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

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.

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

Posted by Tom Remington

A very troubling article appeared Saturday in the Lewiston Sun Journal announcing this Tuesday’s annual meeting of the Androscoggin River Watershed Council to be held at Sunday River Ski Resort. The keynote address is to be delivered by David Vail, a professor of economics at Bowdoin College. He will speak on “Tourism Strategy for Maine’s North Woods: Getting to World Class.” Mr. Vail is also a member of Gov. Baldacci’s steering committee on natural resource-based industries.

His talk will focus on efforts over the past four years to turn Maine’s Northern Forest region into a world class tourist destination. He hopes that will happen in three steps.

Part one involves shaping the 2 million acres of existing protected lands into a Great Maine Woods Recreation Area. The second and third parts involve securing federal designation of a Maine Woods National Heritage Area and helping hundreds of tourism businesses – from outfitters to restaurants – deliver world-class product quality and livable-wage jobs

More on this in a moment but the conference being held at the resort will have a focus on outdoor recreation and the economy surrounding the Androscoggin River from Lake Umbagog to Merrymeeting Bay. There will be various speakers on the subject.

The article does not make it clear as to what 2 million acres of existing “protected” lands is being referred to. With the talk of designating some or all of these areas as a National Heritage Area is something that I question whether most people are aware of. And those promoting National Heritage Areas will never tell the local businesses and in particular any of the landowners just what might be involved in such a designation.

While Maine struggles to find ways to prop up an economy that is nearly non existent is some regions, Maine people cannot give away the farm, so to speak, in order to pull off some miracle cure for economic woes. Before I look more closely at the impacts of National Heritage Areas, Mainers need to ask themselves how much money is there really to be realized by setting aside millions of acres of lands, which as National Heritage Areas would remove them from the tax rolls, in hopes of drawing tourists. What kind of tourists will this draw? And of those, how many of them are willing to spend money?

Many have talked about turning much of northern Maine into a wilderness National Park or forest, essentially closed to anything except some foot traffic in designated areas. What kind of a tourist draw is that? I never met a wilderness seeker eager to drop a few hundred dollars on a vacation retreat. Those attending the conference I’m sure will hear how National Heritage Areas are extremely profitable. Are they and at what cost?

If we examine the watershed area that will discussed at this conference, it includes the Embagog Lake area and follows the Androscoggin River, the valley and watershed all the way to Merrymeeting Bay where it joins with the Kennebec River before finally emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. This entail massive amounts of land and my guess is just about all of it is privately owned.

Efforts have been ongoing for years to clean up the Andy and much has been done. With the clean up of the river and work by some local businesses, it is being discovered as a draw to boaters and fishermen. Efforts have secured water access points, once again achieved through local effort, small business and free enterprise.

Now Mainer’s are going to have a juicy carrot dangled in front of their faces in an effort to convince them that bigger is better. Let big government take over those efforts and then see what happens.

Land is a valuable commodity, once thought of as the ultimate dream, the pinnacle of success to own such. It was a mark of prosperity. As big government gets bigger, each year demanding more of our tax dollars, combined with stricter and stricter restrictions put on what we can do with our land, the incentives to own property are diminishing.

One third of all the land in the United States in owned by the federal government. How much more do we need or want to add to that? And at what expense?

In National Heritage Areas, land is determined to be in the best interest of those given the authority to oversee the use of such lands. They are called Management Entities. What if your land becomes a parcel that the “Management Entity” deem as essential to the formation and implementation of a National Heritage Area? Are you aware that your land could be taken from you via eminent domain? Are you aware that severe restrictions could be put on you and how you can use your land that you pay taxes on?

If the water and the land that make up the Androscoggin River watershed is such a valuable commodity, then why do we think that government oversight will keep it that way? What will become of the many farm lands that make up a great deal of the watershed area? Will some entity whose special interests and personal agendas begin a systematic closing of farm lands that interfere with the “World Class Tourist Destination”? What if your land would make a great spot for a boat launch, a park or a picnic area? What are your rights? Will you have any? Is this how Americans should create “World Class Tourist Destinations”?

Free enterprise can do a pretty good job of promoting money making commodities without stealing people’s lands and telling them what they can and can’t do with it. More and more people everyday are selling their land and properties and moving into rents. Why? They can’t afford the taxes, the insurance and they are sick and tired of having land and property only for the privilege of paying more and more taxes.

