I have posted the information with links and a player for your convenience for the February 28, 2008 broadcast of Open Air With Tom Remington. This link will have all the links for your reference that I referred to during the show.

Tom Remington

Official ceremonies will be today in Bethel, Maine to introduce the world to the World’s Tallest Snow Woman. Now this fine lady of the frozen tundra has a name – Olympia, named in honor of Maine’s senior U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe. We will also be given all the particulars but I have it on pretty reliable sources, he, he, that she is 122′ and 1 inch tall.

Here’s what she looked like at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, February 29, 2008 (Leap year/day) Gee, I wonder if she will ask Angus, King of the Mountain to marry her? That’s an acceptable practice on Leap Year you know.

I don’t know how much longer the web cam will remain operational but you can check it out here.

Tom Remington

Here’s a photo of the World’s Tallest Snow Woman taken this morning at about 9:15 a.m. Plans are to have this girl dressed and ready for public scrutiny by Friday. She should have her other arm on this morning sometime.

*Udpate – 9:45 a.m.*

I just learned that she has an official name – Olympia, named in honor of Maine’s senior U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe.

Tom Remington

Today’s show will air at 3 p.m. on Skinny Moose Radio. If you haven’t downloaded the Skinny Moose tool bar yet, that has the Skinny Moose Radio player built right in, click here. All previous shows are archived and I’ve began a new event at the Skinny Moose Radio home page. Simply look to the right of that page and click on the “Open Air” category link. Here you will find posts about the previous shows and an embedded player so you can listen in. This is new so all the shows cannot be found they. For previous shows, go to the “download” link.

Today’s topics will include:

1. An update on Bethel, Maine’s World’s Tallest Snow Woman

2. Actions and events taking place with me and the Black Bear Blog

3. An update on District of Columbia versus Heller – the D.C. gun ban case going before the U.S. Supreme Court soon.

4. I introduce you to a brand new organization and web site that should become a valuable resource of facts and information about our natural resources. This will include information on climate change.

5. And you can’t miss this. I do my own rendition of singing the newest campaign song, “The Obamaman Can”. I promise it’s not as bad as Teddy Kennedy’s singing.

6. An the show wouldn’t be complete without more information about climate change. I’ll report on areas globally that are experiencing all time record cold and snow. All four official climate reporting organizations are saying the globally the average temperatures have dropped to the lowest levels in over 100 years – and we are still talking about global warming and carbon dioxide.

Join me at 3 today.

Tom Remington

*Scroll for Updates* I will continue to update this site. I was told I would get a call right after the height was certified.

For those interested, the world’s tallest snow woman is being built in my hometown of Bethel, Maine. You can watch the progress at this link. It’s a webcam.

I just received a telephone call from Gary Inman. He’s a longtime friend and a local surveyor. He owns his own company called Points North Survey. He is standing by with his instruments to certify the final height for the record books. His report said that they were at just about 110 feet with a few feet left to go.

FYI – This is the construction of the snow, the basic shape. They are in hopes to reach the top height with snow this morning and then they will begin dressing the ole girl.

In the photo, Jim Sysko, one of the engineers for the project, is in the lift truck in the right of the photo. Lanie Cross, is somewhere at the top filming the effort for the local public access television station.

The deadline is to get this finished before Friday as official ceremonies etc. are planned to take place.

A major snowstorm is predicted for later today and tonight. This may hamper efforts.

*Update 10:07 a.m.*

I just need to clarify that although I am extremely privileged to be able to get a call from Gary Inman, the surveyor recording the height, it will not be an “official” recording of the height. That has to come via the proper channels. Nonetheless, I am honored to be privy to that information perhaps before millions of other people worldwide.

*Update – 11:55 a.m.*

Just got a call from Gary Inman. They had tried placing a substantial chuck of ice and snow on the top to try to shape but when it got placed, it got broken into two pieces. Currently they have taken the bucket off the crane and are preparing another large chuck of snow and ice and are going to attempt to place it on the top.

If that seems to go well, Gary will take an initial reading on height. He is going to let me know when and if that happens.

*Update – 12:15 p.m.*

Below is the picture taken just moments ago when Gary Inman of Points North Surveying took a measurement of the height. Unofficially, the current height is 117 feet. That’s unofficial and tomorrow the will come back in the morning and take some more measurements before certifying the exact height down to the nearest inch.

Tom Remington

Tom Remington

Are you kidding me? Man O Man!

Tom Remington

By Milt Inman
Milt Inman is chief photographer for Skinny Moose Media and U.S. Hunting Today.

Some days ago, I was at a body of water taking photos of anything that looked interesting to me. I got pictures of birds, animals, reptiles, flowers, landscapes and people. Then I saw a man standing up in a boat move into a cove near me. I wondered what he was looking for. He was not fishing as near as I could tell but every once in a while he would throw something out in the water that would land with a soft whispering sound and disappear into the water.

After a few minutes, he pulled on a rope and hauled a mess of white stuff into the boat, shook it out and threw some things back into the water, which in turn were gobbled up by a large bird that followed the boat around.

Now this happened over and over again, so I thought he must be fishing with a net of some kind. I am from the state of Maine where net fishing like this is not legal and being in Florida seeing this done is all new to me.

I was told by some natives that this way of fishing was called Net Casting and the big bird was a pelican.

