Saturday, September 19, 2009

The ninth Annual Loon Echo Hike n’ Bike Trek will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2009 at Shawnee Peak Ski Area in Bridgton, Maine to benefit Loon Echo Land Trust’s conservation efforts. Trekkers may choose from a 25, 50 or 100-mile, fully supported, bike ride through spectacular mountain and farmland country in western Maine, or a six-mile hike over conservation lands on Pleasant Mountain, southern Maine’s tallest mountain.

Pledges are not required to enter, but are encouraged to help the cause. A delicious barbecue meal and a prize pool giveaway (for those raising pledges) will take place after the trek.

Registration begins on June 1st. Early bird registration discounts apply until July 1st.

Please help Loon Echo protect; one of the most beautiful regions in Maine! Contact Loon Echo at (207) 647-4352 or biketrek@lelt.org, or visit the website at www.lelt.org.

The Maine Warden Service initiated a search today for a missing hiker from Pennsylvania who was last seen on Park Tote Road in Baxter State Park on April 30 by another hiker. Upon investigation, the hiker was located at his Pennsylvania home, apparently after leaving his expensive pack on the Appalachian Trail west of Abol Bridge.

Search and rescue personnel from the Maine Warden Service, volunteer groups and dog teams were on standby to begin looking for the man when he was located.

On May 4, Baxter State Park authorities received a complaint from the Brewer Police Department that a Brewer resident found a backpack on the Appalachian Trail west of Abol Bridge. The resident left the backpack on the trail.

On May 7, today, Baxter State Park Ranger Ben Woodard hiked into the area and found the backpack. He snapped some pictures of the pack and called the Maine Warden Service because it appeared suspicious and it appeared to have been there for several days.

Wardens and Baxter State Park personnel started an investigation into who owned the pack. The name of John Meharg, 30, of Reading, Penn., was identified from a registration sheet at Togue Pond Gates.

Warden Investigator Bill Livezey was able to contact a family member, and then talked to Mr. Meharg. Mr. Meharg denied that he had left his backpack in Maine.

While search personnel were coming to the area to await duty instructions, a hiker who had contact with Mr. Meharg was interviewed. After that interview, Mr. Meharg was called again, and he reluctantly admitted that the backpack was his.

According to Mr. Meharg, he had planned on starting at the top of Mount Katahdin and then head south on the Appalachian Trail. He couldn’t get to the top of the mountain because of weather conditions, and eventually ended up on the AT near the West Branch of the Penobscot River. Mr. Meharg ended up in the water and hurt himself. He headed to a road for help without his backpack, and somehow arrived at the Millinocket Hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.

Mr. Meharg then took a taxi to Bangor, where he rented a vehicle and headed back to Pennsylvania.

The Maine Warden Service strongly urges people who are going hiking to let someone know your route, when you are leaving and when you are expected back. The hiking trails are wet and slippery this time of year so caution should be taken.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

The ninth Annual Loon Echo Hike n’ Bike Trek will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2009 at Shawnee Peak Ski Area in Bridgton to benefit Loon Echo Land Trust’s conservation efforts. Trekkers may choose from a 25, 50 or 100-mile fully supported bike ride through spectacular mountain and farmland country in western Maine, or a six-mile hike over conservation lands on Pleasant Mountain, southern Maine’s tallest mountain. Pledges are not required to enter, but are encouraged to help the cause. A delicious barbeque meal and a prize pool giveaway (for those raising pledges) will take place after the trek. Registration begins on June 1st. Early bird registration discounts apply until July 1st. Please help Loon Echo protect one of the most beautiful regions in Maine! Contact Loon Echo at (207) 647-4352 or biketrek@lelt.org, or visit the website at www.lelt.org.

Posted by Tom Remington

An 80-year-old Machias man who Game Wardens say is “fit as a fiddle” was located near Libby Brook early this morning after getting lost Friday while marking a trail on Porcupine Mountain behind the University of Maine at Machias.

