Maine Fish and Wildlife Magazine, Winter 2005

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Maine State Documents Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Magazine

Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

12-1-2005

Maine Fish and Game Magazine, Winter 2005 Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalmaine.com/ifw_magazine Recommended Citation Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, "Maine Fish and Game Magazine, Winter 2005" (2005). Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Magazine. Book 140. http://digitalmaine.com/ifw_magazine/140

This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife at Maine State Documents. It has been accepted for inclusion in Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Magazine by an authorized administrator of Maine State Documents. For more information, please contact statedocs@maine.gov.

Winter 2005

JUN 16 2005

DID YOU KNOW? FEDERAL LAW may prohibit you from: • Possessing a gun if you've been convicted of assaulting: ./ your child; ./ your spouse or live-in partner (past or present); or ./ the mother or father ofyour child.

18 u.s.c. § 922(g)(9)

• Possessing a gun if you are subject to a final protection from abuse order.

18 u.s.c. § 922(g)(8) • Possessing a gun if you are a convicted felon.

18 u.s.c. § 922(g)(l)

• Providing a handgun to anyone under age 18.

18 U.S.C. § 922(x)

• Buying a gun for someone who is prohibited from owning a gun.

18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(6) and 922(d)

•

Selling a gun to someone who lives out of state.

18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(5)

• Lying on an application to buy a gun.

18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(6)

IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NO EXCUSE. PRO J EC T **

SAFEtt

NEIGHBORHOODS * *

Am

ea·, N11wc rll Ag11n1t Gun Vlol111ee

Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force United States Attorney - District of Maine Portland, Maine (207) 771-3294 psnmaine@usdoj.gov

Page 2 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Winter 2005

Governor John E. Baldacci Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Roland D. Martin, Commissioner Paul F. Jacques, Deputy Commissioner Kenneth H. Elowe, Director, Bureau of Resource Management Richard Record, Director, Bureau of Administrative Services Thomas Santaguida, Colonel, Bureau of Warden Service Andrea Erskine Assistant to the Commissioner

Editorial

4

Commissioner Roland D. Martin

Funding challenge being met with changing methods.

Feeding Wildlife

5

Cathy Genther

Feeding wildlife can do more harm than good - especially in winter.

Smelting

8

Jim Pellerin

Changes proposed for recreational and commercial smelt management.

Advisory Council David A. Wardwell, Penobscot, Chairman Raymond H. Poulin Jr., Ripley, Vice Chairman Tenley A. Meara, Topsham R. Leo Keiffer, Caribou Sara Dyer, New Gloucester John Law, Mexico Raymond Picard, Newcastle Harlow Floyd, Holden Lance Wheaton, Forest City Robert. S. Savage, Limington

Marc Michaud, Editor (ISSN 0360-005X) MAINE Fish and Wildlife is published quarterly by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 284 State St., Station 41, Augusta, Maine 04333, under appropriation 010-09A-0529. Subscription rate is $14.95 per year.

Permission to reprint text material is granted, provided proper credit is given to the author and to the Department. Clearance must be obtained from artists, photographers and non-staff authors to reproduce credited work. Š Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife , 2002.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Send both old and new addresses to P.O. Box 1457, Yarmouth, Maine 04096.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to MAINE Fish and Wildlife, P.O. Box 1457, Yarmouth, Maine 04096.

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR SUBSCRIPTION? Call 1-800-276-0883 Out of state call 207-846-9501 Periodical Postage Paid at Augusta, Maine The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife receives federal funds from the U.S. Department of Interior.

Accordingly, all department programs and activities must be operated free from discrimination with regard to race , color, national origin, age or handicap. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against should write to the Office of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240 Design and Prepress by Harry Vanderweide

Lady Shotgunners 12

Cathy Genthner

BOW Program brings a dozen to the shooting range.

Winter Wildlife

16

Lisa Kane

Brrr! It's cold! How wildlife manages to survive.

Winter Deer Areas 18

Tom Seymour

The Department looks to the future of whitetail management.

Mount Agamenticus 22

Roger Cole

A Southern Maine conservation collaboration.

Netting Fish

24

Tom Seymour

The how and why of a major fishery management effort.

Steep Falls

27

Mark Latti

A Department-owned wildlife managment area near Sebago Lake.

Allagash Wanderers 28

Frederick Denico

Wilderness snowmobilers making memories.

MAINE Fish and Witdlifr About the Cover: Maine wildlife photographer David A. Murray captured this bald eagle on snowy ground.

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Winter 2005 Page 3

Editorial

Working Through Budget Challenge Two years ago, when I became Commissioner, the State and this Department faced a daunting fiscal crisis. Initially, we were slated to lose over 30 positions and would have been forced to close some of our facilities. Together we came up with solutions that worked and we were able to develop a two-year program that worked for Maine.

Two years later, the State's fiscal situation has improved and we have proposed a budget that while austere, will allow us to continue performing our mission as we know it, without cutting any programs or positions.

The Department's proposed budget calls for a combination of general fund money, holding the line on licenses and fees, restructuring the boat registration fees , and altering the hunting schedule by allowing non-residents to hunt deer on the opening day of the firearm season for deer, and allow hunting on Sundays except during the firearm season on deer.

Under this proposal, the Department would receive $1.4M in General ,.

Fund money. Boat registrations would go to a flat fee of $23 , which combined with the lake and river protection sticker would cost the same as a registration for snowmobiles and ATVS, instead of a graduated fee based on horsepower. The budget also proposes that the temporary $3.00 license fee that the Legislature voted in 2003 would become permanent.

Some of these proposals are long overdue, and others are well deserved.

Maine's resident-only opening day of the deer season would be abolished, allowing deer hunters from Maine and away to hunt the first Saturday of the season. The residents-only day was established in 1977 when Maine 's deer population numbered around 160,000. Through careful management by the Department illustrated by the Any-Deer permit system, the deer population has numbered 230,000 - 300,000 over the past decade. This law was established as a conservation measure, and with the growth in the deer population, its repeal is overdue. It is time for our friends and family who travel to Maine to hunt with us on opening day.

The budget also calls for hunting to be allowed on Sundays, except that during the firearm season for deer, when only waterfowl hunters would be able to hunt on Sunday. Deer Hunters who use fireanns, which number approximately 170,000, would still be limited to Saturday only on the weekends . Hunting has an exemplary safety record, and through their efforts, I believe that hunters have earned that extra day.

Maine is one of only nine (9) states in the country that does not allow hunting on Sunday. We attract over 40,000 nonresident hunters a year, but lose many to neighboring states like Vermont, New Hampshire and Canadian provinces where hunting is allowed on Sunday. Hunting has an economic impact of over $450 million and allowing bird, moose or bear hunters to hunt the entire weekend will make Maine a more appealing destination for hunters, and it will increase that revenue. Maine's hunting license sales have been slowly increasing since the mid l 990's while other states have experienced a decline nationally.

Over the next several weeks, the details of this budget will be debated in the Legislature. The final product could very well be different from what I outlined above, but whatever is ultimately approved it will fund this department at its current level.

Governor John Baldacci and the Legislature realizes that the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife provides a valuable service to the entire State of Maine, whether it is protecting endangered species or searching for someone lost in the woods of Maine. I am pleased that the Governor recognizes the dedication of our employees and the outstanding professionalism demonstrated in all our efforts in protecting Maine 's natural resources. That recognition is demonstrated in his support of our budget.

Page 4 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Winter 2005

Please Don't Feed the (Wild) Animals!

By Cathy Genthner Photos By Nate Barnes

•

Feeding wildlife can do more harm than good - especially in the winter. any people think that by feeding deer, raccoons, bears and other wildlife, they are helping them to stay alive and healthy. It is a natural assumption and also natural that people love to see wildlife in their backyards - that is what is great about living in Maine.

However, what has caused concern at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is the increasing number of people feeding wildlife, especially deer in the winter.

These well-intentioned people are actually killing deer with kindness, according to Gerry Lavigne, a deer biologist based in the Bangor office.

"If you are feeding deer to help them to survive, you may not be succeeding. People feed deer because they believe the deer need the nutrition and will starve without it. During most Maine winters, starvation isn't the problem. Predation is," said Lavigne.

"In fact, feeding makes the predation problem worse because deer will congregate in an area close to the deer feeding station, and they don't develop a large network of trails to escape the predators."

Predators, such as coyotes and bobcats, will selectively kill winter-weakened deer. However, because escape trails in deep snow haven't been established - due to supplemental feeding -

M

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healthy, vigorous deer are also vulnerable. Predators have easy access to large groups of deer that are congregated in feeding areas. Among those predators can be the family dog that is out roaming around loose. It is illegal for dogs to chase deer - no matter what the circumstances.

"We have seen deer killed by coyotes and bobcats literally 30 feet from the feeding area," said Lavigne. "Domestic dogs can also be lethal."

Playing Concentration Feeding deer also concentrates large numbers in a small area, where disea es such as the demodectic mange, which has been documented at a winter feeding site, can be pread more easily. In supplemental feeding areas, biologists have documented 300-600 deer per square mile. Demodectic mange is specific to whitetailed deer and is caused by tiny mites living on the hair. Severely infested deer lose their protective winter coats and are covered with skin lesions. In

Michigan, an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis occurred in 1994 among supplementally-fed deer. This highly infectious disease is currently infecting deer and cattle across four counties in Michigan.

This disease outbreak poses a serious threat to deer populations and livestock in the affected area. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), although not yet here in Maine, is a concern when deer are in large numbers in a small area.

