Cost for each 2-day camp session is $75/pp and includes the use of all equipment along with afternoon cocoa and snack.  Early registration is highly recommended as space is limited to just 14 campers per session!

Registration forms can be downloaded at www.watershedfriends.com.  FMI, contact Tamara Whitmore, Education Director at 621-4100 or tamara@watershedfriends.com

Tamara Whitmore
Education Director
Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed
P.O.Box 5003
Augusta,ME04332-5003

207-621-4100
Email: tamara@watershedfriends.com

Concerned that the insect is spreading Down East, the Maine Forest Service (MFS) staff will look for evidence of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) on roadside hemlock trees particularly in the villages of Pretty Marsh and Seal Harbor, in the town of Mount Desert, according to MFS officials.

The crew also will work with national park and U.S. Forest Service staff to survey in Acadia National Park before moving on to other areas of the island and coastal Waldo, Hancock and Washington counties, said Allison Kanoti, MFS forest entomologist.

The invasive insect was reported last year at two sites on the island, as well as at a new site in January in Alfred, suggesting that the insect population is moving both inland and up Maine’s coast, Kanoti said.

“It’s another significant jump in the spread of this insect,” Kanoti said about the discovery on Mount Desert Island. “It brings it closer to another hemlock-rich area of Maine, the whole Down East area. There is a high concentration of hemlocks there.”

Hemlock woolly adelgid is a small, aphid-like insect that is covered with white, waxy wool-like material. This wool-like covering makes the insect resemble miniature cotton balls. It is most visible from late-October through July, with woolly masses located on the undersides of the twigs at the bases of the needles. The insect begins its egg-laying in March.

The insect, which came from Japan in the 1950s, causes infested trees to have off-color needles, often with a grayish cast, premature needle drop and twig dieback, and eventually, mortality.

Hemlock trees are a significant Maine tree species, Kanoti said. Often found near water bodies, hemlocks contribute to the state’s forest ecosystem by protecting water bodies, as well as the forest floor from erosion. Hemlocks buffer stream temperatures which can affect such species as brook trout. The trees, which are a favored landscape tree, also are important in deer wintering areas and contribute to the state’s forest products sector.

HWA has been found in at least 16 states. In Maine, it was first discovered in the forest in Kittery in 2003 and now has spread up the coast. The invasive insect has been found at three state parks, Ferry Beach State Park in 2008, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport in 2010, and Vaughan Woods State Park in South Berwick, also in 2010.

HWA populations can be reduced by clipping infested branches or hosing them off with water periodically from April through July; through biological control using predator beetles, as has been done in Maine state parks; and through chemical control with the application of pesticide consistent with label directions. Chemical control is generally necessary to maintain the appearance and health of infested ornamental hemlocks.

The Mount Desert detections of HWA were found by tree care professionals who discovered the insect on landscape stock that has been planted for more than 10 years, Kanoti said. It is unknown how the insect may have infested the trees.

“The question is whether they were infested when they were planted — it’s hard to know,” Kanoti said. “Or is there something in the forest around them? That’s what we’re trying to find out. That will determine our course of action.”

At the same time of the Mount Desert Island survey, MFS staff will conduct an annual survey of towns bordering known, infested communities, Kanoti said. Infested hemlocks in forested settings already have been found in 31 towns in York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc and Lincoln counties.

The Alfred infestation is a “light infestation” found around a vernal pool in the southern part of town, the MFS forest entomologist said. It is the furthest inland natural-forest infestation in the state, she noted. Because the area has a high concentration of hemlocks and is near a lake, “it is conceivable that more will be found,” Kanoti said.

Following the Mount Desert Island survey, the MFS crew will begin examination of hemlock in the three eastern coastal counties.

“We have not surveyed these areas in several years,” Kanoti said, “and they are vulnerable because their somewhat more mild winter temperatures, exposure to migrating birds and also late winter-early spring storms that can carry the adelgid along the coast.”

The MFS entomologist said that this time of year is a good time for landowners to check their hemlock trees. The HWA masses are easy to see, and upper tree-canopy samples clipped by squirrels and porcupines may be found on the snow.

Maine residents who think they have found evidence of hemlock woolly adelgid can call or email the Maine Forest Service at: (207) 287-3147 or forestinfo@maine.gov

A new report on hemlock woolly adelgid management in northern New England is available at:

http://www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/documents/HWA_S-T-S_FinalReport.pdf

Maine residents also can take the challenge on the Gulf of Maine Research Institutes Vital Signs Website:http://vitalsignsme.org/mission-hemlock-woolly-adelgid

For more information about the Maine Forest Service and hemlock woolly adelgid, go to:

http://www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/index.shtml

and

http://www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/HemlockWoollyAdelgid.htm

Dear Friend,

On behalf of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, I am sending you this email today to inform you of an exciting new endeavor the Department has undertaken with the Wildlife Research Foundation.

We urge you to visit the Foundation’s new website by clicking here. A camera has been placed in a bear den in northern Maine, providing 24/7 streaming of one of our radio collared bears, “Lugnut” who birthed two cubs on January 16. This is the first time a live streaming video has been placed in a wild Maine Black Bear den.

The website provides us with an opportunity to share Lugnut’s world and watch her as she raises her cubs. You will also see videos of our bears “Spunky” and “Nell” and as the project develops, we will follow those bears and others.

There are videos that tell the story of the north Maine woods, its habitat, including how the camera was installed in the den. Fascinating stuff.

The video in Lugnut’s den provides not only a unique visual, but audio as well; the two cubs (yet un-named) often squeal and protest quite loudly as they adjust to life in the den.

The Foundation’s mission statement states their goal is to provide funds and support to the scientific community and wildlife managers to enhance wildlife and habitat research and inform and educate the general public concerning the value and necessity of wildlife research.

The bear cam allows us to do that in a fun and exciting way!

The Foundation approached the Department with this unique opportunity and we are pleased to work with them to educate the public on Maine’s Black Bear population and urge donations to the Department’s wildlife research projects. Maine is fortunate to have two of the most well respected bear biologists in the nation, Randy Cross and Jen Vashon, and I know the website will be an effective and exciting tool to educate people around the world about Maine’s Black Bears.

The website has become popular right out of the gate. It has been live for just two weeks, and has had over 15,000 visitors.

We encourage you to share this email and the link to the website with your family, friends and colleagues, urging them to follow the story of Lugnut and her cubs and to also support the work of the Foundation and Maine’s wildlife research projects.

Thank you very much and I hope you will follow Lugnut’s journey as I will on a daily basis!

Sincerely,

Chandler E. Woodcock
Commissioner
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

**Crystal

GRAY, Maine – Following the recommendations of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Chandler Woodcock, the Crystal Lake Ice Fishing Derby Board of Directors has decided to postpone the Crystal Lake Ice Fishing Derby and Kid’s Derby on Saturday January 28, 2012 to the date of Saturday, February 25, 2012. The event is postponed due to concerns for the public’s safety regarding ice conditions.

The annual Crystal Lake Ice Fishing Derby was expected to attract over 6,000 anglers. Benefits from the derby support Maine military families, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s Hooked On Fishing program, and local community schools.

A low cloud ceiling hangs over the Helon Taylor Trail, Baxter State Park. (Rex Turner photo)

By Rex Turner, Outdoor Recreation Planner
Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands

The year has turned, and we’re now into 2012.  The annual passage of ending one year and welcoming another always brings out retrospection … and a slew of “best of” or “top” lists from the passing year. With this in mind, I am going to pile on, though in a very different way.

Borrowing from the clichéd annual review lists in sports, news, and entertainment, I want to share a few “bests” that highlight why wild places, protected lands, and general interaction with the natural world mean so much to so many. There is a strong pull to get into nature, especially wild settings.  Researchers speak of “wilderness rapture” or “transcendence” in which feelings such as awe, wonder, humility, connection to nature, absorption in the moment, and a sense of timelessness prevail.

This is the nub of my best list, which is admittedly inspired at least partially out of a jaded distaste for pop culture lists; you can probably guess that I’m not that into Charlie Sheen or “JerseyShore.”

Ok, so here is my kind of odd, not-your-normal “best of” list, sharing a few ways in which communing with nature inspires — this writer, at least.

Best surreal experience: While fishing a small pond just after ice out, I continually had my senses fooled by trees shedding the weight of a wet spring snow. I was fly casting from a float tube, and as snow would plop from overhanging evergreen branches along the shore, the sound of the snow impacting the mirrored surface would instinctively catch my attention as if a trout had risen to the surface to slurp a morsel. Though I knew better, the sound of that snow resulted in a Pavlovian head-turn every time. The concentric rings in the water looked like the work of a rise. These were snow trout, and though impossible to hook, I thoroughly enjoyed their company.

Best Movie:  While climbing Katahdin via the Helon Taylor Trail, I stood near the top of Pamola as a ferocious wind pummeled the mountain above tree line. Scattered clouds whizzed by, fading the strong fall sunlight in and out in quick succession. This “movie” — played out on the jumbled boulders scrawled with clinging map lichen — created the effect of a child’s flip book and animated the landscape in what was an awe-inspiring moment.
Song of the Year:  Birders and non-birders alike can argue this subjective award forever, but I’m going to anoint the whistled “Old-Sam-Peabody-Peabody” of the white-throated sparrow as song of the year, if for no other reason than for me that song floating across a forest clearing or echoing up to a ridge top from below is the embodiment of the promise of spring.