Richard McLaughlin, 80, left his home sometime before 11:30 a.m. Friday with a couple of cans of spray paint to mark a trail, according to Maine Warden Sgt. David Craven. Mr. McLaughlin had told the widow of a longtime friend that he would go and prepare the trail on Porcupine Mountain on Friday so that they, along with family and friends, could follow the trail today and spread her husband’s ashes on the mountain, which is what the friend requested before he died recently.

According to Sgt. Craven, Mr. McLaughlin got disoriented in the woods and couldn’t locate the trail he was making. He heard Libby Brook and headed towards it.

Mr. McLaughlin had made a shelter, and used fir boughs – stuffed inside his shirt and as a blanket — to protect him from the weather. “He smelled like a wreath,” said Sgt. Craven. “Other than that, he was cold but fine. His plans were to stay put along Libby Brook overnight and then follow it to a roadway this morning.”

The Machias Police Department notified the Maine Warden Service at approximately 10 p.m. that Mr. McLaughlin had been reported missing by his brother. Mr. McLaughlin’s vehicle was located behind the University of Maine at Machias shortly thereafter.

According to Sgt. Craven, Porcupine Mountain is thick with trees and brush. Search-and-rescue teams at times needed to use their bodies like a bulldozer to push through the woods.

Involved in the search for Mr. McLaughlin were: Wardens Joe McBrine, Wayde Carter (with his K-9), and Paul Farrington (with his K-9), Leslie Howe and teams from the Maine Search and Rescue Dogs, and Richard Scribner and Andrea Ednie from UMM’s outdoor recreation program.

The teams heard Mr. McLaughlin respond to his name being called, and Warden Farrington was able to reach him at approximately 1:30 a.m. today along Libby Brook.

Mr. McLaughlin did not need medical attention.

It all makes little sense to me. Maine, like just about every other state in the Union is looking at ways to cut the budget and Maine’s Gov. John Baldacci insists on targeting the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. At least 90% of the budget is paid for through license fees and reimbursed taxes paid through Pittman-Robertson. Only recently did the Maine legislature cough up any money to assist MDIFW. Budget constraints on the Department have come mostly due to the demands placed on it for services outside fish and game (oh, sorry! Fish and Wildlife. That changed a few years back), yet those taking advantage of those services pay little or nothing.

Now Gov. Baldacci is seeking a license fee increase and he seems determined to either get the increase or merge the fish and wildlife into one huge natural resources entity, of which nobody wants to see. An article by Kevin Miller of the Bangor Daily News says that Baldacci is threatening sportsmen to either accept the fee increase or he’ll merge the departments.

Baldacci spokesman David Farmer stressed that the consolidation proposal is being put forward as an alternative to higher user fees. If the sporting community can live with the fee increases, then the consolidation proposal goes nowhere,

Sure sounds like a threat to me.

Generally speaking sportsmen are content to pay reasonable fee increases when they can see value for their dollar. What’s getting really old is paying extra for the license in order to pay for things that have nothing to do with hunting, fishing and trapping. Maine has to find a way to make up the shortfall by collecting fees from those who use and don’t pay, admittedly a difficult task.

I can assure you though that consolidating departments and morphing Inland Fisheries and Wildlife into a huge natural resources kind of department would be the biggest mistake Maine could make. Just look around at the states who have. First and foremost, it saves no money but more importantly two things happen.

One, fish and game doesn’t get the attention it needs. Monies are moved around and license fees continue to escalate in order to pay for more non-game activities and services. This results in the second problem. Time and again when talking with other sportsmen in other states and even looking at surveys taken, one of the biggest complaints by sportsmen who have stopped buying a license is that they feel they have no say anymore with fish and game.

Where once sportsmen organized into clubs in order to have input into the management of game no longer exists to the same degree. Ask any sportsman and they’ll not give a real positive impression of their own fish and game departments. On top of that bury the fish and wildlife into a huge, bureaucratic nightmare of a “superagency” and what little confidence left gets further eroded to efforts of futility, devaluing the experience and rendering a license purchase a waste of time and money.

Maine Senator David Trahan, (R) Waldoboro, who sits on the Fish and Wildlife Committee says he wants people to know “Over my dead body”.

