Photo from fOTOGLIF

The people at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife are claiming they are broke and are in need of funding, as much as doubling the current funding, according to Dr. Ken Elowe, Director of Resource Management for MDIFW.

You’ll get no argument from me that MDIFW is underfunded. What you will get are questions as to why and suggestions about the best way to deal with it. Let’s first address why the MDIFW is underfunded.

In the new issue of Maine Fish and Wildlife, MDIFW Commissioner Roland D. Martin, states that all the programs and responsibilities his department has to care for, brings back to the state of Maine some $2.4 billion annually. Maybe that amount could be more.

Dr. Elowe, in his article on who should fund MDIFW, also states that responsibilities to the department have grown out beyond fish and wildlife issues.

Over time, the Department’s mission has broadened significantly: It now manages whitewater rafting, registration of watercraft, snowmobiles, ATVs, hunter, trapper and recreational vehicle safety, conservation education, environmental permitting and other matters.

And that’s just scraping the surface. To this we should add search and rescue, law enforcement of recreational vehicles and all non game programs.

The major reason the MDIFW is underfunded is because it has been tasked to perform duties well beyond management of fish and wildlife. All of this has been done with essentially no additional funding. Presently the overwhelming majority of funding to MDIFW comes from license fees paid by hunters, fishers, trappers, and snowmobilers/ATVers.

I know of nobody who thinks MDIFW is properly funded. The problem now becomes what to do about it.

George Smith, Executive Director for the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, is promoting funding to come from general taxation. He is proposing that a percentage of the tax revenue be designated to the MDIFW. In all honesty I haven’t heard anybody else make a specific proposal that doesn’t involve using tax money to fund the current composition of the MDIFW and it’s ever expanding non game services.

While this proposal may seem functional on the surface, I have to wonder if most sportsmen, the one’s who will still be the major fund providers for the Department, understand that with such a move opens the door for non hunting, non fishing interests to demand more and more input into the decisions and direction the MDIFW should take. The majority of states that have followed this path have faced this problem and a problem it has become, with organizations like the Humane Society of the United States and PETA directly seeking or sponsoring their own representatives to fill seats on fish and game commissions. What could possibly be wrong with that?

I support increased funding for all the issues that Dr. Elowe lays out in his article. However, I don’t support them to be part of and funded by MDIFW. For regular readers, you know that I support a move that will put all non game programs into the Department of Conservation. Dr. Elowe says MDIFW doesn’t have enough biologists to cover everything. Fine, DOC, funded by taxpayer dollars, can hire their own wildlife biologists to take care of non game wildlife species. DOC can take care of environmental licensing, conservation education, etc. Law enforcement of snowmobiles and ATVs should be handled by state and local law enforcement as well as search and rescue.

This move would be unprecedented as the tendencies these days are to mash departments together believing money can be saved and programs run more efficiently. History has already shown us that that is not the case. As a matter of fact, the bigger the department the further away from the average sportsmen a sense of ownership becomes, resulting in a significant loss of interest. In other words, when sportsmen lose their voice, participation drops. The larger the department the more bureaucratic it becomes swelling the budget, resulting in depletion of programs. In other words, more of the same.

Conservationist or perhaps better labeled, environmentalists, have no business dictating to a fish and game department how to manage game for hunting, fishing and trapping opportunities. Funding fish and game with tax dollars will accomplish that with very negative results.

It’s easy for Commissioner Martin or Dr. Elowe to exclaim how their programs contribute $2.4 billion dollars annually to the Maine economy. Think how much bigger that amount would be if the programs were split up so that each one saw the attention it deserves and that would provide better opportunities. With a smaller MDIFW, they could get back to managing just fish and wildlife for the purpose of providing opportunities for hunters, trappers and fishermen, then I believe these resources could improve with the end result a better revenue stream for MDIFW.

With a better funded and more targeted Department of Conservation, similar results could be seen and achieving the wishes shared by Dr. Elowe. This can be done and the results impressive, in my opinion. Who has the chutzpah to try it?

