Maine Fish and Wildlife Magazine, Summer 1986 by Maine State Library

A New Era Begins

A permit system to control the harvest of does will ensure an improved deer herd in the future.

' 'A T LAST, Maine has an excellent deer management program." That's how Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Glenn H. Manuel summarized several years of work when, on May 31, the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Advisory Council gave him unanimous approval to implement an "Any-Deer Permit" system in Maine for the 1986 firearms deer seasons. Commissioner Manuel and wildlife biologists say the new approach to controlling the harvest of doe deer will be more sensitive to local situations and will have more predictable results than past regulations featuring "bucks-only" hunting followed by an "either-sex" week in certain areas. It will also alleviate the heavy hunting pressure and resulting safety and landowner problems experienced in open areas during past "either-sex" weeks. In effect, the Any-Deer Permit system establishes a statewide "bucks-only" hunting season for all hunters for four weeks in November and during the muzzleloaderonly week in December. But some hunters, chosen from among applicants, will be issued permits allowing them to take an antlerless deer any time during the hunting season in pre-designated areas called deer management districts. Permit holders may take either a buck or a doe deer in the district for which their permit is valid, or a buck anywhere in the state. The yearly limit remains one deer per hunter, regardless of the animal's sex or the season in which it was taken. The application period for Any-Deer Permits will be from July 1 through August 29.

Only hunters possessing a current Maine license to hunt big game may apply, and only one application per person may be submitted. Nonresidents ma apply and buy their license at the same time, and special provisions also enable Maine resident landowners who hunt on their own land without a license to submit an Any-Deer Permit application . The selection of permit recipients, based on a random chance drawing using the last digits of the hunting license number, will take place in mid-September. Permits will be mailed to successful applicants by October 1. There is no fee required to submit an application or to receive a permit. Application forms for Any-Deer Permits are a aiJa eamunicipal offices, sporting goods stores and offices of e Fi and Wildlife Department. Nonresident hunters who held a 1985 Maine big game license will receive an application by direct mail no request needed. Other nonresidents may request one by writing o the department's Augusta office (Sta. 41 , Augusta ME 04333) or by telephone (207-289-5249). Application forms are accompanied by full instructions an maps of the deer management districts. The only decision an applicant must make is which de management district to apply for. There are 17 districts, 16 of them with an allocation of An_ Deer Permits this year. The number of permits to be issu in each district is based on its deer management goals - f or none where deer populations are low, and in grea numbers where deer are more plentiful. In all cases number of permits per district this first year is conserva · to allow for continued increase in deer populations. In to about 13,550 Any-Deer Permits will be issued in 1986. About 85 percent of the permits allocated to each dis · will be issued to resident hunters, 15 percent to nonresiden and aliens (figures based on proportion of both grou among all Maine deer hunters) . Prior to the Advisory Council's final approval, the permi system had been endorsed by a majority of sportsme attending seven public hearings last winter, and by the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine and the Maine chapters of the Wildlife Society and Whitetails Unlimited . However, the road to a new, more refined way of managing deer populations in this large and diverse state was lo g and not without potholes. As with most hunting or fish· issues, there were other opinions of the route to be take . but in the end a system was adopted which represents ha Commissioner Manuel called "a refinement of the very deer management programs already in place and wor · well in 29 other states and provinces. "The new system will provide for local control over taking of doe deer by limiting the number which can removed from each district, and address local differences · deer populations. It will make it possible for us, for the firs! time, to attain and then maintain the optimum number o:. deer in each area of the state."

NIAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE Governor Joseph E. Brennan

VOL. 28, NO. 2

SUMMER 1986

Department of Inland l1sherles and Wildlife Glenn H. Manuel, Commissioner Norman E. Trask, Deputy Commissioner Frederick B. Hurley, Jr., Director IJumJu ofResource Management Peter C. Brazier, Director Bumlu ofAdministratiw Service John F. Marsh, Director Bureau of Jffmlen Service

Advisory Council Marc S. Plourde, &gle Lake Chairman ~

Forlcs Yice Chairman Francis D. Dunn, Patten Nathan Cohen, &stpon F. Paul Frinsko, Pon/and Asa 0. Holmes, Belfast Alva S. Appleby, Skowhegan F. Dale Speed, Princeton Carroll York,

Maine Fish and Wildlife Magazine W. Thomas Shoener, &litor Thomas J. Chamberlain, Managing Editor Thomas L . Carbone, Photo Editor All photographs in this issue were made by the Public Information and Education Division unless odicrwise indicated.

Features The Visitors Center: We're Game If You Arel My Pals, The Skunks! All Shapes And Slzesll

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by Mark McCollough

Islands In The Forest

by Janet McMahon and Harry R. Tyler, Jr.

The Blueback Trout

by Chet MacKenzie

Your Gulde To lake Protection by Barbara Welch

Maine Public lands: A Diverse Resource by John W Forssen

20 22

by Paul J. Fournier

CHANGE OF ADDlllSS: Scud boch old and nr.w ad.._lDCamlldoa Secdcla, MAINBFISH ANDWILDUPB Mapzine.28451MDSl. ,Sla.141,Au&aa,ME04333.Plalc lllowlixweebir*IFIDIIRe&ct. '\burpclllcfficecannol fonvcl copies . . . )'11111 proride . . . . . . . IJOICIF. l'OSTMAS'l'IR: Scadllldnlllc:m1911DCin:ulldoaSecdoa, ·MAJNB FISH AND Wll.DLIFB Mapzine. 284 SI* St., Sla.141, Auplla, MB04333.

by Frank Whitehouse Anderson

How Old? MAINEFISHANDWILDUFE(]S.5Nm«).005X) iapulllilbed quanerty bytbe Maine Dept. afJnland Piaheriaand WildlHe, 214S..St. Sllliall41, ~ME0033,untlerAppropildan 4,Wl ~ -: S7mper,.-. No..... plelle. Second daa polllF paid • Aupm, ME04330. @ Maine Dept. m 1111111d Pilberiea IDII Wildlii,,, 1986. Fenniaion ID n,pnlllat mmill illfll*ld, pn,ridedpmperc:reditiapm1Dtbellllbor andlDtbeMAINBFISH ANDWILDIFB. C1eu1nce IIIUltbe obtainod fromartiall, pbomgrapben, and DOIHlaffllllhon to reproduce c:mliled work.

Departments KID-BITS

FROM THE FLY TYING BENCH: The Muddler Minnow

FISH AND WILDLIFE BRIEFS

THE COVERS Front: Seeking the Atlantic salmon, just before sunrise, at the Guerin Pool, Bangor on the Penobscot River. Copies of this Roger D'Errico photograph can be obtained by contacting Dirigo Outfitters, 100 Harlow St. , Bangor, ME 04401 , telephone (207) 945-5587). Back: Maine's duck stamp for 1986, wood ducks, by David A. Maass.

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LEGEND 1 Fish Viewing Pool 2

Waterfowl Area

Deer Pen

Moose Pen

5 Bird Pen 6

Birds of Prey

The Visitors Center

7 Small Furbearers 8

Bear Pen

9 Rest Rooms - · - Nature Trail

Picnicking

I I I I Parking

Moose and marten, raccoon and ravens, deer and ducks, bear and bobcat - where can you go in a day, or less, and see all these and more GUARANTEED!? Try the Fish and Wildlife Department's Game Farm in Gray, just minutes from downtown Portland!! The Game Farm (known as the Visitors Center) was once a private farm adjacent to the Dry Mills Fish Hatchery. It was purchased in 1931 following a legislative mandate to establish a facility to raise pheasants for release throughout the state; the first release of pheasants reared at the Gray facility was in 1933, and the first pheasant hunting season on these birds was in 1935. 2

We're Game If You Are! The farm continued in operation exclusively as a pheasant rearing facility for some years - until department personnel, seeking a place to keep and care for orphaned and injured wild animals, chose the farm as well-suited to the purpose. Such use was made of the farm many times, and today's Visitors Center has evolved in just that manner. Wardens and biologists, responding to calls from the public, frequently wind up as caretakers of wild animals in need of assistance, and the Visitors Center usually assumes this responsibility. As a result, the center can offer the public a varied, and frequently changing, view of Maine's wildlife. Some animals and birds are rehabilitated and rereleased into the wild; others become permanent, Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

Above, a game farm gobbler, trying to impress the ladies. Below, whitetails share a prime habitat enclosure with a lone Canada goose.

Map Copyri ght 1986. Reprinted from The Ma ine Atlas and Gazetteer by perm ission of Delorme Publi shing Company, Freeport , Maine.

or at least long-term, residents of the center. In many cases, where both sexes are present, the center becomes a nursery for young animals born "inside the fence." As far as time and budget have allowed , the Visitors Center has been made convenient to, and educational for, the public. There are several small picnic shelters with cooking pits, and the cages and enclosures for the animals are designed and arranged so that viewing the occupants is quite easy - and safely at close range! Restroom facilities are also provided. The Visitor Center traditionally opens the first weekend in April and remains in operation through November. It is open to the public seven days a week, from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. each day; admission is only 50 cents per person. Other than Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

that, only a few restrictions apply: no pets, no firearms , no intoxicants, no motor vehicles except from entrance to parking area, etc. It all makes sense, when you consider what kind of place it is! In the years ahead, as budgets allow, plans are to develop the Fish and Wildlife Visitors Center into a more public- and/or education-oriented facility; more interpretive displays, more wildlife "life history" information, etc. The primary message in all of this, however, will be this: Maine has an extremely diverse and fascinating collection of wildlife, used in one way or another by many, many people, residents and nonresidents alike. This resource IS renewable, and if it is properly managed, it can provide a continual source of economic, social, and environmental benefit. So let's be careful with it - it's precious! â&#x20AC;˘ 3

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by Frank Whitehouse Anderson