“I’m not interested in having this discussion about consolidating these agencies into one,” said Sen. Dave Trahan, R-Waldoboro, a member of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee. “I just want people to know that. My position is ‘Over my dead body.’”

George Smith, Executive Director for the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, says he opposes both of the governor’s proposals.

SAM’s executive director, George Smith, has promised to fight both proposals to increase fees or merge the agencies. Smith and other several other speakers said the state needs to find a way to get kayakers, hikers and other outdoor recreation enthusiasts to help pay for the services that game wardens and DIF&W biologists provide.

The chairman of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, Bruce Bryant (D) Oxford, also thinks Maine has to find ways to get those utilizing services to pay to play.

Sportsmen complain about the fee increases. Others don’t because they enjoy the benefits bought and paid for by the sportsmen and yet these same free loaders are making much of the demand for bigger and better services.

There is one thing that is certain. We can get mad at the governor. We can berate the fish and game department but if we don’t stop placing demands for more and bigger, how can we expect to keep fees down? Granted our departments have to hold the line on spending but at the same time we need to stop demanding.

Tom Remington

Many Americans believe that being in the outdoors is what makes their lifestyles so remarkable and frankly, having grown up that way, I just don’t know what I would do if I lost the freedom to do that anymore.

Let’s be honest with ourselves. This lifestyle is being threatened. Ask yourself who you would rather have looking out for your interests in these matters, someone who is one of us or someone with little if any experience in outdoor affairs, namely hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, boating, ATVing, horseback riding, rock hounding, canoeing, kayaking and the list goes on?

As we rapidly approach November 4, 2008, Election Day, I encourage everyone to get out and vote. This may be the most critical election ever to face our nation and you need to be a part of it.

If you are anything like me, where the outdoors is more of a part of my life than indoors, I have to seriously consider who I want leading the way. John McCain is an outdoor sportsman. He is a fisherman and doesn’t pretend to be something that he’s not. He has selected a running mate in Sarah Palin that doubles the draw of the ticket.

The Sportsmen for McCain website says McCain supports your interests.

“John McCain understands that hunters and anglers are the first conservationists and without them, conservation as we know it will cease to exist. John McCain recognizes the importance of recruiting the next generation of hunters and anglers as well as maintaining those currently in our ranks. John McCain believes in multiple uses of public lands and knows that the revenue generated by the licenses and gear that we purchase is the life blood of state wildlife agencies.”

Our Endangered Species Act has been so far twisted out of shape it has lost its ability to protect the species we want to have long into our future. Who better to lead than someone with a real understanding of what proper wildlife management is. McCain is someone who knows that it is the outdoor sportsmen that make it possible for him to go fishing when he can.

I have to believe that one of the reasons John McCain recruited Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate, is because who else can have a deeper understanding and appreciation for the outdoors than the governor of the state that labels itself as “The Last Frontier”.

Having a grip on the importance of our outdoor heritage is huge. This directly affects tens of millions of Americans. Outdoor issues shouldn’t be overlooked in this election. Putting the future of our heritage in the wrong hands can gravely impact how we live as Americans.

Both McCain and Palin have track records on where they stand and what they have done to protect our heritage. Obama and Biden pale in comparison and have yet to show that they even care. Don’t hope for the best, when the best is right before you.

For more information on Sportsmen for McCain, visit their website.

Tom Remington

AUGUSTA – In appreciation for their support of state parks and the protection of endangered and threatened species, drivers whose vehicles sport the Conservation “Loon” Registration Plate will receive free admission to state parks and historic sites this weekend (July 19 and 20).

“Conservation Plate Holder Appreciation Days” is an annual event sponsored by the Maine Department of Conservation, in conjunction with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, to show off the beauty of state parks to those who help support their access and maintenance.

The pass only is valid at parks managed by the Maine Department of Conservation and at participating historic sites. Conservation “Loon” Plate holders who visit the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray or Swan Island in Richmond this weekend will be asked to pay regular admission. The MWP is self supporting and managed by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, as is Swan Island.