The groups involved in examining how MDIFW should be funded are supposedly contacting other states that fund their departments with general taxation. I hope these groups understand that just because everybody else does it, doesn’t mean it’s the best. I’m confident that if they look at the issue with open minds, they will realize what I did several years ago.

Let’s properly fund the programs that need to be funded in Maine and not just throw money at it. Two lean, mean departments, each properly structured with sufficient funding could reverse a management trend that is seeing lousy results.

Tom Remington

Two snowmobilers injured, one seriously, at Rangeley Lake;
One snowmobiler seriously hurt at Moosehead Lake;
One snowmobiler hurt in head-on collision in Bradstreet Township

Two snowmobilers from Massachusetts were seriously injured when each crashed their sleds on or near a parked camper trailer on Sunday morning.

Thomas Stewart, 38, of Westford, Mass., and Thomas Henry, 37, of Methuen, Mass., were leaving Rangeley Lake at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Sunday and were heading towards ITS 84. The trailhead is marked with flashing yellow lights to assist sledders in finding their way to the groomed trail. The Maine Warden Service was notified at 4 a.m. Sunday.

Mr. Stewart, who was wearing a helmet, struck a parked camper trailer and suffered hip injuries. He was taken by ambulance to Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington. His injuries are not considered to be life threatening.

Mr. Henry, who also was wearing a helmet, saw Mr. Stewart strike the camper at the last moment, swung his sled to miss the trailer and hit a clump of cedar trees. He suffered two breaks in his left leg and other injures. He was taken by LifeFlight to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. His injuries are serious, but not considered to be life threatening.

According to Maine Warden Service Sgt. Tim Place, both men have been charged with reckless operation of a snowmobile. The incident remains under investigation. Wardens Brock Clukey, Dave Chabot and Dan Christenson, along with Sgt. Place, responded to the scene.

In Greenville, Peter D. Durette Jr., 46, of Lyman, suffered a serious leg injury when he struck 2-feet-high humic – a patch of packed ice — in the East Cover of Moosehead Lake at approximately 1:30 p.m. Saturday. His snowmobile launched into the air, and flipped and rolled down the ice approximately 150 feet.

Warden Eric Dauphinee said he met Mr. Durette and three other snowmobilers at the Black Frog in Greenville, where the friends brought Mr. Durette to attend to the wound in his right leg. Mr. Durette was transported to C.A. Dean Memorial Hospital in Greenville, and was to be transported to a Portland hospital for further care. He was in stable condition.

In Bradstreet Township, just south of Jackman, a Winslow man suffered a broken arm when he and another snowmobiler hit each other head at approximately 11 a.m. Sunday on at the crest of a hill on ITS 89.

Darrell Wentworth, 35, of Winslow, was traveling southbound, and Mark Thornton, 39, of Boothbay Harbor, was traveling northbound when the two collided.

Mr. Wentworth was transported by Jackman Fire and Rescue to Jackman Health Center, and transferred to Redington Fairview Hospital in Skowhegan. The incident remains under investigation.

Wardens Troy Dauphinee and Tom McKenney and Sgt. Bill Chandler responded, along with MWS Investigators Kevin Anderson and Jason Luce.

Warning: The Maine Warden Service is reminding snowmobilers to use caution when out on the snowmobile trails – day and night. Between 20 and 26 inches of snow remains in the northern woods, and good sledding opportunities remain. The trails, however, are showing signs of spring. Obstacles such as roots and rocks, and open water crossings are showing up on trails. Also, many trails have a hard, crusty layer of ice on them.

Snowmobilers are reminded to not drink and drive, to ride at a reasonable and prudent speed for conditions, and to wear a helmet. Each year, the Maine Warden Service investigates several incidents where snowmobile operators are traveling too fast and “outrun” their headlights. As during the day, snowmobilers out at night are urged to ride at prudent speeds for conditions so they have adequate time to respond to obstacles in front of them.

Four snowboarders are being rescued from Sugarloaf Mountain after getting lost in steep terrain off a marked trail at approximately 5:35 p.m. on Sunday.

It is unknown whether the four snowboarders intentionally went off the marked trail or if they became lost.