Best soundtrack (of place): Frozen lakes and ponds sometimes speak in what Henry Beston called a “strange and hollow tongue.”  In his book, “Northern Farm,” Beston eloquently describes ice groans and cracks on a still night as a pond grows its ice.  As lakes develop thicker ice in cold weather, they can make a “hollow oboe sound,” or “groan with a delicate undertone of thunder”. These are words in the language of winter, and to those who go forth on the frozen water, they represent part of a story about life in northern climates.

And, from the category of long award titles comes these two:

Best place to feel like you’ve walked up to the edge of understanding only to have the near-clarity evaporate back into mystery that, in retrospect, is preferable:  Like all these made-up awards, this could be most any unmarred place in nature. Nonetheless, I’m going with water. More specifically, coastal islands such as Stevens near Jonesport, 1-acre Shivers in the Deer Isle area, or any number of other islands along the Maine Island Trail put you face-to-face with that eternal muse known as the sea. Star-filled nights and waves-on-rocks lullabies make a potent introspection cocktail.

Best place to blur the lines between your body, your conscious mind, and nature’s tapestry: Let me suggest spring snowshoeing at places such asMt.BlueState Park, theKennebecHighlands, or any host of other destinations.  Part of the magic inherent to this time of year comes from the warming weather that cause clothing layers to be shed while also giving rise to fogs and mists which mingle amidst tree trunks. The ever-more saturated snow may stick, and the snowpack may hold less and less weight, but the ethereal mists are other-worldly, and milder temperatures are welcoming after bitter winter winds fade.

There’s my list. It’s offbeat.  It’s not even a top 10.  Nonetheless, it is a way to look at things that really matter to some of us. It’s just a tiny sliver giving a glimpse into the truly meaningful experiences in the lives of those who love the outdoors.

And not to worry — if this isn’t your thing, you can always look up the top 10 celebrity break-ups, or best dressed, or worst dressed, etc., etc., etc.

$8.73 million will help conserve two Franklin County properties

AUGUSTA, Maine – Federal grants totaling $8.73 million have been awarded to the Maine Department of Conservation (MDOC) and will be used to conserve two unique forest properties in Franklin County, according to Gov. Paul LePage, The Trust for Public Land, and Maine’s congressional delegation.

Most of the grant money from the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program (FLP) – a sum of $7 million — will allow the MDOC to purchase 11,800 acres on Crocker Mountain in the town of Carrabasset Valley. The lands are part of an existing working forest owned by Plum Creek, and include, in addition to working timberlands, important ecological and recreational features, including a segment of the Appalachian Trail, and opportunities for ATV and mountain biking trails that will complement and support the already robust recreation opportunities in the area.

This project was ranked as third for the nation by FLP for federal fiscal year 2012, officials said. The total project cost is $8.8 million.

The second Maine FLP award, $1.73 million for the Orbeton Stream project in Madrid Township, will allow the State to purchase a conservation easement of more than 5,808 acres of family-owned timber lands, ensuring continued use of the property as a working forest, protecting important natural resources, and continuing public access.

The property, owned by Linkletter Timberlands LLC of Athens, supplies wood fiber to Linkletter’s pellet mill in Athens. The total project cost is $2.4 million. It was ranked 12th nationally officials said.

The two projects were the state’s top priorities for the FY 2012 Forest Legacy Program funding, submitted for consideration in the fall of 2010. The LePage Administration strongly supported the projects, which were submitted by the MDOC last July to the Land for Maine’s Future Board and were awarded more than $800,000 toward the required federal match. The projects also were strongly supported by U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins (R-Maine) and U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud (D-2). In addition to the federal funds, project partners are securing $1 million in matching funds from other sources, including the Land for Maine’s Future program.

“The Crocker Mountain initiative is further evidence that the State of Maine supports the private sector and the town of Carrabassett Valley in their vision of an international, four-season outdoor recreation destination,” Gov. LePage said. “In the Orbeton Stream project, we are equally proud to team up with the Linkletter family in their working forests and pellet mill operations and commitment to providing public access to Maine people for trout fishing, ATV and snowmobiling, and backcountry recreation.

“These two projects exemplify my vision of a 21st century natural resource economy in Maine that weds conservation, public access and economic vitality,” the Governor continued. “I take my hat off to the Linkletters, Plum Creek, the people of Carrabassett Valley and all the other participants who made this award possible.”

“Maine has greatly benefited from the support of the Maine Department of Conservation, Maine’s congressional delegation, and the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program for these outstanding projects,” said Wolfe Tone, The Trust for Public Land’s Maine director. “We are very excited about the opportunity that these projects provide to ensure public access, continue sustainable timber harvesting, and enhance economic opportunities for local communities.”

U.S. Sen. Snowe said, “This vital funding will make tremendous strides in conserving Maine’s iconic natural resources, building upon the efforts of Maine’s Department of Conservation. The Forest Legacy Program has consistently proven to be indispensable as we both protect crucial jobs in the forest industry and promote outdoor recreation in our state for Mainers and visitors alike.”

“Maine’s heritage is to share the outdoors and to respect other users,” U.S. Sen. Collins said. “We reject the false choice of pitting the environment against the economy, because, here in Maine, the environment is the economy. They are inextricably linked. That is why I am a strong and long-time supporter of the Forest Legacy Program.

“This important program helps preserve working forests, while at the same time maintaining public access,” the U.S. senator continued. “I am delighted that this funding will be used not only to help protect good jobs in our state, but also to contribute greatly to the effort to preserve some of the most beautiful land in Franklin County.”

“Maine continues to be a leader in land conservation while maintaining working, sustainable forest landscapes through the Forest Legacy Program” U.S. Rep. Michaud said. “These two projects represent a significant opportunity to protect important ecological resources, preserve critical jobs in Maine’s forest products industry and promote a variety of outdoor recreation activities for Franklin County.”

“Our family is excited about this announcement,” said Robert Linkletter of Linkletter Timberlands LLC. “This conservation easement will help keep our employees working while guaranteeing a land base for future forest products. As commercial forest landowners, we appreciate how the State of Maine, the U.S. Forest Service, and Maine’s congressional delegation worked together to ensure a conservation solution that works for everyone.”

The Crocker Mountain land, near the Sugarloaf ski resort, has exceptional economic, natural resource, and recreational value for the state. At almost 11,800 acres, it is the largest remaining working forest in the Carrabasset Valley. Franklin County has the highest percentage of workers in the forest products industry in Maine, meaning that jobs will be protected as a result of the acquisition.

The land buffers a spectacular 10-mile section of the Appalachian Trail, and includes about three miles on snowmobile Route 115 of Maine’s Interconnected Trail System (ITS), along with four miles of the state-sanctioned all-terrain vehicle trail system. Protecting the property from development also will guarantee access for other recreation, such as hunting, hiking, mountain biking, and cross county skiing.

Added to hiking, biking and skiing opportunities already developed at Sugarloaf, the Town of Carrabassett Valley, the MDOC’s Bigelow Preserve, and Western Mountains Foundation Hut to Hut system, new trails envisioned for this property will support the local recreational economy by making this area an even more desirable recreation destination.

BPL will pursue sustainable timber harvesting on the property, which will maintain local jobs and provide revenue for the bureau. With Forest Legacy Program funding now secured for Crocker Mountain, partners will look to raise the required 25 percent non-federal match to protect the property.

The Orbeton Stream property is owned and managed by Linkletter Timberlands LLC, a local family-run timber company that uses the fiber to supply its pellet mill, Maine’s largest, directly supporting 40 employees. The company also supplies fiber throughout Franklin County and pellets throughout the region, including to the Jackson Laboratory biomass furnace. Protecting the 5,808-acre property will keep these state’s forests in timber production and also ensure access for outdoor recreation.

The Orbeton property provides views of the Appalachian Trail and also includes a critical 6.4-mile section of snowmobile Route 84 of Maine’s ITS system, which will now be available permanently for public use.

The entire Orbeton Stream parcel is premier native brook trout habitat and has been designated by the federal government as critical to the Atlantic salmon. In 2007, as a result of significant restoration efforts by the Maine Department of Marine Resources, salmon reared in the Orbeton watershed returned from the North Atlantic Ocean for the first time in more than 150 years. Conserving the Orbeton Stream property ensures a continued source of sustainably managed and certified forest products, as well as protects a strategically important parcel for outdoor recreation.

The Maine Department of Conservation is a natural resource agency whose bureaus oversee the management, development and protection of some of Maine’s most special places, including 17 million acres of forestland, 10.4 million acres of unorganized territory, 48 parks and historic sites and more than 590,000 acres of public reserved land. For more information, go to: www.maine.gov/doc

The Trust for Public Land, established in 1972, is the nation’s leader in creating local funds for conservation, and in creating parks around the nation. TPL depends on the support of individuals, foundations, and corporations. In Maine, TPL has protected more than 138,000 acres. For more information, go to: www.tpl.org/maine.