The Conservation “Loon” Plate is a valuable fund raiser not only for state parks, but for the Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund, which is managed by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Since the Conservation “Loon” Plate’s inception in 1994 more than $14 million in funds have gone to the Departments of Conservation and Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

“These funds have allowed us to complete much needed upgrades in our state parks and historic sites, and support wildlife conservation efforts through the Endangered and Nongame Species Fund,” said Patrick K. McGowan, Commissioner of the Department of Conservation. “However, the number of Conservation ‘Loon’ plates being issued each year is in decline, and as a result, so are the much needed funds to do these important works.”

Because of declining Conservation “Loon” Plate sales in recent years, the Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund is in danger of running out of money. With more license plate options available to motorists, including the Chickadee Plate, a 30 percent reduction in funds over the last several years threatens the loss of matching federal dollars. And it puts in peril the jobs of 10 experienced IF&W wildlife biologists who protect and manage many of the 49 species of birds, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles and fish that are endangered in Maine. These include the Piping Plover, Blanding’s Turtle, Black Racer snake, rare butterflies, dragonflies, and freshwater mussels. Threatened species include the Canada Lynx, Atlantic Puffin and the Arctic Tern.

“The annual free admission weekend is a wonderful appreciation gift for those Mainers who invest in wildlife and park programs through their purchase of the Conservation ‘Loon’ Plate,” said Roland “Danny” Martin, Commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. “But it is our hope as well that this weekend enlightens all motorists to the value of the programs this registration plate supports, and they choose the Conservation ‘Loon’ Plate the next time they register their vehicles.”

Thanks to Loon Plate supporters, Bald Eagles no longer are endangered in Maine, but remain a threatened species. And, thanks to motorists sporting the Conservation “Loon” Plate on their vehicles, Peregrine falcons can again be seen on the cliffs of Borestone Mountain and Acadia National Park.

With the money it has received from Conservation “Loon” Plate sales, the Department of Conservation has built toilet and changing facilities at many waterfront parks, and improved access roads and parking at many state parks and historic sites.

The plate costs $20 for first-time buyers, plus regular registration fees, or $15 to renew. After processing fees, $8.40 of the plate’s annual cost supports the Department of Conservation’s Bureau of Parks and Lands and $5.60 supports the Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund, which is managed by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The Loon Plate became available to motorists in 1994, and reached an all-time high of 110,265 plates in 1998. In 2007, only 63,425 cars carried this plate.

“People live in Maine because they love its vast outdoors and its wide variety of fish and wildlife,” said Commissioner Martin. “Please consider supporting the program that protects what we love – the Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund and our beautiful state parks.”

For more information on the Loon Plate and the Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund, visit www.maine.gov/ifw and click on the Loon Plate.

To purchase the plate, visit www.sosonline.org.

Posted by Tom Remington

Maine, like a lot of states, is having trouble funding its Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Maine, not necessarily like a lot of states, loves to tax its citizens. Maine is one of the most heavily taxed states in the Union. Maine is coming off one of the most severe winters in history and in parts of the state, the deer herd has been hit very hard. Needless to say, the state has its troubles financially and is faced with decisions on how it is going to fund programs.

The MDIFW is facing a shortage this year in its budget and they are scrambling to find funding. Sen. Bruce Bryant, Committee Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, is proposing an increase in hunting, trapping and fishing license fees by $2.00 per year for residents and $4.00 per year for nonresidents.

Coming as no big surprise, Maine sportsmen are divided on whether they should be asked once again to pick up the slack.

Rep. Tom Saviello of Wilton and member of the JSCIFW, is also proposing a bill that would levy a fee on hikers and kayakers of $20.00 annually. That money, as I understand it, would go into a pool used to offset the costs of the Maine Warden Service to respond to search and rescue calls for non-license holders in the state. This bill may be facing more resistance than the license fee increase.

I’m not going to get into discussions about whether or not I think any of the fees are fair, necessary or justified. What I will do is raise some questions that I think need to be answered before anyone in Augusta or the users and sportsmen can make qualified decisions on what should be done.

Sportsmen are notorious for complaining about fee increases and we can’t really blame them. It does seem that all too often they are called upon to pick up the slack when it comes to financial shortcomings. But also true to sportsmen is that they don’t mind coughing up their fair share and a lot more, when they are able to see the worth of their investment.