The search was focused at the 3,500-foot elevation mark on what’s called the “backside” of Sugarloaf Mountain, a heavily forested area with extremely steep terrain and ravines. The temperature was 22 degrees, with 30-40 mile-per-hour winds on Sunday night. At least 50 inches of new snow has fallen over the weekend.

The snowboarders used cell phones and text messages to contact family, friends and public safety dispatch crews throughout the night.

One snowboarder, Luke Poisson, 18, of Lewiston, Maine, who separated from the three others, was located at approximately 9:30 a.m. today by Maine Warden Service Game Wardens Tom McKenney and Pat Egan. The wardens used a compass in the direction of Mr. Poisson’s voice to pinpoint his location, which was approximately 1 mile (as the crow flies) from the marked trail. He was hiked down the mountain to West Kingfield Road, where he was evaluated by an ambulance crew. He did not require hospitalization.

The three snowboarders were located at approximately 10:20 a.m. by teams from the Sugarloaf Ski Patrol. The men were given food and water. At approximately 11:30 a.m., rescue crews still were evaluating what was the best route to get them off the mountain.

The three snowboarders are: Cory Koop, 18, from North Pole, Alaska, who is believed to be a student at the University of Maine-Farmington; Machali Belluscio, 19, from Keene, N.H., who attends UMaine-Farmington; and Aaron Nadeau, 15, from New Portland, Maine. Their conditions are unknown at this time.

Eight Game Wardens, six members of the Sugarloaf Ski Patrol, and members of the Carrabasset Valley Fire Department participated in the search.

On Friday night, a group of snowboarders went missing off the marked trail in the same area and were located within a couple of hours.

A Waldoboro man who was last seen on Wednesday night en route from Waldoboro to Nobleboro was recovered from Damariscotta Lake today (January 14, 2010).

Tim York, 45, of Waldoboro, was last seen riding a snowmobile at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, and was reported missing to the Maine Warden Service at approximately 9 a.m. today. He said he was going to travel by snowmobile from Waldoboro to Nobleboro on or near Damariscotta Lake.

The Maine Warden Service initiated a search for Mr. York this morning, and the search was conducted by air, along the shoreline and on the lake. A Maine Warden Service pilot spotted what was believed to be Mr. York’s snowmobile in the lake, and that area became the focus of the search. The sled was noticed through a hole in the lake’s ice.

Mr. York was located in that area by Maine Warden Service divers. His family has been notified.

Mr. York was taken to Halls Funeral Home in Waldoboro.

The Maine Warden Service was assisted by the Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency and its Communications System, the Jefferson and Newcastle Fire Departments, the Waldoboro Police Department, and Central Lincoln County Ambulance.

The Maine Warden Service tonight suspended its search for 18-year-old Richard “Shaw” Jackson of China after an extensive six-day search for the snowmobiler who went missing Friday night, Jan. 1, 2010, en route home from a snowmobile repair shop.

Col. Joel Wilkinson, chief game warden, said the decision to suspend the search was discussed with Mr. Jackson’s family this evening.

Col. Wilkinson said the case will remain open and an investigator will be assigned to it. A Maine Warden Service pilot periodically will fly over China Lake and the area to look for any sign of Mr. Jackson.

Also, the Maine Warden Service is telling snowmobilers to stay off the ice on China Lake because of the expanses of open water in many parts of the lake and thin ice in other areas. Equipment used on the lake during the search contributed to some of the ice thinning, but the lake “is opening up on its own,” according to MWS Lt. Kevin Adam, search-and-rescue coordinator.

“No snowmobiling is permitted,” said Lt. Adam. “Snowmobilers need to wait until there is an extensive cold spell to lock in the ice. It’s just not safe.”

Mr. Jackson, 18, a junior at Erskine Academy, was last seen Friday between 8 and 9 p.m. when he left Pinkham Corner Fuel in China and headed home on his black Yamaha snowmobile. The Maine Warden Service was notified at 6 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010, that Mr. Jackson was missing, and an extensive search began during what later in the day became blizzard conditions that dropped 18 inches of snow in the area.

