Maine Fish and Wildlife Magazine, Spring 2005

Maine State Library

Maine State Documents Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Magazine

Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

3-1-2005

Maine Fish and Game Magazine, Spring 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, Spring 2005" (2005). Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Magazine. Book 54. http://digitalmaine.com/ifw_magazine/54

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.

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Page 2 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Spring 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 Advisory Council Raymond H. Poulin Jr., Ripley, Chairman Robert. S. Savage, Limington, Vice Chair Ron Usher, Westbrook R. Leo Keiffer, Caribou John Law, Mexico Raymond Picard, Newcastle Harlow Floyd, Holden Lance Wheaton , Forest City David A. Wardwell, Penobscot 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

Editorial

4

Commissioner Roland D. Martin

Movin g forward with the Warden Service after 125 years of traditi on.

Legislators

5

Cathy Genther

Meet the members of Maine's Fish and Wildlife Legislati ve Committee.

Hooked

8

Emily Jones

A look at the Department's youth program that introduces fis hing.

Warden's Job

10

George Stobie

Tradition still directs Warden Serv ice approach.

Little Ossipee

13

Mark Latti

A watery Maine Wildlife Management Area.

Let's Go Fishing

16

Emily Jones

Fun and games and excellent fi shing advice too.

Warden History

18

Warden Service

Highlights from 125 years of proud service to Maine's wildlife.

Wildlife Planners 25

WRAS Staff

Multiple projects keeping biologists busy

About the Cover: Department photographer Mark Latti made this photo of the Warden Service Color Guard during memorial ceremonies in Augusta.

Spring 2005 Page 3

not been forthcoming, and many department programs are suffering as a result.

There is so much to do and so little to do it with," said Watson. "The recent bear hunting referendum taught us an important lesson that all of Maine's citizens, whether they hunt or not, are interested in fisheries and wildlife matters in our state. I am gratified that the people of Maine decided in the end, to leave wildlife management to the experts in DIF&W. But it was a close call, and we should recognize the need to educate and involve the non-hunting public so that they have a better appreciation for the jobs all of you at IF &Ware doing."

Representative Watson is the house chair of the committee and is a member of the Taxation Committee. Watson also served the house during the 121st legislative session. He lives in Bath with his wife and has seven grandchildren.

Watson is a retired US Navy commander with service in Vietnam and also a practicing trial lawyer. as well as a master registered Maine guide.

Representative Walter A. Wheeler, Sr. (D-Kittery) House District 151 "I enjoy serving on the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee because I've been a fisherman and a hunter all my life," said Wheeler. "I enjoy being on the commmittee and it has been very interesting becau e of some of the bills that we've had. For example, one of those bills was to allow Sunday hunting.

I voted in favor of it in the unorganized territories."

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Representative Wheeler is serving his second term in the house and has served during the 121 st legislative session. He lives in Kittery with his wife and they have eight children, 22 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. He is retired from the Portsmouth Naval shipyard. He is a World War Ir veteran and is a member of a number of organizations including the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine and the Southern Maine Fish and Game Club.

Representative Stanley A. Moody (D-Manchester) House District 83 "Maine, to me, can be defined as small business and recreation, the two rarely being mutually exclusive. have extensive experience in both - a lifetime of creating, managing and consulting with small business, and a lifetime of enjoying the Maine outdoors through hunting, fishing and camping," said Moody. "I am deeply concerned that funding limitations and decades of politicizing IF&W are degrading the sterling reputation that Maine has enjoyed as a premier producer of trophy bucks and the wild brook trout, both being the most sought-after game in North America. Flat funding of the management of our natural resources is, I believe, a pattern of moving backward when other states are aggressively cultivating this important tourism initiative."

Representative Moody is serving his second term in the house and has served during the !21st legislative session. He works as a business consultant and is pastor at the North Manchester Meeting House Church. He and his wife live in Manchester and have nine children. He is a registered Maine Guide.

Representative Jacqueline A. Lundeen (D-Mars Hill) House District 6 "I have lived my whole life in Aroostook County and enjoyed all kinds

of outdoor recreation. I was the boy my dad didn't have, so I was always with him, and he was a great sportsman. Being on the fish and wildlife committee lets me be a part of the great outdoors when I'm not at home," said Lundeen.

"I have always been an avid supporter of snowmobiles and ATVs. I am most concerned with ensuring access for outdoor recreation."

Representative Lundeen also serves on the Agriculture, and Forestry and Conservation Committees and the Committee on Bills in the Second Reading. Lundeen has served in the house during the I 20th and 121 st legislative sessions. She and her husband have three children and run a family farm in Mars Hill.

Representative Troy D. Jackson (D-Fort Kent) House District 1 "Being a member of the Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Committee lets me work on policy issues that are important to my district and family.

Hunting and fishing are part of my family's heritage and 1 want to pass that on to my children responsibly." said Jackson. "Outdoor activities are all around me, and I love spending time with my family outdoors. I believe that access for traditional use of our land and waters is one of the most significant issues our committee considers."

Representative Jackson also serves on the Labor Committee and has served in the house during the 121 st and I 22nd legislative sessions. He works as a log-

Spring 2005

ger and lives with his wife and two children in Fort Kent.

Representative Mark E. Bryant (D-Windham) House District 110 "My district includes some of our best lakesLittle Sebago, Highland, Forest, and part of Big Sebago, as well as numerous ponds.

It's one of the best hunting grounds in the state, yet it's adjacent to the Maine Wildlife Park. Serving on the IF&W Committee lets me play a role in preserving the environment and ensuring access to these lands and bodies of water for future generations," said Bryant. "I come from a family that has always enjoyed the outdoors. I've been a hunter all my life and have been on three moose hunts. My main concern is preserving our resources for the future."

This is Representative Bryant's first term in the Maine Legislature where he also serves on the Judiciary and Ethics Committee . He lives in Windham with his wife and three children.

Representative A. David Trahan CR-Waldoboro) House District 50 "I enjoy serving on the committee for many reasons. I've been a lifelong sportsman and I've always enjoyed the political discussion around hunting and fishing policy so it is a natural fit for me. I enjoy that committee because of its bipartisan nature as well as the issues that are near and dear to my heart," said Trahan. "One of the most important issues we face is striking

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a balance between protecting wildlife and managing for hunting and fishing."

Representative Trahan is the ranking minority member on the committee for this session and the 121 st legislative session. Trahan also served in the house during the 119th and 120th legislative sessions. In addition to the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, he serves on the Government Oversight Committee. He lives in Waldoboro with his wife where he works as a selfemployed logger. He is the past President of the Lincoln County Fish & Game Association and a former member of the Inland Fisherie and Wildlife's Advisory Council.

Representative Earl E. Richardson CR-Greenville) House District 27 "I live in Greenvi lie, the heart of Maine's hunting and fishing area, and I have the opportunity to talk with hunters and fishermen daily and am able to pass their wishes on to the Legislature," said Richardson. "Being a part of the management of the fish and wildlife in Maine is very rewarding. It is important to do all we can to preserve our heritage and traditions for all future generations to enjoy."

Representative Richardson is serving his third term in the house, having served during the I I 9th and 121 st legislative sessions. Richardson owns a restaurant in Greenville and the Moosehead Cable TY Company. He is a member of the National Rifle Association, the Sportsman 's Alliance of Maine and is a registered Maine Guide.

He and his wife live in Greenville and have four children.

Representative Richard M. Cebra CR-Naples) House District 101 "I have been a lifelong hunter, fisherman and lover of the outdoors since I

was very young. I can remember fishing on Sebago Lake when l was barely three years old," said Cebra. "I wanted to do my part to preserve our outdoor heritage for my two children and future hunter and fishermen for years to come. I have hunted and fished all up and down the east coast and have found there is no where that can compare with the treasure we have here in Maine."

Representative Cebra is serving his first term in the house. He lives in aples with his wife and they have two children. Cebra and his wife own the Steamboat Landing Mini Golf and Ice Cream Parlor in aples. He is a member of a number of organizations including the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, the Sebago Lake Anglers Association and the National Rifle Association.

Representative David E. Richardson CR-Carmel) House District 23 "This committee and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife serve as guardians of Maine's outdoor heritage. lam honored to have been chosen as one of the gatekeepers," said Richardson. "We must always balance the needs of the people with the available natural resources. If in doubt, we must weigh our decision in favor of the resources."

Representative Richardson is serving his first term in the Maine Legislature.

Richardson is a retired educator and lives in Carmel with his wife and they have two children.

Spring 2005 Page 7

Getting Maine's Youth Hooked on Fishing Photos and Text

By Emily Jones here are very few things in life that are more precious than time spent with children.

The joy that comes when you watch them accomplish a task on their own for the first time is invaluable. Taking a child fishing is a great way to spend this type of quality time with them and to watch them grow and learn.

Fishing can be an easy and inexpensive hobby to share with children, even for tho e anglers who are not the most skilled or knowledgeable.

I began fishing Maine's lakes and streams when I was about five years old.

Some of my mo t cherished memories

T

Alyssa Griffen, age 4, ice fished with her Dad Michael at the Fayette Family Fishing Day on Echo Lake, January 29, 2005.

Page 8 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

from childhood include times spent with my dad at a nearby beaver pond swatting away black flies and catching brook trout or braving the cold while ice fishing on Swan Lake.

Those fishing trips not only allowed me to learn and bond with my father, but they also taught me to appreciate and value the outdoors.

