I have very few details but it seems that New Zealand is doing some testing on chelated copper as something that can kill didymo. Further testing is ongoing as tests have shown that chelated copper can kill didymo but it is not known how it affects other marine life and vegetation.

Tom Remington

Today at 3 p.m will be the first broadcast of “Open Air with Tom Remington”. This show is my son Steve and I discussing our future plans for Skinny Moose Radio. This will include talking about our programming plans, how you can start your own show, equipment you need to start a show and a myriad of related topics. I think it is information that listeners will really be interested in knowing.

I have been asked so often about what the show will be etc., that I put together a brief explanation that I have been giving to people. Here it is.

“What I envision for Open Air with Tom Remington is not just me but a lot of participation from other people, other sportsmen and activists who really love the outdoors and are worried that with the trends taking place all around us, there will be no more outdoors to enjoy. I want to talk with other people and talk about the things that really matter. We have to get outdoor sports people talking and becoming vocal. We have stayed quiet for so long that many feel like we don’t care about the issues. That has to change.

“I chose the title “Open Air” because I wanted to be able to let listeners know that the topics of my discussions will reach deeper and wider than mostly hunting issues, which is what the Black Bear Blog is all about. Open means the subject material is wide open and the air signifies the outdoors. When you combine the two together, it should provide for some fantastic topics for conversation.”

To give you a little bit of background on the show, we are in the process of having professionally done audio introductions and closings for the show but they’re not ready yet. I threw together a little introduction of my own so that we could get the show up and running. This will help in getting the bugs out.

The show will run in this time slot, at least for now. If you are unable to tune in at 3 p.m. for the broadcast, the Skinny Moose Radio website will have a listing of the show and a link where you can either download the show or stream it on your own computer’s media player.

I am very excited about “Open Air with Tom Remington” and I have some topics and guest interviews, etc. planned that I think will be great entertainment as well as informational and educational.

I hope you tune in today and every Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m.

Tom Remington

Region A- Southwestern Maine

The openwater fishing season is coming to an end, but Maine’s fall fishing opportunities can be fantastic for trout and salmon. There’s nothing like catching a beautiful male brookie in the fall with colors that rival our foliage or a feisty landlocked salmon. The Sebago Region is blessed with some great fall fishing opportunities, most lakes and ponds are open to catch and release fishing until the end of November and a fair number of rivers are open to year round fishing! Be sure to consult your law book for further details.

Fall fishing can be very productive and successful. Trout and salmon become more active as surface temperatures begin to cool and they become concentrated in specific areas as the spawning season approaches. Anglers that target larger tributaries, dam outlets, and thoroughfares in October and November can have some great days of fishing. It is not uncommon for us to hear from anglers catching some beautiful mature landlocks, browns, and other salmonids on lakes like Thompson (Oxford), Auburn (Auburn), and Long Lake (Harrison). In addition, fall anglers also get the first crack at decent sized fall stocked fish (12-14″), which the hatcheries typically have out by the end of October. These fall stocked fish, as well as a few holdover trout have been producing a fantastic fall fishery at Crystal Lake in Gray. While this fishery has been in place for quite some time, anglers have had exceptional fishing off the Town beach in recent years. Some good fall river fishing opportunities include the Presumpscot River in Windham, the Pleasant River in Windham, the Royal River (Yarmouth), the Saco River (below most of the dams), and of course the tide water fisheries (the Mousam, Salmon Falls, and Ogunquit Rivers). The only bad thing about fall fishing is that it can compete with our time for other great fall activities like hunting.

Over the past couple of weeks the regional staff has been conducting quite a bit of stream electrofishing, and it appears to have been a great year for brook trout and salmon. The abundance of juvenile wild trout and salmon appears to be up, particularly on the Crooked River. We are quite pleased at the number of young-of-the-year and parr salmon observed at our four index sites on the Crooked River system, which is related to the recent improvements we have seen in the Sebago fishery, as well as favorable stream conditions this summer. For those that know the river, we expect the Crooked River will provide some decent fall fishing providing we get some rain to draw in the fish prior to the close of the season. Good luck!