NEIGHBORS call me wacky because I proclaim that dreaded little animal - the skunk - as my favorite mammal! Maybe I like the little stripers because I have befriended them on several occasions, and never once have they pulled the trigger on me. Commonly known as the striped skunk, he is found throughout most of the United States and Canada. He is about the size of a house cat; when full-grown , his weight varies from 6 to 10 pounds. Once denatured (by removing the scent glands) , a skunk can be a very affectionate house pet. Two white stripes, united at the 4

head, run back the sides to the tip of the skunk's tail. His face has a single stripe from the forehead to the tip of the nose. Somewhere long the line, genetics got tangled up with evolution and heredity, resulting in an occasional almost completely black skunk. Skunks are members of the weasel family - but you'd never know it to see them amble through the woods! Like many humans, they've let themselves become roly-poly; as a matter of fact , comparing a skunk to a weasel is somewhat similar to comparing a turtle to a jaguar, at least speed-wise! I mentioned at the start of this article that I have had several encounters with this fascinating mammal. It might be well now to break up

the monotony of characterization and relate some skirmishes I have had with the little stripers. A few years ago, on a busy street in Ellsworth, a skunk wandered into the traffic with its head stuck in a glass jar. Its sides were heaving and pulsating in a vain attempt to breathe. A crowd quickly gathered, but kept a safe distance. They were loud in their exclamations of pity, but no one offered to pull the jar from its head. If I hadn't happened on the scene, the little prowler would soon have suffocated. I picked the suffering animal up by the tail, pulled the jar from its head, and tossed it away from me. The creature never offered to use its spray guns, and ambled off to safety. The gathering gave me a big Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

hand - but I wasn't really so brave. The crowd evidently didn't know that a skunk has to have its front feet on the ground before it can take aim! A short time later, I pulled a can from another skunk's head . It ambled off, also seemingly grateful. Nature has endowed this mammal with a unique way of protection, a sure defense against even the larger animals - cougar, bear, fox , and bobcat. Two glands under a skunk's tail contain a yellow liquid; the glands are surrounded by muscles which contract to force out the fluid . Skunks are not trigger-happy, and will only discharge this liquid when real danger is imminent - but when they do, watch out! Their aim is accurate up to 25 feet! This ejection can be repeated five or six times, but once the sacs are empty, it takes four or five hours for them .to refill. Humans need not fear being sprayed as long as the striper faces them, but if he whirls and goes up on his front feet with tail lifted , it is wise to get out fast! The liquid is a powerful acid; if it reaches the eyes of a human , it causes agonizing pain and might even result in permanent blindness. The skunk is listed as a carnivorous mammal, but omnivorous would be more accurate, for they eat vegetable matter and forage in dumps for anything edible. This explains why they frequently get their heads caught in cans and jars. Their heads slip into these traps, but they can't back out against the grain of the fur unless the receptacle is held firmly. Skunks are often maligned for taking poultry and eggs. In this act, they won't make a forced entrance, but if a henhouse door is left open, they gladly accept the invitation. On the whole, the good skunks do for the farmer far outweighs their distructiveness. In their nocturnal ramblings, they devour thousands of insects harmful to the farmer's crops. Due to their lumbering, swaying gait, their footprints are nearly in a straight line - one behind the other. Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

Like the bear, the whole foot from heel to toe is printed. I had rather a harrowing experience a few years ago when a rambling skunk dropped into my cellar through an open window. I was in the cellar to get an old door to use .on a tool shed I was building. When I moved the door away from the wall, I was looking a king size skunk smack in the face! Gently replacing the door, I literally flew up the stairs. Luckily, it wasn't aggressive; if it had been , we would have had to move out for a long period! I was in a quandary as to how to get the animal out without provoking its defense artillery. Finally, I hit upon a plan which might entice it to move out. I slid a long plank down to the floor of the cellar, making a slight incline, first covering it with flour. On the outdoor end I placed table leavings, hoping that the scent would be an irrestible attraction. The next morning, bright and early, I was out to see if my plan had worked. Sure enough - tracks were left on the flour coming out and none going back! It had cleaned up the scraps and left with a full stomach. Skunks are docile and deliberate in their movements, and have seemingly no fear of humans. They often live under sheds and barns, but for the most part, they hibernate in underground burrows lined with grass. Often , many skunks hibernate together in a large burrow, curling up like snakes for warmth. They mate in late winter; young are born in the spring. They stay with their mother for a year, then go out on their own . As a rule, there are five or six in a litter, but once in a while there are The author, a former state senator from Ellsworth and 14-year member of the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Game, was well-known for his reverence for all forms oj wildlife. He died in April, several months after writing this article about one of his favorite species.

eight. Mother sets the table for only six; if there are more, some of the little stinkers have to wait their turn . Though not hunted or trapped extensively, skunk fur is excellent and very popular. It is hard to believe that the powerful acid the skunks store for protection is blended with other ingredients in the making of perfume - nevertheless it's true! It is my hope that some day, some of you may come upon a mother skunk leading the way for five or six babies. They move in single file , one behind the other, in a line as straight as an arrow. It is a sight never to be forgotten! My last encounter with the striper served to cement my admiration for this remarkable mammal because of its uncanny ability to register the time of day. I was at my camp on Union River Bay in Ellsworth for a few days' rest. After supper the first night, I put leavings from the table in a paper bag outside the camp with the intention of disposing of it in the morning. At 9 p.m. , I was getting ready for bed and heard the clatter of loose boards in back of the camp. Curious as to the source of the sound, I looked out the window and saw a big striper tearing open the bag of table scraps, and I watched it finish this unexpected bag of goodies. After sniffing around for more, it finally made off. To my amazement, at exactly 9 p.m. the next night, I again heard the clatter of boards, and there, sure enough, was the same nocturnal prowler! And for the next two more nights while I was at camp, it came for its nightly snack at exactly 9 p.m. The night before leaving camp, I summoned up the courage to go out and stand by my guest; I was completely ignored! Extinction poses no threat for this fascinating mammal. Its unique method of defense is assurance that, as long as this planet is in existence, it will still be making its nocturnal â&#x20AC;˘ ramblings. 5

aine Endangered and Nonga01e Wildlife Fund PROJECT REPORT

sandpiper tracks resemble heiroglyphics, and are evidence of the voracious appetites of these birds at low tide. Shorebirds are so numerous on some mudflats that they cause the number of intertidal invertebrates to decline in late summer.

T.ns

SUMMER, hundreds of thousands of feathered visitors will be flocking to the Maine coast - not to observe the scenic beauty, but to replenish their fat reserves before embarking on the next leg of a journey that takes them from their nesting areas in the Canadian arctic to their wintering areas in South America. Thirty-nine species of shorebirds have been sighted in Maine but only eight actually nest here. Sandpipers (peeps), plovers, and their relatives are familiar sights in late summer as they scurry about the mudflats and beaches in their endless search for food . Shorebirds frequenting the Maine coast in July and August are among the world's greatest long-distance migrants. Southward migration begins in late June, after the eggs hatch in the arctic. The females leave their young immediately after hatching, and migrate to coastal areas in New England and the Bay of Fundy. The males leave the breeding grounds a week or two later; the young are left to fend for themselves, feeding on the abundant insects on the tundra. By instinct,

Sanderling blend in well on their roost sites. They are most frequently observed feeding on sandy beaches.

All Shapes and Sizes!! by Mark McCollough Photos by the author they know how to find their way to the same migratory stopover or staging areas used by their parents around the Gulf of Maine and the Bay of Fundy. The shorebird migrations in Maine peak from mid-July to mid-August; tens of thousands of birds can be observed at some sites then, particularly in eastern Maine. The mudflats of the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine are a cornucopia of tiny invertebrates that are a critical link in the migration of shorebirds. As soon as the tide begins to recede, the birds begin feeding . They can eat 10,000 to 20,000 tiny mud shrimp and marine worms during each tidal period! At this feeding rate, the birds nearly double their

Above: Sanderling like this one, captured in a mist net, are colormarked and banded for quick identification by researchers, and to give us clues as to their movements and the length of their stays in Maine during their migrations. Left: Shorebirds are wellknown for their ability to fly in large "flights." How they maintain the synchronous movements of the flock as it twists and turns is still a mystery! This report concerns yet another project funded by Maine's Endangered

weight in fat reserves; this is used as fuel for a nonstop 2,600 mile transoceanic flight from Maine to wintering areas in South America. One semipalmated sandpiper, a shorebird not much longer than a sparrow, was banded in Lubec, Maine on August 29th and was recovered in Surinam, South America two days later! Once at their winter quarters, shorebirds leisurely feed on coastal mudflats and lagoons before migrating north across the Gulf of Mexico and through the central portion of North America to return to the arctic nesting grounds. For this reason , very few shorebirds are resighted in Maine during the spring migration .

The lesser yellowlegs is a common migrant through Maine. It uses its long stilt-like legs to wade into deeper water after small crustaceans and fish.

"A bird in the hand ...." This short-billed dowitcher was banded and released. The bird's long beak has a sensitive tip to detect movement of its prey by probing deep into the mud.

S HOREBIRDS come in all sizes and shapes that reflect adaptations for capturing the foods they eat. Semipalmated sandpipers, short-billed dowitchers, and sanderlings, all common visitors to the Maine coast, use their soft beaks to probe in the mud or sand to locate small worms and crustaceans. Semipalmated and black-bellied plovers, on the other hand, have large eyes that they use to locate clam worms and snails. Whimbrels, with their long, downcurved beaks, are equally adept at eating blueberries or pulling crabs out of their burrows. The northern (red-necked) and red phalaropes rarely come to the shore to feed . Using their lobed toes to swim , they flock to upwelling areas along the coast to feed on small shrimp and zooplankton. The largest concentration of rednecked phalaropes in the world is near Eastport, where flocks of up to two million birds have been observed feeding on mysid shrimp, right alongside the finback and right whales that inhabit the area. Although the shorebirds stay only briefly in Maine, the habitats they encounter here are critical to the success of their annual migration. Shorebirds need productive mudflats from which they can feed and build fat reserves for fuel. At high tide, shorebirds flock to traditional roosting sites, which are usually exposed ledges, cobblestone beaches, or sandbars. If you know of any shorebird roosts or feeding areas in your vicinity, please contact the author at the Maine Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Program, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, P.O. Box 1298, Bangor, Maine 04401. â&#x20AC;˘

The author ls working with the staff of the Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund In a full-time temporary position.

ongame Wildlife Fund; check the chickadee on your tax return this year!

by Janet McMahon

Islands In The Forest A Look At The Flora of Maine's Peatlands 8

and

Harry R. Tyler, Jr.