Learning to fish sparked my interest in other outdoor activities, and I quickly learned to be self-reliant and eventually grew up to become an ethical and responsible sport man. I am grateful to have had these experiences as a child. As the Activities Coordinator for the Department I am now able Learning at a very young age has made fishing a to take those experiences lifelong hobby for me. and hare them with together, but they actually combine quite Maine's youth and farnjlies. well and create a very effective program to educate youth. It's really about finding Hooked on Fishing - Not on Drugs the means to show them positive alternaThis is a program designed to pretive that can help them overcome some vent drug use through sport fishing and of the is ue that may lead them to drug aquatic resource education. The program use.

Studies have shown that some of the is used by the Department as a tool to rea ons youth turn to drug include boreeducate Maine' youth . The Future Fisherman Foundation developed the pro- dom, low self-esteem, inadequate problem-solving skjlls and peer pressure. gram after they received a letter from a Taking children fi hing and teaching 14-year-old boy named Matthew Deakins them a healthy, productive and life-long sharing his story about how learning to hobby has proven an effective way to fish helped keep him from using drugs. overcome some of these causes.

In his letter, he wrote "Fishing has helped The Hooked on Fishing - Not on keep me off drugs. 1t gives me the time is utilized in Maine by Drug program and the place to think things out, and over 100 trained volunteer instructors. fi hing is fun. T think if more kids my age The program i used by teachers, Boy learned to fish, it would help keep them Scout and Girl Scout leaders, parents, off drugs, too." sporting clubs, law enforcement officers It seems trange that two uch unreand many others. The program has even lated subjects could possibly work

Spring 2005

been used this past winter in conjunction with ice fishing derbies, such as the FET, Inc. Annual Ice Fishing Derby on Little Ossipee Lake and the Phippsburg Sportsman's Association Annual Ice Fishing Derby on Winnegance Pond.

However, there are youth fishing derbies , tournaments, "learn to fish" days and fami ly events planned by sporting clubs, volunteer groups, schools, camps and by the Department throughout the year. With the help of countless volunteers these events introduce Maine's youth to the sport of angling and teaches them to responsibly utilize Maine's natural resources.

The four components of the Hooked on Fishing - Not on Drugs program include angling skills, fish biology, human dimensions and life skill development. Combining these four components into one powerful package makes the Hooked on Fishing - Not on Drugs program unique, effective and truly successful. Get on board and take your children fishing today. ff you are interested in learning more about the Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs program in Maine or if you would like to become a trained volunteer instructor, log on to www.mefish-

wildlife.com and click on the education link. You can also contact me directly at (207) 287-8069 or emil y.jones@maine.gov.

For further information about the Future Fisherman Foundation log onto www.futurefisherman.org.

Whitney and Drew Small spent Easter morning Fishing on Cross Pond in Morrill with their uncle Randy Cross.

Tips for Parents Adapted from the Parent's Guide to Hooked on Fishing - Not on Drugs Fishing with your children can be very rewarding and educational. Here are some tips for taking them along .

As you head out the door, leave behind the tension and take along a smile, an open mind, and a lot of patience.

Make t fun Above all else, make the fishing trip fun and safe . Don't measure the success of the trip by the number or size of fish caught. Make the trip successful simply by having a fun , safe time outdoors. Praise children for their patience and cooperation . or h Teaching children to fish from shore has some important advantages. It provides them more opportunity to go on their own or with friends when they are old enough . Give the first few lessons at a local park, farm pond, or a lake with a dock or gentle shoreline where children can run and play when their attention span runs short. If and when you progress to a boat, be sure to have the proper safety equipment for you and your youngster.

I ish Catching fish is important; size isn't. Start new anglers off on species that are plentiful and more easily caught. Popular fish for beginners are sunfish or perch. Most kids prefer to catch lots of fish versus big fish . Larger fish can be sought when the child has developed basic fishing skills.

Start with the basics: Begin with simple equipment and bait. Use simple spincasting equipment, a bobber and a hook with live bait, as it will work well for a variety of fish species. Be sure the equipment your child uses is in good working order to avoid any unnecessary frustration.

1 People, regardless of their age, enjoy fishing more when they are in control and have the ability to do it themselves. Resist the temptation to do things for your children. If you are using live bait, teach them how to put it on the hook themselves. Teach them how to tie their hook onto their line and how to cast. On future trips , help them develop these skills and their self-esteem , as they begin to master them .

For more tips or a copy of the Parent's Guide to Hooked on Fishing - Not on Drugs contact Emily Jones at (207) 287-8069.

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Spring 2005 Page 9

The

Importance of a Game Warden's Job

By George J. Stobie Commissioner Department of Inland Fisheries and Game

1928 - 1950

Page 10 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

his paper has been prepared for wardens, with the object of bringing about that understanding of the policy of the State essential to the best performance of their duty, and to convey to them that sense of the importance and dignity of their office essential to respect for loyalty to and interest in their jobs.

It is the policy of the State of Maine to build up its fish and game industry. To accomplish this purpose every unit in the organization, from the Commissioner down to the most remote Deputy Warden of the State, must work together, - harmony, teamwork and understanding should prevail in every branch and department of the service.

Every Warden is provided with the fish and game Jaws, and of course is expected to familiarize himself with

T

them. These laws reflect the policy of the State, but the Warden should look beyond the letter of the laws and catch the vision of their spirit.

Wardens are not just fish and game protectors. They are much more than that.

They are the State personified, and represent its interest in executing the law. The State is not a mere section of earth confined within certain boundaries. The State is the spirit of the people - the instrument through which the people by their chosen representatives transact their public bu siness ... Hence, the Warden , as a citizen of the State, has a personal interest in his work equal to that of any citizen. He is not a man apart from his neighbors and other citizens. He is one of them. He has different duties to perform , of course, but their interests and his are the same, namely, the maintenance of

Spring 2005

conditions that make for the greatest degree of health, happiness and prosperity and the greatest good to the greatest number of our people and their guests.

The Warden, therefore, should regard himself as a stockholder with an interest in the fish and game business beyond that of a hired man .

The fish and game laws are made to protect and preserve the fi h and game; therefore, the first duty of the Warden is to enforce the laws without fear or favor, but in so doing he must use discretion and judgment.

It is an old rule of law that ignorance of the law is no excuse for its violation, and the reason for the rule was that if a person could escape the penalty of a wrongful act by pleading ignorance of the Jaw, no one would be punished and the laws would be nullified . This rule came into force in the early days of the common law, and while it is in force today, conditions are not the same as they were then . Very few people know the fish and game laws, except in the most superficial way, but the essential ones are well known to our people. The laws against wanton destruction of either fish or game are known to all, and are the ones most essential to enforcement; and as to these, there must be very alert watchfulness.

Dealings With Poachers The poacher is not only a willful breaker of the law but he is the enemy of the people, and it sometime happens that he is, through his own lack of ability in seeing traight, an enemy of himself. The Warden can sometimes convert a poacher by reasoning with him; pointing out to him that if it were not for the law, even the poacher by reasoning with him; pointing out to him that if it were not for the law, even the poacher would have to go out of that kind of business for want of game and fish to hunt and kill. How much better it would be for the poacher to use his skill in, and knowledge of, the woods as a guide, and sell his services in an honorable and lawful manner, than it is to skulk and sneak around in the effort to beat the law and the game Wardens, and finally sooner or later, get caught and punished. The Warden should how the poacher where, if all citizens were like him , there would very soon be no game in the woods or fish in the streams.

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Photo--Courte&7 llnine lnlund Fl berle

and Gnme Dept.

Warden Bert Duty serving fried Partridge Breasts at his camp on Roach River.

Incidentally, if that day ever came (and a poacher's activities tend in that direction) both his and the Warden's occupation would be gone, together with that of the guides, the camps, and every storekeeper, farmer and manufacturer who now enjoys ome degree of prosperity because of the stream of money flowing into the state through those who come seeking health and recreation in our forests and on our lakes and streams; and a poacher should be made to realize that he is wrong from the standpoint of his own interests, to say nothing of his work tending to hurt his neighbors, and others who get all or a part of their living through erving or supplying those who come to our hunting and fishing grounds.

Let all Wardens plant this seed in the minds of all with whom they come in contact, so that the incidental sympathy which poachers enjoy at times from unthinking people will become frozen no person who derives any direct or indirect benefit from our fish and game business will have much sympathy for the man whose actions and influence seek to destroy that business and thu take away the benefits he now enjoys. Particularly should Warden press this point home to guides who catch the vision of the real significance of the poacher and what his activities mean. The guide has a vital

interest in the preservation of fish and game and he should be just as much opposed to the poacher as the sardine men are against the horse mackerel. In the face of popular sentiment against him , the poacher will soon wither away.

He would not long escape both wardens and guides who sincerely seek to stop him.

The Incidental and Accidental Violator In all crime there must be the intent to commit the overt act, knowing the same to be a breach of the law. For example: to constitute larceny at the common law "there must be the specific intent to deprive the owner of ownership in the thing taken away." This is the poacher.

He intends to rob the State of its property and thereby rob those who, directly or indirectly, derive profit therefrom. Now so with the man who is innocent of any intent to violate the law. Here the Warden finds himself facing a grave responsibility. He must not injure the State by taking an innocent man into court. It is better that two guilty men escape the penalty for a misdemeanor than that one innocent man be arrested and humiliated. While ignorance of the law cannot be pleaded in court as a complete defen e, under the technical rule of pleading, it should be Spring 2005

Page 11

considered by the Warden. The bulk of the prohibitions of the fish and game statutes are not common law crimes and there are situations wherein one may commit a breach under ignorance and with no criminal intent. Such cases require great care, and the Warden should proceed with great caution, remembering always that the policy of the State is to make friends for the fish and game laws and regulations. He must, in the light of his own knowledge, examine the facts, the careers of any who are caught in transgression, so far as known to him, or easily obtainable - their reputation in the communitie in which they live; their manner in answering questions and the general tone of their conver ation. If his own mind becomes satisfied that the party is guilty of no more than an excusable error - without guilty conscience he should be kindly and courteously admonished. The law and its purpose should be explained to him. The Warden should make helpful suggestions to him

regarding the use of the woods and streams so that he can get the largest recreation out of their use. When that ha been done, his gratitude, respect and friendship will have been won, or at least deserved. This is building for the State and it is also adding to the character.