It was not known which route Mr. Jackson may have taken to get home. On Monday night, a Maine Warden Service pilot located from the air a set of snowmobile tracks that lead into open water on the west cove of China Lake. This area of the lake, approximately 300 acres, became a focal area for the search. There was no indication the tracks belonged to Mr. Jackson’s sled.

Col. Wilkinson and Lt. Adam said the search was suspended because cold weather conditions on the lake were putting searchers at risk, Also, the depth of the water, limitations of equipment in cold conditions, and the large search area were contributing factors in making the decision to suspend the search.

“In these conditions, it’s not feasible to do a water search,” according to Col. Wilkinson. “I’m not putting searchers at risk. Once the ice breaks, we’ll make a decision as to whether to send in the dive team to search the area.”

During the six-day search, the Maine Warden Service was assisted by members of 13 snowmobile clubs who traveled their clubs’ trails and searched camps, the South China Fire Department, Maine State Police and its investigations division, Maine Marine Patrol, Brewer Fire Department, and volunteers. New Hampshire Fish and Game helped in the search by sending over a team that used roving operating vehicle under the water.

A hovercraft, several airboats, airplanes, a helicopter, snowmobiles, and side-scan sonar equipment were used throughout the week.

“Mr. Jackson’s family was very appreciative of our efforts,” Col. Wilkinson said. “I would like to thank all of the people who gave of their time to try to find Mr. Jackson and bring him home to his family.”

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Maine Warden Service Urges Snowmobilers to Stay Off Ice on Parts of China Lake

The Maine Warden Service is urging snowmobilers to stay off the ice near the west basin of China Lake because it is too thin to hold snowmobiles.

Lt. Kevin Adam of the Maine Warden Service said there are areas around this part of the lake where there is ice, particularly near the shore, and there is open water out into the lake.

The Maine Warden Service is conducting a search using airboats and other equipment in the west basin of China Lake. Game Wardens are searching for 18-year-old Richard “Shaw” Jackson of South China, who was last seen on Friday night, Jan. 1, 2010. On Monday night, Game Wardens found tracks on the ice leading to open water at the west basin.

Lt. Adam said he’s overheard snowmobilers say they’ll be alright if they ride on the ice near the shoreline. They won’t, according to Adam. Equipment being used by the Maine Warden Service and weather conditions are thinning what little ice is there.

“Our airboats are creating waves that are weakening the ice and snowmobilers could go through it,” he said.

Four men were rescued from Moosehead Lake this morning after the pontoon boat they were on capsized, dumping them into the rough, choppy waters.

The incident occurred at approximately 9:40 a.m. today near Moody Islands, off the Rockwood and Kineo boat landing. The right pontoon of the 24-foot 1987 Godfrey pontoon boat already was taking on water when a swell came up, swamping the pontoon and causing the boat to capsize.

According to Maine Warden Service Sgt. Bill Chandler, a strong wind was blowing across the lake from the south, causing 5-to 6-foot swells.

Stuart J. Orff, 50, of Abbott and owner of the boat, Frederick McAffee, 59, of Dover-Foxcroft, Nathaniel J. Bates, 26, of Abbott, and Carl B. Butler, 32, of Abbott, were able to hold on to the pontoons until help arrived.

The Maine Warden Service, through the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office dispatch, contacted Mark Gilbert and Josh Gile of Moosehead Marina, on Moose River in Rockwood, to assist. Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Gile were able to get the four men out of the water.

Sgt. Chandler and Game Warden Troy Dauphinee responded from the Maine Warden Service’s Greenville office about 20 miles away from the scene.

All men were cold, but unharmed. They were examined by personnel from C.A. Dean Ambulance and Rockwood Fire and Rescue.

A 57-year-old Orrington man died on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009 in an ATV incident while out scouting for deer in his favorite hunting area in preparation for the upcoming season.

Dion Seymour Jr., 57, of Orrington was reported missing at 9 p.m. Thursday, and was last seen by his wife 12 hours earlier. She notified the Maine Warden Service when he failed to return home.