"It is hard to know how many deer you are feeding when you begin feeding them. You may think you are feeding three or four at the start of the winter.

Then, by the end of the winter, you discover you are feeding 34," said Lavigne.

"Deer have a way of telling each other where the food is. They are wicked gossips."

Some people spend thousands of dollars every year on deer feed and that translates into big business for businesses that sell the feed. Some large-scale feeding operators spend $300 or more per week on grain for wild deer. That is because grains and pelleted foods are

Winter 2005 Page 5

sold at a premium price in winter. A deer will consume 2- to 3-pounds of grain each day.

Short-stopping Deer "Deer are the most popular wildlife to be fed," said Doug Kane, a regional wildlife biologist in Greenville. "A lot of people don't understand that the whitetail is in the northern end of their range.

They seek important winter shelter such as mature coniferous growth including spruce, fir, cedar and hemlock.

If they are fed during the early winter, the deer may not have reached those critical winter shelter areas yet.

What they will try to do is to stay where the easy source of food is."

According to Kane, deer usually travel great distances to get to these shelter areas. If they are being fed, they won't travel and the areas they choose for shelter may not be adequate. Deer concentrated in large numbers, will quickly consume what little vegetation and shelter there is in the feeding area.

When deer live in poorer habitat, it reduces their chance of survival, especially during long, cold winters.

The issue of feeding deer is quite controversial and can often pit neighbor against neighbor. For example, if one person in a particular area is feeding deer, the deer will often graze on vegetation at a neighbor's home on their way to the feeding site. This can cause damage to vegetation and strain relationships

People who feed deer in the wintertime are actually harming the deer by increasing their exposure to disease, predators and the elements.

between neighbors.

"When deer feed in a specific location, they won't travel very far from the food source, usually only a quarter of a mile," said Kane. "They try to keep their stomachs in balance. Since they are ruminants, they will browse daily and can cause significant damage to the vegetation."

Mortality - of deer and humans as the result of vehicle accidents remain a problem. Feeding areas are often less than a halfmile to roads and highways. As a result, many car-deer accidents are caused by deer en route to a feeding area. Deer are neither fair nor generous when it comes to mealtime. There is a "pecking order" among deer. The larger deer will push the young fawns Most Mainers are fortunate enough to live in away from the food, areas where wildlife abounds. However, biologists causing starvation among caution that these animals are wild and should not the weakest and smallest be treated as pets. of the herd.

Page 6 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

People like to cut down cedar trees to feed the deer. The cedar is more valuable to the deer standing up as it continues to drop leaf litter throughout the winter, which feeds the deer and will provide shelter for years.

Better Not Bait "It is a very contentious issue.

There are people who just love to do it and there are people who want to make it illegal," said Major Gregg Sanborn. "rt is not illegal to feed deer as long are you are not hunting over it. Baiting deer is one of the most common hunting violations that wardens encounter now."

Sanborn adds that with more land being posted, some hunters may be feeding deer in areas where hunting is allowed .

"It boils down to what people think what fair chase i when it comes to deer hunting," said Sanborn. "It is the fall of the year when the deer are rutting as opposed to the bear hunting season in late summer when the bears are out moving around. In some parts of the country, you can bait deer or run deer with hounds."

Winter 2005

If you still decide to feed the deer in the winter, biologists have some recommendations.

Make sure that if you begin feeding deer in the early winter that you continue to do so until March or April, when severe weather has passed . Also, feed deer only deer feed. Whole grain, oats, corn and apples are also fine, but deer need a certain amount of time for their stomachs to adjust to the new food.

Deer also need an adequate supply of food. Feeding deer only small amounts can lead to starvation. Deer feeding should be done a good distance away from any roads. Feed should be taken far into the woods so that deer are not drawn out of their traditional wintering areas and into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

component of their diet," said Keel Kemper, a regional biologist in the Sidney office. "In the spring, these young jakes (young male turkeys) have lots of testosterone and they can get quite aggressive towards people. I've

Feeding Other Wildlife While feeding deer in the winter is the most common occuITence, people feed other wildlife as well, such as raccoons, turkeys, porcupines, and wild birds.

People usually feed bears "unintentionally" as bears raid bird feeders and garbage cans. Bears can be quite a nuisance and even dangerous, given the right circumstances.

"People aren't actually feeding the bears, but I had close to 30 bear complaints this year," said Game Warden Jason Luce, whose district covers the southern half of Cumberland County.

"The problem is that people are actually feeding the birds. The bears may wake up on a warm winter's day and they are hungry. There are no berries or apples yet and bird seed is an excellent source of food for them at that time of year. Bears have been drawn out of their dens as far south as Westbrook and South Portland. People are naturally concerned when they see a bear in their backyard."

People also feed turkeys because they feel the bird needs the food to survive the winter. It isn 't uncommon to find turkeys under your bird feeder, feasting on black oil sunnower seeds.

"Turkeys don't need to be fed anything to survive. Any critter that can live off of burdock can survive. It is a large MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Feeding wildlife can make them more vulnerable to predators like this barred owl. heard of a postman not being able to deliver the mail because ajake kept jumping on him. One of the downsides to feeding turkeys is that they get acclimated to humans."

That is a downside of feeding any wild animal. Sometimes if they become

too tame, it is difficult for them to live in the wild. They also become easy targets for hunters

Too Tame Animals "I think that animals become too dependent and too friendly with human beings. They may be looking for a handout during the hunting season," said Henry Hamilton, the superintendent of the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. "We get calls from people because they think it is a rabid animal because it has become human-dependent."

As a result, the Wildlife Park can sometimes end up being the new home for these "tamed" wild animals. For example this past fall, a woman brought a tamed raccoon to the park that she had been feeding at her home. Once the raccoon was grown, she didn't want the responsibility of feeding it anymore. The park is also home to a tame crow named Zeek, who wore out his welcome in his "owner's" neighborhood.

"The owners didn't mind it when Zeek landed on their heads, but when he started landing on the neighbors' heads, he became a problem," said Hamilton.

"Zeek is so tame that we use him as an example to show park visitors why people shouldn't feed wildlife."

It is hard to resist the temptation to put out some food for a raccoon, a crow, or feed for a deer. By not succumbing to that temptation, you can provide a longer, healthier life for the wild animal in its natural habitat. Deer are especially vulnerable to the consequences of supplemental feeding.

"If you really want to do something for the welfare of the deer, the most important thing you can do is to help preserve the natural deer wintering habitat," said Lavigne. "It is not as glitzy and glamorous as putting feed out and watching those big brown eyes as they munch it up. But in the long run, preserving habitat is key to helping the deer."

A video/DVD entitled, "What You Should Know About Supplemental Deer Feeding" is ai¡ailab/e for a cost of $10.

For more information contact the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife at (207) 287-8000.

Winter 2005 Page 7

S~ELTI~Ci-

Department Proposes Changes to Recreational And Commercial Smelt Management Photos and Text

By Jim Pellerin Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist and Smelt Species Coordinator Staff biologists at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) have been reviewing and discussing a series of changes to inland smelt management to provide better conservation of this valuable natural resource. The proposals include a variety of regulation modifications, an inventory (population) review, as well as, a few experimental and educational components.

For those unfamiliar with smelt, many would be surprised that such a small fish could possibly generate so much discussion and controversy.

Consequently. it is important to have a basic understanding of the species, why they are important, and to whom before discussing the proposals.

What Are Smelt?

Rainbow smelt are a small, slender fish that generally do not exceed 6-7 inches in freshwater habitats. Their back!> are a dark-green to olive color, while their bright silvery sides shimmer with iridescent hue of purple, blue, green,

Page 8 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

and pink. Hence, the common name "rainbow" smelt.

Smelt are an anadromous fish species that is, they grow to maturity in the ocean and return to freshwater streams to pawn. The species is distributed along the Atlantic seaboard from Labrador to New Jersey.

Smelt have also e tablished landlocked populations, which spend their entire lives in freshwater systems. The distribution of landlocked populations, originally restricted to coastal drainages, has expanded throughout the northeastern United States, eastern Canada, and as far inland as the Great Lakes drainage via human introductions. The "landlocked" rainbow smelt is this focus for the remainder of this article.

Smelt are currently widely distributed throughout Maine with populations known to occur in 558 lakes; however, the original distribution of the species may have extended no more than 50 or 60 miles from the coast.

Unauthorized and unrecorded introductions of smelt. have been frequent in Maine, beginning at least as early as the I 870's, making a determination of their original distribution impossible. In addition, MDlFW biologists have made many introductions throughout the state to create or improve fishing opportunities for

Maine's anglers.

Freshwater smelt populations typically inhabit large, cool stratified lakes where they may become extremely abundant. Maine fishery biologists have also documented viable smelt populations in Jess suitable environments. For example, smelt populations have been found in some Maine ponds less than 10 acres in size and in waters with maximum depths as sh al low as 14 feet.

Mature smelt, 2-3 years of age or older, generally ascend streams to spawn around the time of ice-out (March-May).

However, it is well documented that some populations spawn succes fully within lakes and ponds that lack suitable spawning tributaries by utilizing shoreline areas or offshore shoals. There is also evidence uggesting smelt may choose to spawn within the lake environment as a result of inclement weather or unfavorable stream flows. The spawning event ranges from 2 days to 3 weeks, but peak activity is usually less than one week in duration.

Spawning activity usually occurs at night with most of the spawning individuals dropping back into the lake during daylight hours. Larger individuals of the population spawn first, followed by smaller individuals in the latter part of the run. Spawning fish travel a short dis-

Winter 2005

tance upstream and position themselves within the current over shallow rime areas.