Designating a few million acres of land in Maine and removing it from the tax rolls is something Maine doesn’t need. It means the few people scattered through many of these tiny communities will need to dig even deeper into their pocket books in order to pay the tax from which the base has been reduced. Designating these lands as National Heritage Areas will also strip many Mainers of their right to utilize their land as they see fit. Instead they will be forced through the land designation to use that land only in a way that is conducive to providing tourists with a National Heritage Area. Whatever happened to working with the landowners, citizens and businesses instead of strong arming them into submission?

But there is far more to these National Heritage Areas than most Americans know about. I challenge you to visit the National Center for Public Policy Research website and get more information about what’s behind this seemingly innocent effort. Follow this link to an article written by Peyton Knight of NCPPR that gives a clear example of what can happen.

There is pending legislation that would create a management entity to oversee your land. Here’s an example of one such effort being discussed as I write.

This consortium of preservation elitists and federal bureaucrats would form a “management entity,” and be given a federal mandate to create an “inventory” of all property in the area that it wants “preserved,” “managed” or “acquired” because of its “national historic significance.”

Doesn’t this already sound quite familiar? Baldacci has already ordered another one of his steering committees to inventory all the public lands and recreational easements the state has and prioritize them. And for what purpose is he doing this? Is he already making plans to dump Maine’s public lands into the hands of the federal government to be taken care of by a federally designated “management entity”? And who would become that entity?

Once groups such as the Androscoggin River Watershed Council are able to be recognized by the federal government as a “management entity”, it means access to huge earmarks and pork-barrel spending. Whether people are aware of this or not, they need to know. Perhaps some or all of the members of these groups, even those who sit on the ARWC steering committee, aren’t aware of this. Then again, maybe they are. Maybe this is what’s really behind this. Do you know? Will you ask or just take the attractive bait hook, line and sinker and then wait to see what happens. Who do you think will really reap the benefits of a National Heritage Area?

A recent report done by the Brooking’s Institute said that Maine’s biggest asset was it’s natural resources and beauty. Does that mean we should take this asset and turn it over to government? Think about it. Free enterprise has always been the best method to spur on a sluggish economy. The last thing it needs is more government, which is part of the problem facing Maine taxpayers now.

While the state looks to climb out of a deep recession hole, it can’t bury itself deeper by giving away the means to fill in the hole. Those attending this conference need to keep their focus on free enterprise and their rights as property owners before they become committed to turning Maine into a preservationists National Heritage Area.

Tom Remington

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) along with co-sponsor Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) have introduced their own version of the House’s bill called, Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act. According to a press release by Sen. Whitehouse, the Act will accomplish three things.

The bill would direct the federal government to develop coordinated national strategies to identify, monitor, and protect or restore wildlife populations and habitats that are likely to be harmed by global warming;

It would also create a panel to advise us on what we should do.

The bill would create Advisory Boards, with members appointed by the President of the National Academy of Sciences, and a new National Global Warming and Wildlife Science Center within the U.S. Geological Survey, to conduct research and provide scientific and technical advice on strategies to help wildlife, oceans, and coastal ecosystems adapt to global warming. A special panel would also be convened to look specifically at the impacts of climate change on endangered species (emboldening is added).

The bill would also provide funding in order to further study wildlife, oceans and habitat that are being affected by global warming. This money would also be used to implement programs to protect wildlife and habitat that are being affected by global warming.

We have certainly pressed the panic button in this society over global warming which is being proven time and again, day after day that it is just not scientifically supported. This is a hoax that is sure to bring billions of dollars into the pockets of scientific research and with this new proposed act would also distribute money to organizations to “implement programs” to counter global warming. And just where do you think that money will go?

I’ll give you one hint. The Defenders of Wildlife think this Act is a terrific idea and I’m sure other extreme environmental groups and animal rights groups will be jumping on this bandwagon.

This act is troubling in other ways as well. First of all, this appears to be another back door attempt to get federal government in control over state’s wildlife management programs. For decades the feds have, for the most part, recognized the 10th Amendment when it comes to managing wildlife programs and has butted out of allowing state sovereignty to prevail, with one exception being the Endangered Species Act.

Now all of a sudden because we have a group of emotionally charged people jumping on the global warming train ride, the state’s wildlife management programs are not good enough to deal with changes? State’s wildlife officials should be insulted as well as concerned. The feds want to take control over their wildlife and lands that provide the habitat.

The Endangered Species Act, as much as I think it is now outdated and in dire need of being revamped or axed, has sufficed lawmakers to this point in protecting threatened species. This act sounds like another way to put more power into the hands of the feds to further reduce hunting and fishing opportunities as well as outdoor pursuits all in the name of establishing habitat they claim is disappearing because of global warming.