There is also a trust factor. Sportsmen have to have a belief that the MDIFW is looking out for them. Here’s one example. Last year in Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources, said it had to raise license fees because it was looking at a $10.8 million shortfall. Sportsmen there were also divided but after raising fees, when the end of the year came around, DNR had a surplus of nearly $20 million. Trust me when I say there is no more trust between Michigan sportsmen and the MDNR and it could be years before MDNR will get a license fee increase again.

As I see it, those complaining the most about paying the extra fee are doing it for two basic reasons. 1). They see their services being cut along with a reduction in fish and game and opportunities. 2). They believe that non payers that rely on Fish and Game services, which includes the Maine Warden Service, need to start anteing up their fair share. In honesty, I think these two reasons are legitimate, although I probably won’t get a majority approval on that from readers.

How MDIFW will find the funding remains to be seen. What isn’t being answered, and I have sent out emails that have not been answered, is how is funding of MDIFW going to be affected if Gov. Baldacci gets his way and merges MDIFW with other “natural resources” departments in order to save money?

As most of you know, I am dead set against such a move for a number of reasons, one of them being the problems that arise from how revenue is generated to this new department and how it gets spent. Sportsmen need guarantees that the money they lay out in license fees is actually going to be spent on managing fish and game and not going to fund the local nature walk project that once open will be closed to all hunting and fishing.

In previous discussions I have had on this subject, people remind me that Maine is required by law to spend fish and game money on fish and game programs. I realize that but nobody will answer my question when I ask if those laws become null and void if legally the MDIFW is dissolved and a new entity of natural resources is created?

Maine doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to spending the money generated by license fees on fish and game items. If Baldacci gets his way, will the formation of a different department guarantee that Maine sportsmen’s money will be spent as promised?

Baldacci opposes a license fee increase, which I find interesting as I never knew a tax he didn’t like. Maine sportsmen need to decide if any money they have to spend more than they do now will be spent as promised and whether it is worthwhile. I don’t completely buy into the argument that Skip Trask, spokesman for the Maine Trappers Association and Maine Guides, used as was reported in the Banger News.

Skip Trask with the Maine Trappers Association and Maine Professional Guides Association pointed out that a daily lift ticket at a ski resort can cost $70 while some golfers pay $60 for a day of green’s fees.

Paying $40 for a year’s worth of hunting and fishing, as the bill proposes, is a deal by comparison as long as it helps keep wardens patrolling the backcountry to protect the resources, Trask said.

Trask is right in his representation of the costs of skiing and golf. I’ll also concur that the cost of a license to hunt, trap and fish in Maine is a bargain but making such a comparison isn’t in and of itself justification to raise fees. We shouldn’t raise fees simply because we can and get away with it – and I don’t think Trask is suggesting such a thing.

My point still comes back to perception of the license holder. It’s what you get for your money and whether you feel the money is spent with the best interest of the sportsman in mind.

This proposal for a rate hike comes at a troubling time in my mind. If this was coming at a time when Baldacci wasn’t suggesting a hocus-pocus, mix up and blend departments together, closely resembling a shell game, then maybe the decision could be easier.

It seems the majority of Maine sportsmen want non-paying users to contribute. How to make that happen is argumentative for certain. Making government bigger in hopes of accomplishing that task will never work. We need to fight Baldacci’s idea of creating a bigger department of natural resources and return the fish and game department back to more what it used to be – fish and game management.

Tom Remington

From the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department:

CONCORD, N.H. – Two hikers missing on Mt. Lafayette were found about 7:30 p.m. yesterday evening (February 11, 2008) by a 7-man rescue team of New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Conservation Officers and members of Mountain Rescue Service. Laurence Fredrickson, age 55, of South Sutton, N.H was pronounced dead at the Littleton Hospital a short time after his arrival. James Osborne, age 36, of Manchester, N.H., was last reported to be in critical condition suffering from severe hypothermia and frostbite. Osborne was airlifted from Littleton Hospital to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.