Two or more adult males will crowd around a female, and as more and more of these mall breeding groups develop; females will begin extruding small clusters of eggs with males excreting milt simultaneously. The eggs are adhesive and quickly attach to whatever they contact (i.e. rocks, vegetation). The outer coating of the egg peels off to form a stalk, which allows the egg to sway within the current.

Egg development proceeds rapidly, and hatching generally occurs within 2-4 weeks, depending upon water temperatures. After hatching, the transparent larvae, approximately a quarter of an inch in lenoth drift downstream into the lake.

I::> , Initially, smelt movement is largely restricted to drifting with existing currents, which temporarily makes them a component of the lake's plankton community. Growth is fairly rapid, and they can obtain lengths of up to 2 inches by late summer of their first year.

Smelt vary in size from water to water but most mature individuals from landl~cked populations range from 3-6 inches in length. Smelt from large lake systems (i.e. Great Lakes) can resemble their sea-run relatives in size as smelt up to l 4 inches and longer have occasionally been recorded throughout their landlocked range.

Smelt are a carnivorous species, they feed on a variety of food items and their feeding habits are largely size dependent.

Juvenile smelt feed predominantly on a variety of plankton and smaller aquatic invertebrates, while larger individuals target bigger forms of zooplankton, aquatic invertebrates, and even small fish. Smelt are also cannibalistic and will commonly feed on smaller individuals within the population.

Smelt are considered to be a schooling species that exhibits nocturnal behavioral patterns. In the summer, they generally tend to congregate in large, tight schools near the bottom of the lake throughout daylight. However, as night approaches they swim towards the thermocline to feed, and individual smelt fan out to form large, loose schools.

The thermocline is a band of water

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

that exhibits rapid temperature change and generally occurs at a depth of around 15-30 feet. Smelt movements and daily patterns appear to be more variable during the fall and winter seasons, when they are known to utilize the entire Jake environment.

Why Are Smelt Important?

Despite their relatively small size and low profile, rainbow smelt are of great importance to anglers and fisheries statewide. They are the only inland fish species to provide such a variety of uses and benefits including: recreational sport fishing opportunities, a commercial bait fishery, a favored bait for anglers targeting other sportfish, a This is a commercial drop net operation for the takpopular food fish, and a ing of smelts. primary forage fish. health and quality of Maine's landlocked These same attributes salmon fisheries are largely dependent on contribute to the complexity of smelt smelt population abundance. Many management, because demands from various user groups are often in conflict with warmwater sport fish (i.e. smallmouth one another, particularly when resources bass, white perch) also prey heavily on are limited. For example, protecting smelt. Multiple species of coldwater smelt populations for one type of use and/or warmwater smelt predators often (i.e. forage) typically reduces or elimiexist within individual lakes, which nates other use opportunities. equates to a large predator base for the Unpredictable and extreme fluctuasmelt population. The use of smelt as fortions in smelt abundance, combined with age for gamefish, particularly landlocked a Jack of knowledge and control over the salmon, is the Department's highest manfactors influencing abundance further agement priority for smelt. This critical complicate management of the species. connection between smelt and other All of these dynamics can be the source important fishery resources has and will of controversy among the various user likely continue to reduce opportunities groups and often creates dissatisfaction for other user groups through regulations towards the resource management to protect smelt for forage. agency.

Many Maine anglers hold smelt in Smelt are extremely valuable as a hioh esteem as a food fish and some forage fish, and are a principal food ca7ch smelt for their personal bait needs.

Recreational hook-and-line fisheries in source for a variety of Maine's sport fish. the summer and winter, and dip-net fishThey are consumed by every coldwater eries in the spring provide anglers with a game fish in the State, but are particularvariety of opportunities for harvesting ly important as forage for landlocked smelts recreationally. General laws govsalmon and lake trout.

It is well documented that the overall erning fishing in Maine entitle licen ed

Winter 2005 Page 9

anglers to take up to two quart per day from waters open to smelting.

Anglers have been afforded greater use-opportunity as the species became more widely distributed around the State; however, the number of regulations and restrictions has increased over the years, particularly the number of streams closed to smelt dipping.

The two primary reasons for these tream closures are: (1) closures by fishery managers to protect a valuable forage fish in important trout and salmon waters; and (2) closures as a result of public concern about over-fishing, vandalism, trespass, and littering.

The Department considers recreational fishing opportunities as a higher priority for this species than commercial use of the resource. The basis for this priority is that the recreational use of the resource i a more traditional use and recreational harvesting typically poses less of a threat than commercial activities.

Given their importance as forage fi ' h, its no wonder that smelts are also preferred bait for anglers targeting coldwater fish. This bait demand has resulted in a valuable and lucrative commercial smelt fishery.

Conservative projections in 1991 estimated sales of 6.9 million smelt worth $1.94 million. Smelt harvested by commercial smelt dealers, are commonly sold through both wholesale and retail markets. A Maine smelt wholesaler's license allows holders to harvest up to 8 quarts of melts daily from select waters, or 2 quarts from all other waters open to the harvesting of smelt; to possess more than this amount as long as they were legally taken; and to sell melts. Licensed smelt dealers may take smelts by hook-andline, handheld dipnet, and dropnet according to the Jaws, rules, and policies of the Department. Harvest by licen ed smelt dealers is re tricted to waters designated by the Department, which are selected annually in accordance with the overall harvest objectives for the species.

What Changes Are Being Proposed In 200 l, the Department and various public-working groups developed a 15year specie plan for smelt management.

Page 10 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

The goals, objectives, and priorities of the species plan are identified below. One goal was to maintain existing smelt habitat quantity and quality; and increase smelt abundance and availability where it was possible to moderate current demands as a forage fish, as a sportfish, and as a commercial baitfish.

We also wanted to, on a statewide basis, maintain smelt populations at or above current abundance levels in 558 Maine lakes, totaling 749,114 acres. We want to see if there are opportunities to increase the distribution of smelts into new waters by 2016, as long as it will not negatively impact other coldwater species, and to ba lance the demand for sportfishing and commercial interests.

As for the taking of smelts, the following objectives are prioritized as follows: First, Maximize the supply of smelt available as forage for salmonids, particularly landlocked salmon and lake trout, within the context of the management objectives for those species. Second, maintain and/or increase recreational hook-and-line and dip-netting opportunities; and third, maintain and/or improve the supply of smelts available for the commercial baitfish industry.

The development of the species plan along with its stated goals, objectives, priorities, and strategies was an important step towards the management and conservation of the State' melt populations.

However, five out of the seven fishery management regions in the State reported existing smelt resources are incapable of satisfying existing demands for forage, hook-and-line angling, dipping, and commercial use.

The smelt species plan also indicate there is not enough protection built into our current smelt management scheme, particularly in regards to spring dipping activities and commercial smelt management.

Spring dip netting is a traditional smelt fishing method, but melt populations are particularly vulnerable to overharvest due to their spawning behavior.

Dipping activities can also result in future year class failures due to exce sive harvest prior to spawning, interference and/or blockage of smelt spawning activities, and increased egg mortalities through siltation and/or direct physical

Various stages of growth and age classes of smelts. damage of the eggs.

Commercial dealers are also capable of over-fishing smelt populations, particularly where demand is high and resources are limited. In addition, commercial smelt fisheries in the State have been a continual source of controversy over the years.

As a result, MDIFW has held a variety of staff meetings to explore opportunities for enhancing conservation measures for the State's smelt populations.

These discussions covered a wide range of possibilities for recreational and commercial users including: smaller bag limits, no walking in streams while dipping, rotation of waters open to commercial dealers , limited entry sy tern for commercial dealers, shorter season lengths, limited number of nets/water, commercial waters with no bag limits, and others.

Many of the proposal discus ed were deemed unsuitable for a variety of reasons; however, we were able to come up with an as ortment of proposed changes that builds additional con ervation measures into the way we currently manage our smelt populations.

Following i a list of proposals being considered for advancement along with a brief explanation of each. • Maintain exi ting system of listing waters open to commercial melting. The Department distributes a list of waters open to commercial smelt dealers, which is reviewed and updated annually. This list allows the Department to efficiently

Winter 2005

respond to and manage for rapid changes in our smelt populations by removing and/or adding waters as needed.

• Conduct a comprehensive review of statewide smelt waters. The Department's fisheries staff recently completed a comprehensive review of all known smelt waters to insure consistency with the management priorities of the species plan. The assessment also allowed the Department to identify and consider potential new opportunities for both recreational and commercial user groups. As a result, eleven waters will be removed from the 2005 commercial smelt list.

• Hook & line anglers/dip-netters (without a commercial license) will only be allowed to keep 5-dozen smelt alive; the balance of their limit would have to be killed. The illegal sale of live smelt for bait by recreational anglers is a problem in some areas of the State, and is a source of controversy among recreational and commercial users. This rule change discourages this practice by lowering the economic incentive, and it allows the Warden Service to more effectively enforce existing laws pertaining to the illegal sale of smelts. Tn addition, recreational angler are still permitted a reasonable number of live smelt for their personal bait needs.

• Establish a 24-inch diameter maximum hoop size for dip-nets. Larger nets are more effective at capturing smelt, and in many instances a few people with hefty nets stationed at the mouth of a small stream can effectively block and control the entire smelt run. This change provides additional opportunity for escapement and better distributes the catch among anglers, particularly on small to medium sized streams.