Along with this grabbing up of more land for habitat protection comes the loss of individual property rights, say nothing of the millions of dollars that will be lost because of restrictions put on logging, mining and other businesses that rely on these lands.

Climateatrisk.com writes of the introduction of Whitehouse’s bill and describes the powers that would be granted to the appointed, not elected but appointed panel that would be in control.

The national strategy identifies specific goals and methods to protect, acquire and restore wildlife habitat in order to build resilience to global warming, and provide habitat linkages to facilitate wildlife movements in response to global warming. The National Strategy would also protect natural communities most vulnerable to global warming, and restore and protect ecological processes that sustain wildlife populations.

Does this language sound at all familiar? The Wildlands Project is an organization whose goals are to take land away from private landowners in order to create vast areas of land closed to humans and left for the “natural” use of wildlife at the expense of human productivity and freedom. The want wildlife to have the freedom to move about unimpaired by you and I owning land.

The Wildlands Project’s work to reconnect the continent begins with “MegaLinkages”–vast pathways that tie natural places together.

Within each continental MegaLinkage we propose regional systems of core protected areas connected to one another by “wildlife linkages,” mosaics of public and private lands that provide safe passageways for wildlife to travel freely from place to place.

Private land owners within proposed conservation planning areas are not bound in any way by our recommendations, but are encouraged to participate in voluntary actions to protect landscape linkages and native species.

It is not coincidental that the use of the word “linkages” is used in describing both goals by the Wildlands Project and the Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act.

But it doesn’t stop here. Rocker Carole King, a wildlands/wilderness advocate, who I am told is friends with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, got her chance to meet with the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, to promote her agenda of creating more wilderness – described as the biggest wilderness creation act since the Alaska Land Act.

King is pushing the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act.

The bill, sponsored by New York Democrat Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Connecticut Republican Christopher Shays would designate as wilderness nearly 7 million acres in Montana, 9.5 million acres in Idaho, 5 million acres in Wyoming, 750,000 acres in eastern Oregon, and 500,000 acres in eastern Washington.

Another three million acres in Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks also would become wilderness, where no logging, road-building, motorized use, and new oil and gas drilling or new mining could take place.

Now that the Democrats, notorious for being environmentalists with little concern for economic welfare and property rights, are in charge, this is the kind of legislation they are trying to push through and it all goes hand in hand.

This Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act is unnecessary and will needlessly cost taxpayers billions of dollars. It will further inflate an already overinflated government that does not need more power over the states. We have brilliant scientists and biologists working all across this land protecting our wildlife and doing a commendable job. Let’s keep big government out.

This act will further tie up land deemed as critical habitat all in the name of global warming, a theory never proven scientifically to be valid. With those in charge fostering ideas that we need millions of square miles of unaccessible wilderness lands for animals is absurd and scientifically unfounded. This is Disney biology at its best.

We as hunters, fishermen and trappers witness first hand how our opportunities are shrinking on a daily basis when governments, pushed by environmental and animal rights groups, tie up land we use to hunt and fish on because of political hard balling.

To some this act may appear to be one that will work toward guaranteeing that we will continue to have game to hunt and fish. It is far from that. We have seen what an abuse of the Endangered Species Act has done for us and this Act will enhance the powers of those who administer the ESA. Is that what we want? Do we want left-wing environmentalists fear mongers further stripping us of hunting and fishing opportunities and taking land out of the hands of private citizens?

This act is not grounded in good scientific reasoning. It’s a means by which power hungry politicians can control the people using the fear of global warming to take away our land, our freedoms and our opportunities to prosper and enjoy the fruits of our labor.

I would encourage everyone to contact their senators and congressmen and tell them the Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act is nothing our country needs. If you believe your state has the ability to handle your wildlife management and that you believe the American dream is to own land and have the rights to use that land, speak up now.

Tom Remington

In today’s Bangor Daily News, OpEd writer Rollin Thurlow, president of the Allagash Alliance Group, says that he has a different explanation as to why the drop in usage of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway is three times that of any of the other two big parks, Acadia and Baxter. And what is his alternate view?

In the last six years, the usage of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area has had only a decrease of less than 9 percent, to 127,000. The number of long-term hikers on the Appalachian Trail has remained steady. The rugged Northern Forest Canoe Trail has opened from New York through northern New England and into Canada, and the Maine Woods Forever organization has opened the Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail. The public is still seeking wilderness and extended canoe trips. If these hardy wilderness-based activities are attracting the public, why are they not coming to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway?