QUICK GLANCE at any topographic map of Maine is almost certain to reveal the presence of a peatland. Although there are an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 individual peat deposits comprising approximately three percent of the state's land area, we rarely see them. With the exception of the conspicuous Alton Bog, which is bisected by Interstate 95, most peatlands lie in forgotten corners of the landscape. Dismal or unimaginative names such as Folly Bog, Sweat Bog, Big Heath, Deadwater Slough, and Numbers 16, 26, and 32 Swamps give some indication of the value accorded peatlands in the past. The vast majority of peatlands have no names at all. A handful, such as Saco Heath, Sunkhaze Meadows, and The Great Heath have gained a small degree of notoriety due to controversies over their economic versus natural values. Most, however, are seldom visited and have been changed only by natural forces over the last 10,000 years. With their silent open expanses, peatlands are among the few ecosystems in Maine that can be considered totally Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

No. s Bog, Attean TWP., somerset co. Photo by Hank Tyler

undisturbed by people. The highly specialized plants that grow on these islands of wilderness make a trip to a peatland well worth the visit. Spongy sphagnum mosses, carnivorous pitcher plants and sundews, dwarfed birches and twisted black spruce, and more than a dozen species of colorful and delicate orchids are some of the botanical treasures you are likely to find. THE PEATLAND ENVIRONMENT From the air, peatlands appear as carpets scattered across the landscape. Brown in the spring, green in summer, and hues of red rimmed with the gold of tamarack in autumn, their shapes vary from circular to oval, to thin ribbons along streams and lakes. Some have scattered pools, whose concentric spirals or linear parallel ribbings shimmer like jewels from the peatland surface. Others are uniformly flat and open. While peatlands differ greatly in size and form , the vegetation is clearly different from that of the surrounding forests. On most peatlands, one is struck by the absence of trees. The occasional spruce, tamarack, or white pine that does occur is usually stunted and gnarled. Before looking at peatland plant communities, it is important to look at the environment in which they occur. On the ground it is easy to understand why the plant communities that occur on peatlands are so different from those of upland ecosystems. Stepping out onto a peatland you are almost sure to get wet. Though you may not see water on the surface, most peatlands feel spongy underfoot, giving the sensation of walking on a trampoline. This can usually be attributed to the presence of sphagnum moss, a dominant component of surface peats in Maine. While most people think of peat as the partially decomposed remains of dead plants, only a small percentage is actually made up of organic material. The remainder (90 percent or more) is made up of water. Because sphagnum acts like a sponge and is able to wick up to 25 times its weight in water, the peatland surface remains moist even when upland areas are dry. Another obvious characteristic of peatland ecosystems is the abundance of vegetation. With the exception of an occasional pool or mud-bottom, every square inch of peatland is covered with plants. Lack of shade and intense competition for a limited supply of nutrients are responsible for, this incredible density. Low concentrations of essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, combined with an acidic, waterlogged environment, limit the size and height of the vegeta-

Janet McMahon is a land steward for the Maine Audubon Society, and has worked on peatland research at the University of Maine at Orono, and /or the Maine Critical Areas Program, of which co-author Harry R. Tyler, Jr. is director.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

tion. Although the size and abundance of individual species varies greatly from peatland to peatland, a low, thick mat of leathery-leaved vegetation, overshadowed by an occasional black spruce or tamarack, is typical. This lack of nutrients in peat soils is not readily apparent when you pick up a handful of peat. While the partially decomposed plant material in your hand may contain plen-

concentric pools in Crystal Bog, Aroostook co. Photo by Thomas H. Arter

ty of nitrogen and other essential nutrients, these are generally not in available forms. Also, while terrestrial ecosystems are generally characterized by a cyclical flow of nutrients (living to non-living to living) , nutrient flow in peatlands is essentially one-way. As new peat forms, nutrients contained in lower layers are buried, becoming permanently unavailable to plants at the surface. The nutrient supply in a given peatland depends on the peatland's relationship to the local groundwater supply. Bogs are called ombrotrophic peatlands (a term derived from om bro - cloud, and trophic - nourished) because they receive all of their nutrients from fog , rain, snow, and clouds. Minerotrophic peatlands, or fens, on the other hand, are connected to the local water table and thus receive nutrients and minerals from both precipitation and groundwater. Peat is characteristically acidic. Mean pH can range as low as three (the same as vinegar) in bogs to nearly neutral (7) in fens. Acidity results in part from the accumulation of humic acids, which form as plants break down into humus and give peatland water its murky brown color. The exceptionally low pH associated with bogs is influenced by the genus Sphagnum, usually the dominant component of the vegetation in this peatland type. Sphagnum 9

Kettlehole peatland, somerset co. Photo by Hank Tyler

mosses not only secrete organic acids, but because of their extremely low nutrient requirements - especially for nitrogen - they are able to outcompete almost any other plant species. Because bogs are not connected to the groundwater table, there is no flushing or dilution of the acids that form , resulting in a highly acidic environment. For peat to form , decomposition of vegetation cannot exceed production. The exceptionally low decay rates characteristic of peatlands are due to low oxygen availability, low temperatures, and reduced microbial activity. The result is a gradual accumulation of partially decomposed and practically odorless material. Although peat deposits form some of the thickest soils in the state, rivaled only by the best Aroostook County loams, the build-up is extremely slow, typically only one or two centimeters of accumulation per century.

orchard Bog, a ribbed fen, Aroostook co. Pho

Peatland Formation Maine's peatlands began forming roughly 10,000 years ago, following the retreat of the last glacial ice sheet. Shallow basins carved out by ice, restricted outflow and disrupted drainage caused by eskers, outwash plains, and other glacial deposits created depressions for peatlands. In addition , the Above right: Great Wass Island, a coastal plateau peatland, Washington co. Below right: Passadumkeag Bog, a domed peatland, Penobscot co. Photos by Hank Tyler

glaciers left a clay-coated landscape, resulting in an surplus of surface water- a prerequisite of peat formation. Abundant and uniform precipitation, combined with relatively cool summer temperatures, prevented total evaporation of this ponded water, creating a perfect environment for peat to form . Two processes, lakefill and paludification (swamping) , are responsible for most of the peatlands we see today. The lakefill process begins, as the name implies, with a lake. A typical successional pattern begins with semi-aquatic reeds and sedges which grow toward the center of the lake, forming a floating mat of vegetation. These plants die and accumulate to form peat, and are then replaced by more plants. As the mat thickens and stabilizes, semi-aquatic plants are gradually replaced by mosses, grasses, sedges, low-bush evergreens, and trees such as black spruce and tamarack. Ultimately, the mat covers the lake, the water is displaced by peat, and a peatland is formed . Where the water table is high and the climate especially moist, a different growth pattern may occur. In these peatlands, peat-forming vegetation spreads outward , through a process called paludification. The most typical "pioneers" are the sphagnum mosses, which can tolerate the wide range of conditions that occur along the peatland edge. In Maine, peatlands that have formed or are expanding through this process are most common along the Washington

Below: Meddybemps Heath, a multiple-unit peatland, Washington co. Right: cross-section of a peat deposit, carrying Place cove, Washington co. Far right: Black spruce, No. s Bog. Photos by Hank Tyler

Maine Fish and Wildlife -:-- Summer 1986

and Hancock County coasts, where the vegetation of raised peatlands is spreading laterally onto the adjacent upland. A close look at a peatland profile can provide a fascinating record of a peatland's origin and evolution. From the bluegray clay on the bottom to the poorly decomposed surface sphagnum, a single sample or "core," perhaps a couple of meters long, will contain clues to the geologic, biologic, and climatic events of the last 10,000 years! Pollen grains, exoskeletons of insects and other invertebrates, bones, tree trunks, seeds, and charcoal layers are often beautifully preserved. Careful examination of a peat profile can help scientists determine when hemlocks and oaks first reached a watershed, the history of fires , when transitions from hardwoods to softwoods and back again took place, and what plants used to grow on the peatland surface (many of Maine's peatlands have a reed-sedge peat layer under Sphagnum peat). Left: Esker in Meddybemps Heath, Washington co. Photo by Janet McMahon. Below: Mudbottom in Chamberlain Bog, Piscataquis co. Photo by Eric Sorenson

Records of human disturbance, such as deposits of atmospheric pollutants including heavy metals derived from fossil fuels , can also be found in the state's peatlands.

Some Remarkable Adaptations The unusual qualities of peat- small reserves of available nutrients, low oxygen content, water saturation, low acidity - create an extremely stressful environment for plants. As a result, peatland plants have developed an amazing assortment of adaptations for survival. The sphagnum mosses, some members of the Heath (Ericaceae) family, carnivorous plants, black spruce, and orchids are good examples of how peatland plants are adapted to their environment. THE SPHAGNUM MOSSES Members of the genus Sphagnum form the largest constituent of peat in Maine. At least 45 species are known to occur in the state. Each species has a characteristic color that is a reflection of specific sunlight, pH, nutrients, and moisture requirements. The colorful patchwork of greens, reds, browns, and yellows typical of most peatlands is a result of this variation . Apart from their ability to secrete organic acids and outcompete other peatland plants, the sphagnum mosses are beautifully adapted to live in a water-logged environment. They vary in height from a few inches to nearly a foot - and have the unusual characteristic of growing from the top down. If you pull up a sphagnum plant you will see that the bottom is already dead and has begun to contribute to the peat layer. The top of the plant, called the capitulum, contains the terminal bud which reproduces by releasing spores. The thin walls of plant "leaves" allow water to pass through readily. Squeezing a handful of moss gives you an idea of the incredible amount of water these plants can store. 11

THE HEATH FAMILY Common peatland species, such as Labrador tea, bog laurel, bog rosemary, sheep laurel, leatherleaf, and the vacciniums, are all members of the Heath family. They share a number of adaptations that allow them to survive in the unpredictable and hostile conditions characteristic of peatlands. Many are evergreen. Being perennial is an advantage as meager nutrient supplies can be stored and, in many species, translocated to plant roots to ensure the next year's growth. Species such as Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum), leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne ca/yculata), and bog rosemary (Andromeda g/aucophylla) have firm , leathery leaves with few stomata, allowing them to retain moisture during periods of drought. The fine coating of hair on the underside of Labrador tea leaves serves a similar purpose by insulating the leaves from drying air currents. In addition, the leaves of many plants secrete toxins, that not only provide protection from disease but also discourage herbivores from feeding on their foliage. Several low-bush evergreen plants, and most orchids, have symbiotic relationships with fungi. By serving as hosts, plants are able to obtain nutrients from these fungi that they couldn't obtain on their own.

Bumblebees are the major pollinators of heath family plants growing in Maine bogs. A relatively few species of bumblebees pollinate the succession of flowering plants in peatlands. The role of bumblebees is discussed in Bumblebee Economics by Bernd Heinrich, who has studied these insects in Maine bogs.

THE CARNIVORES Probably the most unusual group of peatland plants are the carnivores - the pitcher plants, sundews, and bladderworts - all of which digest insects and other small invertebrates in order to supplement their meager supplies of nitrogen, phosphorus, and other essential nutrients. This is of obvious value, especially in bogs where essential nutrients are limited. Pitcher plants (Sarracenia purpurea) act like pitfall traps. Their pitcher-like leaves collect and mix rainwater with digestive enzymes secreted from the leaf walls. When an Âˇinsect enters the plant, it is either trapped by the sticky cells on the top of the plant or is forced toward the water by the downward pointing hairs on the pitcher walls. The decep-

(continued on page 26)

Clockwise from lower left: sphagnum moss, Naomi Edelson; intermediate sundew, Hank TYier; pitcher plant, Naomi Edelson; Rhodora, Hank TYier; horned bladderwort, E.T. Richardson, Jr.; white fringed prairie orchid, Mary Droege.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

The Blueback Trout

Above, a female blueback trout <a beauty!> from Deboullie Lake, being given the business before being returned to the water. Below, netting operations went so late in the year that workers turned ice breakers <see photo on next page>! Photos by Mark MCEiroy

by Chet MacKenzie

T . . E DEBOULLIE-RED RIVER Township (T15R9) , located in north-central Aroostook County, was acquired recently by the Maine Bureau of Public Lands. The northern boundary of this remote township is about 14.5 miles from Quebec, Canada; the western boundary is about 11.5 miles east of the Allagash River. Access to this region of rugged mountains and deep, spring-fed ponds has always been difficult, and plans to improve access to this remote area have raised concern about increased fishing pressure and its possible impact on the native fish populations. In particular, the Deboullie-Red River area is home to the rare blueback trout (Salvelinus alpinus oquassa). Blueback trout are actually char, descendants of anadromous Arctic char. During the last ice age (about 15,000 years ago), these fish were isolated in a few freshwater ponds. Gradually, populations were established in northern New England and Maritime Canada. Blueback trout are now found in only 10 Maine waters. Four of these - Gardner, Black, and Deboullie lakes, and Pushineer Pond - are located in the Deboullie-Red River township. A blueback trout generally appears slim for any given length, with a large mouth and a slightly or moderately forked tail. Coloration is variable; blueback trout are often pale white or silver during the summer. During the breeding season in the fall, however, mature males and females become brightly colored with brown to bluish dorsal surfaces, white to yellow The author worked with the Maine Cooperative Fishery Unit while completing a graduate degree in zoology at UMO. He also worked part-ti me /or the Columbia National Fishery Research Laboratory Ji eld station at Orono, and is now an assistant district biologist /or the State of Vermont.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

spots on the sides, yellow to orange ventral surfaces, and orange paired fins with bright white leading edges. Bluebacks are generally small (certainly not trophy-sized!). Anglers usually catch bluebacks that are seven to ten inches in length and four to nine ounces in weight. Little is known of the life history and ecology of bluebacks. We do know that they usually inhabit the cold , deep waters of a lake, although they may be found throughout the water column whenever the water temperature is 50Â°F. or below. They feed primarily on plankton , but little is known of their spawning habits. Attempts to capture spawning blueback trout in Deboullie Lake from mid-September to the first week in November have been unsuccessful.