• Establish a tatewide midnight closure for dip netting. This propo al has three benefit : (1) it is expected to significantly protect the resource by giving smelt an opportunity to spawn a portion of each night without interference or harvest; (2) it should reduce some of the social issue as ociated with dipping, particularly in the wee hours of the morning. Aggregations of smelt-dippers crowding into small areas along streams are highly vi ible to the public and landowners. Tre pass, littering, general land abuse, and disturbing noises or MAINE Fish and Wildlife

behaviors are often associated with dipping activities; and (3) it also provides some enforcement benefits for the Warden Service.

• Smelt dealers only allowed to dipnet 2 quarts of smelt during the spring spawning season. Currently, on commercial waters dealers are allowed to harvest 8 quarts of smelt all winter long with the use of dropnets, and they can then dip 8 quarts of smelt during the spring spawning run. The new regulation will reduce the spring harvest. In addition, it improves equity and levels the playing field among recreational and commercial user groups on waters open to commercial dealers. For example, on many waters a commercial dealer can dip 8 quarts, while a recreational dipper standing next to the commercial dealer can only dip 2 quarts.

• Require smelt dealers to use commercially manufactured graders. A grader is a passive sorting device that allows smaller fish to escape, which in the case of smelt are very fragile and not of suitable bait size, while retaining larger individuals. Currently, commercial dealers are required to use graders; however, many dealers are using "home-made" graders, which are ineffective and result in excessive, and unnecessary mortality to juvenile smelt with no market value.

• Commercial anglers will be required to report smelt catch information to MDIFW. Although this type of data is not always accurate, it provides a good tracking tool for monitoring fishery changes over time that would allow the Department to better manage and understand our commercial smelt fisheries.

• Educate and encourage dip-netters to avoid walking on smelt eggs during the spawning season. Spawning is a critical life stage of any species, and dipnetting activity has been shown to cause high egg mortality due physical damage and/or siltation. Increasing the awareness of this issue through education is a low cost technique that may ultimately improve survival.

• Investigate the feasibility of requiring graders/grader panels installed in the bottom of commercial drop nets.

Existing grading systems require smelt to be removed from the source water and exposed to cold air temperatures.

Juvenile smelt are extremely fragile,

excessive and improper handling, as well as, exposure to extreme temperatures results in high mortality. A built-in grading system would allow young smelt to escape without handling or removal from the water. The Department hopes to partner with a commercial smelt dealer for this experimental project.

• MDIFW pathologist to investigate causes of commercial/retail smelt mortalities. Numerous smelt are lost during handling and transport, and substantial mortalities occur in wholesale and retail holding facilities. The Department's pathologist will investigate these losses and develop a resource guide for handling, transporting, and holding smelt to reduce mortality.

To date, we have presented the above proposals to the Commissioner's Office, the Fish and Wildlife Advisory Council, the Smelt Working Group, and a number of commercial smelt dealers with encouraging result. Based on this process, we have already made modifications to the list of commercial smelt waters for the 2005 season. Over the next few months we hope to solicit additional input on these proposals from the general public.

If our readership has any comments or concerns regarding the proposed changes.please feel free to contact Jim Pellerin at the Gray Regional Office, 657-2345, james.pellerin@maine.gov.

Successful haul of smelts with a drop net.

Winter 2005

Page 11

•

Becoming an Outdoorswoman (BOW) instructor Lisa Caron assisting Sally Wilson on the sporting clays range at the Hermon Skeet Club during a recent BOW shotgun clinic.

Photos and Text

By Cathy Genthner The sound of gunshots fol lowed by cheers of delight could be heard at the Hermon Skeet Club as women from Maine and Canada participated in a oneday shotgun cl inic. The day on the

shooting range was part of the IFW program - Becoming an Outdoorswoman (BOW). T he program was held on October I, 2004, just as b ird season began, to give participants the chance to sharpen their skil ls a nd improve the ir technique.

"I fe lt very good out there on the range and very comfortable, sa id Tamara

Booker, who drove severa l hours from Grand Falls, ew Brunswick to attend the clinic. "It is so nice to have qualified instructors who make you feel at home.

They help you with your shot, which is very important because they can see what you can't see. You get to hoot with a group of women, so it is not intimidating."

The women, who had previous ly taken a firearms safety course, were taught proper gun handling, safety, technique and had the opportunity to hoot five-stand, skeet and trap. BOW instructors also briefed attendees on how to purchase a shotgun, upland bird hunting and waterfowl hunting.

Equal Footing

Instructor Remillie Norsworthy coaching Tamara Booker on how to follow the target with her eyes and her gun.

Page 12 MAI NE Fish and Wildlife

"It is fun to ee other ladies learning how much fun it is, since shooting is one of only three discipline in which men and women can compete against each other equally in the Olympics. Shooting is a di cipline where ladic can progres very, very quickly," said Remillie orsworthy, a veteran volunteer in truetor from Pre que l le, who has been

Winter 2005

teaching shooting skills for over a quarter of a century. "There are a lot of things that make shooting a very motivating activity for people. The women here are very attentive and they learn very well."

Norsworthy didn't grow up in a hunting family and learned shooting skills later in life. After she got married, her husband decided that he wanted to learn trap and brought a shotgun into the house. Soon, she found herself on the range as well and hunting birds in the fall with her husband and their dogs.

"The dogs get really upset if we can't get birds for them to retrieve," said orsworthy. "Learning to shoot well in difficult conditions is really important."

Norsworthy's skills as a school teacher are invaluable on the range and in hunter safety classes, where she is an instructor.

"It helps to be a trained teacher, but there are a lot of very good instructors with the department who aren't trained teachers," said Norsworthy. "You either enjoy it or you don't. I do it because l enjoy seeing the light bulb come on. J enjoy seeing someone who has never hit a target in their life discovering that they can."

New Skills That is the whole purpose behind the shotgun clinic and other BOW programs for participants to learn a new skill that can be used in the outdoors. Sally

Lindon Brown, treasurer of the Herman Skeet Club, instructs Karen Good on shooting sporting clays during a shotgun clinic as part of the BOW program.

Wilson of Freeport, who had taken a BOW course on winter survival, wanted to sharpen her skills before going bird hunting for the first time. "l thought this would be a good opportunity to be with other ladies and get professional instruction. I think the BOW program is very beneficial. It gives women the opportunity to learn a lot of different outdoor activities as beginners and get the groundwork. After that you can get advanced instruction ," said Wilson. "We had instruction about safety and we discussed ammunition and different types of guns. I am having a lot of fun learning about the different games, like skeet. l wanted to get into bird hunting."

Becoming and Outdoorswoman instructor Joan Trial helps Karen Good adjust her aim during a BOW shotgun clinic at the Hermon Skeet Club.

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Karen Good of Camden took the clinic so that she could feel more comfortable when handling firearms .

"I have a daughter-in-law who is a policeman and one day she handed me her bag, which contained her gun and I was holding it like it was going to bite me. l thought that I had to get over this fear and that is why I signed up for the course," said Good, who is the just the kind of student that instructor Li a Caron loves to teach. "l love it when I have someone who has a gun and is scared to death. There is no reason to be afraid. In this world everyone is afraid of guns. It isn't the gun that we need to worry about - it is the person behind the gun. You can teach people how to safely handle firearms," said Caron , who as a member of the Hermon Skeet Club, instructs shooting sporting clays.

"Sporting clays is a game that you play and the targets can come out from any direction - vertically, right, left or directly to you. When you hit a target and it breaks, the feeling is exhilarating."

Caron shoots with an over and under Browning 12-gauge. She has found a certain shell that produces very little gun recoil , compared to a 20-gauge.

"When I shoot, you don't even see my arm move," said Caron proudly. "You can hit trap or sporting clays all day long."

And that is what the women did, except for a short lunch break. One of the goals of the workshop wa for women to feel comfortable out on the range.

Winter 2005 Page 13

"I like to see the process of people becoming comfortable with their gun and their surroundings," said Joan Trial, an instructor and member of the Hermon Skeet Club. "It is exciting to see other women who want to learn how to shoot. I like to see people succeed."

The success of the program is attributed to the attitudes of the instructors and students.

"This is a very supportive environment," said Good. "The women instructors feel comfortable touching you when you need help with holding the gun correctly. I think some men are afraid to touch you and that women are more comfortable with each other."

Good says now that she has taken the shotgun clinic, she may even start turkey hunting, even though she didn't grow up in a hunting family. She is breaking new ground and learning a new skill that she can share with someone else.

"I hope more women are getting involved in shooting sports," said Trial , who started practicing at the range because she wasn't hitting anything while out bird hunting. "To practice and become accurate does take time out of your life. I started shooting here and then I started to get better in the field."

Learning Secrets Improving accuracy in the field is why Lorraine Lans of Stonington took the course. Lans had been shooting for a while, going bird hunting with her husband or sometimes shooting clays at a local club with little success. Lans is originally from Massachusetts and no one she knew hunted very much.

"I wanted to know why I wasn't hitting my target and this is really helping me a lot. Now, I know some of the secrets. Someone is right there with you and they tell you exactly what you are doing wrong," said Lans. "I've taken other BOW courses such as botany, kayaking, fly fishing, trapping and a few others. r love the courses. The best part about living in Maine is being able to enjoy the outdoors."

The BOW program in Maine is now in its eighth year and reaches nearly 200 women every year through weekend workshops and advanced clinics. The BOW program was founded by Dr.

Page 14 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Instructor Lisa Caron giving pointers to a group of women during a day-long shotgun clinic, as part of the Becoming an Outdoorswoman program.