It takes a lot of time and practice to be able spread this large net out and land it flat on the water. A beautiful sight to see. Thats why I call it “THE ART OF NET CASTING!”

Milt Inman

I have yesterday’s show uploaded and ready for you to listen to very easily. Follow this link and you can listen to the show and have access to all the links of reference I used during the show.

Tom Remington

It’s time for another Skinny Moose Radio broadcast of Open Air With Tom Remington. Today’s show is interesting, at least I think it is. With all the hype and rhetoric being slung from state to state during this primary election season, we all are hearing from all the candidates about hope and change. The first segment of the show I talk about hope, change and faith and how none of these are much good if not implemented with individual action.

After that, I rag on NASCAR for a bit expressing my dislike of the very boring Daytona 500. Aside from the last minute of the race, which as a result of Tony Stewart making a bad decision, allowing Ryan Newman to win the race, what happened anyway? YAWN!

I share with listeners how they can help out 200 music students at Noble High School in southern Maine by purchasing a raffle ticket or twenty for a guided Maine black bear hunt, or use it as a photo opportunity.

And never fear! For those who were just hoping, yes, I have some more information on global warming. Information I think you really want to hear.

So, tune in today at 3:00 p.m. Click this link and then click on the “Listen in Live Now” button.

Tom Remington

From the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

GRAY, Maine – The Maine Wildlife Park in Gray, owned and operated by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, saw its best season ever in 2007 with more than 108,000 visits and close to $590,000 in total revenue.

This represents a 12.9 percent increase in visitations and a 31.3 percent increase in total revenue over 2006.

“Maine residents and out-of-state tourists are drawn to our special events and our wildlife and conservation education programming for children,” said IF&W Natural Science Educator Lisa Kane. “Superintendant Curtis Johnson, the park’s staff and volunteers look forward to welcoming them again this year, and we invite newcomers to come and learn more about Maine’s wildlife.”

Kane said good weather, too, played a large part in the successful season, as well as diversified advertising and public relations efforts. Visitors from Germany, England, Bulgaria, Australia, Hungary and Japan were recorded, along with those from several Canadian provinces and dozens of U.S. cities and states.

The Maine Wildlife Park, located off of Route 26 in Gray, is expected to open in mid-April, weather permitting. This week, classroom teachers will receive brochures about 2008 school programs and tours in the mail. This popular schedule is also available on the park’s website, www.mainewildlifepark.com.

Last year, special events offered each Saturday throughout the summer generated high numbers of visitors. Some of the most noteworthy events included the Third Annual Native American “Honor Animals” Pow Wow, which drew close to 4,000 visitors over two days; the annual Fish and Wildlife Open House, which featured free admission and brought close to 2,000 visitors in a single day; and the popular Halloween Night Hike, which attracted almost 900 costume-wearing families, who enjoyed a three-hour nighttime park visit with special Halloween exhibits, displays, contests and prizes.

Many of the same events are planned this year, as well as some new ones.

The Park Nature store doubled its net revenue between 2006 and 2007. It offers a variety of wildlife and nature-themed merchandise that is both appealing and affordable to visitors.

At the Maine Wildlife Park, visitors can see more than 25 species of Maine wildlife, including moose, bald eagles, owls, black bear, hawks, fisher, mountain lions, deer, wild turkeys and 6 species of native turtles.

Also, visitors can:

* Walk the Tree Trail, where you can read descriptions of a variety of Maine trees within the park, see how much wood is in a cord, and find out how to use a Biltmore stick to measure tree height.

* Feed the fish at the Dry Mills Hatchery

* Wander the Game Trail, which features camouflaged silhouettes of 13 different animals. See how many you can spot!

* Follow the Wetland Trails, where fish, birds and turtles are sometimes visible; and more 3-D wildlife models are hiding for you to find!

* Visit the Maine Warden Service museum and the Snack Shack.

Not enough? Bask in our wildlife and flower gardens tended by our generous volunteers; take a guided tour; attend a wildlife program or make animal tracks in the Visitor Center sandbox.

The Maine Wildlife Park is open daily mid-April through Nov. 11, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with visitors allowed to stay until 6 p.m. There are picnic and grilling areas available. Admission fees. Call 657-4977 FMI, or visit the website at www.mainewildlifepark.com.

Posted by Tom Remington

From the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

BUXTON, Maine – Two Limerick teens helping a friend repair his snowmobile were seriously hurt today when the machine’s track broke off and hit them each in a leg.

Richard Grindrod and Travis Kendrick, both 19 of Limerick, were holding up the back end of their friend’s snowmobile while they were trying to repair a sputtering engine, according to the Maine Warden Service, which responded to the 1:50 p.m. accident.

The friend, Kyle Densmore, 19, of 166 Cemetery Road in Buxton, was standing beside his snowmobile and operating the throttle when the track broke and flew back, hitting Grindrod and Kendrick each in a leg. Grindrod and Kendrick suffered severe leg fractures and injuries, according to the MWS. Densmore was not hurt.

The teens were transported to Maine Medical Center.

This is the second serious accident this year involving a snowmobile track. A Garland teen holding up the front end of an operating snowmobile slipped underneath it and the moving track severed his foot. The Jan. 6 accident occurred when the teen and a friend were trying to remove snow from the track that was bogging down the machine.

Posted by Tom Remington