BECAUSE EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT of fish populations is dependent upon a full understanding of the species' life history and ecology, a project was designed to study the spawning habits and population characteristics of blueback trout during the fall of 1985.

This aerial photo by Hank Tyler gives "the lay of the land." In the foreground is Big Black Pond; south Little Black Pond comes next, followed by Deboullie Lake and Gardner Lake.

The nets, frozen into Pushineer Pond, finally convinced the biological crew to hang it up for the winter.

The three lakes surveyed during this project were Black Lake, Deboullie Lake, and Pushineer Pond. Deboullie was the largest lake studied, with an area of 262 acres and a maximum depth of 98 feet. The major inlet is a short stream , which is also the outlet of Gardner Lake. The outlet of Deboullie Lake flows into Pushineer Pond through a short thoroughfare. Pushineer Pond has a surface area of 55 acres and a maximum depth of 56 feet. The outlet of Pushineer Pond , the headwater of the Red River, is currently blocked by an old log driving dam. Black Lake is located about one-half mile northeast of Deboullie Lake. It has a surface area of 147 acres and a maximum depth of 98 feet. The only inlet enters from the Little Black Ponds on the west shore, and the outlet, flowing Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

The "road " from Pushineer Pond to Deboullie Lake, used often but carefully by the crew.

from the southeast corner, is currently blocked by a beaver dam , right at the lake. All three lakes are spring-fed , deep, cold, and oligotrophic (supporting little plant or animal life). Before the 1985 study, blueback and brook trout had been reported from all three waters. Oneida Lake trap nets and Maine fyke nets were used to collect fish in the fall of 1985. Nets were set on suspected spawning shoals from late October until mid-November when ice began to form on the lakes. On the day the last net was removed from Pushineer Pond, one or two inches of ice had formed over the pond! Having to break a channel through the ice to check the nets for fish , by leaning over the bow and stomping on the ice with one foot , convinced us that it was time to remove the nets. Each fish handled was marked with a fin clip so that the population size of each species could be estimated when fish were released and later recaptured. Blueback trout, brook trout, yellow perch, pearl dace, and common shiners were captured in Deboullie Lake. Golden shiners, redbelly dace, and white suckers have been reported in Deboullie, but none was captured during this project. Unfortunately, only one blueback was captured in Deboullie Lake, but it was the largest blueback captured during the project - a female measuring 13 inches and weighing 11 ounces. Brook trout, yellow perch, common shiners, and pearl dace were also captured in Pushineer Pond, but no blueback trout were netted. White suckers, creek chubs, redbelly dace, and golden shiner are also reported to be present in Pushineer Pond, but none was captured in the trap and fyke nets. Blueback trout, brook trout, yellow perch, pearl dace, creek chub, and common shiners were captured in Black Lake. This was useful information; prior to this study, only the first three species had ever been reported from this lake. Of more importance, however, were the 192 bluebacks netted in Black Lake. The fish were small, averaging seven Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

inches in length and 1.5 ounces in weight. We have no real estimate of the total number of bluebacks in the lake, because only one fish was ever recaptured - insufficient to make a valid population estimate! The major spawning period for blueback trout in Black Lake occurred during the fourth week of October. This corresponded with rapidly falling water temperatures in the area. It appeared that the bluebacks were spawning over shoals, scattering the eggs above the gravel like a togue, rather than depositing eggs in redds like a brook trout. Mature bluebacks were concentrated near shoals in Black Lake with boulder and rubble materials ranging in size from an inch to a yard or more in diameter. The average number of eggs in female bluebacks was estimated to be 319 per 3 .5 ounces of female body weight. Blueback trout in Pushineer Pond and Deboullie Lake may spawn during a different time period, or at other locations. Unfortunately, the locations where we could net in Deboullie Lake were limited by prevailing winds and rough water. It may be that the bluebacks which have been reported from Pushineer Pond in past surveys actually originated from a spawning population in Deboullie Lake. The netting we did in 1985 clearly showed an upstream movement by brook trout through the Deboullie-Pushineer thoroughfare ; it is certainly feasible that there could be a downstream movement of bluebacks during another season. Bluebacks may also compete with brook trout in some areas of the three ponds. Deboullie Lake supports the largest numbers of brook trout of the three waters surveyed - Black Lake, the fewest. The total number of brook trout in all three waters is not high, perhaps because of the productivity of the waters. Fertility in the area is low due to the sterile conditions of the granite bedrock; growth rates of the fish are slow due to the short growing season and low food supply.

T..1s DEBOULLIE-RED RIVER area is a unique, complex ecosystem, and every care should be taken to preserve it in its present state. With the expected increase in fishing pressure in the township because of improved access, care must be taken that fish are not overharvested. Low bag limits, restrictive length limits, and any other necessary regulations should be adopted to preserve the slow-growing brook trout in these lakes. Every precaution must be taken to prevent the introduction of new fish species that would compete with the blueback or brook trout. The blueback trout is a unique fish , found in only a few ponds in the world . It will take effective, dedicated management to preserve it for the next 15,000 years. â&#x20AC;˘

'lf@[JJ]D

An aerial photo of Lovejoy Pond, Albion, and the lake's watershed, showing different types of land use-forest, farms, homes, etc.-all of which drain to the lake. Photo by David Dominic

by Barbara Welch

DRAINAGE PATTERN Above, this drawing illustrating the concept of a watershed points out that even land uses far from a water body drain into that water body, although often indirectly <Credit University of Wisconsin, Extension service). Below, use of a secchi disk, here lowered into Lovejoy Pond, emphasizes the green, cloudy conditions which exist during an algal bloom; water transparency is measured in inches, not in feet.

HIGH WATER QUALITY that we have all come to enjoy in our Maine lakes may be endangered by rapidly increasing watershed development. Residential development has increased dramatically, particularly in York and Cumberland counties, but also in other areas throughout the state. Accelerated residential development adds to the stress already present from existing residential and agricultural land uses, and with 5,000 lakes in Maine, most land is within the watershed of some lake. Some lakes (Sebasticook in Newport, Sabattus in Greene, and Annabessacook in Winthrop, for example) have long shown symptoms of serious water quality degradation: dramatic loss of water clarity, loss of dissolved oxygen in the bottom waters, and prolonged intense algal blooms. These conditions result in the loss of a cold water fishery, a drop in shorefrontproperty values, reduction in potential for swimming, and loss of business and tax revenues to surrounding towns. (It should be noted that the degradation of Sebasticook, Sabattus, and Annabessacook lakes was due to uncontrolled point sources such as industrial and municipal discharges as well as diffuse sources such as agricultural runoff.) Fortunately, only a few Maine lakes have been seriously degraded. We have spent much time and money to restore their aquatic health - $2. 7 million for only six lakes! For a time, the lakes staff of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) thought we had the problem licked. The majority of the remaining lakes were healthy and just needed protection, which appeared to be guaranteed through Maine's environmental laws. But now we realize that the causes of water quality deterioration are subtle, and that some lakes are physically very vulnerable to degradation . Symptoms similar to those in Sebasticook Lake, though not as severe, are showing up Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

Phosphorus Concentrations

2000

residential .c

Q. Q.

in waters such as China Lake in China and Cross Lake in Tl 7R5, due primarily to increased development and agricultural runoff. Although Maine passed progressive environmental laws in the early 1970s, some are simply not broad enough to be totally effective in protecting our lakes today. In addition, the lack of compliance with the laws, from developers to individual landowners, further diminishes the laws' effectiveness at protecting lake quality. Lakes are greatly influenced by how the land around them is used. Lakes are affected not only by activity along the shore, but by activities occurring anywhere in the watershed (the total area which drains into a lake). Precipitation anywhere within this area, which does not first evaporate, will find its way into the lake. This means that a pile of hen manure, a faulty septic system, or erosion from a forestry operation miles away could affect a lake.

undeveloped -

1000

This chart compares stormwater runoff from a residential development and runoff from adjacent forest for only one storm; the residential development gave up seven times as much phosphOrus! Chart by Jeff Dennis

WAT

IS IT from land use activities that affects lakes? It is the release of nutrients (fertilizer) into the water. Just as fertilizing your garden makes plants grow, fertilizing a lake makes the plants in the lake grow. It is the tiny microscopic plants, called algae , that turn the water green , reduce visibility, deplete the oxygen, and smell horrible when they die. There is a plentiful supply, in any lake, of the substances that algae need to grow - except phosphorus. If you add phosphorus to the lake, you get more algae: if you remove phosphorus, the result is less algae. Studies of stormwater runoff, including one performed recently in Augusta, indicate that phosphorus carried in stormwater runoff from residential property is two to ten times greater that from adjacent forestland. The increased phosphorus is due to two differences in these landscapes. First, there is an increase in impervious surfaces on the residential property; this reduces the infiltrative capacity of the land, leading to an increase in the amount of water run ning off the land . Second, these surfaces are more easily washed than those in a forest ; as a result, there is a higher The author is a biologist with the Bureau of Water Quality Control, Department of Environmental Protection.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

concentration of phosphorus in the runoff. Thus, the increased amount of runoff, carrying a higher concentration of phosphorus, adds up to a much greater amount of phosphorus transported from any kind of development than from the forest. Although the assault on the quality of our lakes is great, there are many preservation tactics, most of which can be applied at the local level and at little or no cost. First, the lake needs an active and educated advocate, such as a fish and game club, a lake association, or a conservation commission. It also needs concerned and educated planning and appeals boards for every town in its watershed, as well as diligent and knowledgeable local plumbing inspectors and code enforcement officers. These people are necessary to put into practice the tools that follow. â&#x20AC;˘ Do what you can to reduce the impact from your individual lot. The following suggestions will minimize the negative effects from existing and new developments on shorefront property or on property anywhere in the watershed. These recommendations are logically more beneficial if the majority of people use them .