Mr. Thurlow asks a great question and goes on to make argument as to why he feels the way he does. I’m not here to dispute Mr. Thurlow’s opinion, although I may not agree with all of it. What I would like to do is offer an explanation that I’m sure he has thought of and probably neither of us have the resources to prove.

In Thurslow’s piece, he shares with readers about expanded opportunities for outdoor and wilderness seekers as you can see from the above taken from the OpEd. I’m willing to wager that the “type” of user who would use the AWW also would use the Appalachian Trail, The Northern Forest Canoe Trail, etc. I’m also willing to wager, and this isn’t something I’m pulling out of my hat, the number of people who are using such areas isn’t on the increase. At best it is holding steady but more than likely on the decline. We should also point out that probably the typical user to Acadia isn’t a typical user to the Allagash.

The ski industry nationwide has been faced with a similar dilemma for some time. There are only so many skiers and the industry struggled to find a way to increase those users. Their only saving grace has been the evolution of snowboarding. The problem the industry faced is that all ski areas were competing for the same group of skiers. What would Maine look like if it added one more major ski resort? Might I suggest that not only are the three parks, Allagash, Acadia and Baxter, competing for the same shrinking group of users, they are now competing with other outdoor opportunities such as the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

Granted that might not fully explain a threefold drop compared to the other parks but I don’t think Thurlow can completely blame the management of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway as such. If we are going to do that, then we should be comparing apples with apples and oranges with oranges. An experience on the AWW is far from similar to one at Acadia or Baxter for that matter.

There’s also a certain amount of math realization that should be taken into consideration. First off, there are far more visitors each year to Acadia than to the Allagash. At one time, and I don’t know if this is still true, Acadia was the most visited national park in American. In 2005, Acadia National Park received 2,051,484 recreational visits. Baxter had some 58,000 visitors in 2006. I don’t have numbers for the Allagash but I can assure you it is far less than either of these two.

A 20% drop in numbers when we are talking over 2 million is a lot of people, some 400,000 plus. 20% of 58,000 is 11,600 and whatever AWW numbers look like. The point is, the smaller the number of visitors to a park, the easier it is to show sharper drops when dealing strictly in percentages. If Maine added another similar national park, would Acadia’s numbers drop drastically?

One would have to, in fairness, try to determine how many total user types there are for places like the AWW, Northern Forest, etc. Then look to see how those numbers compare to which places they went.

Mr. Thurlow probably has a strong argument about management of the Allagash but he can’t completely blame the drop on them no more than those park managers can blame ipods, MTV and computer games. Nationwide trends have to be considered as do all aspects, including what I have spoken about – the increase in user opportunities compared to the same or fewer people to use them. That in and of itself will create a significant drop when only comparing one park, like AWW.

Tom Remington

According to what Kevin Miller of the Bangor Daily News is saying, people visiting Maine’s three biggest parks, Baxter, Acadia and the Allagash, is shrinking and in some cases a considerable amount. So, is this a bad thing or a good thing? The answer to that might come depending upon who you talk to.

Here’s the estimates of the reductions in visits from Miller’s article.

The number of people using the Allagash declined nearly 70 percent between 1999 and 2005. Much of that drop is attributable to fewer day users of the wilderness waterway — a situation that has sparked several recent political and legal battles. But the number of total paid camping days slid roughly 33 percent during that period.

Visitation at Acadia dropped 23 percent between 1996 and 2006.

And while the number of people making the trek into Baxter appears to be inching back up or plateauing, last year’s figures were still 25 percent lower than a decade ago.

Some will get upset over these numbers but should we be? Isn’t this exactly what most Mainers want? Don’t we want the Allagash Wilderness Waterway to remain wild and Baxter to be limited to access?

These two parks are much more difficult to access than Acadia and the decline in visits seem to be in line with the ease of access. That should answer one question as to why.

Last July, I reported that attendance to these same parks was in a tailspin. I told of recent reports explaining why.

So what is the problem? A recent study funded by the Nature Conservancy states that the national trend is due mostly to Internet and other technological gadgets that seem to occupy the majority of people’s time these days.

In this recent article, representatives of the parks still lament that they are competing with the electronic world and changing trends.

Acadia’s Steele said he has witnessed this disconnect between young people and nature firsthand, such as the recent youth playing video games while on a boat trip with his family around the park’s islands or others he has seen listening to iPods while touring scenic carriage trails.

“We are competing for their attention even when we get them here, and that’s new,” Steele said.