After having sifted any particular case as thoroughly as possible, if the Warden still finds himself in doubt, he should report all the facts to his chief and leave the rest to him. The foregoing is upon the assumption that the transaction is with a citizen of the State and county.

The Warden's Relations with Non Resident Sportsmen The Warden's services belong fir t and foremost to the State, therefore, he cannot act as guide to private parties. He can, however, be cordial, courteous and friendly with trangers, giving them when requested to do so, such information as they may wish. The Warden is a State

1•hoto-Courtesy )laine Inlund risherh•s and Game J>ept.

Poling canoe on dry land at Mud Pond Carry Tramway.

Page 12 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

officer and as such should conduct himself with dignity and courtesy, but he should not truckle or permit himself to be demeaned, or walked on. His uniform represents the dignity and sovereignty of the State and must be respected by all.

The Warden will sometimes find a hunter or fisherman who will make irritating remarks, or who will be truculent and fault finding. This type of sportsman is the most difficult human problem to the Warden. Fortunately they are not numerous, but there is a percentage of them and they must be understood if they are to be dealt with justly. They may be undergoing nervous reactions due to business activities, close attention to their work, or social demands which have deprived them of their needed rest. Our woods and lakes and treams mean more to them perhaps than they realize. With such, the Wardens must be patient, slow to take offense, and as helpful as possible. Even the intelligent grouch will, in the face of uch courtesy and forbearance, realize with hame his own petulance and be grateful when it is not re ented.

Then again there is the type of men who think that they cannot have a good time in the woods without bringing intoxicating liquor with them , and they are liberal with the bottle. The Warden should never by any chance accept the invitation to drink with them, so long as he is an employee of the State of Maine. The true Warden is loyal to his State and to its Jaws, and this loyalty should govern his conduct, with all cla ses of men. He will win respect for himself more often than he will create displeasure by acting the part of an ideal citizen. Civilization belongs in the woods as well as in the parlors of the rich, and the nearer the Warden can measure up to the conduct of a genuine gentleman the nearer he will approach to living the true and ideal Warden .

Spring 2005

Maine Wildlife Management Area

Little Ossipee River Tract Photos by Mark Latti The Little Ossipee River Tract is located in Limington, in northeastern York County. It contains 1, 193 acres, of mostly softwood-dominated forested upland. The Little Ossipee River flows through the tract dividing it roughly in half from north to south.

The Maine Department of Conservation, Bureau of Parks and Recreation purchased the area in December 1972 and January 1973 utilizing Federal Land and Water Conservation Funds and State funds.

Subsequently, a Cooperative Agreement between the DOC and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife transferred administration and management responsibility to the Department. This tract is part of a 2,300-acre block of state land , which includes Killick Pond WMA to the southeast, and a parcel owned by the Maine National Guard .

Dominant Species In addition to white-tailed deer, the area supports a number of other resident and migratory upland game species

I

The Little Ossipee River can become a raging torrent during periods of heavy spring runoff. including snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse, and woodcock. Upland furbearers include: red fox , raccoon , fisher, bobcat, and coyote. Aquatic furbearers include beaver, muskrat, otter, and mink. Moose

and black bear are occasional visitors.

The Little Ossipee River, and its associated wetlands provide nesting, feeding, and migratory stopover habitat for a number of waterfowl species including wood ducks, hooded mergansers, black ducks, mallards and ringnecked ducks. The River also provides a sport fishery for smallmouth bass, chain pickerel , black crappie, white perch , brown bullhead, yellow perch, and an occasional brook trout.

Habitat

Whitetailed deer are one of the wildlife species found on the Little Ossipee River Tract.

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Habitat is mostly upland forest.

Older stands of white pine predominate, with younger softwood or mixed stands patchily distributed throughout. This habitat is a result of the abandonment of agricultural practices of the late l 800's and early 1900s. This reversion of farmland to forest is typical of southwestern Maine, and is identified by the predominance of white pine, eastern hemlock, and red oak.

The northeast portion , between the Hardscrabble Road and the Little Ossipee

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River, is mostly white pine dominated softwood forest with remaining mixed stands of red oak, pine, and hemlock.

Topography is a broad, flat, sandy plain interrupted by drainage courses. This area also contains roughly 20 acres of riverine and floodplain wetlands.

Topography in the southeast portion ranges from broad, flat, sandy plains to steep slopes abutting the river and its backwaters. The predominant forest cover is mixed wood. The southwest quadrant is dominated by white pine with several areas of planted pines in the southernmost portion. Hemlock and white pine dominate the northwest portion of the tract, which is part of a deer wintering area.

Management The long-range management objectives for the Little Ossipee River Tract are to provide for optimum levels of all indigenous wildlife species, and to provide for maximum utilization of the area for consumptive and non-consumptive recreation. Specific management objectives are currently being developed.

Anticipated management activities include timber stand improvement, enhancement of shelter in deer wintering

An old stone wall ads to the historic interest of the Little Ossipee River Tract. areas , and maintenance of mast producing trees.

Activities

The area is currently used for a variety of recreational activities including hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, canoeing, and birdwatching.

Directions

Colorful lichens create a richly abstract pattern on a rock at the Little Ossipee River Tract.

Page 14 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

From 1-95/Maine Turnpike Exit 8 in We tbrook, take Route 25 west to Standish.

To reach the south end of the Tract, take Route 35A south, then tum right onto Route 35. After crossing the Saco River, take a right onto Sand Pond Road, and continue aproximately three miles, until you reach the River. To reach the northwest side of the Tract, continue west on Route 25 . Shortly after crossing the Saco River in East Limington , tum left onto Jlardscrabble Road. The western boundary begins roughly a mile down on your right and runs adjacent to Hardscrabble Road .

Little Ossipee River Tract is maintained by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. It operation and maintenance are supported by your fees as we! I as revenue from the ale of hunting and fi hing license , and federal monie under the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program .

Spring 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

Quantity

Item

Price Ea

Total

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

_M _L _XL _

·xxL $15 .00 $

Forest Green Deer

_M _L _XL _

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stonewashed Green Moose

_M _

L _XL _

·XXL $15.00 $ _ _

Pebble Turkey w/Camo Logo _M _L _XL _

·XXL $15.00 $ _ _

Turkey Hat w/camo logo

$16.00 $ - -

Trout Hat

$16 .00 $

Deer Hat

$16.00 $

Bass Hat

$16 .00 $ - -

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www.mefishwildlife.com MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Signature Spring 2005 Page 15

What do we need to ta~ for tac~le?

Circle only the items that are used for fishing

Minnows

Swivels

Crank Baits

Jigs

Nutshells

Grasshoppers

Plastic Worms

Fishing With Friends

Page 16 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Spring 2005

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Bass are found in lakes, ponds, reservoirs and rivers . Try fishing around tree stumps, brush, rocks, and weeds. Minnows, crayfish and grasshoppers make good bait.

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Trout are only found in cold water. You can fish for them in lakes or rivers. Worms, grasshoppers, minnows and in some areas corn or bacon make great bait.

Sunfish such as pumkinseed and crappie are sometimes called pan fish because they easily fit in a frying pan! Try fishing around docks, trees, and brushy areas. Worms . small minnows. crickets. and grasshoppers make great bait.

When you 're out fishing , look for these types of shelter, these are places that you may find fish!

Always Be An Ethical Angler Ethics help you do the right thing. At the end of your fishing day you want to be able to look back and say, "I'm an ethical angler'' In order to be an ethical angler you must take the right conservation measures to ensure there are plenty of good fishing days to follow. Never keep fish that aren't within the legal length llm1t or take more fish then the state law allows. If you don't plan on eating the fish then be sure to quickly release 1t back into the water. Being an ethical angler is an investment in everyones fishing future!

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Spring 2005

Warden Service History On March 9, 2005 the Maine Warden Service celebrated its 125th anniversary. In its 125 years many changes have occurred. Below is a timeline of Warden Service history from 1800 to present.

1800 Inland fish were considered worthless - could not be caught in commercial quantities.

Money fish - salmon, shad and alewives.

Prior to 1830, little law enforcement o wardens Few laws enforced by local officials.

1830 Wardens appointed by the governor - deer and moose wardens No organized fish and game department.

Fir t time moose and deer had a closed season (Open season was 9/1 to 12/31 )No bag limit on moose and deer First Bounty - Bounty on Crows $.08

1838 Three fish wardens were appointed for three counties: Thaddeus H. Spear of Gardiner, Francis Blackman of Bradley, Caleb Gilman of Meddybemps.

Wardens paid to enforce the fish laws. Jurisdiction only over migratory fish: salmon, shad and alewives.

Inland fishes considered of no value.

Migratory fishes easily netted in large numbers and sold commercially.

1850 Department of Inland Fisheries & Game was established.

Two Commissioners were appointed

by Governor: Charles G. Atkins of Orland and athan W. Foster of East Machias. Soon after their appointment, the state began its first fish culture experiments. Appointed only for migratory fish purposes.