Diagram of a septic system's components. The disposal field <leach field> is the component which removes phosphorus from the effluent <Credit Maine Dept. of Human services>.

A. Recommendations for Shorefront Property Owners 1. Septic Tanks

a) Septic tanks and leach fields should be function ing properly. Systems used year round should be pumped every two or three years; seasonal use requires pumping every five or six years. b) Avoid excessive use of strong cleaning agents such as drain cleaners and bleach. c) Grease, cigarette butts, hair, facial tissues, paper towels, band-aids, etc., belong in the garbage, not the toilet.

d) Do not use a garbage disposal unless the septic system was designed to accommodate it; groundup garbage burdens your septic tank. e) Washing machines and sink drains should run into a septic tank, not into a drywell; a drywell will discharge phosphorus into the lake once the soil surrounding it becomes saturated. f) A septic system survey, organized by the lake or camp association, is a good idea to spot malfunctioning systems. Faulty systems can be reported to the local plumbing inspector for investigation and correction. g) Signs of septic system problems: toilets backing up; drains that won't drain; foul odors around the septic tank and/ or leach field ; excessive moisture or surfacing wastewater over the leach field ; and lush grass or plant growth, particularly during the dry summer season. 2. Site Disturbance 1 a) The dumping of sand, moving of rocks, and/or bulldozing of banks or lake bottom in order to make a swimming beach boat landing, or any other purpose is regulated by state law (The Great Ponds Act) . A permit must first be obtained from the DEP; penalties for violation can be severe. These activities are regulated because alterations of the shoreline destroy the fish and wildlife habitat of the lake as well as its natural beauty, which is what many of us come for in the first place. b) Try to make any waterfront equipment, such as docks, floats , and storage arrangements, as

This photograph shows dense cottage development, high percentages of impervious surfaces, no buffer, destruction of shoreline habitat, and loss of natural beauty. Photo by Matthew Scott

unobstructive as possible. Keep waterfront alterations to a minimum. A removable float or dock does not need permits from DEP if it is removed at the end of each summer season . Permanent structures do require permits because of the longterm effect they have on the shore. c) For new development, mask the house from the lake by locating it well back from the shoreline, and by keeping a belt of trees between house and lake. The arrangement may actually heighten the beauty of the view of both woods and lake from the house; at the same time, it preserves the natural appearance of the lakeshore, and helps you maintain privacy and quiet. Maine law re quires that houses be built at least 75 feet from high water (check your local ordinance) , and that a well-distributed strand of trees be retained along the shoreline. Such trees can help greatly by absorbing nutrients before they reach the lake. 3. Products Containing Phosphates a) Non-phosphate detergents should be used. B. Recommendations for Property Owners in Lake

Watersheds, including Shoreline Owners. 1. Site Disturbance a) For new development, minimize disturbance of the site (e.g., soil exposure, paving). All areas that are exposed during construction should be revegetated quickly to prevent erosion . Save natural topography and groundcover wherever possible - or plant an abundance of deeprooted , woody vegetation for erosion control, nutrient uptake, and aesthetics. b) For existing development , allow natural vegetative buffer strips to remain around lakes, brooks, and intermittent streams. If a natural buffer does not exist, plant a permanent, nomaintenance buffer of trees, shrubs, and/ or lowgrowing ground cover. 2. Products Containing Phosphates a) If you have a lawn or garden , use fertilizer sparingly. Hay mulch will do almost as much for a new lawn as fertilizer will, while at the same time conserving moisture. A soil test can determine how much and what type of fertilizer is best, or if it is required at all. If fertilizer is required, a liquid foliage fertilizer applied shortly after sprouting is preferred because it can be taken up by the vegetation. 3. Local Laws a) Work with local officials on local laws such as plumbing codes and shoreland zoning in order to inform both officials and citizens of the importance of these laws and to promote the enforcement of these laws. b) Encourage your planning board to carefully consider development plans. Call or write the DEP Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

for information concerning guidelines for reviewing developments regarding lake water quality. 4. Farmers and Farmland a) Farmers should practice good manure management, as outlined in "Maine Guidelines for Manure Sludge Disposal on Land" (published by the Soil and Water Conservation Commission and the Life Sciences and Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Maine, Orono). It is preferable that manure be spread only during the growing season; don't spread manure on frozen fields. Locate storage areas where they are not exposed to runoff on hilltops and knolls, (for example) or create diversions to funnel the runoff around the storage area; if possible, store manure in secure pits which have roofs. b) Runoff should be diverted so it does not flow through barnyards or feedlots. c) To prevent erosion and the transport of phosphorus, farmers should use buffer strips, contour plowing, strip cropping, diversions; and crop rotations where appropriate. d) Livestock should be fenced out of streams and lakes! e) The Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is available to provide technical and financial assistance to farmers.

71:E LAKES SECTION of the DEP is working on additional ways to protect the lakes. Two of the most recent improvements involve legislative changes and computer models. A new classification system for lakes (LO 2283, just passed by the Maine Legislature) emphasizes the importance of maintaining present water quality, as well as preventing algal blooms. The new law prevents changes in land uses which could lead to water quality degradation , taking into account their culmulative impact. We also have developed a modeling tool that will identify which lakes are most susceptible to degradation . Then , to prioritize the order in which we develop plans for sensitive lakes, we are creating a ranking system based on a lake's value to the people of Maine (for example, outstanding cold water fishery, public access, water supply, etc.). To preserve our lakes, we all need to work together. For more ideas or information, please call or write: Lakes Department of Environmental Protection Sta. # 17 Augusta ME 04333 289-3901 or toll-free 1-800-452-1942 1 Frederick Peterson, E.ditor, Thompson Lake Observer, Thompson Lake Environmental Association, 1982, Issue #59.

RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. Distinctive blue and white signs mark the access points and the facilities, which range from family camping near sand beaches to the remote back country along the Appalachian Trail. Management in all recreational areas serves to protect the resource from overuse, and to enhance the "primitive and dispersed" quality of the individual recreational experience.

MAINE PUBLIC LANDS The Public Reserved Lands of Maine - 450,000 acres of forests, lakes, and mountains - are available for public use and enjoyment throughout much of the unorganized territory. More than 60 percent of this landbase - about 300,000 acres - has been consolidated into 20 large multiple-use management units, ranging in size from 3,000 to 30,000 acres. On these lands, management is designed to reflect the many patterns of a diverse and changing landscape, and to demonstrate that integrated management programs can be conducted in a cost-effective manner.

HABITAT MANAGEMENT. One of the primary purposes of land management, according to recent policy statements. Activities in this area include clearcutting to maintain quality growth in deer wintering areas, installing water control devices to manage water levels at beaver dams, and identifying and protecting rare and unique habitats for both plants and animals.

by John W. Forssen

The author is chief planner for the Bureau of Public Lands, Maine Department of Conservation.

COMMERCIAL TIMBER PRODUCTION. An integral part of the management program, this activity generates revenue for development of public access, recreational facilities, and a variety of other direct and indirect benefits for wildlife. Harvesting can be accomplished to suit a variety of operational requirements, and if necessary, can be done so gently that hardly a tree seems to be missing!

Haw Did! by Paul J. Fournier

Above, a photo, taken through the microscope, of a section of tooth. From left, the periodontal membrane, the cementum (in four sections>, and the dentine. Left photo, Lab Technician cross points to the tooth to be taken from specimen bear skull. Below, just a few of the hundreds of teeth which have been collected for lab study. Photos by the author.

How

LONG do Maine animals live? Is the biggest bear or the buck or moose with the biggest antlers - the oldest? Some answers to these riddles have been brought to light in studies conducted in the tooth laboratory, located in the basement of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Research Center in Bangor. Wildlife Biologist Randall Cross, the tooth lab supervisor, says the lab processed close to 9 ,000 teeth during the past year - teeth removed 22

from bear, deer, moose, and a variety of furbearers , including pine marten, fisher, otter, bobcat, and coyote. Among the more interesting teeth examined by Cross this fall were those of possibly the heaviest bear, and the moose with the widest set of antlers, registered in modern times. The largest bear was shot near Moosehead Lake in September by Warren J. Pederson of Port Murray, The author is media coordinator for the department, working out of the Augusta headquarters.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

Photos at right, top to bottom: one of the special machines, this one a rotary saw, used to section teeth in the Bangor lab: a typical cross-section <some are cut longitudinally> before staining; staining the slides; a ready-to-go slide and a tooth like the one that yielded the sections: Lab Technician Randal cross viewing the finished product. Photos by the author.

N.J. It weighed 610 pounds whole (not dressed) , and measured 7 feet, 6 inches from nose to tail! A tooth removed from the bear's jaw and examined at the lab revealed its age at 141/2 years, according to Cross. Of the 1,940 bear teeth examined at the lab last year, fewer than one percent were older than 14 (few Maine bears attain the age of 20 years) . The average age is much younger; 75 percent of male bears taken in Maine are younger than five years of age. Examinations of teeth from 619 moose taken during the 1984 moose hunting season revealed that 45 percent of the moose taken were bulls two, three, and four years of age. Five percent were calves, 15 percent were yearlings, and 30 percent were in the "trophy" class - five to 10 years of age. Only five percent of the bulls taken were 11 years old or above - and all exhibited a decline in rack size. The oldest moose tooth examined was 18 years of age. But the moose with the widest set of antlers taken since Maine moose hunting resumed in 1980 was only half that age. The record moose, shot by Paul Roberts of Cape Elizabeth while hunting near Telos Lake, had a 28-point rack with a spread of 68 inches, five inches wider than the previous record. Examination of one of its teeth placed its age at nii:ie years. Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

The maximum age of deer was also found to be 18 to 20 years - a venerable age which few Maine deer attain . Age estimates of bucks taken during the 1985 deer hunting season show that 29.5 percent were yearlings, 28.2 percent were 21/2 years of age, 14.6 percent were 31/2 years old, and 27.7 were 41/2 or older. "Of the 15,500 antlered bucks taken in 1985, approximately 4 ,300 were old enough to have carried trophy racks, and dressed weights of 180 pounds or more," according to Biologist Gerald Lavigne, deer study leader. "The 1985 deer information was weighted toward mature antlered bucks due to antlerless deer restrictions in effect. In years prior to bucks-only hunting, 25 percent of the annual Maine deer kill was comprised of fawns , and 25 percent yearlings," Lavigne said. Department wildlife biologists remove the teeth of deer at highway checkpoints they maintain at various locations in the state during the hunting season . Moose teeth are taken at the six registration stations operated by biologists. Bear hunters are required to submit a tooth from each bear registered. Furbearer teeth are sent to the lab by trappers who voluntarily cooperate with the department in order to provide vital information on wildlife populations.