Christine Thomas in 1991 at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.

BOW programs are now offered in 40 states and several Canadian Provinces.

"The whole point of the program is to introduce people who wouldn't normally think about hunting or fishing to those outdoor activities and encourage them to participate," said Lisa Kane, the Natural Science Educator for JFW and BOW Liaison. "It is giving women a sampler of activities in a non-threatening and participatory environment. This particular clinic is designed for women who have basic skills but want to improve on those skills to get them up to par and be able to be more successful when they do go out hunting."

There are plans for the BOW program to expand and attract an even greater number of women to additional workshops and clinics.

"We are trying to reach an audience that we normally do not reach. The department does a good job of reaching its constituents - those people who have traditionally been involved in outdoor activities," said Kane. "We are trying to reach women outside of the mainstream of hunting and fishing ."

To accomplish this, more programs are being offered. This winter, there will be special BOW programs on snowmobiling and winter camping. In May, there

will be a clinic at Three Rivers Wingshooting in Milo where women can learn how to hunt with dogs. Each year in September, there is a three-day BOW Introductory Skills Weekend, for women with little or no outdoor experience.

Mary Ann Gleason of Minot attended last September's Introductory Skills Weekend.

"It wasn't like having a relative try to teach you a skill. I was instructed by a person who had a lot of patience and could put up with my faults," said Gleason. "ft is an excellent program."

Gleason says now that she has taken the shotgun clinic, she plans to go bird hunting on her property with her Springer Spaniel.

The instructors for this clinic and other BOW programs are all volunteers who gladly donate their time and share their skills.

"It is worth my time to help these women and they are so appreciative. I am glad I came," said Caron. "The students are so willing to learn and they want to ee what they've been taught brought to fruition. It is the woman component that makes it special."

For more information and a list of upcoming programs, visit: http://www.state.me.uslifiv/education/bow homepage.him or call (207)287-8069 Winter 2005

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Logo Merchandise Green Richardson Wax Cloth Hats (one size fits all)

Hanes Beefy T-shirts 100% pre-shrunk cotton

Item

Quantity

Price Ea

Total

Hanes Beefy T-shirts jif ordering XXL please add $2.50 per item) Navy Blue Trout

_M _L _XL_' XXL $15.00 $

Forest Green Deer

_M_L_XL_' XXL $15 .00 $

stonewashed Green Moose

_M _L _XL

' XXL $15 .00 $ _ _

Pebble Turkey w/Camo Logo _M _L _XL _

' XXL $15 .00 $

Turkey Hal w/camo logo

$16 .00 $

Trout Hal

$16 .00 $

Deer Hal

$16 .00 $ - -

Bass Hat

$16 .00 $ - -

Postage Rates If the subtotal of your order is: up to $20 .00 = $4 .50 $20 01 - $35.00 = $5 .50 $35 01 - $50.00 = $6 .50 $50 01 - $75.00 = $7.50 $75 01 - $100 .00 = $8.50 $100 01 - $125 .00 = $9.50 over $125 01 = $10 .50

Subtotal

$

Sales Tax

$

(Mame residents add 5%)

Postage TOTAL DUE

--- --

$ _ __ $ _ __

Mailing A d d r e s s - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - City - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - State _______ Zip ________ Phone

Mail order with payment to : Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Information Cente r 284 State St. 41 SHS Augu sta , ME 04333-0041

Method of payment (Please make check payable to: Treasurer, State of Ma ine)

0 Check/Money Order O Visa O Mastercard O Discover Card#

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Expiration Date ___./_ _ _ Check out our online store

www.mefishwildlife.com MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Signature Winter 2005 Page 15

Wildlife in the Snow Wildlife has several ways of coping with winter. Some escape to warmer climates , called Migration. Some avoid the problem of scarce food and extreme cold by Hibernating. (see below) Some simply Resist - staying awake and active, enduring the rigors of the season and resisting its stresses.

Homeotherms - warm-blooded animals - can maintain their body temperature independent of surrounding temperatures using thick fur and feathers as insulation. Reptiles and amphibians , called Poikilotherms , or cold-blooded animals , have body temperatures that they cannot regulate , and vary with outside temperatures. Complete the following puzzles to learn more about how Maine wildlife copes with winter.

True Hibernators in Maine Find the hidden phrase by correctly arranging the letters directly below P.ach of the blank squares.

Each letter is used once .

These are the only three Maine mammals that are true hibernators. A true hibernator breathes very slowly. Its heartbeat decreases and it doesn't eat or excrete from late fall to early spring. This is just one way some wildlife are able to survive the winter!

Winter Criss Cross Complete the puzzle using the clues shown below

3

4

5

6

7

Across 3. To have body temperatures that vary with the external environment.

4. The study of relationships between organisms and their habitats.

5. To stay and endure the rigors of winter and its associated stresses.

6. To maintain normal body temperature independant of surrounding temperatures.

7. To blend in with one's environment.

Down

1. The coldest season of the year.

2. To pass the winter in a dormant or torpid state.

Hint: Do the Winter Double Puzzle first to help you complete the Criss Cross

Page 16 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Winter 2005

Winter Double Puzzle I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

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GROF TELURT

1

14

13

21

18

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2

3

19

11 4

8

5

20

10

8

16 22 26

4

20

7

29

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11

8

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22 5

each word. Then USC the marked letters to solve the

12

second puzzle.

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27

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28

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Winter Fox Maze

Answers on Page 28

A red fox is looking for a meal on a snowy winter's day.

See if you can trace his path until he finds the mouse burrowed under the snow.

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Winter 2005

Ashland Project

By Tom Seymour

Winter Deer Areas DIF&W Looks to the Future Page 18 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Maine is near the northernmost range of whitetailed deer. The exact tip of that range is delineated by the south shore of the St. Lawrence Seaway in neighboring Quebec, less than 100 miles from Maine's border with Canada. The health, and even the survival of the deer herd in Maine particularly in northern and eastern Maine, is dependent upon the animal's ability to make it despite severe winter weather. This, in tum , is predicated directly upon the quality and quantity of deer wintering areas.

Prime deer wintering areas consist of mature coniferous forests whose closed, uninterrupted canopy acts a a buffer against wind and snow. They range in size from a few hundred acres to several thou- \ sand acres. Thus protected, deer are able to travel in considerably les snow, thereby lessening their expenditure of valuable energy. This is important because with the exception of northern white cedar, winter browse consumed by deer does not promote weight gain. Rather, it only slows weight los .

Fortunately, deer are able to withdraw body fat when their calorie intake does not equal their normal daily requirements. Lacking the protection afforded by wintering areas, deer would quickly use up all their stored reserves . Also, when within a wintering area, deer are better able to escape from predators due to a well-established trail network. In winter, these predators include coyote , bobcats and even free-ranging, domestic dogs.

Riparian Corridors Since mature coniferous forests lack sufficient browse (often a considerable amount of brow e ofTered to deer in such areas is a result of litter fall from the activities of porcupine and quirrels), it is important that the wintering area be linked with small parcel of open-canopy types of fore t, where better winter browse is available.

Most of Maine 's deer wintering areas are located in riparian area , especially those found along ri er and stream . ueh place are natural corridors and lend

\ Legend Softwood Stands Future Cover -

Adequate Cover

-

Old/Past Cover Hardwood Stands (Non-Cover Area)

[

Wetlands Irving Ownership Winter 2005

themselves to travel. These also include the smaller tributaries and tiny brooks that feed into larger streams.

Deer are stimulated to move to their wintering areas when snow depths reach and exceed anywhere from 10 to 14 inches. This often occurs in late fall and early winter. Also, sub-zero temperatures can trigger the move to wintering areas.

This may happen as early as December.

Deer will travel 25 miles or more to reach their winter range.

In the 1970s, many northern wintering areas were severely compromised by the pruce budworm epidemic. This plague destroyed tens of thousands of acres of prime wintering grounds.

During that time, the owners and stewards of most of our northern Maine woodlands salvaged much of the diseased wood by large-scale cutting. Some of it wasn ' t, though , and the remnants of the die-off from spruce budworm infestation is visible today in stands of dead conifers.

Habitat "Islands" In response to the loss of wintering areas, Maine 's Land Use Regulatory Commission (LURC) formulated rules for zoning woodlands to include deer

wintering areas as Protection Fish and Wildlife Districts (P-FW). The LURC process, while well intentioned, had its faults. First, bearing in mind the need for contiguous blocks of deer wintering areas along riparian habitats, the areas zoned as wintering areas under LURC often were fragmented. In effect, many areas designated as deer wintering areas were virtual islands and as such , were of little value.

In fact, as the forest regenerated, deer abandoned some of these islands and utilized non-zoned areas as their wintering grounds. This left the zoned areas as virtual "snapshots in time."

The other problem with the LURC zoned Protection-Fish and Wildlife Districts was that the bureaucratic process for designating a parcel of land as a deer wintering area was lengthy, required extensive documentation and was - and is still - extremely complicated. But for all that, this was the only process available and, after all , it was better than none.

Another problem was that when an area was zoned as a Protection-Fish and Wildlife District, some timber companies pretty much wrote the area off as a lost cause and provided little timber management. This did nothing to improve the health of the forest. Forests, like veg-

Producing quality bucks like this one requires excellent winter habitat over many years. Mark Latti photo

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

etable gardens, need to be cultivated and managed. The end result was an island of mature conifers, with no connection to areas of useful browse.