The USDA Forest Legacy Program, authorized by Congress in 1990 to keep intact natural and recreational resources of the nation’s dwindling forests, supports state efforts to protect environmentally sensitive forest lands. It provides federal money to states to protect threatened working forests and woodlands either through public purchase or conservation easements. To date, the program has protected more than 2 million acres of forest lands across the country, including over 674,000 acres in Maine. For more information, go to: http://www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/programs/loa/flp.shtml

Tim Sample at the Harraseeket Inn - Saturday, March 17th at 7:00 pm. Proceeds to Benefit FMM

As we observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we’re reminded of freedom, fairness and equality. We’re reminded of valor. Dr. King, who was shot down in the prime of his life, had the valor to stand up for what he knew was right.

We’ve all heard Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” American Civil Rights speech. Seventeen minutes of power and passion. His words are still relevant almost 50 years after he addressed 200,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

Dr. King also gave us these inspiring words:

“Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.”

The hundreds of citizens across Maine who are bringing the facts about industrial wind power to their fellow citizens have been dismissed by a nervous Wind Lobby as “a vocal minority.” As Mainers take an interest in this important topic, multitudes are coming to the conclusion that wind is not the panacea we believed it to be when developers first came to town. Before long, it will be the majority who are supporting a science and economics based energy policy, which also protects Maine’s environment.

As we work toward that goal, FMM thanks those in our “creative dedicated minority” who work to make Maine-and the world-better.

Award-winning documentary “WINDFALL” in Maine during February

The excitement is building as people all across Maine are learning that Laura Israel’s award-winning documentary, Windfall, is coming to a neighborhood near them!

This description of the film is from Windfall’s website:

Wind power: it’s clean; it’s green; it’s good.

Or is it?

Wind power…it’s sustainable…it burns no fossil fuels…it produces no air pollution. What’s more, it cuts down dependency on foreign oil.

That’s what the residents of Meredith, New York first thought when a wind developer looked to supplement the rural farm town’s failing economy with a farm of their own – that of 40 industrial wind turbines.

WINDFALL, Laura Israel’s richly photographed feature-length film, documents how this proposal brutally divides the people of Meredith as they fight over the future of their community. Attracted at first to the financial incentives that would seemingly boost their dying economy, many residents grow alarmed once they discover that the 400-foot high windmills slated for Meredith may bring side effects they never dreamed of. Opposition intensifies when they discover that the fiscal model for wind energy development produces huge profits, not for host towns like Meredith, but for a mysterious group of outside investors, aided and abetted by huge tax breaks and Wall Street sleight-of-hand.

Israel also turns her camera on Tug Hill, New York, another small upstate town, where wind power is a done deal. Tug Hill’s 195 wind turbines create low frequency “whomping” sounds and strobe-like effects, which have significantly downgraded the quality of life and in some cases, the health of wind turbine neighbors unable to sell their homes. Meanwhile, the Meredith Town Board pushes to put their wind turbine plan through.

With wind development in the United States growing annually at 39 percent, WINDFALL is an eye-opener that should be required viewing for anyone concerned about the environment and the future of renewable energy.

STAY TUNED as FMM’s WINDFALL COMMITTEE makes arrangements to show this documentary around the state. Mark these dates in your calendar:

The Strand Theater in Rockland – Saturday, March 3^rd at 2:00PM and Sunday, March 4^th at 3:00PM.

Please check FMM’s website often. We will update it with new venues, dates and times as details are available.

Tim Sample at the Harraseeket Inn – Saturday, March 17^th at 7:00 pm

On St. Patrick’s Day, Friends of Maine’s Mountains and the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport are welcoming Maine Humorist Tim Sample to the Casco Bay Room. Please join us for an evening of entertainment, laughter and camaraderie. Chase the winter blues away, Yankee-Style.

Proceeds benefit FMM.

A Downeast humorist.

A lovely setting.

A roomful of friends.

And green beer.

We dare you to beat that combination!

Space is limited, so please reserve your seats soon! For tickets information, please visit our website at http://www.friendsofmainesmountains.org/ See you on March 17^th. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Friends of Maine’s Mountains | P.O. Box 60 | Weld | ME | 04285

“At the reform commission meetings last fall, 2/3 of the citizens who testified urged the study committee to protect Maine’s heritage and keep LURC strong,” said Cathy Johnson, North Woods Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. “While many of the reform commission’s recommendations make sense, some of them would weaken current environmental standards and undercut LURC’s ability to protect the North Woods, the largest undeveloped forest east of the Mississippi, an area of undeveloped lakes, rivers, and mountains, and home to a myriad of wildlife species not found elsewhere.”

“Now, as the Committee works to turn those recommendations into law, in an unprecedented move, legislators have been barred from participating. The chair of the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee handed over drafting of the committee’s bill to two citizens, and barred legislators from being involved,” said Johnson. “In my 22 years following the Legislature, I have never seen a committee hand over drafting of a committee bill to unelected citizens.”

“The LURC Reform Commission was specifically directed by the Legislature to draft recommendations, but was not asked to draft legislation,” said Sean Mahoney, Maine Director of the Conservation Law Foundation. “Normally, committees receive these types of reports, discuss them, decide which recommendations they want to enact through law, and work with their staff to draft the legislation.  I have never seen the responsibility for drafting a committee bill given to two unelected citizens who served on the study commission. And barring legislators from meetings between those citizens and the committee’s staff is unprecedented.”

“Maine people expect their elected officials to represent them and their values in the Legislature. It is unfair to constituents and dangerous for Maine to block legislators on the committee of jurisdiction from even sitting in and listening to a legislative drafting session on something as important as the fate of the North Woods,” said Emily Figdor, Director of Environment Maine.

“The Committee needs to use a process to reform LURC that ensures bipartisan buy-in,” said Beth Ahearn, Political Director of Maine Conservation Voters. “One of the principles adopted by the LURC reform committee was to ensure that any proposed changes would stand the test of time, rather than leading to more changes next year.  “The current legislative process undermines that simple, essential principle, and should be abandoned immediately.”

Problems with the recommendations:

“Specifically, we oppose a recommendation that allows county commissioners to appoint themselves to the LURC board. It is unprecedented for a Maine State regulatory board to include locally elected members, and this makes sense because conflicts inevitably arise between responding to local politics and a commissioner’s legal duty to make decisions based entirely on the law and facts on the record,” said Figdor. “With Maine’s natural heritage on the line, we can’t afford to compromise the ability of the Commissioners to make responsible decisions.”

“We oppose a recommendation that would allow counties to opt out of LURC after three years,” said Jenn Gray, Staff Attorney for Maine Audubon.  “This is simply abolishing LURC, one county at a time.  Efforts to abolish LURC last session were unsuccessful because it could lead a piecemeal approach to planning, zoning and permitting in the North Woods.  Those who want to abolish LURC should not be allowed to slip this in through this back door.”

“We also have concerns about transferring review of all large development projects to DEP, while small projects go to the counties and “medium” projects stay at LURC,” said Bryan Wentzell, Maine Policy Director for the Appalachian Mountain Club. “The AMC has 66,000 acres of conservation forestland in the UT in Piscataquis County. We are building trails, shelters, campsites, and renovating sporting camps all for public use to attract more people to the area, while also conducting sustainable timber harvesting operations. It will turn into a bureaucratic nightmare for us if we have to start dealing with three separate agencies instead of one for permitting.”

“While we support the recommendation calling for more regional involvement in developing regional zoning plans, it needs to be clear that regional zoning will be done in a partnership between LURC and regional entities, and will be consistent with the statewide vision for Maine’s North Woods that is set out in LURC’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan,” said Ahearn of Maine Conservation Voters.

“We also oppose eliminating the requirement that applicants demonstrate there is a need for their project,” said Jym St. Pierre, Maine Director of RESTORE: the North Woods and a former LURC senior staffer. “Maine’s North Woods are unique in the eastern U.S. We don’t want this extraordinary area destroyed by misplaced speculative development. Too often that results in projects no one wants, damage to wildlife habitat, and unnecessary costs to the public for unneeded infrastructure. Once it’s developed, it’s gone forever.”

Natural Resources Council of Maine * 3 Wade Street Augusta, ME 04330 * judy@nrcm.org * (207) 430-0103 * mobile (207) 462-2192 * 1(800) 287-2345 ext 203 * fax (207) 622-4343 * www.nrcm.org

The results of the survey team’s first statewide measurement, conducted Jan. 3-4, can be described in one word, according to Robert Johnston, Maine Geological Survey (MGS) senior geologist, who this week compiled the data.

“Sparse,”Johnstonsaid about the amount of the snow.

The collaborative team examined 59 sites aroundMaineand found that only 14 sites had measurable snow, the MGS geologist said. Seventeen sites recorded a trace of snow, which amounts to about one-third of an inch of snow, while the remaining 28 sites had no snow at all.

The overall water content of the snowpack throughout the state, according to the survey results, is in the lowest 10 percent of historic measurements,Johnstonsaid.

“Maine’s snowpack is certainly abnormal for this time of year and absent in places where there regularly has been snow in previous years,” he said. “However, it could change drastically by Friday. We can’t say that it won’t even out at some point, but it is too early in the season to tell.”

The cooperative snow survey has been conducted annually for several decades to help determine potential spring flooding with the development of flood forecasting models. The snowpack data is shared with the Maine Emergency Management Agency and county emergency officials and also amongMainehydroelectric companies so they know how much water to hold or release inMaine’s lakes and reservoirs.