TOOTH ARRIVING at the laboratory is first soaked in an acid solution, which decalcifies it and gives it a rubbery texture. The tooth is then cut into slices approximately the thickness of a thin sheet of paper. The slices are placed on microscope slides and stained. Through the microscope, layers of cementum , grown on the tooth each season (similar to the rings on a tree stump) , are counted to reveal the age. Cross says tooth aging is an important wildlife management tool, helping biologists to determine age structure and trends in wildlife populations.

â&#x20AC;˘

BOGS ARE SPECIAL PLACES A bog is a special habitat formed by moss growing in to cover a small body of water. When the last glacier left the North American continent about 12,000 years ago, it left behind many blocks of ice buried beneath gravel. As each block melted, the gravel caved in and left a hole which eventually filled with water, resulting in a pond. Plants began growing at the water's edge. When the plants died or shed their PITCHER leaves, they floated to the bottom of the pond. There were no streams flowing out of the pond to carry dead leaves and plants away, and there were no streams PLANT flowing into the pond to supply oxygen for bacteria to break down the dead material into nutrients. Since the dead material was not carried away or broken down , it stayed at the bottom of the pond, releasing acid into the water. Thousands of years went by, and these dead plants eventually formed layers of peat. Each year more plants (usually moss) die and add to the peat, and each year the moss at the water's edge grows farther out into the pond. In this way a mat of moss spreads across the pond, supporting flowers , shrubs and trees, and a bog is formed. This special bog community has many unusual plants. Some of the most interesting are the carnivorous (flesh eating) plants. Since the bog water is low in nutrients, the plants need to get them from other sources. They do this by capturing and digesting insects. One of the more common carnivorous plants is the pitcher plant. As its name suggests, the pitcher plant is shaped like a pitcher and has liquid in it. Insects are attracted to the bright red pattern and nectar at the top of the plant. They slide down the sides into the cup and are unable to fly out. There they drown in the water at the base of the plant's "pitcher" and are broken down into nutrients by enzymes that the plant secretes into the water. The plant then absorbs the nutrients into its leaves.

SIDE VIEW (CROSS-SECTION) For more about bogs, see the article on page 8.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

Letters should be sent to: Liz Chipman, KID-BITS Maine Fish and Wildlife Magazine 284 State Street, Sta. #41 Augusta, ME 04333

MAINE TRACKER This animal: is an omnivore (eats just about anything). is nocturnal (most active at night).

usually dens in a burrow abandoned by another animal. is the chief carrier of rabies in the U.S. is black with white stripes.

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is well known for its "stinky" defense.

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;: V)

AGING A BEAR BY ITS TEETH Biologists can tell how old a bear is by its teeth. Each year a new layer is added to the cementum (white outer part) of the bear's tooth. When cut in slices, the layers look like the rings of a tree, and can be counted to determine the animal's age. In spring and summer, when the bear is most active, the layer is light and wide. In winter, the layer is dark and narrow. By viewing a slice of a tooth through a microscope, a biologist can determine the age of the bear by counting the light and dark layers. One year must be added to the age obtained from the tooth because permanent adult teeth do not grow in until the bear is nine months old. Try to determine the age of the bear from which the tooth in the illustration was extracted. Be careful and good luck!

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

--------~----/ Root OF T'OOTH

Islands

(continued from page 12)

tion is perfected by the bright red veination and fragrant scent, which are thought to lure insects to the plant. Sundews, small but equally effective carnivores, are also abundant in most peatlands. The brilliant droplets which appear suspended on the fine hairs that cover a sundew's tiny spatula-shaped leaves are sticky and full of digestive enzymes. When an insect alights, the hairs fold inward and the leaves may even wrap around the victim. Two species of sundew, Drosera rotundifolia and D. intermedia, are common in Maine bogs. Two others, the linear leavedsundew, D. linearis, and the English sundew, D anglica, are found in only one of the state's fens. The bladderwort uses still another method to capture its prey. The tiny sacs, or bladders, that are its namesake are able to inflate with lightening speed, creating a vacuum and sucking in passing aquatic organisms that touch the plants' sensitive "trigger hairs." Two species of this inconspicuous plant: Utricularia cornuta and U. valgaris, occur in peat/and mud-bottoms. With the exception of its bright yellow snapdragon-like flower, most of the plant lies submerged, blending in well with other mud-bottom species. BLACK SPRUCE Considering the water-logged nature of peatlands, it is remarkable that trees can grow here at all. The black spruce, Picea mariana, however, actually prefers wet acidic soils. It uses a shallow spreading root system, and adventitious roots which act like the prop roots of mangrove trees, to anchor itself. Because it is extremely difficult for a black spruce seed to germinate in densely vegetated peat, black spruce often reproduces vegetatively. Young spruce actually grow up from the tree's adventitious roots, forming a ring of young spruce around the parent tree. This "spruce-ring" phenomenon is especially common on raised peatlands, where nutrient supplies are exceptionally low. ORCHIDS Without a doubt, the plants of peatland ecosystems most treasured by botanists are members of the family Orchidacae. Of the nearly 60 species that are known to occur in the Northeast, more than half have been found in peatlands. According to Charles Johnson, author of Bogs of the Northeast, 22 species have been documented in Orono Bog alone! Some species, such as the colorful grass-pink (Calopogon pulchellus), rose pogonia (Pogonia ophiglossoides), white friniged orchid (Habenaria blephariglottis), and bog candle (H. dilitata) are common sights in many peatlands in midsummer. Others, such as the white fringed prairie orchid (H. leucophaea), have extremely limited distributions. As a whole, orchid populations are extremely ephemeral; grass-pink and arethusa (Arethusa bulbosa), for example, may be scattered throughout a peatland one year, while not a flower can be found the next.

PLANT COMMUNITIES The vegetation types in which these and other species occur are known as plant communities. A community, which is usually defined by the most abundant or dominant plant species, is simply the plants and animals that occur together in a given area. This assemblage reflects then utrient supply, acidity, moisture, and other physical characteristics of a site. Some of the more distinctive peatland plant communities include the lagg, dwarf and tall shrub communities, sedge lawns, mud-bottoms and the forested bog. Walking into a peatland, you usually will find yourself in water or muck. Most peatlands are surrounded by a "moat" that is lower, wetter, and less firm than the peatland interior. This margin, referred to as the lagg, varies in width from a few yards to a few hundred feet, and is most distinctive in ombrotrophic peatlands. Because the lagg is connected to the regional ground water table, a rich diversity of plants - including mosses, ferns , speckled alder, and red maple - thrives there. When one thinks of a peatland, one usually thinks of members of the dwarf shrub community. It is here that the most familiar peatland plants occur. This community is characterized by a dense thicket of sheep laurel and leatherleaf. The small cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus) creeps over an understory of sphagnum moss, hair-capped moss, and liverwort which carpets the hummocks and hollows of the peatland surface. On richer peatlands, sheep laurel and leatherleaf may be partially replaced by Labrador tea, rhodora (Rhododendron canadense) and sweet gale (Myrica gale).

Along stream and pond margins, water tracks, and along the borders of most open peatlands, there is often a nearly impenetrable wall of shrubs. The tall shrub community occurs in areas that are wetter and more enriched than the dwarf shrub environment, but shares the latter's pronounced hummock-and-hollow topography. Rhodora, button-bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), alders, highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), mountain holly (Nemopanth1-1s mucronatus), and black alder (Ilex verticillata) are common dominants. Flat meadow-like lawns are common on many of Maine's northern and coastal peatlands. These communities are dominated by a variety of grasses and sedges, whose shades of yellow, gold, and brown reflect the nutrient status of the peat. Tussock bulrush (Scirpus cespitosus) , few-seeded sedge (Carex oligosperma), several species of cotton-grasses (Eriophorum sp.}, the ubiquitous leatherleaf, and deep red Sphagnum rubellum may be common in ombrotrophic areas, while three-leaved false Soloman's seal (Smilacina trifolia) , lime-loving sedge (Carex limosa) , bog buck-bean (Menyanthes trifoliata), and a variety of orchids are often abundant in nutrient richer areas. The mud-bottom community, as the name implies, has an exposed mucky appearance and occurs in low areas where pools are beginning to form or that are seasonally flooded . This "mud" is actually a mass of tiny plants - called Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

liverworts (Cladopodiella sp.). Other species characteristic of this community include round-leaved sundew, bladderwort, white beak-rush (Rhynchospora alba), sphagnum moss, bog laurel, and leatherleaf. Forested bogs occur throughout Maine on drier ombrotrophic sites. In northern Maine, these communities are dominated by black spruce, tamarack, and northern white cedar, while in southern peatlands, Atlantic white cedar may replace northern white cedar. While forested bogs vary greatly in species composition and tree density, the shrub layer is usually poorly developed, and the forest floor is carpeted with a variety of bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) . In some forested bogs, the trees may be tall and vigorous; in others, the trees may show obvious signs of stress - yellow foliage , stunted growth, etc. Forested bogs dominated by Atlantic white cedar reach their northern limit in Maine. An exceptional example is the 800-acre Saco Heath , which is also one of the state's southernmost domed bogs. Peatlands are unique in that many plant communities may occur in a relatively small area. A 100-acre fen , for example, may contain four or five distinct vegetation types. It is this diversity which creates the many layers of vegetation (foliage height diversity) responsible for the unusual variety of songbirds, amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals that thrive in these unusual ecosystems.

blocks of ice were surrounded by sand and gravel. Many of these depressions have since partially or completely filled in with peat, forming what are known as transitional closed basin peatlands. The term "transitional" refers to the presence of both minerotrophic and ombrotrophic peats. Kettleholes are good places to learn about the classic concentric zonation (open water surrounded by a floating mat, dwarf shrubs, and an enclosing forest of conifers) that is typical of peatlands formed through the lakefill process. A beautiful cluster of kettle hole ponds and peatlands occurs south of Messalonskee Lake in Belgrade.

Domed Bogs Domed bogs are ombrotrophic peatlands that have a convex surface raised above the water table. Because the living portion of the peatland is above the nutrient-rich ground water, the vegetation is often stunted.and the surface may be quite dry. Many domed bogs have bands of vegetation and pools arranged in a concentric pattern around the dome. An excellent example occurs in the raised portion of Crystal Bog, a 1,500-acre peatland in northern Aroostook County. This peatland complex also contains a 230-acre calcareous fen which harbors an unusual number of rare plants. Crystal Bog is a National Natural Landmark and is owned by The Nature Conservancy.

Alpine Slope Peatlands Alpine slope peatlands are restricted to cool, moist slopes that are bathed in fog much of the year. Rarely larger than an acre or two in size, these characteristically shallow deposits support a heath-like vegetation in spite of the fact that the peat is seldom saturated with water. Alpine slope peatlands have been documented on Goose-Eye and Mahoosuc mountains, and along the Hamlin Ridge Trail on Mount Katahdin . A maritime version occurs on the southern end of Great Wass Island and on Petit Manan Point. These fragile ecosystems are similar to and perhaps disjunct examples of the blanket bogs of the Canadian maritimes.