1870 First caribou protection offered. No bag limit No dogs could be used in hunting caribou.

Marc Michaud photo

Page 18 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

1871 Commissioner Atkins chose Craig Brook in Orland as a site for salmon breeding operations. The old dam was rebuilt, fish trapped in the Penobscot River and transported by dory nine miles to Orland. June 7, 1871 , first day of transporting salmon. Twelve were put in dories. Eight of them died en route. As the summer went on, the mortality decreased.

72,000 eggs were obtained that year.

Federal Fishery Commission in Washington, D.C., funded hatcheries, the first hatchery was built in 1871 at Sebec Lake. Salmon were hatched there.

1873 Caribou season shortened I 0/1 to 12/31 - no bag limit.

Deer bag limit set - three deer per hunter per year.

1879 Hatcheries were built at Rangeley and Moosehead.

Governor Alonzo Garcelon.

E.M Stilwell and Henry 0. Stanley Commissioners of Inland Fisheries and Game. Stanley served as commissioner for 34 years and continuously tried to improve Warden Service with appeals for more money.

Legislation set statewide seasons on salmon, trout and togue.

1880 The two fishery commissioners were made responsible for game laws as well fish laws. The state was facing depletion of both fish and game. The beginning of what is know as the Inland Fisheries and Game Department was established.

Sixty wardens were hired . Paid $25 .00 a year to enforce fish laws.

March 9, 1880 the Maine Legislature passed Chapter 208 of Maine Law, creating the Maine Warden Service, a we know it today.

Game wardens were hired to protect game, but had no salary at all. They received half the amount of fines paid by lawbreakers they arrested . Three days

Spring 2005

after Game Wardens were appointed, the first case came to court to be prosecuted.

Two subjects ran a pregnant doe down in deep snow and slit her throat.

They were convicted and paid $7 1.00 in fines.

November and December gave the pothunters immense advantage. At the close of the open season of 1882, the prospect was dark for the protectionist, for his work of years was nearly destroyed in a single season."

1881

1886

Commissioner Stanley made the following statement to the Governor: "Game Wardens receive no regular salary at all. They are expected to be sustained by enthusiasm alone in game protection; to abandon home and the occupations that give bread to their families, and go forth to the forest for the reward of one-half of the penalties that they may obtain from captured and convicted law-breakers and the soul-stirring privilege of shooting on sight any dog which they may observe chasing deer."

The public feared reporting fish and game violators - fearing burning of homes, poisoning of stock, and their lives endangered.

Crusters, Canadian hunters, entered Maine along its borders and killed scores of Moose to sell the hides in the Toronto market. Over 1,000 hides were sold that year which came from Maine.

Despite game law violations in Maine, apparently other states had even more trouble; the Boston Herald reported, "The State of Maine has the most rigid and best enforced code of laws for the protection of game and game fish of any state in the union!"

November 8, 1886 - Wardens Lyman Hill and Charles Niles were shot to death at Twp.36 in Washington County when they attempted to take a dog that had been used for driving deer, by the owner Calvin Graves of Hancock.

1882 The Legislature enacted a law prohibiting the exportation of game from Maine. The law was good but no wardens lived on the borders of the state at this time.

Governor Frederick Robie.

Attempts were made to prohibit dumping saw dust and bark into the rivers. The spawning grounds were being deprived of good, clean bottoms.

Black Bass were stocked in many lakes.

Comments from Commissioner Stilwell and Stanley: "Warden L.O. Hill has shown great interest in his work and has the confidence of our best citizens.

He certainly has done good work and I hope we may retain his services in the future as an active game police for which service he is well titted. The year 1882, was the most destructive of game of any four years. Market hunters swarmed into our woods from al I parts of the state and Massachusetts, broke over all restraint of decency, used dogs, crust hunted, and even shot the does upon the barrens in April. The frequent light snows of

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

1887 First salaried wardens $1.50 a day A whole train carload full of caribou was apprehended before reaching the Boston Market.

1888 Governor S.S. Marble

1889

1893 Governor Henry B. Cleaves Thomas H. Wentworth & Henry 0.

Stanley - Commissioners of Inland Fisheries and Game

1895 Governor Henry B. Cleaves Thomas H. Wentworth, Henry 0.

Stanley & Charles E. Oak Commissioners of lnland Fisheries and Game Licensed taxidermists Hatcheries - Sebago, Auburn, Kineo, Caribou, Weld, Enfield.

First state-owned Hatchery built in Caribou, Maine

1896 Second state-owned hatchery built in Monmouth - cost $1,000.00 (40 acres).

Commissioners oflnland Fisheries & Game - Leroy T. Carleton, Henry 0.

Stanley and Charles E. Oak. There are 48 commissioned inland fish and game wardens in the state, all under bond for the faithful discharge of their duties.

Many ponds stocked with smelts now.

1897

Bag limit on Moose - one bull moose - no calves or cows after 1889.

Governor E.C. Burleigh.

Good men are needed to guard the boarder during the crust-hunting season.

For this we have not had the means and it has not been done. -Commissioners Stillwell & Stanley.

Governor Llewellyn Powers Required Maine guides to keep records of persons employed and days guiding.

Damage to crops by deer were investigated and some funds paid out to owners.

1890

1899

Lumbering in full swing in the back country - attempts to control slaughter of deer for camp meat in the lumber camps.

Commissioner Stillwell and Stanley wrote to Governor Burleigh, "There seems to be a better feeling, except in a few localities, in favor of protecting our fish and game. More are beginning to see the large amount of money they bring into our state ... (Note: this was the basis when we represented that fish and game was the # 1 resource in the state of Maine.) Even the poor man in the back woods gains from the hunters as he often guides their party. Fish & Game # l resource, Agriculture #2 resource, Wood Industry #3 resource.

Closed season on caribou.

Disappearance stimulated much interest in game protection.

1892 Limit on deer - two per hunter per year.

1900 Four new hatcheries - Edes Falls, East Auburn, Monmouth and Caribou were finished.

Trapping season - fisher, mink, muskrat and sable 10/ 16 to 4/30. Beaver protected al I year.

Bounties - $5 .00 for wildcats and wolves. (Since 1830-1900 bounties on bear, wolves, wildcats, crows and porcupines.)

Resulting from "September Law" 1899 - Maine hunters pay $4.00 (nonresident $6.00) license if they want to kill a deer in September. They were allowed two deer during the regular season also.

No license was required for those two

Spring 2005 Page 19

deer, only the deer taken in September.

Mainers were concerned - they felt "Mainers had always felt that wild birds and animals of their forests, the leaping fish of their streams and lakes, were fair game for anyone skillful enough to take them."

1902 Governor John F. Hill.

Commissioners L.T. Carleton, Henry 0. Stanley & Edgar E. Ring.

1904 Nonresident paid $15.00 to hunt.

Six new wardens were hired from this income.

1906 Governor William T. Cobb.

Commissioners Leroy T. Carleton, J.W. Brackett & Edgar E. Ring.

1907 Prohibited sale of trout, landlocked salmon, togue, white perch and black bass.

York and Cumberland counties had bucks only law.

Sunday hunting - "We have constant complaints from many sections of the state of the violation of the "Sunday law," so-called, which does not come within the scope of our duties to enforce.

Sunday is closed time on game, made so by statute. The old "Sunday Law," socalled, which applies to fishing as well, and is constantly, openly and notoriously violated, and, as we say above, it is not within the scope of our duties to enforce."

Department tried to introduce to legislation to keep guns out of the woods during closed season.

Hunting accidents - two fatals, 30 wounded.

19 13 Governor William T. Haines Commissioners - J.S .P.H. Wilson, Walter I. Neal, and Blaine S. Viles.

1914 Governor William T. Haines Commissioners - Harry B. Austin, Walter I. Neal and Blaine S. Viles.

Fish and game associations cropping up all over the state.

1915 Governor Oakley C. Curtis Commissioners - Harry B. Austin, Walter I. Neal, and Frank E. Mace.

1916 Governor Oakley C. Curtis Commissioners - Harry 8. Austin, Leon G. C. Brown and Frank E. Mace.

Need auto trucks to stock fish instead of railroad cars.

Warden Service looked on favorably.

Need better pay, automobiles to take care of poachers using autos to hunt at night.

Hunting accidents 16 fatals, 21 wounded Talk of state lands purchased to have preserves.

Governor Bert M. Fernald.

Inland Fisheries & Game Commissioners - J. W. Brackett, Blaine S. Viles and Edgar Ring.

Hatcheries and feeding stations: Caribou, Enfield, Squaw Brook, Lake Moxie, North Belgrade, Monmouth, Lake Auburn, Oquossoc, Sebago Lake and Knox County.

1912

1920

Governor Frederick W. Plaisted Commissioners - J.S.P.H. Wilson, Blaine S. Viles and F.E. Mace.

Hunting accidents - seven fatals, 18 wounded 1922

Page 20

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

1923 Penobscot Salmon Club established.

I st Salmon went to the President of the United States.

1924 Wat'den Service being assisted by over 200 Maine citizens to help out the small force. Several new fish and game clubs set up to assist in the same cause.

Beavers numerous. eed to consider an open season, many taken by wardens issuing permits to take them.

1926 Governor Ralph 0. Brewster Commissioner Willis E. Parsons Deer Limit - one deer per hunter per

1919 Governor Carl E. Milliken Commissioners - Willis E. Parsons Secret Service men helped Fish and Game catch market hunters by covert activities.

Resident registration law: kept the non-resident from hunting as a Maine citizen.

Loaded gun in motor vehicle prohibited .