The collaborative survey team consists of 13 organizations, including three divisions under the Maine Department of Conservation, including MGS, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway under the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, and the Maine Forest Service.

Members include the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Weather Service, Poland Spring Water Company, several hydroelectric companies, and even twoMainehigh schools. Information fromNew Hampshireand the Canadian provinces ofQuebecandNew Brunswickalso is used.

Using calibrated hollow tubes, surveyors take samples of the snow in prescribed locations. The survey determines snowpack depth and density, as well as water content, and snowpack maps are prepared.

The deepest snow was found during the first survey at Charles Pond, near St. Pamphile in northwesternAroostookCounty, with 11.7 inches.  Other measured amounts were found atFortKent, with 9.5 inches, and Winterville, with 6.9 inches, also inAroostookCounty.

The next survey will be conducted Jan. 30-31, with results compiled in February. The surveys will be conducted weekly starting in March until the snowpack melts,Johnstonsaid.

In a related matter, Scott Ramsay, director of the Off Road Vehicle Division, under the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, said the lack of snowfall is having an effect on the state’s 14,200 miles of snowmobile trails.

“Overall, statewide conditions are poor to non-existent, but there are isolated areas where there are limited riding opportunities,” Ramsay said.

Trails in the Oquossoc area, going towardNew Hampshire, in the Jackman area toward the Maine-Canada border and north of Caribou “are trails that are slowly opening up,” the ORV director said. Snowmobilers and snowmobile club trail groomers “have been getting out as little tiny storms have happened,” he said. Trails with a minimal base are ridable, Ramsay added.

What is “extremely hazardous,” said Ramsay, are snowmobilers going out onMaine’s lakes.

“Right now there is inconsistency in ice conditions, and snowmobilers must be extraordinarily careful when they ride on lakes,” he warned.

For more snow survey information, go to: http://www.maine.gov/rfac/rfac_snow.shtml

For more Information about the Maine Cooperative Snow Survey, go to: http://www.maine.gov/rfac/rfac_snow_about.shtml

For more information about how the snowpack is measured, go to: http://www.maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mgs/explore/hazards/flood/sites/feb97.htm

For more information about the Off Road Vehicle Division’s snowmobile program, go to:http://www.maine.gov/doc/parks/programs/snowmobile/index.html

Emerald Ash Borer (EMB)

AUGUSTA, Maine – Maine Forest Service entomologists, using a method reminiscent of an old-fashioned husking bee, will hold two bark-peeling workshops later this month to look for evidence of the emerald ash borer, an invasive insect threatening Maine’s forests.

Ash-tree owners from central Maine, who earlier this year created tree traps to look for emerald ash borer (EAB), will bring wood samples to the workshops to be peeled by volunteers and examined for signs of the dangerous insect, said Colleen Teerling, Maine Forest Service entomologist.

“We’re going to work with them to peel the tree bolts,” Teerling said. “We’ll teach them to do it properly and how to search for emerald ash borer.”

The workshops will be held Tuesday, Jan. 17 and Jan. 24, at the Maine Forest Service Southern Region Headquarters, Bolton Hill,Augusta,ME.

EAB has killed millions of ash trees across the nation and threatens all of Maine’s ash resource, from individual ash shade trees in yards and lining town streets to stands of white, green and black ash in the forests. The invasive insect has been found in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland, and the Canadian provinces of Quebecand Ontario.

Some treatment is possible to prolong the life of affected trees, but in general, after a tree is infested by the beetle, it dies. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 25 million trees in theU.S.have been affected by the emerald ash borer.

The exotic insect has not yet been found inMaine, and the Maine Forest Service (MFS), under the Maine Department of Conservation, has been taking steps to prevent its entering the state by banning out-of-state firewood. For the past three years, the Maine Forest Service also has used sophisticated detection methods, including bug traps and bio-surveillance, to surveyMaine’s ash resource for the possible presence of EAB.

Earlier this year, the Maine Forest Service asked land owners to volunteer to make tree traps for EAB by girdling a tree, or stripping bark from around an ash tree. Girdling the tree causes the tree to become stressed and release chemicals attractive to the EAB.

About 10 owners, mostly from centralMaine, created the traps on their trees, which will be cut down into 3-foot lengths, or bolts, Teerling said. Next week, the tree owners will each bring four to 10 bolts to be examined, the MFS entomologist said, adding that she expected workers to have about 30 to 60 bolts to look at during the daylong workshops.

The tree-girdling project grew out of the efforts of the Black Ash Task Force, a collaboration of the Maine Forest Service,University of Maine,MaineIndian BasketmakersAllianceand the U.S. Forest Service, Teerling said. The bark peelers will include the tree owners, MFS foresters, members of the Penobscot Nation, and other task force representatives, she said.

The bark peeling is an elaborate process, Teerling said. It involves using a draw knife to slice the bark into multiple layers down to the tree cambium, or living layer. That is where EAB, if it is present, will show up, she explained.

The bark must be peeled off slowly, “so you don’t just dig down into the wood and destroy any evidence,” the entomologist said.

The volunteers will be looking for EAB “galleries,” Teerling continued, “basically little tunnels that emerald ash borer makes under the bark. They may be only an inch or two long if there is a new infestation.”

The tree-girdling, bark-peeling detection method has been used in other places, such asNew Yorkand other states that already have EAB, Teerling said.

“We haven’t found emerald ash borer with other methods we’ve been using, but this is a new method,” she said. “The earlier that we find an infestation, the better are our chances to contain it and deal with it.”

The MFS entomologist said she was hopeful that the invasive insect wouldn’t be found during the workshops.

For more information about EAB, go to: http://www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/InvasiveThreats.htm

For more information about the Maine Forest Service, go to: http://www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/index.shtml

Media attendance is encouraged.

Fabulous Deals

You can’t miss these fabulous deals. Book now and SAVE BIG!

• Ski & Stay Packages: $309 for five days and nights or have a One Night Stand for $89.

• Lift Tickets are $39 Monday – Friday for college students.

Daytime Events

Red Bull Mountain Ops Event ~ Wednesday, January 4

• Red Bull Mountain Ops is a unique scavenger hunt across Sunday River’s eight mountain peaks! Teams of 2-4 college students will traverse the entire mountain, using clues that challenge both mind and body, to locate iconic spots at Sunday River. Clues will be based on the mountain’s terrain and history, requiring team members to work together to gain the most points. The winning teams will receive great prizes from Red Bull and Sunday River. Registration is in the South Ridge Welcome Center: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  Event Time: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
  Awards: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

College Week Nighttime Parties

Presented by Red Bull

* All Events will take place at the Foggy Goggle in South Ridge Lodge unless otherwise noted. Events will begin between 9:30 – 10:00 PM with doors opening at 9:00 PM. Tickets on sale now and can be purchased by calling 800-543-2754 .

Click on the thumbnail to view or download the poster and share the fun!

Monday, January 2 ~ 80′s Comedic Dance Party featuring Bruce Jacques

• We’re taking it back old school and doing the 80′s with some Miami flair! Grab your old school kicks, chunky chains and don’t forget the neon and big hair. Prizes will be awarded for the best & biggest hair and the best rockin 80′s air guitar act. We will be jamming to everything 80′s withBruce Jacques, the most entertaining one man show ever! Bruce’s act consists of comedic parodies of artists such as Devo, Guns n’ Roses and even Britney Spears. He transforms himself into different artists through a myriad of creative costumes. His musical talent, creativity, showmanship, energy, charisma and child magnetism make for a fantastic entertainment experience for any audience. Bruce is so entertaining and fun, after a long day of skiing, a bucket of beers and Bruce is all you need! Cost is $10 per person.Tickets on sale now and can be purchased by calling 800-543-2754 .
  

Tuesday, January 3 ~ Zombie Rager featuring DJ BrekOne

• Zombie Rager you ask? Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like…a halloween party in January featuring DJ BrekOne. Come dressed in your favorite Halloween attire whether it be zombie, ghoul, ghost, or anything in between and be ready to dance the night away at what will be a fun and spectacularly spooky party. BREK.ONE is not the type of DJ than can be neatly categorized into a definable box. His passion for art can be traced to his days as anactive graffiti artist in Boston using aerosol hues and city textures to spread a message of freedom and creativity. BREK.ONE’s ability to combine color and technique is an attribute he also applied to DJing – using multiple genres of music on a canvas of sound. With an eclectic taste, which includes club, hip-hop, dancehall, and electro, BREK.ONE has become one of most sought after DJ’s on the east coast and has recently secured residencies electover seas. Cost is $10 per person. Tickets on sale now and can be purchased by calling 800-543-2754 .
• Fireworks ~ 8:30pm ~ Watch as a brilliant display of colors light up the winter sky above the slopes of Sunday River, best viewed slopeside at South Ridge, or deckside at the Foggy Goggle. Presented by RS Fireworks.