Instead of complaining about the fact, perhaps it’s time to do something about it. So what are we doing about it?

First you have to come to terms that there is a certain percentage of people in this state who would be quite happy should those number of visitors to places like the Allagash drop to near zero. On the flip side of that, you have those who would just as soon turn the AWW into the Saco River. If you’re not familiar with that, it is a constant flow of partying canoeists all summer long.

Somewhere in the middle is where we are supposed to be I guess.

Gov. Baldacci began a program this year called, “Take It Outside“. This program is designed to educate kids to the benefits of being outside. Good idea but is it enough? Is that alone going to change the tide? Obviously it won’t nationwide. It may have some effect on Maine kids.

Steele (Acadia Park) said he and other park managers around the nation also realize that they must do a better job incorporating technology into the park experience.

One current example is an electronic scavenger hunt of Acadia using handheld GPS units that teaches participants about the park’s geology. And in the future, visitors to the summit of Cadillac Mountain may be able to use their cell phones to dial into an interpretive message, Steele said.

Maybe this is another good idea but I still think we might be missing the boat. When people go to these places or think about going there, are they doing so in search of education or entertainment? Baxter officials say they are thinking about making it so when hikers reach the summit of Katahdin they can call a number on their cell phone and listen to a prerecorded message.

And this is incentive for someone to drive several hours to a remote wilderness area, hike for several more hours over some very challenging terrain, in order to use their cell phone? What happened to wilderness experience?

Percival Baxter evidently wanted only word of mouth advertising for Baxter Park. Do you think he had an idea? Listen to what Jensen Bissell of Baxter said.

In 2006, the number of summer visitors rose to more than 58,000 after a six-year slide, and early indications are that trend will continue this year, Bissell said. The current foot traffic through the park is also more manageable than levels seen in the early- to mid-1990s, when 80,000-plus annual visitors were taking a toll on trails and park facilities.

“So there are some silver linings to this,” Bissell said. “Now, at these levels, we feel like we are catching up on trail maintenance and park maintenance.”

We so often bring back Percival Baxter’s dreams in order to do things like the purchase of the Katahdin Lake parcel but seem to forget other parts of his wishes. Baxter’s dream was for the park to be forever wild for the Maine people. That’s why he said to only spread the word about the park by mouth. The park should be full of Maine people.

So what has the park become? A destination for a handful of nonresident people willing to pay to use the park. Bissell said that when traffic to the park was at its peak, they couldn’t keep up with maintenance and damage to trails, etc. was at an all-time high.

Many of these same things can be applied to the Allagash. The major stumbling block about the Allagash is its remoteness, at least as far as keeping up numbers. Much of the political battle over the Allagash is about use and access not about keeping the number of visitors up.

We need also to look at another set of interesting figures that Miller brings out in his article and that’s about visits to all the other state parks in Maine.

Maine officials, meanwhile, said not all of the trends are negative when it comes to state parks.

While camping figures remain down, day use of Maine’s state parks has consistently fluctuated between 1.8 million and 2.3 million annual visitors since 1997. The DOC’s Townsend said weather plays a huge role in turnout, but she said the trend indicates that many people continue to regard state parks as options for a quick getaway that’s close to home.

Since Baxter, Allagash and Acadia are geared toward drawing out of state visitors and indications are that day use of other parks is still good, then it is quite simply a matter of out of state visitors don’t want to use our parks. Why? Outhouses are good enough anymore? Sleeping in a tent, on the ground in a mosquito infested area, not going to cut it anymore? Where can I plug in my laptop? Will my Blackberry work at Baxter or Allagash?

Remember, just recently Maine announced that traffic on the Maine Turnpike was very good, especially over the Labor Day holiday. So, if people are coming into Maine via the turnpike and they are not going to the Allagash, Baxter, Acadia and our other state parks, where are they going and what are they doing?

If Maine is to compete for those tourist dollars, they have to figure this out. I’m not sure there are really enough people in Maine that want any of those tourist dollars. Maybe they like it just the way it is.

Tom Remington

H.C. Haynes Co., a land owner and forestry company that holds lands mixed in with those belonging to the state, Baxter State Park and Roxanne Quimby, is mad at Jimmy Busque, Millinocket town councilor, about comments made against the lumber company. Herbert C. Haynes Jr. wrote a letter to the town of Millinocket demanding an apology from Busque or it may discontinue allowing snowmobilers access to his land where currently a trail exists.