Coastal Plateau Peatlands Coastal plateau peatlands are characterized by steep marginal slopes that fall away from a raised plateau into a well developed lagg. This plateau is relatively featureless few pools or trees interrupt the peatland vegetation. According to Dr. Ian Worley, the only place this peatland occurs in the United States is in a cool, moist band that extends along the coast from Mount Desert Island to West Quoddy Head. Coastal plateau peatlands contain a number of northern species such as the baked appleberry (Rubus chamaemorous) and black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) that occur at the southern edge of their range in Maine due to the cooling influence of the Gulf of Maine. West Quoddy Head State Park offers visitors an exceptional opportunity to study a coastal plateau peatland. The entrance road crosses the peatland, where you can see the undulating hummock-and-hollow topography. At low tide, it is possible to walk along the north-facing beach of Carrying Place Cove and see layers of peat that are exposed by erosion due to a subsiding shoreline. The Maine Bureau of Parks & Recreation has recently completed a nature trail and interpretive boardwalk to another coastal peatland within the park. The national significance of these peatlands was recognized in 1980, when the National Park Service designated both as National Natural Landmarks.

Kettlehole Peatlands The kettlehole is the textbook example of the northern peatland and is widespread in Maine. When the glaciers retreated, small kettlehole ponds formed where isolated

Ribbed Fens Ribbed fens are characterized by thin bands of vegetation (strings) alternating with shallow pools or mud-bottoms (flarks). This distinct parallel pattern is arranged across the

PEATLAN.D TYPES According to Charles Johnson , "Maine offers in one reasonably compact place a glimpse of the great boreal peatlands of North America." This amazing diversity of peatland types is a result of the highly varied topography, hydrology, and geography of the state, which sciences are used to classify peatland ecosystems. At least 13 distinct types are recognized by peatland ecologists. Some of the more distinctive peatland types include alpine slope peatlands, kettle hole bogs, domed bogs, coastal plateau peatlands, and ribbed fens.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

slope and perpendicular to the direction of water flow. Although the pattern is clearly visible from the air, the strings and flarks are more difficult to see on the ground . Contact with both mineral soil and ground water creates a relatively nutrient-rich environment. Ribbed fens are found in Maine only in the north, the southern limit of their range in North America. As one heads north into Canada, ribbed patterns become more extensive and distinct. Three Maine fens with well-developed ribbing are: Marble Fen northeast of Baxter State Park, Cross Lake Fen in northeastern Aroostook County, and No. 5 Bog near Jackman.

MAINE'S MANY PEATLAND types and locations all contribute to the state's rich and varied natural heritage. With the exception of the Great Lakes states, Maine's sheer number and diversity of peatland types are unequalled in the contiguous United States. The unusual floristic composition of these beautiful ecosystems has attracted professional botanists and ecologists for decades. While they appear in folklore, music, literature, and art, only recently have the mysteries of Maine's peatlands sparked a more general interest. Like Maine's lakes and rivers, our peatlands are able to evoke a sense of wilderness and are as much a part of the North Woods as the forest itself. During any season, a trip to a peatland can be exciting and educational. Flying over Maine in a small plane, one can admire their marvelous shapes and patterns. On the ground, the sun's reflection through sundews and white tufts of cotton grass creates an experience not soon forgotten . RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION During the past decade, the Maine State Planning Office and the Department of Conservation initiated a series of research projects to better understand our peat resources. In the mid-1970s, Dr. Ian Worley from the University of Vermont conducted a survey of the ecological and botanical literature for the Critical Areas Program, which he summarized in the publication of Maine Peat/ands. In addition, Dr. Worley conducted an inventory of coastal plateau peatlands. From 1979 to 1983, Dr. Cornelia Cameron of the United States Geological Survey conducted field investigation of 235 peatlands to determine the quantity and quality of the resource for the Maine Geological Survey. In 1985, the Maine Geological Survey published a five -volume report summarizing Dr. Cameron's findings. In 1980, Caren Caljouw conducted an ecological study ofThe Great Heath for the Bureau of Public Lands. In 1983, Dr. Ronald Davis and associates conducted botanical and ecological surveys of 33 peatlands for the Department of Conservation. The Office of Energy Resources hired Lissa Widoff and Jenny Ruffing to inventory 15 additional areas in 1984. A statewide survey of ribbed fens was conducted by Eric Sorenson in 1985 for the Critical Areas Program. 28

Multiple-unit Peatlands Most of the state's peatlands that are larger than 250 acres are actually complexes of two or more peatland units. These complexes often include domed bogs that have "coalesced" along their margins to form a larger, raised peatland. One of Maine's largest examples of a peatland complex is the 4 ,000-acre Great Heath. This diverse complex contains seven coalesced domes, many with concentric patterns, along with basin and valley peatlands that parallel the meandering Pleasant River. Two-thirds of The Great Heath is owned, managed, and protected by the Bureau of Public Lands. â&#x20AC;˘ These recent studies, while they have greatly added to our knowledge, have hardly scratched the surface. There is much more to learn about Maine's peatlands. Ecologists have identified a number of aspects of peatland ecology that are in need of further study. The most pressing of these are a comprehensive inventory of the state's peatlands and the application of a uniform classification scheme. Preliminary evaluations of most of our larger peatlands (many of which may have commercial value) are also needed . Gaps in our knowledge include inventories of terrestrial and aquatic fauna and nonvascular plants, and research on hydrologic and other interactions of peatlands with adjacent ecosystems. Conservation interests have designated or acquired only a few of the Maine's ecologically exceptional peatlands. The National Park Service has designated eight bogs as National Natural Landmarks, and Maine's Critical Areas Program has designated 25 as Critical Areas. The Nature Conservancy, a national non-profit conservation organization, owns five significant peatlands in Maine. Considering the numerous types of peatlands and the 6,000-plus discrete areas, much conservation work remains. We have a golden opportunity to collect the information needed to make sound decisions about the future of these unusual and non-renewable ecosystems. PubUcatloD& on Maine's Peatlancls

1. The Woody Plants of Sphagnous Bogs of Northern New England and Adjacent Canada. 1977. Fay Hyland and Bmbara Hoisington. BuD. 744. Ufe Science and Agriculture Experiment Station-University of Maine, Orono. 110 pages. 2. Bogs ofthe Northeast. 1985. Charles Johnson. University Press of New England. Hanover, New Hampshire. 269 pages. 3. Maine Peatlands-Thelr Abundance and Ecology In Maine. 1981. Ian A. Worley. State Planning Office. 387 pages. 4. Botanical and Ecological Aspects ofCoastal Raised Peatlandsin Maine. 1982. Ian A. Worley. State Planning Office. 175 pages. 5. No. 5BogandJackPfneStand. 1982. H.R. Tyler and C.V. Davis. State Planning Office. 41 pages. 6. TheGeatHeath.1982.CarenCaljouw.StatePlannlngOfflce.43pages. 7. Peat Resources of Maine, 5 volumes. 1984. Cornella Cameron et al. Maine Geological Survey, Bull. 28-32. 8. EIXJluatlon ofMaine Peatlands/orthetr Unique and Exemplary Qualttles. 1983. R.B. Davis, et al. Department of Conservation. 186 pages. 9. The Ecology and Distribution of Patterned Fens In Maine. 1986. Eric Sorenson. State Planning Office. 159 pages. 10. Bumblebee Economics. 1979. Bernd Heinrich. Harvmd University Press. 245 pages.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

the Fly Tying Bench

SPECIAL FLY #4

THE MUDDLER MINNOW by John McLeod

ABOUT THE FLY

the body is silver or gold tinsel chenille , the tail is red hackle , the wing is gray squirrel under white , gray , brown , black , or yellow marabou , with several strands of peacock herl on top. The head is the same.

The Muddler Minnow is world famous! And rightly so . It can be fished as a dry fly , a wet fly , or a streamer , depending on fly size , depth fished , and desired action. The fly will entice just about any Maine fish to your line ; I have caught brookies , brownies , rainbows , togue , landlocked and Atlantic salmon , stripers , black bass , and more , just with a Muddler Minnow! This pattern was originally designed by Don Gapen of Anoaka , Minnesota . It was supposed to imitate a sculpin , a small flat-headed minnow which lives beneath rocks in fast water (Don designed it for use on the Nipigon River in Ontario). Today , there are many variations , but the Marabou Muddler heads the list; in the Marabou variation ,

THE PATTERN HOOK: Mustad 96 72 , or other 3X long hook , sizes 1 to

14 THREAD: Black 3/0 monocord OR size A flat waxed TAIL: Mottled turkey quills BODY: Flat gold tinsel WING: Gray squirrel tail , over which are two matched sections of mottled turkey wing quill HEAD : Natural deer body hair

Select two matching sections from a pair of mottled turkey wing Quills. Hold them upright on top of the hook shank, at the start of the bend, with your thumb and forefinger. Bring the tying thread UP between thumb and Quill sections, then DOWN between Quill sections and forefinger, forming a loose loop around the tail. Hold the Quill sections firmly in place and pull the thread downward until it is snug. Repeat this step a few times, making sure the tail is in an upright position; finish tying the tail down.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

Starting the thread one third of the way down the hook shank, wrap the thread to the bend of the hook.

. =-

7 30

Bring the thread back to the starting point and tie in the flat gold tinsel. coat the windings with head cement; while this cement is still wet, wind the tinsel back to the tail and forward again. Tie down at starting point; trim.

Select two matching sections of mottled turkey wing quill. Tie them in over, and nearly as long as, the squirrel tail hair, using the same tying method as in Step 1. Add a drop of cement to the windings.

Continue spinning on small bunches of deer hair, working up to the eye of the hOok. Push each bunch against the preceding bunch with your thumb and forefinger. Whip finish , then apply head cement to exposed thread wraps.

Tie in a fairly large bunch of gray squirrel tail hair, extending past the hook bend. Note: When tying in the wings, be sure to leave room for the deer hair head.

cut a small clump of deer body hair, remove t h o

fuzz from the cut ends, and align the natural tips. Hold this hair in front of the wing windings on the bare hOok shank with the tips pointing towards the tail. Wind two loose wraps around the hook and hair; tighten these wraps while, at the same time , letting go of the hair. The hair will spin around the hook, forming the collar (refer to From The Fly Tying Bench, Fall 1985, MAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE Magazine, for more information on spinning deer hairL

Remove the fly from the vise; t rim to a bullet shape, and your Muddler Minnow is complete!