Concern about jacking. Courts should be asked to impose jail sentence.

Hunting accidents - 10 fatals, 14 wounded.

Resident hunting license $.25, good for lifetime. Fishing $.25 good for lifetime.

Many sawdust hearings held during 1919 & 1920, attempts to clean up rivers.

Owners of cats should, during the bird-nesting season - May 15 to August 15 assume the responsibility of seeing that their cats are not given the opportunity to kill birds.

1910

Governor Percival P. Baxter Commissioner Willis E. Parsons Warden Service reduced due to lack of funds. Warden force cut in half.

Beaver poachers along the Canadian Border. 11 /20/22 Wardens Dave Brown of Greenville and Mertly Johnson of Patten proceeded to Loon Lake Depot after beaver poachers. They never returned. May 23 and 24 both bodies were found in the dead water of Big Bog, Somerset County.

Moose season was done away with.

year Expansion of hatcheries caused less funding of game wardens. Wardens take it in stride. No complaint from wardens.

Warden Service made a head warden or supervisor in charge of the chief wardens.

Wardens were referred to as deputies for each district. Chief head warden was discontinued. Chief clerk of long experience in the affairs of the Department assisted the commissioner in supervising the chief wardens, notifying them of reported violations and such complaints as came to the office by mail or otherwise.

1928 George Stobie - Appointed fish and game commissioner, Stobie was a 6'3" Pitcher for the Red Sox for two years.

Re-organization of Warden Service.

Four zones with supervisors in each.

Supervisor called chief wardens; responsible for a district also.

Open season on moose last ovember saw the s laughter of 125 Bull moose. tatc will not recover for many years. It is hoped that there will be no

Spring 2005

further open season on moose. When they finally disappear they will no more return than the caribou which left the state 25 years ago or more.

January 1928, Warden Edward King of Skowhegan, lost a hand and small part of arm while on patrol in the woods. He tripped while snowshoeing, got his arm wet and frozen. A portion of the arm and all of hand was removed by an operation.

Proposed $25.00 a month increase to wardens.

1931 Civil service exams - Warden applicants to take a civil service exam.

Candidates selected based on scores.

Previously wardens were politically appointed .

Wardens Earl Bradbury, Arthur Rogers and Elmer Ingraham were selected from the first list.

1932 Governor Louis J. Brann Governor Brann asks Stobie to fire 40 game wardens and hire 40 from a list provided by him . Stobie advises Brann to leave office and take his list of 40 with him.

Legislature attempts to have more satisfactory pollution laws.

Deer crop damage paid $3 ,378 .53 on l 09 claims , mostly orchards.

Chief Warden Alonzo Colson was shot in leg and beaten while trying to apprehend a car full of violators. Warden Bert Tupper of Rockwood fractured left leg aznd suffered chest injuries while apprehending night hunters. Six weeks in hospital.

Department's first engineer was hired and built Gray Game Farm .

1933 Gray Game Fam, stocked 1,660 pheasants. 1940/8,500 birds 1949/ 17,000 - 1960/30,000 birds.

Warden Baptiste Jalbert drowned in St. Franci s River, Aroostook County while on patrol in hi s canoe.

Licensin g of house cats urged by Legislature in order to protect wildlife.

Many deer clubbed to death in deep snow to put food on table.

1934 Beaver becoming a nui sance under current protection.

Deer kill fell 40%.

Hunting accidents - ei ght fatals , 1x

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

wounded

1937

1935

Bert Duty of Greenville attends sportsman show at Eastern States.

Warden Lloyd Clark promoted to chief warden after one year of service.

Hunting accidents - 15 fatals , 13 wounded.

Pittman-Robinson Act passed in Congress. (Provided for federal funds for conservation of game animals).

Warden Service starts own flying service. Stobie gives the Department use of his personal Gull-wing Stinson aircraft. Bill Turgeon is named warden pilot.

Largest fish hatchery in the world ... Gray Fish Hatchery (Federally funded).

Stobie talks of buying 20 small game preserves to be owned by the state.

Warden George Bradbury breaks hip; in hospital several months.

Stobie ask legislature for funds for more wardens.

Referendum on license increase from $.50 to $1.00.

Wdn. Clifford Chaples tried for assault and battery; found not guilty, stemming from arrest of night hunters.

Warden Bradbury shoots at vehicle, which never stopped, for night hunting.

Moose hunt three days in three counties. Knox, Lincoln, Waldo 11/28,

29, 30.

Shotguns plugged for duck hunters.

Howland man charged with attempted murder of three wardens in a night hunting apprehension. l 0/23/35 - Warden Menzer Sampson of Sangerville and Ted Whitten of DoverFoxcroft jumped on the running board, grabbed a gun from a passenger, causing the gun to go off A fight ensued.

Wardens smashed the windshield.

Warden Sampson was hit with a flashIight and knocked off the vehicle to the ground unconscious. Warden Whitten smashed the other side of windshield and removed the keys from the moving vehicle. One passenger ran off; two were apprehended for night hunting. l 0/25/35 - Funeral of Chief Game Warden Robert L. Moore. Collision of Ford Guide's Car in which he was riding with another warden. Occurred at Mayfield crossing at Moscow.

Hunting accidents - 4 fatals , 7 wounded.

1936 Stobie issues new uniforms to wardens.

University of Maine offers course to conservation wildlife.

Coon hunting at night legal.

Wardens clean up Washington County market hunters. 20 deer bought from poacher.

I st Warden School held at Orono.

Hunting accidents - 18 fatals , 26 wounded .

1938 11/38 Wdn. Frank Hoar was hit with five-cell flashlight, splitting fingers on hand, while apprehending night hunters.

Ned Hutchinson named Warden Service Pilot, along with Turgeon.

State pays $11 ,000 dollars in bobcat bounties.

Wdn. Ernest L. Spinney dies in Boston after seven weeks hospitalization .

Third annual training session at UMO, five-day school.

Lester E. Brown appointed chief game warden Warden Edward King, 77 years old , oldest man on the force. 26 straight comm1ss1ons.

1939 Warden Service organizes a pistol team.

Two-day Warden school at UMO Warden Halton Grant of Rangeley dismissed.

25 years a Game Warden - written

by Warden Frederick Jorgenson (book)

1940 Warden Lyle Smith breaks three ribs, muscles tom , head lacerations and injuries, back injuries while apprehending night hunters - 9/ 13/40.

Hunting accidents - 13 fatal s, 12 wounded .

Wardens worked on a lot of crop damage.

1941 Warden Raymond Harrington ruptured naval while getting out of mud with vehicle, hospitalized and operated on .

Wdn. Fred Smith hit by night hunter 's car - neck lacerated , cut tendons, kneecap damaged.

1942 Spring 2005

Page 21

Warden Mose Jackson - broken wrist apprehending night hunters .

1943 New law makes wardens responsible to look for lost people.

Wardens issued boots, shirts and parkas.

Re-organized Warden Service structure. Twelve divisions 88 districts (27 of which had temp wardens.) o outboards available during the war.

Greatest manhunt in Maine history: Canadian draft-dodger hiding in Northern Piscataquis County started traveling in search of food , shot a man, becoming the subject of an intense search which resulted in his death .

1944 More temporary wardens than any other time.

Wardens called upon to capture two groups of German prisoners that had escaped.

1946 Warden Maynard Marsh hit by car of night hunters, suffered leg injury; three months in hospital, eventually ending in two years of hospital returns - 9/ 17/46.

Foot miles, 136,858. Hours in the field, 320,776.

Temporaries relieved as pre-war wardens came back from armed services.

All but two vacancies were filled by applicants on civil service waiting list.

1947 Night hunting all time high during July, August, September, and October 335 violations ( 100% increase over any year).

Fire ban caused hunting to be curtailed in the fall.

The bad drought raised havoc with fish in brooks and streams.

1948 Warden camps were extensively repaired. Equipment was renewed and improved. Three new camps built in orthern Aroostook County.

Warden . Roland Abbott of Bethel was wounded with a .45 caliber pistol while checking a subject in a gravel pit.

The man was eventually found running a roadblock in NY and shot to death.

1949 Demands on Warden Service showed an increase in nearly every aspect of war-

Page 22 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

den activity.

Brook fishing still not good.

Three-week warden school at Camp Keyes, Augusta.

New equipment issued: police .38 caliber revolvers, belts, holsters and cartridge boxes. Warden salary only detriment.

Stobie asks Governor for J 0% increase in pay.

1/8/49 supervisor Roy Gray injures back on snow-covered ice.

ew boat law requires boats to be registered and numbers displayed.

(Motorboats IO hp and more.)

Rest of Warden Service issued state vehicles with 2-way radios and blue lights and sirens.

Litter law comes into effect.

Warden's new responsibility.

1950

1961

Commissioner Stobie retires.

Increase in demand on wardens for crop damage, car damage, lost persons, drowning, etc.

The increase since J940 is I 00% and there is no end in sight. Warden service is a solution to all problems perceived by public . .. woods or waters .. . it's ours!

Annual Warden School at Camp Keyes three weeks in March.

Warden Henry Gross relieved of duty in Division A and assigned to the main office as public relations officer.

Warden Wendell Syms assigned to Warden Service at the Storehouse.

Hunting accidents - 15 fatals, 15 wounded.

Creel census compiled by district wardens.

250-watt radio base station now in operation at Greenville.

Lighting Jaw becomes effective through Legislature.

Salaries improved, resulting in fewer turnovers to Warden Service.

