine cornstarch and buttermilk in a small saucepan; stir well. Cook over medium hear until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly. Recmove from heat;stir in mustard, lemon juice, tarragon and pepper. Arrange fiddleheads on a serving platter.

Spoon sauce over fiddleheads.

Serve immediately.

1 pound fiddleheads 6 ounces linguine, uncooked 6 cups water 1-¾ pounds Maine shrimp, fresh or frozen 1 tsp margarine ª cup onion, chopped ½ cup green pepper, diced ½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced 1 tsp thyme ¼ tsp pepper Þ tsp salt Þ tsp celery seed 2 tbsp lemon juice Cut off ends of fiddleheads. Remove scales and wash thoroughly.

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan; add shrimp and cook three to five minutes, or until done.

Drain well and set aside. Cook fiddleheads in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain. Coat a large, nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add margarine. Heat until margarine melts. Add onion and green pepper and sauté until crisp-tender.

Stir in fiddleheads. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed, without salt or oil. Drain well, set aside and keep warm. Add sliced mushrooms, thyme, pepper, salt and celery seeds to vegetable mixture; stir well. Cook uncovered over medium heat three to four minutes or until mushrooms are tender, stirring often. Stir in shrimp and lemon juice; cook until heated through, stirring often. Place pasta on a large platter. Spoon shrimp mixture on top. Serve immediately.

Quick Sour Fiddlehead Pickles

Courtesy of University of Maine Cooperative Extension ½ gallon cider vinegar 2 cups water ½ cup salt ½ cup sugar ½ cup mustard seed Mix ingredients, bring to boil. Pour over fiddleheads in pint-sized jars; seal. process 10 minutes in boiling water process canner.

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n COVER STORY

On opening day, make it Grand Lake Stream

It’s Time To Fish

F

By John Holyoke, Outdoors Staff Writer

BDN PHOTO BY GABOR DEGRE

Dan Ryan of Ellsworth nets a landlocked salmon he caught in the Dam Pool in Grand Lake Stream on the first day of the open-water fishing season on Tuesday, April 1, 2008. Ryan didn’t have much luck for the first couple of hours, but after switching to a sinking line and typing on a red-and-white Clouser minnow, his luck changed.

or decades, anglers have

made April 1 pilgrimages to a special little village

nestled in the Maine

woods, not far from the U.S.-Canada border, on a road

that leads to the vast commercial forestland of Washington County.

On their minds: Cool, flowing

water and landlocked salmon. In

their vehicles: waders, fly rods

and assorted tackle.

And for decades, those anglers have sought to explain them

selves. Why is it that you jump

in your car in the dead of night to drive here, to the middle of  � � � � nowhere? Why is it that you’re wading around in 34-degree water at one minute past midnight, (like baseball great Ted Williams trying to catch a fish that will and sportscaster Curt Gowdy) still be there at dawn? once stood shoulder to shoulder Or, more simply, what is it with mill workers and traveling about this place that tugs at you sports, casting tiny flies with all winter long, that turns these limber rods to fiesty fish. trips into pilgrimages ‌ and This is Grand Lake Stream. eventually, if you’re lucky, tradi-

This is opening day. This is a Maine tradition. tions?

Over the past several years, For years, those anglers have we’ve asked dozens of Grand answered our questions. They’ve BDN PHOTO BY ROBERT F. BUKATY Lake Stream anglers hundreds of told us their stories. They’ve A male landlocked salmon is carefully released underwater after being caught in the Hatchery Pool questions on April 1, the tradiexplained their feelings for this

by Chris Rawlins of Waterville. tional opening day of open-water special little town that just hapfishing season. All have traveled pens to sit on one of the prettiest Day. By noon, despite frequent of the most impressive opening to get to the town, which has few pieces of flowing water you’ll his total at 50. Then he packed up trips to shore to warm up and days of fishing many had ever year-round residents. And all find in this state. his gear, grinning, and called it chat with his fellow anglers, he seen at GLS ‌ or anyplace else, hold the place — often referred It’s a place where the water a day. had caught and released more for that matter. “The fish are to on fly fishing message boards always flows — even when the “I get goose bumps from the than 40 landlocked salmon. there. Just put some time into it. and casual conversation as rest of the state is still trying to time I get in my car until I get By that point, the other anglers I was up at 2 o’clock this morning “GLSâ€? — in the highest regard. shake off its icy winter coat. It’s here,â€? Glowa said at the time. had begun keeping track, and to get up here and fish for these Here are a few of their stories. a place where the fish are often “And I’m shaking until I’ve got counted the fish for him. Over a salmon. This place is famous.â€? “This is the place to be,â€? Joe eager participants, even during my fly in the water. It takes that 15-minute span, he caught and re- first fish to break the ice. I just Glowa was in the water, wadApril excursions. It’s a place with Glowa of Glenburn told us back leased five more salmon, putting ing, by 4:30 a.m. that April Fools in 2005, as he wrapped up one named pools where the famous can’t get enough of it. That’s why

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n feature story I’m still here.”

And that’s why others make a point to get there, every year, no matter what.

On that same opening day, Dave McLaughlin of Old Town landed and released 19 salmon. To the left and right of him, in the crowded Dam Pool, others were following suit. And afterward, in the gravel parking lot that overlooks that famous fishing hole, McLaughlin was smiling.