Wednesday, January 4 ~ Hip-Hop night featuring OnCue and Dean’s List

• According to GoodMusicAllDay.com, “OnCueis on the brink of stardom. Period. He treats each track like it’s the hit single off his album: from production, to each word rapped, to the promotion. He has stuck true to his roots since the beginning and is passionate about the power of music, and not just the fame that comes with it…it’s only a matter of timing now til Cuey breaks big.” OnCue has collaborated with The Dean’s List and Chris Webby and has performed alongside the likes of Sam Adams. The video for his latest single, “Feel Tall,” has been shown on MTV and with his upcoming mixtape, Can’t Wait, Cuey’s fame is sure to skyrocket him into stardom.
• The Dean’s List is a pop/hip-hop group based out of Boston. Since dropping their latest mixtape, The Drive In, they’ve been killing it at colleges across the nation. The group has amassed a large fan base that not only includes college kids across the nation but all over the world. Whether it be hip-hop, pop, rock or anything in between, they’re a group of highly motivated and talented musicians that stand to make a huge impact in music. Cost is $20 per person. Tickets on sale now and can be purchased by calling 800-543-2754 .

Thursday, January 5 ~ Rave Black Light Party featuring Lazerdisk Party Sex

• Wear your whites, bring your glow sticks, and get ready to dance the night away under the blacklights. You thought your legs were sore from skiing and riding? Just wait until this night is over. Lazerdisk Party Sex is an electronic DJ/Production collaboration between Burlington, Vermont based artists Pres and ZJ. Having performed many years on their own, the two decided to join forces in Spring 2010. They have gained wide spread recognition for their remixes, original tracks and are actively performing all around the US. Cost is $10 per person. Tickets on sale now and can be purchased by calling 800-543-2754

Directions

Sunday River is easily accessible from all major eastern metropolitan areas, as well as from the Portland International Jetport and Logan International Airport.  View a larger map.

For GPS users our street address is 15 South Ridge Road, Newry, ME 04261.

South Ridge Welcome Center
Jordan Grand  Hotel
Grand Summit Hotel

New
GPS System
Sunday River Rd. and Skiway Rd.
Monkey Brook Rd. and Grand Ave
Skiway Rd. and 97 Summit Rd.

Old
GPS System
Sunday River Rd. and Skiway Rd.
Sunday River Rd. and Monkey Brook Rd.
Sunday River Rd. and Skiway Rd. (closest intersection)

Exact Coordinates
44d 28 25.21 North
70d 51′ 22.28 West
44d 28 30.33 North
70d 50′ 59.40 West
44d 28 01.21 North
70d 50′ 49.06 West

Below you’ll find directions to Sunday River and drive times from major cities. For specific directions, visitwww.mapquest.com and enter Bethel, Maine, 04217 as your destination. For locations of base lodges and lodging properties at the resort, see our Base Area Map.

Route 26 Bypass At Gray
Skiers can now bypass the town of Gray at exit 63 to join Route 26 North. Upon exiting I-95, a left turn will lead you along the west side of the turnpike on 26a and directly to Route 26. For gas, food and coffee stops in Gray you can still turn right and pass through the town.

Maine Interstate Redesignation
As a result of the 2004 Maine Interstate Redesignation, the Maine Turnpike is now designated as I-95 for its entire length. Maps older than 2004 designated I-95 as I-495 starting in South Portland. The numbering system for exits has also changed to use mileage rather than numerical order. The exit for Route 26 in Gray has changed from Exit 11 to Exit 63.

Driver’s Guide

Below are notes and ideas to make your trip easier.

• Tolls: Plan on encountering tollbooths on 95 North in Hampton, NH ($1.50) and York, ME ($2.00). Southbound there is an additional $1.00 toll to enter the turnpike in Gray.
• Maine Turnpike: You’ll find rest areas with gas and fast food in Kennebunk and Gray. If you can make it, gas is less expensive if you wait until you exit the turnpike at Gray.
• Speeding: Avoid a ticket and slow down for all intersections and towns on Route 26.
• Food: In addition to the turnpike rest areas, you’ll find fast food and pizza as soon as you exit the turnpike in Gray, and 40 minutes north on Route 26, Norway / South Paris serves up all the fast food you could ever need. A good option on your way home is the Redhook Brewery in Portsmouth, NH just off I-95, 2 miles north on Route 16 / Spaulding Turnpike.
• Groceries: The Hannaford Supermarket in Oxford, Maine (just before Norway / South Paris on 26) carries everything you’ll ever need, and is open to 10pm (9pm Sun). A mile south on 26 is a Walmart.

Bethel, ME
Follow Rt. 2 East for 2.6 miles. Take a left onto Sunday River Road, marked by the large Sunday River Brewery (big building with red roof). Follow Sunday River Road to a fork with a “Sunday River Ski Resort” sign. Fork left and follow signs for the Grand Summit Hotel, base lodges, and amenities (1 mile). Fork right and follow signs for the Jordan Grand Resort Hotel (5 miles).

Portland Jetport / Portland, ME
Exit the Jetport and follow signs to I-95, the Main Turnpike. Take I-95 North to Exit 63 / Gray for Route 26. Take Route 26 North to Bethel. Refer to Bethel directions above.

Bangor, ME
Take I-95 South to Exit 157/ Newport for Route 2. Follow Route 2 West to Sunday River Road, marked by the large Sunday River Brewery (big building with red roof), a few miles before reaching Bethel. Follow directions above.

New Hampshire

Manchester, NH
Take I-93 North to Exit 35 / Twin Mountain for Route 3. Take Route 3 North to Route 115 North. At the end of Route 115, go right on Route 2 East all the way to Bethel. Refer to Bethel directions above.

North Conway, NH
Take Route 16 North to the intersection with Route 2 in Gorhan, NH. Take Route 2 East all the way to Bethel. Refer to Bethel directions above.

Portsmouth, NH
Take I-95 North into Maine. Follow I-95 / Maine Turnpike to Exit 63 / Gray for Route 26. Take Route 26 North to Bethel. Refer to Bethel directions above.

Concord, NH
Take I-93 North to Exit 35 / Twin Mountain for Route 3. Take Route 3 North to Route 115 North. At the end of Route 115, go right on Route 2 East all the way to Bethel. Refer to Bethel directions above.

Massachusetts

Boston, MA
Take I-95 North into Maine. Follow I-95 / Maine Turnpike to Exit 63 / Gray for Route 26. Take Route 26 North to Bethel. Refer to Bethel directions above.

From Logan International Airport take Route 60 North to Route 1 North to I-95 North and follow directions above.

Worcester, MA
Take Route 290 North to Route 495 North, then follow Route 495 to I-95. Take I-95 North into Maine. Follow I-95 / Maine Turnpike to Exit 63 / Gray for Route 26. Take Route 26 North to Bethel. Refer to Bethel directions above.

Springfield, MA / Western Massachusetts
Take Mass Pike / I-90 East to Exit 10 / Auburn. Take Route 290 North to Route 495 North, then follow Route 495 to I-95. Take I-95 North into Maine. Follow I-95 / Maine Turnpike to Exit 63 / Gray for Route 26. Take Route 26 North to Bethel. Refer to Bethel directions above.

Rhode Island

Providence, RI
Take I-95 North into Maine. Follow I-95 / Maine Turnpike to Exit 63 / Gray for Route 26. Take Route 26 North to Bethel. Refer to Bethel directions above.

Connecticut

Hartford, CT
Take I-84 East to the Mass Pike / I-90. Take Mass Pike / I-90 East to Exit 10 / Auburn. Take Route 290 North to Route 495 North, then follow Route 495 to I-95. Take I-95 North into Maine. Follow I-95 / Maine Turnpike to Exit 63 / Gray for Route 26. Take Route 26 North to Bethel. Refer to Bethel directions above.

New York

New York City
Take I-84 East to the Mass Pike / I-90. Take Mass Pike / I-90 East to Exit 10 / Auburn. Take Route 290 North to Route 495 North, then follow Route 495 to I-95. Take I-95 North into Maine. Follow I-95 / Maine Turnpike to Exit 63 / Gray for Route 26. Take Route 26 North to Bethel. Refer to Bethel directions above.

Upstate New York
Take New York Thruway / I-90 East to Mass Pike / I-90. Take Mass Pike / I-90 East to Exit 10 / Auburn. Take Route 290 North to Route 495 North, then follow Route 495 to I-95. Take I-95 North into Maine. Follow I-95 / Maine Turnpike to Exit 63 / Gray for Route 26. Take Route 26 North to Bethel. Refer to Bethel directions above.

NOTE: From being out this morning, I found that some roads were ice covered in Gardiner local areas!

Be Sure to Read Entire Message if Traveling.

…LIGHT WINTRY MIX WILL PRODUCE SLIPPERY ROADS THIS MORNING…
.A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK ACROSS NEW ENGLAND
TODAY…AS A WARM FRONT ROTATES FROM SOUTH TO NORTH AHEAD OF IT
THIS MORNING. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING IN WARM AIR ALOFT…BEFORE
THE COLD AIR IS SCOURED OUT AT THE SURFACE…PRODUCING A PERIOD
OF LIGHT ICING THIS MORNING. ONCE THE WARM FRONT MOVES THROUGH…
TEMPERATURES WILL RISE ABOVE FREEZING…WITH RAIN EXPECTED FROM
MIDDAY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.