This really is nothing more than continued repercussions from the controversial and underhanded dealings by the Baldacci administration in acquiring the Katahdin Lake parcel of land to add to Baxter State Park.

Busque has not supported the land swap, nor does he advocate the land grabbing and closing of lands by Roxanne Quimby. The comments that he made came recently at a town council meeting in which they were discussing the recent purchase of land by Quimby, land evidently owned by Haynes.

He then accused Haynes of having “totally stripped the parcel of land there [of trees]. It should never have happened and he used our tax dollars to do it, to strip it, rape it, and sold it to somebody who will never allow access or management of it again.”

Haynes said in his letter that these and other comments from the past are slanderous to his company. Town officials say the councilor has a right to speak his mind but agree that perhaps his methods aren’t conducive to good relations with landowners. Busque has no plans to apologize.

Haynes made the point that he and his company “….comply with all rules and regulations which apply to our industry and employ foresters to supervise our forestry activities,”. This is probably true but that doesn’t always set well with many outdoor sportsmen, like Busque who consider stripping land not good land management.

Obviously Busque is entitled to his opinion and can say as he wishes. The people will decide in the next election whether they think he is serving their best interest. Haynes, as well as other landowners like Gardner and Quimby, have a right to use their land as they see fit. That shouldn’t mean that when they decide to do things to their land that can be perceived as radical, the public isn’t going to speak out against such actions, especially in the Millinocket area where people and businesses seek their livelihoods from the land and forests surrounding their community. When people like Roxanne Quimby move in, buy up several thousand acres of land and shut out the public that has been using those lands, people will become angry.

As I said before, this goes back to the very beginnings of Baldacci’s decision to undertake this land swap behind closed doors. Many feel, and I am one of them, that many land deals were negotiated well ahead of any dealings that directly involved the lands involved in the Baxter land swap. It may very well be that between our own Department of Conservation, Gardner Land Co., Roxanne Quimby and H.C. Haynes Co. many back door land deals were made that we will never know about. I think some of those “deals” are now showing up – meaning this latest purchase of land by Quimby from Haynes.

So, what lands are next to fall into the hands of land preservationists, further shutting out recreational access to Mainers? I said a long time ago, it would take several months, perhaps years, before we would begin to see all of the underhanded results of Baldacci’s secret negotiations. And this is only one of them.

Tom Remington

George Smith, executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, in his weekly article in the Kennebec Journal says that having too much access to fun places isn’t a good thing and it’s ruining it. Read what he has to say and you decide.

Tom Remington

If you’re a Maine native, the name Donn Fendler is probably recognizable and more than likely, unless you have lived a life under a rock somewhere, you have read the book, “Lost on a Mountain in Maine”.

On July 17, 1939, Donn Fendler who lived in Rye, New York at the time, was hiking on Mt. Katahdin with family. He got lost and spent a week roaming the woods of what is now Baxter State Park. By following a stream and an old telephone line, he found his way out. The event got national attention.

After the event, Fendler teamed up with Joseph B. Egan to write the book of his experiences while being lost. He says the book mostly tells of what not to do when lost in the woods.

Back in 1939, then Governor Lewis Barrows seized on the opportunity to get some mileage out of the event, so he invited Fendler to the State House in Augusta and also promised to give him a lifetime fishing license. He never received the license.

Last year Fendler met up with Department of Conservation Commissioner Pat McGowan. During their meeting Fendler mentioned the promise in passing to McGowan who passed that information on to the present Gov. Baldacci.

Fendler was invited back to the State House to meet with Baldacci. He received a decorative paddle signed by the governor and his once-promised fishing license. He intends to use it.

Fendler, who now lives in Tennessee, returns to Maine every year. He says he will be on the East Branch of the Penobscot River next week. The East Branch is the location of the sporting camp where he emerged after being lost nearly 70 years ago.

Tom Remington

I just finished writing an article this morning about how the media sways its readers by twisting, distorting and inaccurately handing out information and then I stumbled onto this piece of confusing writing by Ken Allen, outdoor writer for the Morning Sentinel. (When you get to the page, scroll down a bit to find this part of his article.)

I guess Allen lines up on the left because he seems to have a problem with those lining up on the right. There’s nothing wrong with being left, right or somewhere in the middle. It’s what makes us an interesting lot. Right or left shouldn’t matter. What matters is debating facts and making decisions based on such.

What I find puzzling is that Allen used his platform at the Morning Sentinel to levy unsubstantiated comments lumping anyone opposed to his beliefs as being all the same. Allen’s rant comes in reference to what he describes as a movement by the right in the sporting world in Maine in a way that makes a reader easily see he doesn’t care much for. Read this.