-Jim Pellerin, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region B – Central Maine

Many anglers are interested in gaining what they can from the knowledge that Fishery biologists have of the waters they manage. We can provide information to virtually all anglers — from those just starting out that who may know nothing about a local water, to the seasoned veteran, who knows every nook and cranny of his or her favorite lake. Even if we are stumped, we have a pretty good idea of whom we can contact to get the right answer to the inquiry.

Recently I had the opportunity to have Michael Witte, an Advisory Council member, accompany me on some routine habitat and fishery surveys of inland streams on the Pemaquid peninsula. He represents three of the coastal counties in this part of Maine. Mr. Witte and I traveled around Bremen and Bristol where he had first hand knowledge of the brooks and streams through assisting our Wildlife Division in their animal damage control program. Although I had been to some of the streams, Michael’s firsthand knowledge helped me complete the survey of the waters we visited. I was unaware that the Patriots Day storm this year had devastated some of the stream crossings in the area, so our field trip helped me put in perspective some of the analyses of road and stream intersects. Mike’s first hand knowledge was a definite asset.

It certainly is a benefit to be able to glean knowledge from someone like Mike, who is very knowledgeable about waterways in his area. As biologists, we do not have all the answers, and we rely on people like Mike to learn more about certain areas, and the knowledge we accumulate from local anglers can give us a much clearer picture of local areas.

Mike and I did not find any spectacular fishery habitat but later, on my own, I discovered four streams in Bristol that contained brook trout populations that will need special measures for maintenance of the habitat. Close to fifty stream and road crossings were surveyed. This work will help future management of the inland fisheries of the region.

As Bass Pro Jimmy Huston once said, “We all deserve the fruits of our collective knowledge and experience.” As an angler, you should always be learning, whether it is from a biologist, or a local source like Mike Witte.

Good luck fishing this fall.

–Bill Woodward, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region C – Downeast

About six months ago I was hired as the Downeast Region’s Fisheries Biologist Specialist. Prior to that I had worked seasonally for two years as a Contract Fisheries Aide. Before I began working for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, I knew very little about what a fisheries biologist really did. Sure, I knew the work involved fish and some aspect of biology, but I never really gave it more thought than that. However, once I was hired on for my first seasonal position, that all changed. At that time I was like a kid in a candy store, just trying to learn as much as I possibly could and to leach as much knowledge as I could from any source that was willing to share with me. The more I learned, the more I wanted to make this my career and by the end of my first summer working with Region C’s biologists I couldn’t get enough of it. I volunteered some time in the fall simply so I could gain experience. Eventually my hard work paid off, and I was extremely fortunate to receive a position working for the state I have lived in my entire life. All of the fisheries staff members in the Downeast Region are native to the state and we are very proud of what we do.

So, then just what does a fisheries biologist do? The short and sweet answer I often use is that one of our responsibilities is to provide, and ensure, that a wide variety of fishing opportunities exist for many years to come. We are fisheries managers and that management involves working with fish and with people. We have a wide variety of tools available to us to manage fish populations. One way is by regulations. We are responsible for creating the fishing regulations on each water. It is the Maine Warden Service who then enforces these regulations. If a population needs to be protected we may impose more restrictive regulations or if we want to promote more harvest we may apply more liberal regulations.

Another tool on our “management tool belt” is the ability to stock fish. The state of Maine fish hatcheries raise the fish and do an amazing job at providing large numbers of healthy fish to stock. Fisheries biologists decide how many fish to stock, what species, and how often the stocking should occur.

As managers, a major part of our job is to monitor survival and growth of our fish populations around the region. This is a time-consuming job because we stock about 110 of our 310 surveyed lakes and ponds, plus we have special management on many of our 90 bass waters.

We have several methods of achieving this goal, such as: electrofishing, various types of netting, angler creel surveys, water quality analysis, hydroacoustic surveys, anglers keeping records of their fishing trips, and more. All of these methods would be futile without one vitally important tool, experience. In the Downeast Region alone, we collectively have over 50 years of fisheries experience. It takes experience to interpret all of the data and set the appropriate regulations and stocking numbers. It is our goal to provide consistent and reliable fishing opportunities that people can count on for years to come.

Another aspect of our job is management that involves access. We are responsible for providing and ensuring public access to the region’s waters so that anglers and boaters have the ability to utilize them for fishing, boating, canoeing, and kayaking. We are constantly working with landowners around lakes and ponds so that our waters do not become “privatized” by camp owners. Greg Burr has worked extremely hard in our region to ensure that public access is secured. And once again it takes a great deal of experience to do the work Greg does.