COASTAL YORK-COASTAL CUMBERLAND-SAGADAHOC-INTERIOR ROCKINGHAM-
COASTAL ROCKINGHAM-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…BIDDEFORD…SACO…OLD ORCHARD BEACH…
KITTERY…PORTLAND…SOUTH PORTLAND…WESTBROOK…BATH…
TOPSHAM…SALEM…DERRY…EXETER…PORTSMOUTH…HAMPTON

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAY HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY FOR FREEZING RAIN…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM EST
THIS MORNING.

* LOCATIONS…SEACOAST NEW HAMPSHIRE AND SOUTHWEST COASTAL MAINE.
* HAZARD TYPES…LIGHT FREEZING RAIN.
* ACCUMULATIONS…UP TO ONE TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE.
* TIMING…THROUGH MID MORNING.
* IMPACTS…UNTREATED ROADS AND SURFACES WILL BECOME ICY
* TEMPERATURES…UPPER 20S AND LOWER 30S…SLOWLY RISING ABOVE
FREEZING BY MID MORNING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW…SLEET…OR
FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR
SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES…AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.

SOUTHERN OXFORD-SOUTHERN FRANKLIN-SOUTHERN SOMERSET-INTERIOR YORK-
INTERIOR CUMBERLAND-ANDROSCOGGIN-KENNEBEC-INTERIOR WALDO-
SOUTHERN GRAFTON-SOUTHERN CARROLL-SULLIVAN-MERRIMACK-BELKNAP-
STRAFFORD-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…RUMFORD…NORWAY…FRYEBURG…OXFORD…
FARMINGTON…WILTON…MADISON…SKOWHEGAN…PITTSFIELD…
SANFORD…BERWICK…NORTH WINDHAM…GORHAM…BRIDGTON…
LEWISTON-AUBURN…LIVERMORE FALLS…AUGUSTA…WATERVILLE…
WINTERPORT…UNITY…LEBANON…HANOVER…PLYMOUTH…WOLFEBORO…
OSSIPEE…CLAREMONT…NEWPORT…CHARLESTOWN…CONCORD…
HOOKSETT…LACONIA…MEREDITH…ROCHESTER…DOVER
753 AM EST SAT DEC 31 2011

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM EST THIS
MORNING…

* LOCATIONS…FROM THE FOOTHILLS OF WESTERN MAINE TO THE
INTERIOR SECTIONS OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL MAINE.
* HAZARD TYPES…FREEZING RAIN…WITH SOME SLEET OR SNOW
POSSIBLE BEFORE SUNRISE.
* ACCUMULATIONS…UP TO A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE.
* TIMING…PERIODS OF SNOW…SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN EARLY THIS
MORNING….WILL BECOME MORE FREQUENT AROUND SUNRISE…WITH A
PERIOD OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN THROUGH MID MORNING…EVENTUALLY
CHANGING TO RAIN BEFORE NOON.
* IMPACTS…UNTREATED ROADS AND SURFACES WILL BECOME ICY.
* TEMPERATURES…UPPER 20S…RISING INTO THE MID 30S BY MIDDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW…SLEET…OR
FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR
SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES…AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.

NORTHERN OXFORD-NORTHERN FRANKLIN-CENTRAL SOMERSET-NORTHERN COOS-
SOUTHERN COOS-NORTHERN GRAFTON-NORTHERN CARROLL-INCLUDING THE CITIES
OF…ANDOVER…ROXBURY…UPTON…
WILSONS MILLS…COBURN GORE…RANGELEY…KINGFIELD…BINGHAM…
JACKMAN…COLEBROOK…BERLIN…LANCASTER…LITTLETON…
NORTH CONWAY

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST
TODAY…

* LOCATIONS…THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND
WESTERN MAINE.
* HAZARD TYPES…FREEZING RAIN…SLEET AND SNOW.
* ACCUMULATIONS…UP TO A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE AND ONE INCH
OF SNOW.
* TIMING…PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW AND SLEET EARLY THIS MORNING
WILL CHANGE TO FREEZING RAIN AROUND OR SHORTLY AFTER
DAYBREAK…BEFORE CHANGING TO RAIN AROUND MIDDAY.
* IMPACTS…UNTREATED ROADS AND SURFACES WILL BECOME SNOW AND
ICE COVERED…AND SLIPPERY.
* TEMPERATURES…MID TO UPPER UPPER 20S EARLY THIS MORNING…

SLOWLY RISING ABOVE FREEZING BY MIDDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW…SLEET…OR
FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR
SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES…AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.

Tumbledown Mountain

First Day Hikes is one small way we can enhance our efforts at education and appreciation.

Here’s a great idea for New Years Day.  The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands will offer free admission at open State Parks so you can get outside and enjoy YOUR public lands.

Four easy and fun First Day Hikes, led by park staff at four different Maine State Parks, will take place on Sunday, Jan. 1.  All the hikes are free.  In fact, no admission will be charged at any open Maine state park on New Year’s Day.  At the Wolfe’s Neck hike, L.L. Bean will be providing free snowshoes for hikers to use.  For more information, please click here.

We at FMM spend a lot of time reminding the public that Maine’s wild regions and mountains are irreplaceable treasures unlike any found east of the Mississippi.  Maine’s brand – our calling card – depends on that increasingly rare quality of place that is so-enhanced by our great outdoors. Sometimes we natives forget how special Maine’s natural resources are.  That is why FMM works so hard to educate the public about the high impacts and low benefits of development that is neither useful nor necessary — development like mountaintop wind power.  Lots of well-meaning Maine people still look up at a wind “farm” and assume that the sprawling project is harmless, green, cheap, clean, etc. Even people who value the mountains sometimes assume that the losses are acceptable because there must be lots of gains from wind development. We are doing our best to educate the public about the truth, and that education will help protect Maine’s environment and economy.

But there are people among us who are difficult to reach.  They are not just Mainers who mistakenly believe that wind power can deliver material benefit; no, they are also people who simply do not place a high value on mountains, natural resources, and Quality of place. Nobody can truly weigh the cost of spoiling Maine’s natural resources unless one values those resources.  So the more of us who can get out and experience Maine’s Quality of Place, the easier FMM’s mission becomes.  First Day Hikes is one small way we can enhance our efforts at education and appreciation.

Another concern of ours is a generational phenomenon that has kids increasingly staying indoors. They can easily find hours of “activity” and “recreation” in the living room, thanks in part to marvelous technological advances.  We worry that a generation growing up unexposed to Maine’s bountiful natural treasure could be the generation that allows it to be spoiled, or squandered. You’ve heard of youth programs like “Hooked on Fishing,” where adults get kids out to experience angling, and hopefully spawn a lifelong love of that experience.  It works.  Even if all the kids do not grow up avid anglers, they own an irrevocable affinity for things outdoors, natural.

Maine’s First Day Hikes can instill a similar appreciation in kids (and in kids at-heart).  We encourage you on New Years Day to take advantage of this marvelous opportunity. And to seek similar opportunities all year round.  If we do not instill in our kids a sense of pride and appreciation for the great state of Maine, then one day Maine might not be so great any more.

I have a friend who grew up in another state.  He had the good sense to attend a Maine college, and for the last three decades he has called Maine home. He and I find time in our hectic lives to get outdoors and discover Maine mountains every chance we get.  He missed it as a kid, but he got “the bug” in college, when he took a phys-ed elective that required a climb of Tumbledown, which sits in a Maine Preserve overlooking a magnificent landscape:  Webb Lake and Mount Blue State Park to the east, and in the other direction, a span of mountain treasures from the Mahoosucs through Rangeley to the Bigelow Range.  He knew right then what he never knew in that other state.  He has since maintained a deepening appreciation for our mountains and other special places. We are lucky he got the bug at a time in his life when he could have found all sorts of other distractions.  How much easier it is if we get kids out there.

So start a new Tradition in 2012:  share Maine’s natural resources with someone. Especially a kid.  And if New Years Day doesn’t work for your schedule, make it a 2012 resolution!

Thank you for your continued support in the New Year as FMM works to educate the public about the true benefits vs. impacts of mountaintop industrial wind, and as we help shape a sound, scientific and economics-based energy policy.

For more information on “First Day Hikes” and other Maine outdoor opportunities, click here

Chris O’Neil, President
Friends of Maine’s Mountains

Please Join The Valley Voice on FACEBOOK!

AWW Chief Ranger Kevin Brown reports that Churchill Lake appears to be especially dangerous this week, with only about 3 inches of ice across the lake. Chamberlain Lake became free of ice during the recent rain storm.

Three inches of ice will hold a snowmobile and a fisherman, but it is difficult to determine where the ice might be thinner. Traveling from one place to another could be very dangerous at this time, Brown said.

The chief ranger said it is important to be very careful near areas that normally have moving water, such as, thoroughfares, mouths of brooks, and springs. “Check the ice thickness often,” Brown said. “Never travel alone when the conditions are poor.”

AWW rangers went out on Wednesday, Dec. 28, and measured the ice on the Allagash headwater lakes. The following ice thicknesses were reported:

• Telos/Round Pond: 3-5 inches, with open water.
• Chamberlain: open water throughout the main body of the lake.
• Round Pond (T9 R13): 3 inches, with slush and open water.
• Churchill: 3 inches, with some open water and slush.

“We are expecting many people to be out ice fishing on the first weekend of the season, which starts Sunday, Jan. 1,” Brown said. “Excellent early season brook trout fishing draws out the anglers who have been patiently awaiting opening day.”