Maynard F. Marsh appointed as Chief Game Warden. Chief Warden Marsh later became commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

1952 Lester E. Brown retires as chief warden . Elmer H. Ingraham appointed chief game warden.

1955 President Eisenhower fishes Bangor Salmon Pool and Parmachenee Lake.

Game Wardens assist the Secret Service on presidential security on the Parmacheenee Lake trip.

1956 Two-way radios issued to wardens.

Pilot George Townsend died in a plane crash while taking ofT from Maranacook Lake ( 1/27 /56) Biologist Nathan W. Fellows Jr. also killed in crash .

Fish stocking by aircra~ is now a regular duty of warden pilots.

Four new warden camps have been built: Nicatous Lake, Baker Lake, Allagash Lake and Eagle Lake.

1959 State owned vehicles - half the fleet gets state vehicle .

Warden alaries increase to 72.00 a week. Top pay at $90.00 a week.

Hiring process attracted two UMO graduates, one Maine maritime graduate

and three others with some college completed.

Greenville Hangar completed.

1960

1962 Bought seven new snowmobiles for law enforcement.

Wardens in Northern Maine were assigned to dog problems in central and southern Maine. ew lighting law cut night hunting activity by 2/3rds in 1961.

Clayton Lake Warden District created . New house built.

Purchased six new boats with large motors.

State personnel law comes into effect. Comp time off for holidays.

Three weeks annual leave for 15year employees.

Salaries increase through personnel.

Pittston Camp replaced 20-Mile Camp.

Whitefield Camp purchased as Division B headquarters.

Wardens issued new uniform coats.

Dogs killed 271 deer during winter.

Personnel sets up test for warden inspectors and the Department promoted 10 district wardens to warden inspectors.

Per onnel set up test for warden specialists.

1963 Baxter Park Ranger Heath and woman perish on Mt. Katahdin .

1964 Spring 2005

Warden Service Rescue Unit formed - mountain climbers and scuba divers.

Caribou released at Mt. Katabdin (23 of them) MSP instructs inspectors in firearms training.

Meat Identification Lab established

by Sgt. Buchanon.

New Department patch - Speers patch Two warden inspectors concentrated on market hunters and were very successful.

The number of divisions had been reduced to I 0, with an inspector 's position created and one inspector assigned to each of the IO divisions. Ninety-nine district wardens were employed, with a total of 119 field positions.

1973 Blaze orange goes statewide. (Been in effect in Southwest for years.)

You alone in the Maine Woods published.

1974 Daaquarn House built, new garage at Estcourt.

Remodeled Naples Camp and Round Pond Camp.

Personal flotation devices required.

Salmon stamp required.

Charles S. Allen HJ appointed as chief game warden Chief Game Warden Allen attends FBI academy.

1975

Wardens aid a flying beaver trapper who crashed his plane.

Environmental legislation enacted for air, land, and water pollution and conservation.

William J. Shaw appointed as the Ch ief Game Warden

Remodeled Eagle Lake Camp and pilot's home.

For the first time, Department chooses to auction off vehicles instead of trading them in.

Regional headquarters in operation now.

Swimming course attended by wardens in the winter.

Maine Warden Service Relief Association established.

28-day work period according to FLSA standards.

Supervisor John F. Marsh attends FBI academy.

Inspector Trask attends supervisory school MCJA. Warden Mike Collins attends Basic Police Academy at MCJA. Warden Robertson attends S&W Handgun School.

Warden Knight installs high band police radios in vehicles.

The number of divisions was reduced from 14 to 10. The number of district game wardens remained at I 04.

However, the number of inspectors increased from 10 to 17, with a total of 131 field positions.

Department's name changed to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to reflect its expanded mission to include non-game wildlife as well as traditional game species and expanded regulatory authority.

1972

1976

Army surp lus helicopters obtained

by Warden Service.

9/27/72 Warden Pilot Richard Varney drowned in a helicopter crash at Maranacook Lake.

Pursuit driving course for warden service.

Night bunting penalty increases $500 and three days in jail.

Inspectors sent to supervisor's school

1965 First seminar for all department personnel held at UMO.

1966 Cameras issued to inspectors Award system implemented.

Retirement changes. Pay 25 years, retire at age 55.

Motor vehicle review board established.

1968 Ludwig rescue at Katahdin 7/1/68 - Lyle Frost killed in explosion in Franklin, dynamiting beaver darn.

New uniforms - Stetsons and Ridgeway caps.

The number of divisions increased from IO to 11 . The number of inspectors ( I 0) remained the same. District wardens increased from 99 to l 04. Field positions totaled 125.

1969 The Division of Snowmobile Registration (now Snowmobile Safety) formed.

1970

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

at MCJA. Nine-day search for Chris Greene on the St. John Two divisions combined: Snowmobile Safety and Registration and Watercraft Registration and Safety.

Pursuit driving course for warden service.

Night hunter 's penalty increases to mandatory $500 and three days in jail.

1977 Warden George Edwards selected Warden of the Year Warden Service Honor Guard established.

Turkeys released in York County. [nspectors two-day school in search and seizure Warden Alanson B. "Mickey" Noble appointed as chief game warden.

The numbers of divisions was reduced from 10 to nine. The number of inspectors was reduced from 17 to 15 and the number of district wardens from 104 to 98, with a total of 122 positions.

1978 Warden Debbie Palman first female game warden hired.

Practical training at Swan Island incorporated at Warden School.

The rank of colonel, major, lieutenant, sergeant, and corporal were established.

Divisions reduced from nine to eight.

Sergeants remained at 15, district wardens increased from 98 to 99. Two district wardens were reassigned as detectives.

1980 K-9's added to warden service: Sgt. Allen & Warden Palman Russell C. Dyer appointed as colonel of the Warden Service.

1981 SAR Overhead team established John F. Marsh appointed as Game Warden Colonel.

SAR Overhead team command post set up.

Warden Service personnel listed as follows: One (l) Chief Warden (Colonel), One (1) Deputy Chief Warden (Major), Eight (8) field Lieutenants, one (1) Detective Sergeant, five (5) Corporals, 100 District Wardens, one (1) Detective Warden. 136 total Warden Service positions.

Spring 2005 Page 23

1982

1990

2003

Re-Organization High Mileage on vehicles - working with worn out equipment (borrowed vehicles).

Against the law to use our state vehicles (non-duty) Sold three planes - Eliminated two pilots Eliminated 20-year retirements.

Abolished three lieutenant positions Abolished seven Warden Districts Established five division headquarters gave public direct contact with 800 number Closed Greenville hanger Eliminated one ACFT mechanic Eliminated one chief warden pilot position; both longtime employees forced to re-locate families.

Layoffs Sold camps Eleven vacant districts

Colonel Larry Cummings dies; succumbs to cancer.

Major Herbert W. "Bill" Vernon (the deputy chief game warden) appointed as game warden colonel.

Maine Warden Service and the Maine Marine Patrol conduct the First Combined Basic Training Academy at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.

Sergeant William Allen of the Maine Warden Service and Sergeant Dick LaHaye of the Marine Patrol run this recruit class.

June 2003 budget related reorganization of Warden Service results in reduction from five field Divisions to two field Divisions.

Governor John E. Baldacci elected .

Major Parker K. Tripp appointed as game warden colonel Lieutenant Dan Tourtellotte promoted to game warden major.

1983

1998

Hired five wardens Legislature reinstated the Department's layoffs Twenty vehicles with more than 75 ,000 miles

Governor Angus S. King Commissioner Lee Perry Deputy Commissioner Fred Hurley Sergeant Timothy E. Peabody appointed to game warden colonel Investigator Thomas Santaguida promoted to game warden major Beginning of major efforts to modernize and clarify Warden Service policies, procedures and authority.

1986 ew ATV laws First wild turkey season Anterless deer season Limited work hours: Garcia - 8.5 hrs a day (better invest/better use of time)

1988 Major habitat protection initiatives passed by legislature.

Larry Cummings appointed as game warden colonel.

Growth management law: Towns mandated to develop growth management plan with the coordination of the Department of Economic Development or Community Services. Department of IF&W to map significant wildlife habitat features. atural Resource Protection act - a consolidation/expansion of earlier legislation requiring lF&W to determine and map significant wildlife habitats so they can be regulated by Departent of Environmental Protection.

Page 24 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

1992 November 21, Warden Bill Hanrahan dies in the I ine of duty tracking drunk hunters with a K-9 in Starks.

1995

1999 Charles Later promoted to chief pilot

2004 Roland "Danny" Martin appointed as Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Paul F. Jacques appointed as Deputy Commissioner.

Colonel Timothy E. Peabody retires June 2004 Major Thomas A. Santaguida appointed as game warden colonel on July 4, 2004. Sworn in by Governor John E. Baldacci on July 6, 2004 Sergeant Gregg Sanborn promoted to game warden major, August 2004 Warden 's retirement is changed to straight 25-year retirement, no age requirement.

Warden begin to use rough duty "field duty uni forms" for field use. ew Game Warden patch with words GAME WARDE under the Department seal adopted for use.

2005 ew dress Stetsons issued to replace old "bus driver" style cap.

Warden Lieutenant William Allen retires after 34 years of service.

Sergeant Pat Dorian - demoted as a result of reorganization - is promoted to rank of Lieutenant on May 2, 2005 , sworn in by Commissioner Martin

Marc Michaud photo

Spring 2005

The Wildlife Resource Assessment Section (WRAS) is comprised of biologists who specialize in specific species or groups of species. Our work is typically done on a statewide or species rangewide level. WRAS is located in Bangor and includes 20 full-time wildlife biologists and two secretaries. Most of our staff is assigned to one of four groups, each with specific areas of responsibility: Bird Group, Habitat Group, Mammal Group, and Endangered & Threatened species staff.