“Gee, whiz, it’s a long winter,” McLaughlin said. “I hate to see the fly-fishing season close in the fall, so I’m looking forward to it in the springtime. As soon as opening day comes, I’m ready to fish.”

In 2009, Bernard “Bun” Ward of Columbia Falls thought for a moment before admitting that he’d been making regular trips to Grand Lake Stream for about 45 years.

“In fact, Ted Williams was around then,” Ward said as he spent some time out of the water, letting blood start circulate through cold-numbed toes. The trips to GLS, he said, are planned well in advance … even when

they’re not officially scheduled.

“We talk about it for a month or two before the season opens and we make plans for it,” Ward said.

“In fact, I had to cancel a doctor’s appointment for today. I forgot and made the doctor’s appointment for today, forgetting that it was opening season.”

“This is what Grand Lake Stream is all about. It’s a fishing village.”

KURT CRESSEY One by one, or three by three, the anglers make the sometimes tricky descent into the Dam Pool from the large parking lot. Some years, they walk through mud.

Other years, they tromp through snow. And veterans have found that in the really severe years — when a couple feet of the white stuff stands between them and the fish — it’s safest to cover the last few steep feet while sliding across

the snow on one’s bottom.

And even when those anglers reach the water, they never really know what they’re going to find.

During winters when an abundance of water is released from the dam that holds West Grand Lake at bay, the Dam Pool is often reconstituted. Sand bars move.

Dropoffs exist where gravel once lay. And the first fishermen of the season serve as wading guinea pigs for the rest.

Two years ago, Kurt Bauersfeld of Houlton recalled another trip to GLS, after just such a turbulent off-season. In 2010, Bauersfeld and his group of former high school buddies got some sleep and weren’t among the first wave of midnight anglers. Instead, some opted to begin fishing at the “crack of eight,” he said.

“I kind of felt almost relieved that I didn’t have to get down here at midnight,” Bauersfeld said.

“One year, Roddy [Grant] went swimming when we did that.”

Grant thought he knew where he was going, Bauersfeld explained. He had been to GLS before. But this wasn’t the old

Maine Wardens get national network TV show

By John Holyoke, Outdoors Staff Writer Starting in March, TV viewers will get a closer look at the life of Maine game wardens, as Animal Planet unveils “North Woods Law,” a show that focuses on the state’s men and women in green as they perform their regular duties. The show was developed by Engel Entertainment of New York City, in cooperation with the Maine Warden Service, and will debut at 10 p.m.

March 16.

Engel Entertainment crews, headed by co-executive producer Devon Platte, headed into the woods with wardens during moose season last year, and have continued to film since to produce six one-hour episodes that will air on Animal Planet.

Cpl. John MacDonald, the warden service’s manager for the project, and Jessica Winchell-Morsa, the show’s co-executive producer, said that warden service work is largely a mystery to the public. The show shines a light on that work and illustrates the variety of jobs that wardens perform.

MacDonald said neither the warden service nor the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will receive payment for their participation in the show, because law enforcement agencies are not allowed to accept money for projects such as this.

The real benefit, he said, will come later, as people more fully realize what the warden service is up to.

To decide which wardens would be featured on the show, Animal Planet staged a casting call among the state’s wardens.

Thus far, eight Maine wardens are listed as “cast members” on the Internet Movie Database: Warden Sargeants Chris Simmons, Scott Thrasher and Tim Spahr, and wardens Jonathan Parker, Alan Curtis, Rick LaFlamme, Kristopher MacCabe and Josh Bubier.

“They’re getting some good-hearted ribbing from some of the other wardens about becoming superstars,” MacDonald said. n

Grand Lake Stream.

“That particular night, when we were walking, he was in an unlucky spot and what used to be bank was no longer there,” Bauersfeld said. “He was toes-up.

He swam.”

The midnight swim of Roddy Grant did provide the unfortunate angler with some unintended benefits, though: Bauersfeld said Grant became a role model of sorts.

“He toughed it out,” Bauersfeld explained. “He fished for an hour and a half after that. He was a stallion.”

In some years, 20 or more anglers view for position in the Dam Pool at any one time on opening day. The stream is three miles long, but early on, most of the fish have huddled up in the deep water near the dam. Sometimes, another dozen or more wait patiently on the shore for their turn to fish.

Waiting isn’t a bad thing, either.

It gives anglers the chance to chat.

To warm up. To eat.

“We had some deer steak from a deer taken last year and some fresh coffee,” Brandon Parker said

in 2009, after finishing up a late breakfast. “No sense roughing it.

Not when you have a tailgate.”

And at some point, if tailgating isn’t in the offing, many of the anglers take the short ride up the hill to the venerable Pine Tree Store, which has been serving their kind for … well … decades.

The store is the only one in town, and has recently changed hands. The new owner will be on hand this April to greet a constant stream of hungry, eager fishermen, and more than a few dogs.

But back in 2009, proprietor Kurt Cressey, who had seen a few winters change to spring in the tiny little town, explained what opening day meant to him.

“People are just anxious to get out of the house, blow the stink off, as we say,” Cressey said with a chuckle. “For us it’s great because what we look forward to is the same familiar faces coming back [to rehash] some old stories and just kind of get things going again.

“This is what Grand Lake Stream is all about,” Cressey said.

“It’s a fishing village.” n

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