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

FISH AND WILDLIFE BRIEFS NEW BOOK ON LANDLOCKED SALMON How did Maine's famous landlocked salmon become "landlocked?" And what role did this species play in helping to develop Maine's present knowledge and program of hatching and raising sport fish for stocking? These and many other informative facts about the species are contained in a new book, "The Landlocked Salmon in Maine." The softcover book represents a distillation of over 60 years of combined research on the landlocked salmon in Maine by its two authors, research biologists Ken Warner and Keith Havey. Havey, who retired from the Fish and Wildlife Department in 1985 after 35 years as a fisheries manager and researcher, began studying landlocked salmon while a graduate student at the University of Maine. He was soon joined by Warner, who has 34 years of service as a department fisheries biologist. Sections of the book focus on the Origin and Distribution of Maine Landlocked Salmon; Life History and Ecology; Salmon Sport Fisheries; and The Role of Hatchery Reared Salmon . The 127-page book is profusely illustrated with many old photographs of historically significant fishing scenes and contains many charts, graphs and sketches. "The Landlocked Salmon in Maine" is available at $3 per copy from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Station 41, Augusta, Maine 04333.

LEAD SHOT BAN Waterfowl hunters in portions of Washington and Hancock counties will likely be shelving their lead shot shells this fall and using non-toxic steel loads instead. The only alternative, under a proposal of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is to have no waterfowl hunting at all in that area of the state. The area affected by the lead shot ban includes portions of the two counties which are in Wildlife Management Unit 6 , plus a small portion of Washington County east of Routes 1 and 6 . WMU 6 runs from Route 9 to the coast. That portion of Maine was chosen as part of a nationwide selection of sites where the lead poisoning death of water-

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

fowl and eagles has been traced to ingested spent shot. The eastern Maine area where steel shot will be required is of particular concern because of its concentration of wintering and nesting bald eagles, an endangered species. The Maine Fish and Wildlife Department's position on the steel shot issue is that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should implement mandatory use of non-toxic shot for waterfowl hunting throughout the entire Atlantic Flyway no later than 1987. The department is opposed to "zoned" imposition of lead shot bans but, under threat of loss of the opportunity to hunt waterfowl in the affected eastern Maine area, is proposing to issue a regulation making it a steelshot-only zone. Should there be significant support for a statewide ban on lead shot for waterfowl hunting, the department has the option of adopting such a regulation. The issue will be settled this summer at meetings of the Maine Waterfowl Advisory Council and the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Advisory Council. (Details in the fall issue.)

PERSONNEL NOTES Changes on the Advisory Council and the naming of a new regional fisheries biologist highlight recent personnel news from the Fish and Wildlife Department. Appointed by Governor Joseph E. Brennan to serve on the department's citizen advisory panel were Dr. Alva S. Appleby of Skowhegan, who once before had served on the council and whose present appointment is to represent Wildlife Management Unit 4. On the council for the first time and representing

Wildlife Management Unit 5 is F. Dale Speed, a Princeton resident and retired game warden. Reappointed and continuing to represent Wildlife Management 6 was Nathan Cohen of Eastport. At the Advisory Council's May meeting, Marc S. Plourde of Eagle Lake was elected council chairman for one year. Carroll York, West Forks, is the new vice chairman. In the Fisheries and Hatcheries Division, Paul R. Johnson was promoted to be the new regional fisheries biologist in Region E, which encompasses all waters from Sebec Lake to the headwaters of the Allagash and St. John rivers and includes Moosehead, Maine's largest lake. Johnson fills the position formerly held by Roger P. AuClair, who retired last year. Johnson had been AuClair's assistant regional fisheries biologist since 1969. In the Warden Service, four new assistant game wardens were recently sworn-in: Jason E. Bouchard of Caribou, Barry M. Webster of Seboeis, Wayne E. Bartlett of Lee, and Kevin S. Adam of Greenville. Assistant or deputy game wardens work part-time, as needed, under the direction of district game wardens. There are now 46 deputies of a planned 50 working under this program instituted in 1982 by Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Glenn Manuel.

1985 DEER KILL FIGURES The final, official figure for Maine's 1985 deer kill is 21,424, an increase of 10.7 percent from 1984. Among many other facts and figures in the final report on the 1985 deer season:

THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR usr MAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE magazine's circulation system is a very efficient one, but there are three things that you, the reader, can do to make it even better: • When you correspond with us for any reason, send us a label, or at least a copy of the information from it. The coding on the label will enable us to trace your record in the files more quickly. • Let our system work for you! For instance, the code in the upper right corner of your label tells you when your subscription is setto expire (SPR, SUM, FAL, or WIN, followed by the year). Also, when you renew, use one of the renewal forms we send to you beginning well before expiration to give you advance notice that it will soon be time to renew. • Be patient! Processing of this type takes time, and everyone makes mistakes from time to time. Explain your problem to us, and we'll be happy to correct it. We want you as subscribers. Let us know how the system is working - from your point of view!

Total deer kill for each hunting district (and percent of change from 1984)Northern, 5,047 (-29); Central, 12,423 ( +34); Western, 2,921 ( +43); and Eastern, 1,033 ( + 14). The top counties were Penobscot (3,828), Somerset (2,774) and Aroostook (2,410), followed by Piscataquis (1,967), Waldo (1,822), Kennebec (1,642) and Washington (1,067). The registered deer harvest was under 1,000 in each of the other counties but in- · creased in all of them over 1984 levels. Statewide, 78 percent of the deer were registered by Maine resident hunters. The high was 91 percent in the Eastern District; the low, 51 percent in the Northern District. Adult bucks comprised 78 percent of the total deer harvest. By county, Maine resident hunters registered a high of over 98 percent of the deer in Androscoggin, Cumberland and Sagadahoc counties, but only 54 percent in Aroostook and 58 percent in Piscataquis. Bow and arrow hunters accounted for a registered total of 182 deer, 166 of them by Maine residents. Sixty-six were adult bucks, 74 adult does. Muzzleloading enthusiasts took 29 deer during their new, 6-day special season.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR In your winter Issue you showed a picture of a fine togue caught by Katherine Tracy of Yarmouth while Ice fishing at Spring Lake. The fish was hooked through the dorsal fin and therefore was not legal and should have been released unharmed. A minor point of law, but a law just the same.

• We rule in favor of Mrs. Tracy, Paul. The issue here is '1igging," an illegal act in Maine, which Is defined as "fishing for, catching, or killing with a hook or hooks manipulated in such a·manner as to pierce and hook a fish in any part of the body other than the mouth." The law also states that a fish caught by jigging must be "immediately released and returned alive, without further injury, to the water from which it was taken." The key words in this situation are "manipulated in such a manner." Jigging is a deliberate act on the part of a fisherman . A fish unintentionally hooked in the dorsal/in , or anywhere else, is not necessarily an illegal fish for the angler to keep. Mrs. Tracy would have to be quite a hand at jigging in order to intentionally snag her togue through an eight inch hole in three feet of ice!

WIN SOME The article on the Maine Rivers Fund in the spring issue was sensational. We couldn't be more pleased with it. It is truly appreciated and will surely give the Fund a big boost in visibility among sportsmen. Thanks again. Richard 8. Anderson

Commissioner Maine Department of Conservation LOSE SOME You did a good job with my article on the Warden Service K-9s except where you called my dog Raven a Labrador. Raven, who is a German shepherd, was quite upset when my husband read

NATIONAL HUNTING &FISHING DAY ._._._

Paul Steam• GuiUord

~?:&,

lil

• ---KID-BITS ANSWERS--AGING BY TOOTH SECfION The bear is 51/2 years old (41/2 Jight bands plus one year). To learn more about aging animals by their teeth, turn to page 22.

MAINE TRACKER The animal is the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis). To learn more about him, turn to page 4.

that to him. I wasn't going to tell Raven, but my husband is a trouble-maker and says he will bite the person who wrote it the next time he is in Augusta. I think I can talk him out of it, though.

Debbie Palman Game Warden Specialist Aurora • Just in case you can't, please keep his shots current! Sorry, Raven.

IS IT LEGAL? The fly-tying article in the winter issue (black stone fly nymph) raised a question which has been troublesome to me. The instructions call for wrapping lead wire on the hook shank, but doesn't adding additional weight to a fly make it illegal to use on fly-fishing-only waters? If lead wire is not additional weight, what is it?

Scott W. Scully Portland • The 1985 session of the Maine Legislature made some changes in the definition of ''fly fishing," including making it legal to fish with flies having copper or lead wire Incorporated into their construction for sinking purposes (such as certain nymphs, ants, etc.), provided that the end result is still a ''fly " as defined in the statutes (single pointed hook dressed with feathers, hair, thread, tinsel, or any similar material to which no additional weights, hook, spinner, spoon or similar device is added). A fly with weight built Into it is legal to use on FFO waters, but not one with weight added on after it is tied.

1986 LICENSE FEES RESIDENT Huntlns (16 and older) Fishing (t 6 and older) Coabln&tlon H1a1tlns and Fltlalng

(t6 MCI older) Supenport

Junior Hunting (tO to t 5 ye41n lnduslve) ComblnAtlon Fishing MCI Archery H1a1ttng (16 and older) Serviceman (resident) Combination Hunting and Fishing Archery Hmtlng (t6 and older) Muule-lOAdlng (16 and older) Trapping (16 and older) Junior Trqplng (tO to t5 ,eAn Inclusive) Gulde (t 8 and older)

$ t4.00

14.00 26.00 36.00 3.00 26.00 13.00 t4.0C, 7.00 28.00 5.00 39.00

NONRESIDENT OTIZEN Ilg G. .e Hunting (tO and older) 5e..on Fishing (t6 and older) Junior 5e..on fishing (ti to t 5 Incl.) t 5-d&y Fishing 7-d&y Flllllng )-day Fishing Coatblutlon Hunting and Flllllng (t6 and older) S..U Guae Hunting (t6 and older) Junior s..11 Game Hunting (10 to t5 ,eAn laduslve) Archery Himtlng (16 and older) Muule-lOAdlng (t6 and older) Gulde (18 and older) Trapping (any age)

76.00 4t.OO 5.00 29.00 25.00 t6.00 !05.00 46.00 23.00

46.00 25.00 !41 .00 303.00

NONRESIDENT ALIEN Ilg Game Hiatlftg (10 and older) Se..onFlshlng Comblutlon Hiatlftg and Fishing (tO and older) Saa1J G - Hunting (16 and older) Archery Hmatlng (t6 and older) Muule-loadlng (16 and older) Gulde (18 Mel older)

U6.00 6t.OO

!58.00 6t.OO 61.00 50.00

!66.00

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1986

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American Toad

Wood ducks, among the most colorful and popular of all waterfowl, are the species depicted on the 1986 Maine duck stamp. The stamp design Is the last of a three-year "collector's series" by nationally acclaimed waterfowl artist David A. Maass. Preceded by black ducks In 1984 and common elders last year, the wood ducks wlll be available In limited edition fine art prints. Both the 1986 duck stamp print and the complete three-year series by Maass are expected to be very popular among art collectors and sportsmen. Maass' excellence at wood duck renditions helped established his prominence when he won the federal duck stamp contest with a wood du(k design In 1974. Prints of the 1986 Maine duck stamp may be ordered from any of a number of retail outlets nationally and through Maine. For Information on those In Maine call (207)-289-2871. For out-of-state retailer Information call 612-345-5355. Print orders wlll be taken until January 31, 1987 at the offering price of $137.50, unframed. A gold medallion print edition Is also available, for $302.50.