We also work closely with members of the public in order to obtain information about fish populations. There are three staff members in this region to cover an area that is 80% the size of the state of Connecticut, a state that employs about 25 fisheries biologists and technicians. If our two-county fisheries region were staffed at the same rate as Connecticut, the Downeast Regional Office would have 20 people! So the information that anglers provide while they are out fishing is vitally important for us to manage fish populations the best we can.

For me this is a dream job. I am fortunate to be able to work in the state I grew up in, doing work that it is important to me as well as to many other people in the state. Everyday I learn more and more about the region, its fisheries, and its people and I couldn’t ask for a better job.

-Joe Overlock, Fisheries Biologist Specialist

Region D – Western Mountains

With the water cooling down and higher flows, many anglers are heading for rivers that flow into the large lakes. Most serious anglers know that the place to be a few days after a heavy rain event is were the brook trout and salmon will be running for fall spawning season. These rushes of water trigger the fish’s instinct to move to their pre-spawning holding areas. At this time large fish from the lakes are catchable by anglers wading or standing along the shoreline.

Anglers might also try their favorite trout pond again too. Often anglers fish a pond regularly in the spring, but then forget about it after the water warms up. However, water temperatures have begun to cool, so the trout are now on the move and feeding more aggressively. A few ponds to try would be Beal Pond in Madrid, Quimby Pond in Rangeley, or Rowe Pond in Pleasant Ridge Plt. All three of these waters are annually stocked with brook trout.

Anglers interested in bass fishing don’t have to give up quite yet. Although these fish become a little less active and more difficult to catch as the warm summer days end, they will take bait or lures if presented to them properly. Try fishing a little deeper than you normally would in lakes and ponds. The fish in rivers are more likely to be in their same old haunts, even moving into very shallow water on bright sunny days. For anglers in the northwestern part of the state I would recommend fishing the Androscoggin River in the Jay or Canton area. There are some very large smallmouths in this stretch of water.

-Dave Howatt, Fisheries Biologist Specialist

Region E – Moosehead Region

The East Outlet is a perhaps one of the most popular river fisheries in the State. The river averages about 200 feet across and is nearly 3 miles long as it drops 75 feet from the dam on Moosehead Lake to the “Last Drop” on Indian Pond. The habitat is primarily rocky/boulder riffle with many pools and pockets. It is ideal salmon and trout water. There is, however, a shortage of salmonid spawning habitat in the river. Surveys indicate that less than 0.5% of the total area in the river contains gravel that would be suitable for successful spawning.

The East Outlet dam; which is owned and operated by Kennebec Water Power (KWP), was relicensed in the 1990’s. Paul Johnson, the Regional Fisheries Biologist, led the negotiations for the IF&W. The resulting new license had many benefits for the fish and the fishermen, including higher minimum flows. Paul also identified 2 areas in the river that could be modified to increase the amount of spawning and fry habitat in the river. KWP was very supportive of the proposed project and funded the work. A channel about 25 feet wide and 250 feet long was created just below the Beach Pool. This channel alone effectively doubled the amount of spawning habitat in the river. Another channel averaging nearly 30 feet by 520 feet was also improved. This area provides great fry and some spawning habitat. The project was completed just one year after the license became final.

We have been back to these sections since the work was finished and have observed many salmon using the spawning areas and we have also electrofished young salmon utilizing the improved nursery habitat.

Another method we use to evaluate the production of wild salmon in the East Outlet is the fishway in the dam. IFW staff has operated the trap in the fishway during 14 years in the period of 1974 to present, so we have good baseline data to use for comparison.

Tending the fishway is one of the more interesting projects we have in this region. While we are mainly interested in enumerating the small (less than 12 inches) salmon moving from the river to the lake, you just never know what the catch will be for any given day. Just as an example, this year the last day of tending was July 30. We anticipated a light catch of perhaps 50-75 fish based on previous tends and the warm weather. But as we dropped the water level in the trap, we were greeted by 315 brook trout in addition to over 100 salmon. How many people out there can say they caught over 300 brookies in one morning?