Technology, especially in the field of timber harvesting, has changed dramatically since the 1970s, when LURC-zoned deer wintering areas came about. Now, a 30-year old spruce might be considered as sawlog quality. In the past, a tree would have to be between 60 and 80 years old to qualify as a potential sawlog.

So a "mature" tree of today is much smaller than a mature tree of the past.

"Jon-Binding Agreements According to Gene Dumont, the Department's supervisor of wildlife biologists for all of Maine's seven regions, the Department quickly recognized the number of deer wintering areas was lessthan-adequate and, that no new, viable areas were being set aside as wintering areas. Something had to be done.

Thankfully, something was done.

Side tepping the LURC process, the Department decided upon a radically different approach. Instead of relying upon ironclad, thus enforceable, non-voluntary zoning, DIF&W embarked upon a series of friendly, albeit non-binding agreements with Maine's private industrial landowners. These agreements included a long-range plan for woodland management, with the protection and advancement of present and future deer wintering areas in mind .

As an example Dumont cited the Ashland Deer Wintering Area 50 Year Plan developed with Irving Woodlands.

This plan utilizes computer projections that show changes to the forest in 10-year increments, beginning in 2003 and culminating in 2053 . Viewing this chart, it is plain to see that not only does adequate cover (useable wintering area) increase over time, the location of the cover changes as well. In other words, by intensively managing the timber harvest, the deer wintering areas begin to assume the most desirable form and for a sustainable period. The "i land effect" is gradually excluded and the areas of adequate cover are linked to one another.

The most advantageous time for these wintering areas, as shown on the plan, occurs within 40 year . At the end

Winter 2005 Page 19

of the 50-year cycle, some slight degree of fragmentation becomes evident and, with continued planning, a high degree of winter shelter is sustained.

A Habitat Waltz Considerable long-range vision is required for the timber companies to accede to this kind of management plan.

The companies are, after all, in the business of harvesting trees in order to make money. But as Dumont pointed out, what might be viewed as an initial financial loss is more than compensated by a significant net gain some years down the road. Since these agreements are not carved in stone, either party can change them at any time, if the need arises.

"It's a waltz," Dumont said, "with both parties keeping time with each other."

A prime benefit of the present form of agreement is that more land can be dedicated to deer wintering areas than in the past. Under LURC, Dumont said, no more than three percent of the land was to be dedicated as deer wintering areas.

In fact, that amount should have been between eight and 14 percent to provide adequate winter shelter for deer in northern Maine. This is changing, with adequate percentages of land now being managed as deer wintering areas in many areas.

Seven Islands was the first private company to work hand-in-hand with DIF&W toward establishing adequate deer wintering areas. Talks began in the early 1990s and by 1995, an agreement was reached whereby viable wintering areas were established.

Wildlife Division Director Mark Stadler, played a pivotal role in these initial negotiations. This was an important moment in deer-management history.

Since then, DIF&W has talked with every major landowner in Maine. Often, top management on both sides has devoted time and effort to securing an agreement. Commissioners of DIF&W have met with the CEOs of the big companies.

Fraser Paper Inc. is a big player and is considered the leader in cooperating with DIF&W. Fraser initialed an agreement in 200 I and this was renewed in 2003. The total amount of riparian land currently under agreement with Fraser is 37,322 Page 20

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Times are changing for the better for Maine deer like these as more wintering area agreements are created. Mark Latti photo acres.

Other companies signed on, too.

GNP (Great orthern Paper), Mead Oxford Corp, Hancock Insurance Company (Wagner Paper), the Maine Bureau of Public Lands and Jrving Woodlands all entered long-term agreements, bringing the total amount land managed for deer wintering areas up to 236,856 acres. Additionally, agreements are pending with International Paper, Seven Islands, Plum Creek and VanVlect (Lyme Timber Co.) for an as-of-yet unspecified number of acres.

Bigger Is Better One of the Department's goals is to lengthen the cutting cycle, providing larger trees and in turn, better-quality wintering areas. This is accomplished through a habitat management plan, whereby parcels of fore twill come on line for harvest in I 0-year increments.

Planning for this is partially based on the fact that after 20 to 25 years, the spruce budworm damaged forest i growing back. This adds additional acreage to the equation.

Dumont pointed out that DI F& W does not (in fact, cannot) dictate the tree to cut. However, it is hoped that at any given time, half of the designated managed area will serve as quality winter

shelter for deer.

The work involved in arriving at an agreement is tremendous. Every Regional Wildlife Biologist with DIF&W is involved in the negotiations. These people work to hammer out the nuts and bolts of agreements. Dumont summed up the process as a "two-phased step."

The first step i a virtual handshake, followed by a comprehensive plan for each yard on a company's timberland.

Extract from the May 16, 2003, agreement between Irving Woodlands and the Department help to put the goals and end results in the proper light: "This agreement provides a larger land base allowing for increa ed flexibility and predictability of timber and habitat management." And, "The total area of the co-operative deer wintering areas is 152,383 acres or 9.8 percent of the ownership in Maine. Irving Woodlands LLC stafTwith consultation of MDIF&W staff selected individual areas. Special con ideration was given to areas with traditional winter use by white-tailed deer as documented by MDIF&W surveys."

In Maine, a handshake has been adequate to confirm an agreement. Thanks to the hard work of Department stafT and the good will of our timberland owner , it still is.

Winter 2005

Mount Agamenticus to the Sea A Conservation Collaboration

By Roger Cole

Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative a:::JMt Agamenllcus to the See Focus Area

Ten conservation organizations working in southern Maine recently joined efforts as the Mount Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative (Mt. A. to the Sea). This partnership was born from the reali zation that a landscapewide vision and coll aborative effort was needed in order to protect a region endowed with unfragmented forests and rare and exemplary natural communities (see map).

This coalition of ten partners represents federa l and governmental agencies, statewide land protection organizations and three local land trusts: The Nature Conservancy, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Rachel Carson Nationa l Wil d li fe Refuge, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, The Trust for Pub lic Land, York Land Trust, Great Works Regiona l Land Trust, Kittery Land Trust, the York Rivers Association, and the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Ex1sung Conserved Lands & Waler D1stncl Properues

ACRES PROTECTED

Mt. Agamenticus York River Brave Boat Harbor Route 103 West

5307.00* 174.1 5 800.00 200.00

TOTAL PROTECTED :

TOTAL MTA2C: 940.15 acres

South

York

/

-

Eliot

Transitional Zone The Mt. A. to the Sea region is a transitional zone between the northern reaches of the southern hardwood forests ( chestnut oak, flowering dogwood, shagbark hickory) and the southern fringes of Maine 's spruce-fir forests. Within this biologically rich region are found unique Maine habitats that are home to blanding and spotted turtles, ringed bog haunter dragonny, Atlantic White Cedar swamps, oak-hickory forests, flowering dogwood, and spicebush.

The Maine Natural Areas Program has identified the Mt. A. to the Sea region as possessing the greatest diversity of threatened and endangered species of any region in Maine. More than two dozen pecies live at the limits ofthcir ranges in the Mt. A. to the Sea region and 24 plant species and 11 animal

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

r

Q

3 IM1¡1es •.

*Acreage is a pproximate

species listed as threatened, endangered, or of special concern by the State of Maine are home in the Mt. A. to the Sea region . In addition, there are nine natural communities considered by the state as outstanding representatives of their type.

The Mt. A. to the Sea project represents an area of approximately 48,000 acres that encompasses thousands of acre of land and water extending from the Mt Agamenticus region and incorpo-

rates the York River, the Brave Boat Harbor Estuary and Gerrish and Cutts Island. This is an area that represents the largest unfragmented coastal forest between Acadia and the ew Jersey Pine Barrens.

Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Maine Audubon Society found that the Mt. A. Lo the Sea region po sesses the highest concentration of vernal pools in the State of

Winter 2005

Page 21

Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative the cha 11 enge continues

Mt. Agamenticus

York Ri ver

Brave Boat Harbor

The Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative brings together ten national, regional and local conservation partners to conserve a mosaic of critical threatened lands, waterways and working landscapes encompassing a six-town area stretching from the Tatnic Hills in Wells to Gerrish Island in Kittery Point. Working together, the goal is to protect our community values and the health of our shared environment.

Wildlife Habitats and Community Values at Risk Conservation ensures that a mosaic of wildlife habitat, farmland, scenic views, healthy water supplies and public access is available for the enjoyment of current and future generations and for those people whose traditional livelihoods are still connected to the land and the sea. Recreational activities such as hiking, boating. biking, fishing, hunting. photography and painting link humans to our area's rich natural environment.

Ecological Values Two forest types -- northern softwood and southern hardwood -- overlap here , creating a range of habitats that support the richest diversity and the largest number of plant and animal species in the entire state of Maine. Rare and endangered animal species need room to roam and thrive. Throughout our area we are blessed with a wide variety of natural communities including salt marshes, dune grasslands, large wetland complexes, cobble beaches and vernal pools.

Threats York County is the fastest growing county in Maine. Its growth rate is four times the state average. The population of the Town of York alone has increased 30% in the last decade. Pressures from development are causing habitat fragmentation . loss of public access to both land and water, and rising property values.

We must act now to protect the forests. fields and waterways that define this southernmost comer of Maine and to preserve it for future generations.