The search team that found the hikers (one of six teams involved in the mission) had started up the Falling Waters Trail at 1:30 p.m. Searchers had to alternate breaking trail through deep snow; it took 6 hours of difficult hiking to reach the summit of Little Haystack Mountain. Weather conditions during the search effort consisted of sub-zero temperatures and strong winds.

The hikers were found near each other, close to the summit of Little Haystack Mountain (altitude 4,800 feet), about 200 feet north of the intersection of the Falling Waters and Franconia Ridge trails. Fredrickson was lying near the trail in an unresponsive condition with his pack still on his back. Osborne was found a short distance away, near some scrub trees, and was in a semi-comatose state.

According to New Hampshire Fish and Game Lieutenant Todd Bogardus, it appears that both hikers were equipped only for a day hike and did not have adequate winter gear for overnight or for the severe winter conditions encountered. They reportedly did not have snowshoes, which was a prerequisite for the snow conditions on most of the trails, especially below the treeline.

By the time the hikers had been found, the Army National Guard Blackhawk Helicopter had already returned to Concord and was in the process of being garaged in the hangar. They immediately reactivated to return to the search area. Despite high winds and dangerous nighttime conditions, they were able to land twice on the summit of Little Haystack Mountain to retrieve the victims and exhausted rescuers.

The helicopter first retrieved Osborne and one Fish and Game rescue team member at 8:50 p.m. A second trip was accomplished at 9:35 p.m., when Fredrickson was evacuated, along with the rest of the rescue team members at the summit.

A total of 24 experienced mountaineers from N.H. Fish and Game, Mountain Rescue Service and Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue were involved in this mission. Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team Members also responded to the scene to participate in the later stages of the rescue. Teams searched the following trail systems adjacent to Franconia Notch: Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path, Falling Waters Trail, Liberty Springs Trail, Skookumchuck Trail and the Pemigewasset Wilderness Trail. Rescue teams were still making their way back out as late as 11:30 p.m. last night.

“This tragic situation, once again, underscores the importance of proper planning and the need for appropriate equipment when winter hiking,” said Col. Jeffrey Gray, Chief of Law Enforcement at Fish and Game. “Individuals must carefully evaluate and acknowledge their physical limitations and level of experience. Winter hikers should not hesitate to turn back or postpone outings when severe weather is predicted or encountered. Even the best of clothing and equipment may be no match for the severe winter weather often encountered in New Hampshire’s White Mountains!”

The two hikers had been reported missing on Monday morning (February 11, 2008) when they failed to show up for work at Concord Trailways. A vehicle registered to Fredrickson was located at the Falling waters trailhead in Franconia Notch and that, along with information from coworkers, led officials to believe that the itinerary was to ascend Mt. Haystack via the Falling Waters trail, traverse the Franconia Ridge Trail to Mt. Lafayette and then descend to the trailhead via the Old Bridle Path, a total distance of approximately 9 miles. Fredrickson had some winter hiking experience, and Osborne is described as a novice winter hiker.

No further information is available at this time.

— – - – - – - -
For information on safe hiking, visit http://www.hikeSafe.com.

Posted by Tom Remington

Mary at The SledChix Blog wants to know if the high price of gas and the rising cost of other goods and services is putting a damper on your plans to be outdoors this winter. Mary’s focus is mostly on snowmobiling and she has extended an invitation to everyone to stop over to her site and discuss what’s going on. Maybe there’s someone whose shoulder you can cry on or better yet, figure out a way to get your riding in despite the rising costs.

Follow this link to The SledChix Blog.

Tom Remington

Maine Huts and Trails is a business, disguised as an environmentally friendly entity, out to save our planet. Well, maybe that’s a bit over the top but read what they say about themselves on their website.

Maine Huts and Trails was founded by Mainers who share a vision for preserving our state’s naturally beautiful remote areas. To that end we will build and operate a 180-mile recreational corridor from the Mahoosucs to Moosehead. The corridor will include a network of huts, trails and waterway corridors. This unique resource will preserve some of Western Maine’s best backcountry for the purposes of conservation and environmentally sensitive economic development, and ensure public access for generations to come.