Staff from IFW, assisted by Mike Moon, the dam operator for KWP, tended the fishway trap this summer. We are very grateful for the help from Mike and KWP. They have made many improvements to our operation over the past years. We operated the trap during the peak period of salmon movement; which is generally from mid June to the end of July. Salmon don’t start moving upstream until the water warms to about 60 F and by August, the water warms to a level where it becomes difficult to handle the fish and their movement tends to decline as well.

This year’s catch of young wild salmon was the 2nd best since 1974. In fact, we handled over 1500 salmon in 2007. We categorize these young fish into size groups: less than 8 inches, 8 to 12 inches, and greater than 12 inches. We saw improvements across all categories. The overall catch rate for young wild salmon was just shy of the record set in 2001. In fact, there has been a general trend toward an increasing number of young salmon produced in the river since the habitat improvement project was completed. Salmon less than 12 inches far outnumber the larger size category by nearly 4:1. The largest salmon sampled was 22 inches. Many, if not most, of the legal salmon appear to be of hatchery origin. We do take other species in the trap as well, including: brook trout, lake trout, round whitefish, longnose suckers, white suckers, and various minnows. The salmon, brook trout, and lake trout are measured and a temporary fin clip is applied. All fish are then released into the lake where they will continue to grow and contribute to the lake and associated river fisheries. Check out some photos of this year’s East Outlet fishway operation at:

http://www.maine.gov/ifw/fishing/reports/weekly_biologist/photos_regione/index.htm

-Tim Obrey, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region F, Penobscot Region

On Monday, with the help of our fin clipping crew, staff from other hatcheries and regional fisheries offices and our research office, we will begin the annual fall fish marking at Cobb Fish Hatchery in Enfield. This crew will mark more than 90,735 Brook Trout and 20,350 Splake. In a week’s time, 111,085 fish will be netted out of the raceways, loaded onto a truck and transported to a holding pool. Then the fish are netted out, placed in a trough with an anesthetic, and then the anesthetized fish are then are netted and placed in a trough to be clipped. After this, they are sent through a pipeline back to the pool were they started. In most cases, the fish go through this complete process in about 15 min. It is quite a process to see. If your happen to be in the Enfield area this week stop by.

After this week of fin clipping, the hatchery staff here at Cobb Hatchery will begin the task of stocking more than 116,260 fall fingerling brook trout; 4,950 fall fingerling splake; 17,900 fall yearling brook trout; 1,600 fall yearling splake and 5,000 adult brook trout. It is truly an amazing feat that they can stock over 145,000 fish in less than two months. The start of fish marking signifies to us here in the office that summer is over and fall is here. Lets hope for some great fall weather with plenty of rain to bring the flows up in the streams and rivers as well at the water levels up in the lakes and ponds. Get out and enjoy the great fall weather. The trees will be turning soon.

-Brian Campbell, Fisheries Biologist Specialist

Region G – Aroostook County

We routinely receive questions on the presence of muskellunge in the St. John River drainage. This week’s fishing report affords the opportunity to view the history of muskellunge in this river system.

o Muskellunge were introduced into Lac Frontier, a 260 acre headwater lake of the NW Branch of the St. John River, by Quebec fishery personnel in 1970.
o It was assumed that the muskellunge were sedentary and territorial, bred in the lake and did not migrate; therefore they would not endanger the St. John River system in Maine.
o MDIFW authorities were not consulted prior to the stocking and only found out as the result of information passed on to the Commissioner by District Warden Dan Glidden at Daquaam.
o Lac Frontier stocking schedule:
1970. 3000 @ 3-6 inches
1971. 1000 @ 5-6 inches
1972. 1000 @ 3-4 inches
1973. 1000 @ 6-8 inches
1974. 250 @ 6-8 inches

*Discontinued after 1979 due to self-sustaining population.
o In 1973, District Warden Rod Sirois received report of a pike being caught in the St. John River but the fish was not observed.
o In spring 1984, MDIFW biologists confirmed two muskellunge from the St. John River.

1 @ 25 inches from 7 Islands, 40 miles below Lac Frontier.
1 @ 25 inches from the NW Branch, 3.5 miles below Lac Frontier.
An additional 4-5 fish were reported but not confirmed.