The weather has been extremely mild so far this winter. Telos and Chamberlain lakes did not skim over until late in December, and Chamberlain has opened again, the chief ranger reported.

For specific advice on ice conditions and areas to avoid, visitors should check with the AWW ranger at Chamberlain Bridge or call the dispatch center in Ashland between 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 207-435-7963, ext.1

The AWW provides: winter campgrounds at the Chamberlain Bridge and Kellogg Brook; public drinking water, vault toilets, and snow plowing. A groomed snowmobile trail is marked from the Chamberlain Bridge parking lot to the south end of Chamberlain Lake and to Round Pond/Telos lakes.

The AWW is a 92-mile-long ribbon of lakes, ponds, streams, and river that wind through the heart of northern Maine’s vast commercial forest. The waterway became the first state-administered river to be designated by the United States Department of Interior as a component of the federal Wild and Scenic River Program. This designation was the culmination of an effort began in the early 1960s, to protect the outstanding natural character, unique recreational opportunities, and historical significance of the Allagash River and its associated lakes and ponds.

For more information about the AWW or Maine state parks, go to: www.parksandlands.com

By Matthew LaRoche,

Jigging can be an effective tactic for catching large togue on the Allagash headwater lakes. Lake trout, or togue as they are commonly called inMaine, are abundant in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. The average-size togue caught on the waterway weigh 3 to 5 pounds, with a few over 10 pounds being taken every winter.

To jig togue you need a jig stick. There are commercially available jig sticks or you can make one out of a piece of wood. I have seen many jig sticks made out of old broomstick handles with two nails driven into the handle to hold the line. Attach 50 feet of 20-pound test monofilament line and a heavy lure to that stick, and you have yourself a jigging outfit. My favorite lure for jigging togue is a 2-ounce silver Swedish Pimple tied to the line without a swivel.

Most fishermen attach a small piece of cut bait to the hook, but I have had good luck jigging without bait. The bait can interfere with the action of the lure. Try it both ways to see what works best for you.

Find a location on the lake with 20-30 feet of water, lower the lure down to the bottom and reel it up about 6 inches. Start raising and lowering the lure about a foot with each jig. Every once in a while you should lower the lure all the way to the bottom to stir up a little silt as an attractant. Just keep jigging; when the lure is working correctly, you will feel a rhythm on the line. Eventually you will get a hit — when you do, throw off your mittens and bare-hand the fish up to the ice, keeping the line taut as you bring it up. You will need to make sure that a big togue’s head is lined up with the hole before you try to bring it up on the ice. It can be quite a thrill to see a 28-inch lake trout swim by the hole. With the water magnifying the fish, those big ones will look as large as a small submarine.

The first winter I worked up on the waterway, my father and younger brother Richie came up for a visit. I set Richie up with the classic sawed-off broom-handle jig stick with a gold lead fish for a lure. He was jigging away when he suddenly got a hit. Instead of bringing the fish in hand over hand, he started running backwards. That fish came flying out of the hole and landed on the ice right next to the hole. Richie pounced on the fish before it could get away. That was one happy 14-year-old with his first togue!

I was nonchalantly jigging out in front of Lock Dam one day and had a big fish hit, jerking the jig stick right out of my hand. That will make you pay attention to what you are doing!

Togue are an excellent eating fish with cream-colored flesh. The skin, especially on big fish, contains a lot of oil and should be removed prior to cooking. Togue weighing 3 to 5 pounds can be cooked with the skin on because they are not as oily as the bigger fish.

I like my togue baked at 350 degrees, stuffed with onion and lemon slices until the meat is easily separated from the bones. My favorite is fish chowder made from the leftover togue.

Jigging will keep you busy when the flags on your tip-ups are not doing much. I am convinced that a skilled fisherman jigging will out-fish a person using live bait when it comes to togue fishing.

The ice may not be safe on the opening day of ice fishing. Check in at theChamberlainBridgeranger station or call Heidi Johnson at the number below for current ice conditions on Chamberlain, Eagle, and Churchill lakes. Play it safe and make sure there is at least 6 inches of black ice before heading out on the ice with a snowmobile.

For information on the AWW, go to: www.maine.gov/doc/parks/ or call 207-941-4014, emailheidi.j.johnson@maine.gov or write to the Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands,106 Hogan Road,Bangor,ME04401

NWS Gray: Winter weather statement – Wed, Dec 28, 8:10 pm

12/28/2011 08:10 PM EST

WSWGYX
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
809 PM EST WED DEC 28 2011

…STRONG WEST OR NORTHWEST WINDS WILL USHER IN MUCH COLDER AIR
TONIGHT…

.GUSTY WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH TEMPERATURES DROPPING TO BELOW ZERO
ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS OF
WESTERN MAINE. THE COMBINATION OF WIND AND COLD WILL CREATE WIND
CHILL VALUES OF 20 TO 29 DEGREES BELOW ZERO TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY
MORNING.

MEZ007>009-NHZ001-002-290915-
/O.CON.KGYX.WC.Y.0002.111229T0200Z-111229T1400Z/
NORTHERN OXFORD-NORTHERN FRANKLIN-CENTRAL SOMERSET-NORTHERN COOS-
SOUTHERN COOS-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…ANDOVER…ROXBURY…UPTON…
WILSONS MILLS…COBURN GORE…RANGELEY…KINGFIELD…BINGHAM…
JACKMAN…COLEBROOK…BERLIN…LANCASTER
809 PM EST WED DEC 28 2011

…WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM EST
THURSDAY…
* LOCATIONS…FAR NORTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND THE MOUNTAINS OF
WESTERN MAINE
* TIMING…WIND CHILLS WILL FALL WELL BELOW ZERO TONIGHT INTO
THURSDAY MORNING.
* WINDS…WEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 30 MPH.
* TEMPERATURES…7 BELOW TO 18 ABOVE ZERO.
* WIND CHILL READINGS…20 TO 29 BELOW ZERO.

* IMPACTS…VERY LOW WIND CHILLS CAN LEAD TO FROST BITE WITHIN A
FEW MINUTES. TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO BUNDLE UP WHEN GOING OUTSIDE
AND BE PREPARED FOR THE EXTREME CONDITIONS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS
WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN
FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.
IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS…MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND
GLOVES.

Maine Lynx in a Trap. "Hey, I could use some help here."

MDIFW is excited to announce a new email subscription service to make it easier for you to receive updates on the Maine outdoors, specifically aimed at what interests you the most.

Through GovDelivery – a secure and efficient email service – you are now able to sign up for the information you want delivered directly to your email inbox.

You can get the latest MDIFW news, license and registration information, updates on the work of all our divisions including wildlife, fisheries and the Maine Warden Service, and updates on MDIFW events in your area. All you have to do is sign up with GovDelivery, create an optional password, select topics from a list of categories that interest you, and choose how often you want them delivered.

That’s it. It’s that simple, with the entire sign-up process taking less than 90 seconds. If you do not want to sign up for GovDelivery, you’ll continue to receive quarterly email updates from MDIFW, just as you always have.

SIGN UP HERE

MDIFW is providing you with this new service free of charge – we see it as a great way to improve our communications with you and keep you informed about important issues here at MDIFW. We hope you’ll enjoy the Department’s move forward to bring you information in a more timely manner.  If you have any questions, please call us at (207)-287-8000 .

Thank you, and have a safe and happy holiday season.

Chandler E. Woodcock,
Commissioner

On behalf of all of the captains and their families in the Maine Windjammer Association, we wish you a happy holiday season and best wishes in the New Year!
[FULL STORY]

Sneak Peak at 2012—Let the Planning Begin!
Schedules are out and the 2012 windjammer season promises to be one of the best ever. Here’s a quick overview of what to look forward to in 2012!
[FULL STORY]

Charter a Windjammer and have the whole ship to yourself!
This month, passenger Don Charles Wukasch shares his views on a charter he arranged for his former classmates aboard the Lewis R French.
[FULL STORY]

The Inside Scoop
In our second installment of The Inside Scoop, we ask Greg Gettens to tell us more about his adventures aboard the American Eagle.
[FULL STORY]

Specialty Cruises!
Shutterbugs Ahoy! While every Maine Windjammer cruise is a photographer’s dream come true, some cruises really focus on getting the perfect shot.
[FULL STORY]

Captains’ Corner
This month, Captain Bob of the Timberwind shares his favorites.
[FULL STORY]

The Most Important Job on a Windjammer? That’s Easy: Chef!
Windjammer captains know that nothing builds an appetite like a day spent on the water and that’s why every chef is carefully handpicked for their ability to satisfy the appetites of windjammer passengers with skill and grace. This month, we talk with Jack Pettigrew, Grace Bailey’s shipboard chef.
[FULL STORY]

End of the Day
Linda Wood, guest aboard the Schooner Heritage, captures the last rays of sunlight.
[FULL STORY]

The Beautiful Ships That Make Up the Maine Windjammer Fleet

Experience a different vacation this year: A Windjammer Sailing Vacation! Sail the Maine Coast aboard historic, Maine Windjammer Tall Ships. These historic Maine schooners are majestic, beautiful, and one of a kind. Browse the descriptions of the different Windjammer Schooners below, visit their web sites, and contact the captains for a Maine sailing vacation aboard a Windjammer Schooner you won’t soon forget.