Don’t believe everything you read. These “huts” turned out to be 4,500 square foot lodges equipped to handle up to 40 guests and some of what they are doing is not so much of a “conservation and environmentally sensitive economic development”.

Personally, I don’t have a problem with the project providing that it complies with the laws of the land but please, let’s stop painting a picture of this as something it isn’t.

At issue is at least one aspect of the development that has riled the dander on a few people who are saying that the project is further destroying and/or having negative impacts on deer wintering areas, called deer yards. Two lodges, (oh, sorry! Huts.) will be built. One on Flagstaff Lake and the other on the Dead River near Grand Falls.

The way the project is laid out, a 180-mile system of trails will be connected with these “huts”. Complaints are coming from those who say this project cuts right through lands utilized by the whitetail deer for winter habitat.

Ok, so either it is or it isn’t. I can’t tell you for sure. I’ve not been there. I’m somewhat familiar with the area but like everyone else, I have to rely on the ones who make the decisions that all the right ones are being made. So, are they? I have some doubts.

For those who don’t know, at least this particular part of the development has to have approval from the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC). LURC oversees projects contained in unorganized territories across the state. You would think that LURC would have all the necessary information to make the right choices.

For a project of this scope and magnitude, many aspects need to be considered, including the impact on the environment and wildlife. It appears that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife have been involved in this project to assist in determining some of that impact.

In an article today in the Kennebec Journal, it says that supporters of the Huts & Trails are addressing the deer habitat issue. Evidently LURC has received comments and complaints over the past couple of weeks from people concerned with the negative impact the project is going to have on habitat. Scott Rollins, LURC permitting and compliance division manager, was quoted as saying this:

“I would say the trend is that folks don’t want the deer wintering areas impacted,”

I know it’s probably not fair to jump to any wild conclusions over one sentence uttered by someone from LURC but in all honesty, does anyone else find this comment disturbing and puzzling?

Rollins sounds as though protecting deer wintering habitat is a trendy thing to do. Is he telling us he doesn’t have a clue? Is he also telling us LURC doesn’t know what’s going on? Is LURC out of the loop with the rest of the state of Maine and in particular the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife? Who’s talking and who isn’t?

Recently a deer study group was formed in Maine, whose task it was to sit down and try to determine why there are no deer in northern and Downeast Maine. This task force was commissioned by the governor and administered by the MDIFW. The task force was comprised of an assortment of stakeholders, biologists, etc.

A formal report of the findings of this group have yet to be released but coming as no surprise, it seems the two biggest issues affecting the deer herd in Maine are too many coyotes and reductions in deer wintering habitat. I know this. Most every hunter and outdoorsman in Maine knows this. The governor must have known about it. The Fish and Game Department knows about it. Doesn’t LURC know about it? Haven’t they been told? Shouldn’t they have been told? Isn’t it vital information they should have before giving developers permission to cut a trail through the middle of a deer yard?

Maybe LURC does know about the efforts to protect deer wintering habitat and the comment was just one of callousness, uncaring and unconcern. “I would say the trend is……” Is this what LURC bases their decisions upon, trends?

If LURC is making decisions on development projects all across Maine in unorganized territories, these are areas with little population and growth, meaning more woods and wildlife. If they are not getting and receiving up to date information, I think it is about time they did. If they are, then a better choice of words to describe the importance of protecting deer yards could be utilized other than describing it as a “trend”.

Tom Remington

I have written some here at the Black Bear Blog and Blogging the Maine Outdoors about National Heritage Areas. Just last week, I wrote an article at Blogging the Maine Outdoors about a summit which also took place last week at the Sunday River Ski Resort. That summit was to discuss the economic impact of trails to Maine’s economy.

Maine Gov. John Baldacci has been pushing for more promotion of Maine’s natural resources and appears to be an advocate for the establishment of more “preserved” lands including National Heritage Areas. Part of this summit at Sunday River was to discuss the prospects of mapping and inventorying lands and waterways in order to protect them. Included in that process was to tap into federal money available to protect these lands through National Heritage Areas.