Coalition Partners The Nature Conservancy Maine Coast Heritage Trust Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge Maine Department oflnland Fisheries & Wildlife The Trust for Public Land

Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve Great Works Regional Land Trust Kittery Land Trust York Land Trust York Rivers Association

For further information contact: Roger Cole, MtA2C Coordinator at 207-439-9133 or Email: MntAtoSea@comcast.net Page 22 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Winter 2005

Maine and one of the highest densities of vernal pools north of Cape Cod. According to Dr. Michele Dionne, Director of Research at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, the York River watershed may be the most ecologically diverse coastal drainage for its size in the entire Gulf of Maine. The Wells Reserve found that York River is home to nearly half of the entire possible diversity of estuarine fishes in Maine.

Also within the Mt. A. to the sea focus region is the 800-acre Brave Boat Harbor estuary, which is managed by United States Fish And Wildlife Service as part of the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge. This eco-system is identified by Maine's Natural Areas Program as an area of statewide ecological significance for its critical plant and wildlife habitat and critical uplands surrounding the estuary.

The Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea landscape is also rich in human history.

The land, rivers and sea have provided local inhabitants with lumber, farmlands and fish for over 300 years. Stewardship of the lands within the Mt A to the Sea region has not destroyed the ecological systems on which livelihoods were built.

Today, the working landscapes within the Mt. A. to the Sea region remain undeveloped and capable for even longer-term protection through conservation strategies.

A Legacy of Conservation Over one hundred years ago, local water districts began purchasing thousands of acres of land and numerous ponds in the Mt. A. to the Sea region.

In the late 1970 's, the Town of York purchased the summit of the mountain and in 1988 the Land's for Maine's Future Program awarded one of its first grants for land acquisition to the Maine Department of lnland Fish and Wildlife for lands in the Mt. A. to the Sea region.

More recently, the York and Great Works Land Trusts worked with The Nature Conservancy to protect almost 2,200 acres of prime wildlife areas. The success of this collaboration resulted in an increased number of conservation partners joining together in southern Maine through the Mt. A. to the Sea Initiative.

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Since the inception of Mt. A. to the Sea in October 2002, almost 1,000 addi tional acres of lands, representing old growth forests, a working waterfront, a high priority Maine Natural Areas property, and over 200 acres of rare turtle habitat (that had been threatened with development) are permanently protected.

This most recent conservation activity is occurring in Maine 's fastest growing county (four times the state average).

Unless we act soon to secure long-term protection for lands in the Mt. A. to the Sea region, critical habitats and species will be lost and market values for available lands will be prohibitive.

Mt. A. to the Sea agency partner from the Maine Department of Inland Fish and Wildlife, Phil Bozenhard, believes that the Mt. A. to the Sea conservation effort will, " ... result in the protection of some of the most valuable threatened and endangered species habitat in Maine".

Along with the complex of vernal pools comes habitat for spotted and blanding turtles which will be adversely affected if the landscape is fragmented by roads and other development. The protection of this area will provide large blocks of undeveloped land for other wildlife species, like bobcat, deer, and moose.

The area will also remain open to recreational activities for sportsmen and other outdoor groups. This effort provides a good overview as to what can be accomplished when interested groups develop a working partnership.

Community Component The partners in the Mt. A. to the Sea Initiative recognize that the six municipalities within the focus region of Mt. A. to the Sea region play a critical role in advancing the goals of our conservation initiative. To that end, a conservation plan was developed with stakeholders from all the communities within the Mt. A. to the Sea region. (The conservation plan is available on tnc.org website.)

Recommendations from the conservation plan suggest best management practices, conservation strategies and will build capacity for conservation with the municipalities. Along with land conservation efforts, the coalition is encouraging communities to adopt guidelines and

policies that reflect the recommendations in the conservation plan.

All six towns within the Mt. A. to the Sea region have indicated strong interest in considering the goals of the conservation plan. Selectmen in the Town of Ogunquit unanimously supported a town resolution endorsing the recommendations in Mt. A. to the Sea's conservation plan.

Regional Approach The Mt. A. to the Sea Coalition may be the first time that so many diverse conservation partners have come together under a single initiative. Through this region-wide approach, each partner contributes and also assists fellow partners in achieving the recommendations in the conservation plan.

Partners share expertise, federal and state connections and fundraising opportunities. By strategizing and working as a group, each individual organization in the partnership is made stronger and more effective which will benefit wildlife, outdoor access and water quality.

The Director of the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission (SMRPC), Paul Schumacher is encouraged by the activities of the Mt. A. to the Sea partnership: "By working together and reaching out to communities, the Mt A to the Sea folks are achieving true regional planning, which will provide Lasting land use benefits for years into the future."

Work Remaining To accomplish land protection goals, the Mt. A. to the Sea Coalition has embarked on a multi-million fundraising campaign. The coalition has hired a Campaign Director and Coordinator to keep the partnership focused and on track. Thousands of acres remain to be protected and, therefore, land contributions and funds need to be acquired towards that end.

The first actions have been taken in raising a large tent for many to gather under to do conservation planning. With cooperation and determination from the individuals and agencies that have come together in this endeavor, we will realize the conservation goals that we have identify in our joint planning efforts.

Winter 2005 Page 23

,

N etti••g Fish How and Why It's Done

By Tom Seymour Biologists with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) are charged with managing our fishery resources.

This is a gargantuan task, given the vast acreage of Maine's ponds, lakes and nvers.

In order to get the most potential from these waters, biologists must understand the status of the various fish populations. By netting a particular body of water, biologists are able to determine fish growth and general health, along with survival rates and mortality rates.

Other incidental information is gained, ¡oo, such as what species comprise the forage base. Here, fish stomachs are either pumped and the contents analyzed, or the fish is killed and the stomachs content are examined.

By netting, it is also possible to monitor the survival of newly stocked fish. For example, fall netting can yield detailed information on fish survival.

This helps determine future stocking policies.

Three Net Types A variety of net types and strategies are employed, each tailored to the requirements for particular water.

Netting allows biologists to check fish by handling them directly. Many times, this is the only way to make speci fie determinations.

Three different types of nets are used to take biological samples of fish: Oneida Lake Trapnets, Fyke nets and gill nets.

The trapnets are de igned to direct fish that follow the shoreline into a noating box, from which they can be easily removed for study. The basic design uses a single-length of net called a "lead."

The lead is about I 00 feet long and five feet tall and one end is secured to the shore. The other end of the lead directs Page 24 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Hauling the nets can be hard, cold work, but the information that results makes it Worth the effort. Mark Latti photo

fish to two "wings." The wings are set at 45-degree angles to the shore and when confronted with these, the fish swim into the funnel-shaped "throat" of the net and from there into the actual "trap." The trap is a floating box, covered with netting. Fish can be either dip netted from the box, or the entire box may be lifted into the boat.

Fyke nets are balloon-shaped nets with a wide mouth. Fish swim in and are directed to the back of the net, where they become disoriented and have difficulty finding their way out.

Gill nets are simple nets that immobilize fish when they swim into the me h and cannot back out becau e their gills become entangled in the netting. As an aside, not all fish that are trapped in gill net die.

For ongoing sampling of ft h populations, biologists throughout Maine employ different nets for different need .

Gill nets are the mo t efficient type of net for remote ponds. That's because a gill

net is light and compact, and can is easily stuffed into a backpack. On the other hand, a dry trapnet weighs I 00 pounds and a wet one gains another 200 pounds.

And, a trapnet costs I, 700, with prices constantly escalating. Gill nets are cheaper.

Additionally, trapnets require extended tending. Generally, trapnets are monitored for three days out of each week, usually on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. A gill net can provide ufficient number of fish for study within a day.

Trapnets are mo tly used in fall , for salmon ids. Salmon, togue and trout are fall spawners. Gill nets, though, are useful throughout the open-water season, particularly for warmwater pecies.

William Woodward i an Assistant Regional Fi heries Biologist working out of the Region C DIF&W office in idney. Region C includes much of coastal and central Maine, from Dexter to the Belgrade Region , and down to the Mid-Coa t Region. Bill employ fall Winter 2005

trapnetting on the waters in Region C that contains landlocked salmon, brook, rainbow and brown trout and togue.

Woodward favors trapnetting because it does not harm the fish.

Fall Habit Woodward explained that salmonids always go through the motions of spawning. It is their inborn habit, he says, to lay eggs in order to perpetuate the species. And they do it whether or not the spawning is successful. Each fall, mature salmon, trout and togue, search for spawning habitat. Biologists can take advantage of the spawning behavior to he! p them catch fish with a trap net.

St. George Lake is an example of such a lake. Woodward says that the lake has only two or three small tributaries, not enough to sustain a landlocked salmon fishery through natural reproduction. However, these tributaries are sufficient to attract salmon in fall.

St. George salmon are regularly studied by trapnetting. In 2004, biologists discovered salmon from five different year-classes in their trapnet. These fish provided valuable information on the growth, survival and "robustness" of stocked salmon. Robustness is termed the "K Factor" by biologists and it is an

Fish are returned alive to the water for anglers to catch. index of the overall shape of the fish.

Some general characteristics looked for in fall salmon are the sexual features.

These include plumpness in females and a hooked, lower jaw, or "kype" in males. In all, the 2004 trapnetting of St. George Lake yielded 111 salmon and one

Length and weights are recorded to determine K factor.

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Marc Michaud photo

Marc Michaud photo

largemouth bass. The sampling occurred in the period of ovember 8 thru the 12.

When quizzed as to why only one bass was taken in the trapnetting, Woodward explained that in fall , with the cooler water, the warmwater fish are not active.