Right wingers in the movement do not want to be told that they cannot use live fish as bait, that they cannot day-trip on the Allagash, that snowmobilers and ATVers have no access on certain lands, etc.

They’re consumptive users to the core and have no interest in backpacking for backpacking’s sake or cross-country skiing without a firearm or fishing traps.

We can argue all day about whether all people have a right to voice opinions and if being a consumptive sportsman is good or bad. Obviously Allen believes anyone who consumers their fish and game they catch is bad. But the culmination of his comments lumping what he calls, those in the right-wing movement, as having “no interest in backpacking for backpacking’s sake or cross-country skiing without a firearm or fishing traps”, is a ridiculous statement and quite childish when you look at the entire writing.

But it doesn’t stop there. Allen then makes an embarrassing statement that makes me question how much thought he put into it or whether he was just pulling a “Jim Zumbo” and reacting out of anger.

What makes these right wingers particularly tenacious is this: Some of them make a living at their chosen sports by working in an industry affiliated with bait, snowmobiles, ATVs, ice-fishing equipment and so forth.

First of all, doesn’t Mr. Allen make a living, of some sorts anyway, from what he does? Does that make him “tenacious”? Do right-wingers find that tenaciousness bad? If Allen makes a living thusly, then I guess I am to assume that making a living off writing about your chosen sport and having tenacity is higher on the list of acceptable practices than say selling bait, snowmobiles, etc.

By the tone of Mr. Allen’s comments, I would have to say that he views selling bait, working in the snowmobile and ATV industry, selling or manufacturing ice-fishing equipment and whatever else on his list he doesn’t approve of, as nothing any better than prostitution, selling crack cocaine or dealing in illegal arms trade. Are these activities above sponsoring terrorism?

If being on the right, having an opinion, some compassion for your “chosen” sport and taking an active role to protect what you believe to be in the best interest of all sportsmen is somehow wrong, maybe even evil, then where does that leave those on the left like Ken Allen?

His choice to lump all right-wing sportsman into a group of consumptive criminals, while ridiculing right-thinking people and painting a picture of them as somehow sub-human, isn’t a real pretty picture either.

As much as I might like to, out of angers and the sometimes overwhelming passion that wants to flow from within out through my fingertips to my keyboard, I won’t lump all left-thinker sportsmen into a group that thinks progressiveness is the right thing for our industry. Not all left-wing sportsmen believe that Baxter State Park, the Allagash and trout fishing should be for only select groups. Not all left-leaning fishermen think catch and release is the only humane way to treat a fish. Not all left-minded backpackers and cross-country skiers think that consumptive hunters and fishermen are evil people.

It’s only a few!

Tom Remington

What is backcountry skiing?
Imagine pointing your skis down the face of mountain covered with pure, untouched virgin snow. It is that very feeling that draws experienced skiiers into the sparsely populated backcountry. In backcountry skiing, snow packs aren’t groomed by anyone other than Mother Nature, and the land is untouched by human hands. There are no runs, no trails, no ski patrol, no lift. Simply the backcountry skiier and the mountain. Backcountry skiing is an extreme winter sport, and it can be dangerous. There is the risk of avalanche, communication may be limited in extremely remote areas, and skiiers may experience some level of exhaustion from the climb. The reward, however, is skiing where no one has gone before, and the sheer beauty of the outdoors.

Backcountry Skiing Gear List
Here is a list of gear commonly used by backcountry skiiers.