It is my belief that very few people are even aware of what a National Heritage Area is, say nothing about how they might think how it could benefit them or more particularly the landowner and the local economy.

In the January 28th, 2008 issue of National Review Magazine, John J. Miller, National Political Reporter, writes about National Heritage Areas. One of the things that Miller brings to our attention is the fact that sometimes our land is yanked out from underneath us without our knowledge, all for the good of conservation and preservation.

He cites the example in Arizona of a new National Heritage Area, Yuma Crossing, in which landowner Lee Ott, was completely unaware that his land had been designated as part of it until one day he spotted surveyors on his land. In Ott’s effort to fight back against the encroachment and thievery of his land, 600 people attended a meeting to learn more about what was taking place around them.

“About 600 people came to our meeting,” says Harold Maxwell, a farm-equipment distributor. “When I asked for a show of hands from those who knew they were in the NHA, only one hand went up.”

Evidently, this is part of how the designation of lands for National Heritage Areas takes place. What’s to hide anyway?

Miller describes what National Heritage Areas are in terms most of us should be able to understand.

National Heritage Areas are like a poor man’s National Park­ they aren’t actually owned by the federal government, but they’re zoned by it. Instead of employing Park Rangers in stiff-brimmed hats, they’re often administered by liberal groups that want to weaken the property rights of the people who hold a piece of land within or even near NHA boundaries. This is generally done in the name of historic preservation and environmental conservation.

Miller also describes NHA as a very popular thing these days particularly because they are a means of gaining huge sums of money through earmarks and is a wonderful tool for those bent on controlling and limiting our land-use rights.

Peyton Knight, Director of Environmental and Regulatory Affairs for The National Center for Public Policy Research, says that NHAs become federal zoning laws that are enforced by private preservationist groups.

The rules governing NHAs vary from place to place, but they tend to have a few features in common. One important element is the involvement of a “management entity” that works in conjunction with the Park Service to come up with a plan. In the case of one NHA, this means creating an “inventory” of properties of “national historic significance” that it wants “preserved,” “managed,” or “acquired.”

Miller says that those who support NHAs, even though they claim they are not in the business of buying or regulating real estate, the end result does in fact do that. His claims are that supporters work with local government to enforce and create restrictive land ordinances that fall in line with plans for conserving and preserving “inventoried” and “mapped out” lands.

He gives an example of how that is done.

They do this by dangling the prospect of federal largesse in front of potential recipients. West Virginia’s Wheeling NHA, which is basically a downtown preservation project, makes this explicit, according to a Heritage Foundation report by Chumley and Ron Utt. Its management plan calls for new zoning ordinances and the acquisition of private property. And how will it achieve these goals? As Chumley and Utt write, “Major funding to support the activities . . . and the recommendations of this plan will be coming from the National Park Service.” In the year prior to its most recent available tax filing, the Wheeling NHA received more than $2.5 million in government contributions and not a dime from private sources.

Is this what we want in our own back yards? As we have now seen, these operations sneak about seeking people’s land to devour and control, even without the knowledge of the landowner. We have also been shown that you don’t even have to own land within a NHA, only to be “near” one.

While most of us favor conservation and in some cases we would like to see certain parcels of land protected, I want to believe that very few of us want these “Management Entities” empowered and funded by the federal government taking away our land and or limiting our uses for the sake of creating these National Heritage Areas.

As hunters, fishermen and outdoor sportsmen, our future depends on our ability to access the outdoors. We can’t blindly plunder into programs like this without knowing the facts. We just might end up “giving away the farm” as they say, without a clue as to what is really going to happen.

Severe limits and restrictions on lands and land use, including access to our waterways, will destroy our recreational opportunities and long time heritage of our love for the outdoors. Our property rights and those of our neighbors have to be protected from such programs.

We have to consider this effort as one that can easily be used by the incrementalists to stop hunting, fishing, trapping, etc. With local governments strong armed into creating restrictive land use, you know only the elite special interest groups will ensure their access while restricting or eliminating many others.

Get involved in what’s going on in your community and keep your eyes on your own land to make sure it isn’t being snatched away.

Tom Remington