A Maine State Police trooper found Mr. Seymour’s vehicle parked on Old County Way off Winkumpaugh Road in Ellsworth.

Seven Game Wardens searched the area and trails using ATVs, and located Mr. Seymour just before midnight on a steep trail with a granite ledge. Mr. Seymour apparently rolled his ATV and it landed on him, according to Maine Warden Service Sgt. Kevin Adam.

Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the incident.

Mr. Seymour’s family has been notified.

The Maine Warden Service was assisted by the Maine State Police, Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and Ellsworth Fire Department.

A 36-year-old Bowerbank Township man who left his home to go walk his dog around noon on Thursday, Oct. 15, found his way back home around 7 a.m. today, Friday, Oct. 16.

Alfred Thomas Hall III, 36, of Bowerbank Township in Piscataquis County, went into woods near his home to walk his dog and got lost. His mother reported him missing at 1:30 a.m. today (Friday, Oct. 16).

The Maine Warden Service was conducting a ground and air search for more than six hours when Mr. Hall made it back to his residence. MESARD canine teams also used.

Mr. Hall was cold but in good health upon his return.

The Maine Warden Service on Thursday morning will continue a search for a male in his 20s who is presumed drowned after trying to retrieve a child’s float toy from the waters of Long Lake in St. Agatha-Madawaska.

The man, who is not being identified because his family is being notified, dove into the water before 4:30 p.m. today (Sept. 9, 2009) to get the toy. He did not resurface.

The incident occurred off Birch Point on the northeast shore of Long Lake. The land is Madawaska and the water is St. Agatha.

Six Game Wardens, including a pilot, responded to the scene. Also involved in the search today were public safety officials from Madawaska Police, Madawaska Fire and Ambulance, Fort Kent Ambulance, and a dive team from Edmundston, New Brunswick.

Members of the Maine Warden Service and its Dive Team will be on the scene on Thursday morning to resume the search.

A 44-year-old Baileyville woman was seriously hurt at approximately 8 p.m. Thursday when an ATV she was riding – and which was being driven by an 8-year-old girl – apparently went into reverse and went down an embankment at an Alexander gravel pit.

The incident is under investigation.

Pam Landry, 44, of Baileyville, was the passenger in a 2008 Polaris RZR (Razor) near the top of an embankment when, according to the juvenile driver, the ATV “unexpectedly” went into reverse, according to Maine Warden Service Game Warden Joe Gardner. The change in gear caused the vehicle to lurch into reverse and travel at a fast rate of speed a distance of 100 feet as it went down a 30-foot drop.

The gravel pit is located at the end of Wapsaconhagon Road, which is off Route 9, in Alexander.

The ATV rolled over the top of an 8- to 10-foot high boulder and came to rest upside down on Mrs. Landry, who was ejected from the vehicle. She was transported to Calais Regional Hospital by Baileyville/Downeast EMS, and then transported by LifeFlight to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where she was listed in serious condition.

The juvenile was wearing a helmet and was seat-buckled into the vehicle, Gardner said. “Those actions likely saved her life,” Gardner said. Landry was not wearing a helmet or a seatbelt.

Mrs. Landry’s husband, Ernest, was driving a separate ATV and witnessed the incident. He called 9-1-1.

Maine State Police Officer Jason Fowler and Washington County Sheriff’s Officer Shawn Donohue assisted at the scene.

A 79-year-old Gorham man died Tuesday night a short period of time after he was involved in an ATV incident in Standish.

Roland J. Levesque, 79, of Gorham was driving an ATV at a slow rate of speed down a rocky hill between Boundary and Middle roads in Standish after 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30. He was in an area called Nature’s Way, and on a trail that in the winter is used by snowmobilers. The part of the trail where the incident occurred has experienced erosion because of all of the recent rains.

Mr. Levesque was traveling with a friend, Andrew Wheeler of Gorham, who assisted Mr. Levesque at the scene and who called rescue personnel at approximately 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Mr. Levesque was conscious when he was transported to Maine Medical Center, but died a short time later.

The incident is under investigation by the Maine Warden Service.