Nathaniel Bowditch
Captain Owen & Cathie Dorr
Homeport: Rockland, Maine
1-800-288-4098
sailbowditch@myfairpoint.net

The Nathaniel Bowditch was built as a racing yacht in 1922 in East Boothbay, Maine. The 82′ schooner won special class honors in the Bermuda Race in 1923, and served in the Coast Guard during World War II. She was rebuilt for the windjamming trade in the early 1970′s. Guests: 24.

Enter the Nathaniel Bowditch website
Rates/Schedule

Lewis R. French
Captains Garth Wells and Jenny Tobin
Homeport: Camden, Maine
1-800-469-4635
captain@schoonerfrench.com

Launched in 1871 in Christmas Cove, Maine, the Lewis R. French is the oldest commercial schooner in the USA, and was recently designated a National Historic Landmark. This season marks the 64′ coasting schooner’s 138th summer in Maine. Guests: 21.

Enter the Lewis R. French website
Rates/Schedule

American Eagle
Captain John Foss
Homeport: Rockland, Maine
1-800-648-4544
info@schooneramericaneagle.com

The 92′ schooner American Eagle was built in Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1930. For 53 years she was a working member of the famed Gloucester fishing fleet. She is also a National Historic Landmark. Guests: 26.

Enter the American Eagle website
Rates/Schedule

Timberwind
Captain Bob Tassi
Homeport: Rockport, Maine
1-800-759-9250
info@schoonerwtimberwind.com

The Timberwind served as a pilot boat before being converted to a cruise schooner in 1969. As both a pilot boat and windjammer, she has never left Maine waters. National Historic Landmark. Guests: 20.

Enter the Timberwind website
Rates/Schedule

Stephen Taber
Captain Noah & Jane Barnes
Homeport: Rockland, Maine
1-800-999-7352
info@stephentaber.com

The Stephen Taber was built as a coasting schooner in 1871 on Long Island, New York. The 68′ schooner is the oldest documented sailing vessel in continuous service in the United States, and she was recently designated as a National Historic Landmark. Guests: 22.

Enter the Stephen Taber website
Rates/Schedule

Isaac H. Evans
Captains Brenda and Brian Thomas
Homeport: Rockland, Maine
1-877-238-1325
info@isaacevans.com

The Isaac H. Evans was built in Mauricetown, New Jersey in 1886 and spent many years oystering on the Delaware Bay. In 1973 she was completely rebuilt for the windjamming trade. National Historic Landmark. Guests: 22.

Enter the Isaac H. Evans website
Rates/Schedule

Angelique
Captain Mike & Lynne McHenry
Homeport: Camden, Maine
1-800-282-9989
windjam@sailangelique.com

The 95′ ketch-rigged Angelique was built specifically for the windjamming trade in 1980. Patterned after the 19th century sailing ships that fished off the coast of England, theAngelique was built for safety, and offers the unique feature of a deckhouse salon. Guests: 29.

Enter the Angelique website
Rates/Schedule

Victory Chimes
Captains Kip Files & Paul DeGaeta
Homeport: Rockland, Maine
1-800-745-5651
kipfiles@gwi.net

Built in 1900 in Bethel, Delaware to carry lumber up and down the shallow bays and rivers of the Chesapeake, the 132′ schooner Victory Chimes is the last three masted schooner on the East coast, and the largest passenger sailing vessel under U.S. flag. Guests: 40.

Enter the Victory Chimes website
Rates/Schedule

Mary Day
Captains Barry King & Jen Martin
Homeport: Camden, Maine
1-800-992-2218
captains@schoonermaryday.com

Launched in 1962, the 90′ Mary Day was the first windjammer to be built specifically with comfort, safety, and performance in mind. Carrying on the Maine shipbuilding tradition, she is the first pure sailing schooner built in Maine since 1930. Guests: 29.

Enter the Mary Day website
Rates/Schedule

Mistress
Captain Ray & Ann Williamson
Homeport: Camden, Maine
1-800-736-7981
info@mainewindjammercruises.com

A miniature version of the grander ships, the Mistress was built with a loyalty to traditional lines and materials coupled with an attention to modern amenities. Forty-six feet long, with just three double cabins (each with private head), she offers an intimate sailing experience. Guests: 6.

Enter the Mistress website
Rates/Schedule

Grace Bailey
Captain Ray & Ann Williamson
Homeport: Camden, Maine
1-800-736-7981
info@mainewindjammercruises.com

Built in Patchogue, New York in 1882, the Grace Baileywas engaged in the West Indian trade, and hauling timber and granite until 1940, when she started carrying passengers. This 80′ coaster was the flagship for the original Maine Windjammer Cruise fleet. Guests: 29.

Enter the Grace Bailey website
Rates/Schedule

Heritage
Captains Doug & Linda Lee
Homeport: Rockland, Maine
1-800-648-4544
info@schoonerheritage.com

The Heritage was built in 1983 by her owners at the North End Shipyard in Rockland, Maine. Designed for the comfort of her passengers, the vessel was built in the tradition of a 19th century coaster. Guests: 30.

Enter the Heritage website
Rates/Schedule

Mercantile
Captain Ray & Ann Williamson
Homeport: Camden, Maine
1-800-736-7981
info@mainewindjammercruises.com

The 78′ Mercantile was built in Little Deer Isle, Maine in 1916 to carry salt fish, barrel staves, and firewood. TheMercantile became a cruise schooner in 1942 under the ownership of Frank Swift, the founder of the Maine windjammer trade. Guests: 29.

Enter the Mercantile website
Rates/Schedule

The Maine Windjammer Association is proud to be
featured on page 640 of this New York Times bestseller.

The Maine Windjammer Association is committed to
preserving our nation’s natural areas through our partnership
with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics,
an organization that promotes responsible
outdoor skills and ethics.

Thursday, December 22, 2011
December 2011
VOLUME 10 ISSUE 11

Request Our Brochures

Maine Windjammer Association Home Page

2012 Special Events

The Fleet

In this Issue

Happy Holidays!

Sneak Peak at 2012—Let the Planning Begin!

Charter a Windjammer and have the whole ship to yourself!

The Inside Scoop

Specialty Cruises!

Captains’ Corner

The Most Important Job on a Windjammer? That’s Easy: Chef!

End of the Day

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Vol. 9 Issue 10

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Vol. 9 Issue 9

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Vol. 9 Issue 8

July 2010
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Vol. 9 Issue 7

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Vol. 9 Issue 6

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Vol. 9 Issue 4

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Vol. 9 Issue 3

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Vol. 9 Issue 2

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January 27, 2010
Vol. 9 Issue 1

[MORE]

Northeast Guide Service wishes you and your family a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year!  We hope to see you in 2012.  Until then…take care.

Best of the Best-

“Save the Date” Event Weekends:

Whitewater Kick-Off & Moose Mainea

• May 26 & 27

Kennebec Whitewater Rafting Turbine Test

(Huge Whitewater)

• June 16
• July 9
• September 8
• September 22

Class V Canada Falls Kick-Off

• July 7 & our 4th of July Fireworks Party

Canada Falls Big Whitewater Release

• July 28

Seboomook Whitewater Rafting Play All Day

• Sept. 1 & our Labor Day Weekend BBQ

Event weekends are maximum the outdoor excitement with 3 Whitewater Rafting trips available for the ultimate experience!  These dates are highly sought after and book fast.  Make your reservation early to experience the best trips of the 2012 season!

northeastguideservice.com
142 Moosehead Lake Rd.
Greenville, Maine

888-484-3317

Christmas gift certificates still available – emailed to your stocking by Dec. 24!

Call our friendly elves at 888-484-3317 to give the gift of outdoor adventure this year!

The Maine Birder Band program is intended to provide the Maine birding community an opportunity to support DIF&W’s non-game bird conservation efforts. Just as hunters and anglers fund Department efforts through license purchases, birders can become a participating constituency by demonstrating their willingness to fund non-game bird conservation.

“We’re hoping to give the growing legions of birders some street ‘cred’ as significant contributors to IF&W’s conservation programs” said DIF&W’s Steve Walker.

The Maine Birder Band is available for a contribution of $20, and it can be purchased through DIF&W’s online store at www.mefishwildlife.com. Bands are suitable for attaching to binoculars, cameras, sunglasses or any other outdoor gear.

Maine Birder Band participants get “banded” and receive an officially registered and individually numbered band. Just like a migratory bird band, each band has a phone number so that someone finding the band, and the misplaced object that the band is on, can call DIF&W and locate the birder who lost the band and gear.

To date, Maine Birder Band funds have supported DIF&W efforts to study distributions and abundance of coastal marsh sparrow species; update population assessments of grassland birds and launch Maine eBird. Maine Birder Band contributions provide a vital source of match that allows the State of Maine to access federal conservation funding.

For more information on the Maine Birder Band or any of DIF&W’s ongoing projects, please “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mainefishwildlife or call us at (207) 287-8000.

MAINE DEPARTMENT OF INLAND FISHERIES & WILDLIFE
284 State St., SHS 41, Augusta, ME 04333
www.mefishwildlife.com Main Number: (207) 287-8000