We are responsible for assessing the status and trends of many of Maine's wildlife populations and habitats. We design management plans and play a major role in developing harvest recommendations, habitat conservation strategies, and Endangered and Threatened species listing criteria. We serve as the Department's wildlife species specialists and are often called upon to provide professional input to the Commissioner and the Advisory Council, the Legislature, and other entities. We also conduct research and collaborate with university wildlife research efforts.

This past year, a major commitment of all of our staff was to continue to support the wildlife planning process by writing species assessments, participating in the public working group process, and developing management systems . Species assessments describe the current status of a species (or group of species) and its habitat, and makes predictions as to where the species' population is expected to be in 15 years. Species assessments arc used in the species planning process to help the public working groups establi sh reasonable goals and objectives. Our staff develops species management sys-

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

terns to document how the Department will meet species' goals and objectives recommended by the public working groups; outline how data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted; and describe what management actions will be recommended under various scenar-

ios.

To implement the management systems, we also continued to conduct wildlife research and surveys, helped collect and analyze harvest data, and provided input to season recommendations, permit reviews, etc. The rest of this report summarizes many of these activities.

This raises the question: "Where does the money currently come from to support this important work?" A large portion of the funds comes from the sale of hunting licenses and pern1its. Some of these funds are used as match to obtain federal Pittman-Robertson funds, which are derived from excise taxes on sporting fireanns , handguns, ammunition, and archery equipment.

Other sources of money include federal Section 6 funds, Federal State Wildlife Grants (SWG), the Oil Spill Conveyance Fund, contributions to the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund ("Chickadee Check-off'), and purchases of Loon Conservation License Plates.

To augment the above funding sources, we also vie for other competitive sources of funding. The downside of competing for funds is that we must expend considerable energy developing proposals, and (if a proposal is funded) administering grants and supervising temporary help. Consequently, we spend more of our time as administrators and less time as biologists.

Our obvious need is a stable and

adequate source of funding. This need was also recognized in the recently submitted Management Assistance Team report evaluating the Department and the Wildlife Division. Various strategies needto be explored to provide increased funding and staffing to meet our Legislative mandates and the needs of the citizens of Maine.

Below are descriptions of a crosssection of projects or studies being completed or issues being explored by our staff.

-Rieb Dressler, Wildlife Biologist and Wildlife Resource Assessment Section Supervisor

Beech Bark Disease The management of beech trees in Maine's forests continues to be an important issue for Maine's northern bears. In far northern Maine, bears are dependent upon beechnuts in the fall to prepare for hibernation and cub production.

Approximately 80% of the female bears that are available for breeding, will give birth to cubs during winters following a good beechnut crop. Conversely, only about 20% of the females will produce cubs during winters following poor beechnut crops.

Beech bark disease (BBD) is an exotic disease that has been around for over 100 years in the northeast. The disease results when bark, attacked and altered by the beech scale insect, is invaded and killed by fungi . The fungi can eventually girdle and kill the tree, or weaken the tree so that its trunk is prone to breakage ("beech snap").

Beech trees do not produce nuts until they are 40 to 60 years old. If not dis-

Spring 2005 Page 25

landscape that competes with other tree species.

Finally, biologists need to detem1ine the number of nut producing trees that need to be left on the landscape to support bears and other wildlife species, and work with foresters to develop beech management guidelines.

-Wally Jakubas, Wildlife Biologist and IFW Mammal Group Leader

New Bear Study Area

Wally Jakubas eased, beech trees live hundreds of years and produce many nut crops.

Unfortunately, it's the large mature trees that are most vulnerable to attack by scale insects and BBD. The disease shortens the life span of the tree and reduces nut production as the crown of the tree dies back. Thus, BBD can have a direct effect on the amount of nuts available for bears and other wildlife.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of BBD is what it does to the composition of the forests that are commercially harvested. Beech trees produce root suckers in high numbers when the parent tree is removed or the roots are damaged (such as may occur during logging operations). Because many beech trees will succumb to BBD before they reach merchantable size, timber companies are inclined to remove these trees, at an early age, to make room for other more merchantable species. This practice, of course, reduces the number of trees that might have escaped the disease to produce beechnuts for wildlife. It also can backfire and produce "beech hell" or dense thickets of beech that are not easy to get rid of. Techniques need to be developed to identify resistant trees so that they can be left on the landscape to provide food for wildlife. In addition, leaving more resistant trees in commercial forests may eventually reduce the amount of unrnerchantable beech on the

Page 26 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

monly use in Maine.

-Jennifer Vashon, Wildlife Biologist, Mammal Group

Wild Turkeys Historically, wild turkeys occurred in significant numbers in York, Cumberland, and Oxford Counties, and perhaps in lower numbers eastward to Hancock County. Reductions in the amount of forest land, due to intensive land clearing for farming, and unrestricted shooting, were probably the two most important factors leading to the extirpation of native wild turkeys in Maine in the early 1800s. The reversion of thousands of acres of farm land back to wooded habitat, and present day agricultural practices, have enhanced prospects for reestablishment of wild turkeys into, and likely beyond, their former range.

Attempts to reintroduce turkeys to Maine began in 1942 when the Department of Inland Fisheries and Game released 24 captive-reared birds on Swan Island , in Sagadahoc County.

These birds, although supplementally fed in the winter, were poorly adapted to life in the wild, and died within fur years.

In the 1960s, fish and game clubs in Bangor and Windham made similar attempts to reestablish turkeys into their areas using captive-reared stock. Neither

During the spring and early summer of 2004, Department biologists were busy opening up a new bear study area in Downeast Maine.

The study area is located in Hancock and Washington counties in townships T29 MD, T30 MD, T35 MD, and T36 MD. The habitat in this area is a mix of mature and regenerating forests interspersed with blueberry barrens.

Biologists felt that this study area was needed to improve statewide and Downeast bear population estimates and to track bear population trends in this area.

A total of 66 bears were captured using bait and foot snares. Radio collars were placed on 25 females. We will track these females to collect information on cub production, cub survival, and age of first reproduction. Ideally, we would like to use these radio-collared bears to obtain a population density for this area. We would like to thank the volunteers, International Paper, and the many other people who helped get this study area up and running.

With the addition of the new study area, statewide bear population estimates will be based on data from three study areas: Spectacle Pond (near Ashland), Bradford (north of Bangor), and Downeast Maine.

Each of these study areas is representative of a different habitat type that bears comBear study leader Jennifer Vashon

Spring 2005

attempt was successful in establishing a population of turkeys .

In Maine, we have had the benefit of work done by biologists in other states to reestablish wild turkeys into former and new ranges of suitable habitat.

Researchers in these states discovered the key to success was to remove a small number of wild birds from one site and release them as soon as possible into suitable, unoccupied habitat.

Responding to requests from fish and game clubs and individual Maine spo1tsmen , and encouraged by successful reintroduction programs in Vermont and New Hampshire, MDIFW began planning our own turkey program in the midI970s. The goals of this program were twofold: to reestablish turkeys in the coastal part of the state where they historically occurred, and to provide turkey hunting opportunity in Maine.

The first step was to locate a source of birds. Vermont biologists, who had extraordinary success with their turkey program , were willing to supply Maine with birds from their wild flocks. The next step was to select a release site.

York County was chosen as the initial release site because of its large area of wooded habitat, a good supply of mastproducing trees (beech and oak), and its mild winters with fewer than 60 inches of snowfall annually.

In 1977 and 1978, Vermont Fish and Game biologists trapped 41 turkeys, which MDIFW biologists released in the towns of York and Elliot. By the early 1980s, the York County population had become large enough to serve as a source of birds for new release sites in other areas. In the spring of 1982, 33 birds were captured in York County and released in Waldo County in an attempt to establish a turkey population in the mid-coast region.

In the winter of 1984, 19 additional birds were captured in York County and released in Hancock County, but poaching was believed to be the demise of these birds. During the winters of 1987 and 1988, MDIFW biologists, with the help of individual s from the Maine Chapter of the ational Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, trapped 70 wild turkeys in Connecticut

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

and released them in Maine to augment our turkey population .

Since 1990, in-state trapping and transfer by regional biologists has expanded the range of the wild turkey in Maine to the east and north. Today, reports of wild turkeys well inland of the coast and eastward into Hancock and Washington County are common.

Wild turkeys eat a wide variety of grasses, seeds, fruits, and insects. In the Northeast, turkey populations reach their highest densities in agricultural areas, particularly around dairy fanns. Food in the fonn of soft mast (berries), seeds, waste agricultural grains, as well as corn silage and undigested grains in manure, which is either spread on fields or stored outside on the farm, may help the birds get through the tough winter months.

Because snow depths may limit turkeys here in the northern edge of their range, the Department's policy is to release turkeys only in the best remaining unoccupied habitat - areas near existing turkey flocks , with some combination of dairy farms and a large amount of land in mature, mast-producing hardwoods, such as oak or ash . Ultimately, the Department's goal is to have a viable wild turkey population wherever suitable wild turkey habitat exists.

-Andy Weik, Wildlife Biologist, Bird Group -Brad Allen, Wildlife Biologist and Bird Group Leader

Sea Duck Management and Conservation Concerns Common eiders, scoters, and longtailed ducks (formerly called "oldsquaws") are members of a diverse group of waterfowl known as sea ducks . In comparison to other ducks, the life histories of sea ducks are characterized by: sexually mature at 2 or 3 years (versus I year in dabblers), small clutch sizes, low rates of annual recruitment of young-ofthe-year-birds into breeding populations, non-breeding of adult females in some years, and high rates of adult survival under natural conditions. As a result, the health of a sea duck population is controlled more by survival rates of adults than by annual production of young.