Wassookeag Lake, in Dexter, is a Region 8 lake that contains salmon, togue and brook trout. The lake trout here are wild, but the brook trout and salmon are stocked. A trapnet was in action here from October 13 through October 25 , 2004. And like St. George, salmon from five different year classes were present. A total of 36 salmon were captured , along with 38 togue and 21 recently stocked brook trout. Along with the salmonids, the 2004 Wassookeag trapnetting yielded four cusk, three smallmouth bass, three largemouth bass, one black crappie and 15 white perch.

Little Pond, in Damariscotta, required a different approach. Little Pond is a stocked, brook trout water, with no spawning areas. However, a spring seep, with some fine gravel, is enough to draw the brookies to shore in fall, where they go through the spawning ritual. On November 9, 2004, biologists, wearing chest waders, managed to set a seine net up along the shore near the spring seep.

Winter 2005 Page 25

"Seines are not used much," Woodward said. "This is a unique situation , though ." This seine net was 100 feet long, with a bag in the middle.

In the one haul made on Little Pond, biologists captured 66 brook trout. These represented five, different year-classes of fish . Eight of these were trout over 20 inches long.

Brook Trout Comparison Kimball Pond, in Vienna, contains one game fish, the brook trout. Here, Woodward explained, is the fisheries Division is comparing the virtues of the three, different strains of brook trout used for stocking by Dlf&W. These are, first, the Kennebago strain, descended from fish taken from the Kennebago River, the Maine Hatchery strain (these trout were originally from Maine, sold to New Hampshire for their stocking program and eventually, gotten back from that state for stocking in Maine) and a cross between the Kennebago strain and the Maine Hatchery strain.

Fish sampled in Kimball Pond are given a temporary mark on the caudal fin, so when biologists return they can determine the number of marked fish present. This allows them to establish the ratio of fish previously trapped to

Netting allows biologists to compare the performance of different trout strains.

Mark Lalli photo

Page 26 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Shallow water areas are good places to set nets for pike. new recruits. A formula called "mark recapture, allows biologists to make an accurate, population estimate.

Also, by comparing the three, different strains, it is possible to see which strain survives longest and which strain exhibits the best growth rate. The month-long trapnetting here, from October 15 to ovember 15, 2004, captured 103 brook trout. Of these, six were of the Maine Hatchery Strain, 50 were

Mark Lalli photo

pure Kennebago strain and 47 were Kennebago/Maine Hatchery crosses.

Woodward cautions that these are only preliminary findings and more work needs to be done.

Netting Pike Salmonids are not the only fish to be sampled and studied by way of netting.

Woodward points out that pike in the Belgrades are trapnetted in March and April , while they are spawning. These pike are tagged for future study.

Occasionally, DIF&W trapnets bass waters usually in May, when the fish are queuing up for spawning. Trap netting also provides secondary information on other species. For instance, white perch, taken while trapnetting for bass, are sometimes marked and these, when taken later, become part of the mark - recapture study.

Speaking of trapnets in general , Woodward said, "Trapnetting is an ideal tool for biologists. We're not killing the fish. We do it to get information about growth and urvival of pa t tocking ."

The different kinds of net in the Department fishery biologist's ar enal are clearly invaluable a information-gathering tools . So the next time someone in a boat ets a funny looking net along the shore of your favorite pond, watch closely. 1t 's probably a Department biologist, hard at work gathering information that will insure quality fi hing well into the future.

Winter 2005

Steep Falls Wildlife Management Area Steep Falls Wildllife Managment Area is located in Standish and Baldwin 20 miles from Portland and 24 miles ' from the cities of Biddeford and Saco. It is also approximately two miles southwest of Sebago Lake, a major recreation area. World famous landlocked salmon fishing, historically fine deer hunting, proximity to several ski areas and undeveloped land base contribute to the popularity of the area.

wood ducks, black ducks, mallards, and hooded mergansers, use wetland areas to a limited extent.

Whitetailed deer utilize the area year-round, while black bear and moose are occasional visitors. Tucker Brook, which flows through the area, has a population of brook trout.

Habitat

Management

The area encompasses approximately 4,910 acres of forestland, wooded swamp, and wetland. Historic logging has resulted in a diversity of stand types and age classes. Reverting fields and old log yards are prevalent and beaver activity has created flowages throughout.

The overall management objective is to provide for optimum levels of all indigenous wildlife and recreational use by sportsmen and others. Specific activities include habitat manipulation through fuel wood and pre-commercial cuts, and commercial harvest.

The Department continues to use prescriptions of even-aged and uneven-aged management and timber stand improvement to accomplish these objectives. In addition , roadside shoulders, ditches, skid trails, and log landings are treated with lime, fertilizer and a special wildlife seed mix , and are maintained by periodic mowing.

Past land use policies have benefited deer on the area. Continuation of forest management will maintain quality deer habitat, with timber stand improvements at locations historically providing winter cover and browse for deer a priority.

Other species, including snowshoe hare and ruffed grouse, have already benefited from uneven aged forest types and past land use practices, including small bums, and are expected to continue to benefit indirectly from a 10-year stand operations cycle and interspersion of forest types.

Beaver occur on the area periodically. Complaints of flooding have necessitated dam removal and beaver relocation efforts. However, management is provided by regulations developed annually.

Increased water levels due to the presence of beaver benefit other wetland

History The Department historically recognized the sizable white-tailed deer population in the area and its importance in providing deer wintering habitat. This, along with forbearer and waterfowl habitat and the large undeveloped land area, attracted Department interest when the parcel was put up for sale. Guidelines for the State of Maine Wildlife Habitat Acquisition Bond Issue of 1974 were to acquire relatively large tracts of land which were most vulnerable to development. Priority was to be given to upland habitat that was strategically located in the State and was easily accessible to a large population center.

Initial acquisition of the Steep Falls WMA was completed in 1977. Three additional parcels totaling 229 acres were purchased in 198 l. In 1995 two parcels totaling 1,373 acres were purchased with funds from the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Act.

Dominant Species The area contains an array of wildlife species typical of south ern Ma ine. Upland game includes snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse and woodcock.

Furbearers include fisher, red fox, coyote, bobcat, raccoon , beaver, mink, muskrat and otter. Migratory waterfowl , including

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Mark Latti photo

furbearers. Meanwhile, public access is being provided for their utilization.

Activities and Facilities The area is used by sportsmen , hikers, and birdwatchers. Hiking trails are marked by the adjacent campground and logging roads are open to foot traffic.

The Department owns in common the main access road to Adams Pond. It is a graveled 40-foot right-of-way approximately 2.2 miles in length . In addition to this, there are approximately seven miles of summer and winter haul roads traversing the area, 2.5 miles of which are located on recently acquired property.

Directions The area is accessible from several major and secondary roads. It is accessible from Route 114, opposite Ward's Cove on Sebago Lake. The south end is accessible from Route 113 by taking Boundary Road east. There is also an access road to Adams Pond off Route 113 on the Standish - Baldwin line. The smaller, northern unit is accessible off Route 11 in East Sebago.

Winter 2005 Page 27

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Winter 2005

Allagash Wilderness Wanderers

By Frederick Denico In 1997, several of us purchased the northwest part of T7-R 11 in Piscataquis County. We placed a conservation easement on the land where the holder of the easement is the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

We have ridden snow sleds in this region in the Allagash for years and concluded there was a need for a snowmobile club to help recognize snowmobile interests, but more importantly, our obligations to the area.

The Allagash region includes Public Land such as the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and Public Lots, but much of it is privately owned land. We are guests on the land and must treat it accordingly.

Establishing a snowmobile club in the region, and having the Maine Snowmobile Association have a presence in the Allagash area, was one of our goals. The club's home base address is in the Allagash region for that reason.

Officers of the club are: President: Frederick L. Denico, Haymock Lake, Vice-President: Brent Hardy, Snake Pond, Secretary: Jim Pelletier, Clayton Lake Timberland, Treasurer: Gary Pelletier, Cross Lake, retired IF&W Warden. This group has nearly 200 years of experience in the Allagash region.

Member hip in the club is approximately JOO strong from all areas of the state of Maine.

Trails in the area are not groomed or promoted at the request of landowners.

Existing rules for travel on Public Lands and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway are followed. Off trail riding is the order of the day but obeying landowner restrictions is a must, i.e., no riding on plowed roads. Safe riding is the paramount since this area is remote, rugged and not readily accessible in the event of an accident.

The club has a Website: http://www.allagashwanderers.com/, where you can locate information and pictures of the region.

We welcome contributed pictures of the area from any one who might have some for inclusion on the site. The income from membership fees is kept to a minimum and any surplus is used for worthwhile projects. We contributed to the Taylor Camp Restoration Project in 2002/03 and to the Ladies' Trail Ride for Breast Cancer Awareness in 2003/04.

For the next two years, we are creating a fund with the hope of donating a Rescue Bogan to the Maine Warden Service for use in the Allagash Region in 2006. Many of our members are volunteers for the CanAm Sled Dog races because of their familiarity with the Allagash Region and some are members of the Advisory Council on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

Gary, the club treasurer, says it best when he offered the following: "We like to leave nothing but a track in the snow and take home nothing but memories."

If you wish to be part of the group, yearly memberships are $5 for members of MSA and $15.00 for non-MSA members. Send requests to: Gary Pelletier, 2873 Caribou Road, Cross Lake, ME 04779 Phone: 207 834-3468 E-mail: woodsedge@sjv.net

Bureau of Parks & Lands Director Dave Soucy listens to Allagash Wilderness Wanderers member concerns regarding winter access to the Allagash Waterway.

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Winter 2005

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