	Cold Weather Sleeping Bag At 0 degrees Marmot’s Never Summer sleeping bag is a good all round bag with 600 full down. The hood area uses Nautilus 6-baffle hood that has 6 chambers of down around head for better down control and fit. The hood cord is positioned for easy access with a velcro free face muff. The footbox uses a classic trapezoidal foot box with a heater pocket for heat pockets if, if you ever need it.
	Backcountry Backpack If you plan on doing alpine summits or some backcountry exploring, the Stratos 32 backpack by Osprey is the ideal backpack. It has everything you need for a day on the crags or fastpacking to your next peak. The AirCore mesh backpanel and suspension will take the pressure off your back. For all your essentials the Stratos has plenty of pockets, from the front and side stretch woven pockets to pockets on the hipbelt.
	Insulated Sleeping Pad Backpacker’s magazine gave the Big Agnes Insulated Air Core pad their Editors Choice award in 2004. If you are looking for a good night’s sleep the Air Core are insulated with Primaloft that as been treated with an anti microbial. Big Agnes use an I-beam construction technique that is functionally superior to the typical welded-through construction of other air mats.
	Camp Stove For over 15 years, the WhisperLite hiking stove has been the leader in backpacking stoves for its reliability and simple design.Shaker Jet technology makes cleaning as simple as shaking the stove. Made to last with durable stainless steel and brass.
	Headlamp The Petzl Tikka XP headlamp provides a powerful, even and adjustable white light, with long light duration. A single light source in a compact headlamp for multiple uses. With 3 lighting levels (maximum, optimum, economy) and a blinking mode, to adapt the light to the activity at hand why would you need anything else.
	Cooking Equipment The BlackLite Classic Cookset is perfect when weight reduction is priority number one, take this minimalist cookset that includes 1.5- and 2-liter pots, a lid that fits either pot, PanHandler, stuff sack and Packtowl to separate the pots.
	Water Purifier The Hydro Photon Adventurer Purifier is the ultimate tool to take on outdoor adventures for safe drinking anywhere in the world. The SteriPen uses ultraviolet light to destroy DNA microorganisms making them unable to reproduce and cause illness. There is no pumping, no test strips, no timekeeping, no aftertaste and no clogging and it weighs only 4oz.
	Backcountry Trekking Poles If you are looking for a dependable, adjustable, packable pole at a great price then the Life-Link Teton Backcountry Trekking pole is worth taking a look at. Weighing just over 1lb they are easy to carry when not in use and will not weigh you down on long hikes.
	First Aid Kit The Adventure Medical Trail kit is one of AMK’s most popluar selling kits because of its compact and compartmentalized design, versatile component package, and attractive price.CPR items: 8×10 and/or 5×9 Trauma Pads Wound Care: Wound Closure Strips, Sterile Dressing, Strip & Knuckle Bandages Fracture/Sprain Items: Elastic Bandage w/ Velcro Medication: 2 Extra Strength Tylenol, 1 antihistamine, 2 Motrin, 1 sting relief pad.

Steve Remington

The answer to that question is, apparently so as the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission voted 6-1 against the proposed windmill farm of Maine Mountain Power. Even though LURC staff had recommended to the Commission to approve the rezoning application, the commission said no thanks. Not in my back yard.

The Land Use Regulation Commission voted 6-1 to order its staff to submit a document calling for denial of the Redington Township project after members expressed concerns about its visual impact, a big step toward rejection. The staff had recommended approval.

Lawyers and spokespersons for Maine Mountain Power were very disappointed.

“We’re very disappointed,” Maine Mountain attorney Jeffrey Thaler said after the vote. “This is a mistaken decision. This is a sad day in Maine.”

Thaler and the Conservation Law Foundation’s Steve Hinchman agreed that the state through the LURC vote missed an opportunity to do something to combat global warming.

Coming at a time when President Bush called for Americans to find cleaner, alternatives ways of generating power, several outdoor and conservation groups in Maine believe that the negative visual impact would be more detrimental to Maine.

But Maine Audubon, which joined hiking groups in opposing the windmill plan, applauded the LURC board’s action. The commissioners “upheld the laws that protect unique, spectacular areas in Maine,” said Jennifer Burns, staff attorney for Maine Audubon.

The vote came after nearly a full day of deliberations at the University of Maine at Farmington, where protesters showed up with signs that said “Leave Our Mountains Alone” and “LURC’s job is to protect our mountains.”

But Maine Mountain’s project drew opposition from some residents of the western Maine area as well as outdoors and environmental groups, who said the windmills would spoil scenic views from the Sugarloaf USA ski resort and the Appalachian Trail and pose a threat to rare species of plants and animals.

Opponents, including Maine Audubon and the Appalachian Mountain Club, even claimed earlier last week that the LURC staff’s recommendation was illegal because it set standards that were too low for development in a remote area, and set a bad precedent for future projects.

The National Park Service opposed the project because of its proximity to the Appalachian Trail.

It evidently appears that environmentalists and conservationists are all for keeping our land and air clean so long as it doesn’t happen in their back yards. LURC must base their decisions on written law, ordinances and precedence. It is unclear at this time what rulings LURC cited in making this decision or whether it was strictly done via pressure from the lobby of powerful groups like the Appalachian Mountain Club, Audubon Society and the National Park Service.

If you don’t want a windmill project in your back yard, the answer would be to get a hiking trail put nearby and list it as part of the Appalachian Trail or hope you have a ski resort in town.

Tom Remington