These characteristics make longIived sea ducks well suited to the north-

em marine environments they frequent.

However, they also make their populations particularly sensitive to slight increases in adult mortality, and their populations slow to recover from declines. Because their life history characteristics differ from those of most other North American ducks, effective management requires specific research and monitoring, and directed conservation programs to collect and assess essential data to maintain healthy populations.

Concern over the status of sea ducks in Maine has increased over the last two decades, as some populations appear to be declining. In Maine, over the last 50 years, sea duck bag limits and season lengths have been considered liberal and relatively unchanged. Historically, hunters tended to pursue inland ducks, and the reported annual harvests of sea ducks were low. Major shifts in hunting effort occurred from the 1960s to the 1980s when populations of inland ducks (particularly black ducks) and Canada geese were low, and hunting seasons for these species were restricted . However, a short time later, concerns over the status of scoters (black, white-winged, and surf) in the Atlantic Flyway led to a reduction in the daily bag for the group from 7 to 4 a day, beginning in 1994.

Despite this change, hunting pressure on sea ducks, particularly on common eiders, continued to increase in eastern North America. In Maine, hunter interest in eiders continues to be strong. The percentage of eiders in Maine's waterfowl harvest has increased from 3-4% in the mid-60s, to over 20% in the mid-80s through present. There are indications that harvests of eiders in Nova Scotia and the ew England States had doubled to levels that may no longer be sustainable.

For this, and other reasons, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Rhode Island proposed and adopted changes in their 1998 hunting seasons designed to reduce the eider harvest between 15-25% . In I 999 , Maine and Massachusetts reduced their daily eider bag limits to 5 and 4, respectively.

-Andy Weik, Wildlife Biolog ist, Bird Group -Brad Allen, Wildlife Biologist and Bird Group Leader

Spring 2005 Page 27

•

Bald Eagle Recovery Continued progress in bald eagle recovery throughout the U.S. has led to renewed discussions about removing them from federal and state lists of threatened species. The statewide population census identified 346 nesting pairs in 2004, nearly a 13% increase since last year. Annual increases in the count have averaged 8% each year since 1990 when Essential Habitat regulations were adopted in Maine to minimize disturbance impacts to breeding eagles. This was one of several management strategies important to eagle recovery across the state.

In 1978, the bald eagle was designated an Endangered Species in Maine and 42 other states. The state's remnant population was the last hope for the species in the northeastern U.S. The future of Maine's eagles was very much in question following marked declines of breeding numbers, reproductive success, and nest distribution. Annual counts dropped as low as 21 nesting pairs and 4 young eaglets in the mid- I 960s. By the latel 970s, the only stronghold for Maine eagles was in eastern Washington County.

The small, relic population became vulnerable to other threats.

Disturbances from new land uses, increasing recreational pressures, and waterfront development became problematic along many coastal waters, rivers, and lakes that provide habitat to nesting bald eagles. Human-related eagle deaths were an additive problem. A variety of environmental contaminants impacted reproduction of Maine eagles

Bird Biologist Andy Weik Page 28 MAINE Fish and Wildlife

and subjected the population to decades of decline.

Empty nests and unoccupied eagle habitats prevailed across the state.

Environmental contaminants impaired eagle nesting for three decades. ODE (a by-product of the insecticide DDT) caused shell thinning and frequent egg breakage before hatching. Harmful levels of PCBs and mercury sometimes killed developing embryos. The limited supply of young eaglets was not enough to offset eagle deaths. Following controls on these environmental contaminants, steady improvements during the 1980s and 1990s enabled initial recovery of the species. A total of 298 young eaglets took flight from Maine nests last year. A current study is underway to evaluate dietary exposure to mercury among eagles across interior Maine.

The eagle's comeback was symbolized by a downgrade of bald eagle status to that of a threatened species across the lower 48 states in 1995. The Maine Legislature similarly reclassified bald eagles to a threatened species under state law in 1996. "Downlisting" does not reduce the legal protection afforded by these laws. Both state and federal agencies are now evaluating future delisting of bald eagles altogether. Several initiatives are currently underway to minimize future threats to eagle habitat and other potential setbacks once special regulations related to the Endangered Species Act no longer apply. A federal statute, the Bald Eagle Protection Act, will still prohibit direct harm to eagles and their nests.

Most eagles nest in undeveloped settings, but some live close to human activities. lt is not yet certain that these "tolerant" eagles can persist in more populated regions without special efforts.

Stewardship of eagle nests by private landowners has been a key ingredient of program success in the state. Maintaining suitable habitat remains our ultimate challenge for a lasting recovery.

Therefore, current state objectives for delisting bald eagles in Maine include both biological criteria and habitat safeguards: • The breeding population exceed 150 nesting pairs for three consecutive years - achieved: 1996.

Bird Group Leader Brad Allen • Annual eaglet production exceeds 150 fledglings for three consecutive years - achieved: 1999.

• No annual population declines of 5% or more for three consecutive years achieved: 2000.

• Federal "delisting" from Endangered/Threatened status pending.

• Habitat "safety net" to maintain species recovery ( efforts ongoing), including, • At least 50 nesting areas in conservation ownership or appropriate easements - achieved: 2004 • And, at least l 00 additional areas under conservation ownership, appropriate easements, or cooperative agreements with private landowners.

Until all recovery criteria are achieved, the bald eagle remains a Threatened species in Maine. The legislature holds authority for status changes based upon MDIFW recommendations. l n the interim, all modes of habitat protection remain operational. MDIFW will contact landowners as soon as possible when new nests are found each year.

Qualified sites will be designated "Essential Habitat" under Maine's Endangered Species Act. Such areas (now numbering 462 locations statewide) require review by MDfFW before an agency or municipality can permit, license, fund, or carry out a proposed project within n mile of a ne t. Essential Habitats serve as consultation zones and biologists encourage landowners to review eagle safeguards in project planning stages. Many activities are permissi-

Spring 2005

ble, but timing modifications are generally necessary, and specific habitat features may need special attention. The advantages of this regulation include advance notification , standardized reviews, and customized decisions based on individual circumstances.

A pamphlet "Living with Eagles" is under development to help landowners coexist with nesting eagles and foster their stewardship. Maine received a new federal grant (the Landowner Incentive Program) that provides incentives to pri vate landowners that aid endangered species conservation.

A wide array of conservation partners actively assist eagle habitat initiatives in Maine: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges, Acadia National Park, state wildlife management areas administered by MDIFW, other state lands managed by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, as well as private organizations like The Nature Conservancy, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and local land trusts.

A broader initiative "Beginning with Habitat" allows owners and communities to consider the mosaic of important wildlife habitats, including those used by bald eagles, during town planning.

The progress achieved in bald eagle recovery programs is indeed remarkable.

Improvements in Maine are mirrored across most of the species range. Bald eagles now nest in 48 different states.

Maine provided 3 young eaglets for a reintroduction effort in Vermont during June 2004. The U.S. Fish and Wi ldlife Service will reexamine removal of the Threatened Species designation for bald

eagles after a national monitoring strategy is completed, and after "delisting" and clarification of "harassment" prohibitions under the Bald Eagle Protection Act are resolved . This work issupported by federal funds , as well as state revenues from the Loon Plate and Chickadee Checkoff funds.

-Charlie Todd, Wildlife Biologist, Endangered and Threatened Species Group

Oil Spill Response and Natural Resource Damage With over 6 billion gallons of petroleum products shipped into Maine on an annual basis, and much more on ships traveling along Maine's coast with crude oil bound for refineries in St. John, New Brunswick or gasoline, diesel , or heating oil bound for eastern cities, the risk for a catastrophic oil spill in Maine is not inconsequential .

Fortunately, with the exception of the Julie N oil spill in 1996, when almost 200,000 gallons of oil spilled in Portland Harbor, the oil spills that we encounter are usually in the I 000 to I 0,000 gallon range. Recent spills include the 6000-gallon tanker truck spill in Brooks, the 8000 gallon tanker truck spill in South Portland, the Viking Lady spill in Portland, and the Pete spill in Portland.

These spills do not result in "Exxon Valdez"-like environmental impact, but they do have an adverse and accumulative impact to Maine's natural resources.

Therefore, we have begun to assess the damage to natural resources resulting from these smaller spills and to work

with the spiller to either restore the damaged natural resources or to contribute to a fund to be used for various projects to compensate for the loss. Recent projects include a fringing marsh study, a PAH assessment in Portland harbor, an educational program to involve students in studying the Fore River, and a bilge pump-out facility at the Portland Fish Pier.

Because the risk to our coastal natural resources from an oil spill is so great, we coordinate our planning efforts with the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Marine Resources, the Department of Conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the ational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

We provide input to the State of Maine Marine Oil Spill Contingency Plan and the federal Maine-New Hampshire Area Contingency Plan ; identify and map ecologically sensiti ve habitat along the coast and work with others to develop prevention strategies to protect these areas in the event of a spill; and, participate in response drills within the state, with the State of New Hampshire, and with Canada. We also maintain a contract with the International Bird Rescue Research Center to assist us during oil spills and to provide training for our staff and volunteers.

-Rich Dressler, Wildlife Biologist and Wildlife Resource Assessment Section Supervisor

Fortunately Maine seldom has large scale oil spills such as this one that occurred in New Jersey's Delaware River.

NOAA photo

MAINE Fish and Wildlife

Spring 2005 Page 29

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