In late summer 1984, MDIFW biologists captured muskellunge using a large seine in the NW Branch. Six young of the year @ 6 inches and one yearling at 14 inches are captured.

1 In 1985, no muskellunge were captured with the seine in the 7 Islands area of the St. John.

2 In 1986, biologists used a seine to capture 9 young of the year at Turner Deadwater on the Baker Branch and 1 young of the year at Baker Lake, 45 miles from Lac Frontier. Anglers begin catching musky in Baker Lake in 1987.

3 In June 1988, New Brunswick Dept. of Natural Resources personnel reported the first capture of a muskellunge in the Mactaquac Fishway trap just upstream from Fredericton. (400+ miles from Lac Frontier) The fish was 28 inches @ 6 lb 12 oz. From 1998-2000, 97 muskellunge were captured in the trap and in 2001, 41 were captured through mid-July. Presently they inhabit the river below Fredericton.

4 First reported taken by anglers fishing Glazier Lake in January 1992, confirmed by District Warden Chuck Richard. New state record in 2004: 43.9 inches @ 27 lb.

5 1998 to present, muskellunge are routinely caught and actively sought by anglers at Glazier Lake, the St. Francis River and St. John River.

6 In May 2001, fishery personnel captured 2 muskellunge in the St, John River near the mouth of the Fish River using an electrofishing boat. These fish are males that have spawned and have lengths of 26.7 and 33.5 inches.

7 In June 2002, the Fish River from the lower falls to the railroad trestle (3.25 miles) was sampled using the electrofishing boat – no muskellunge are taken. Also an area around Soldier Pond was sampled with no muskellunge captured.

8 Muskellunge have been caught in the Allagash River below Allagash Falls.

9 Muskellunge have been observed and unconfirmed angler catches have been reported below the lower Fish River Falls.

10 No muskellunge have yet to be reported in the fish trap at Tinker Falls on the Aroostook River in New Brunswick.

11 Planning for Maine’s Fisheries 2002-2017 involved a public working group process with public representatives. Management for exotic species should be to control further spread beyond affected waters and …seek to minimize impact…on the fisheries of the target waters.

12 Present Regulations in the open water season and ice fishing season are no size and bag limit. Commencing 2004, there will be an extended fall fishing season from Oct. 1-31, artificial lures only, open to the taking of muskellunge on the following waters: the main stem to the confluence of the St, Francis River, Northwest Branch, Southwest Branch, Daquaam River and Baker Branch.

13 Management problems associated with the presence of muskellunge in the St. John River include:

Impacts on brook trout and other coldwater species.

1 Natural movement of muskellunge to other tributaries of the St. John.
2 Illegal introductions to other waters/drainages.
3 Lack of information on the tendencies of movement in a river system.
4 Lack of information on the biology of muskellunge in Maine waters.
5 Public interest to manage for quality fisheries.

In 2004, MDIFW conducted a winter creel survey at Beau and Glazier Lakes. Few anglers and no muskellunge observed at Beau Lake. Angler use at Glazier Lake estimated at about 900 anglers. 21% successful at catching a muskellunge, 7% a togue and 2% a salmon. Legal togue and musky were caught at almost the same rate but numerous sublegal togue (16-17 inches) from a Maine stocking in 2001 were reported. Musky averaged 32.6 inches/10.1 lb (range 24-43 inches). Togue averaged 19.1 inches/2.3 lb. For the season, 89 musky and 35 legal togue were estimated to have been harvested.

1 In September 2006, the Fish River below the falls in Fort Kent and an upstream section between the falls and Soldier Pond was sampled using an electrofishing raft. No muskellunge were captured.

2 Jeff Albert of Madawaska caught the state record muskellunge at Glazier Lake on March 24, 2007. The fish measured 46 inches and weighed 31.02 pounds.

-Dave Basley, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Posted by Tom Remington

Today marks the six-year anniversary of the day that radical Muslims attacked and killed thousands of innocent people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on a flight over Pennsylvania. Today is a day to remember because it is the freedom that we enjoy that is the biggest reason these murderers attacked. It is imperative that we never forget this act.

Unfortunately, yesterday while a United States General, David Patraeus, was reporting to Congress about events in Iraq, it became obvious that some have surely forgotten and have lost sight of who exactly the enemy is.

“Where were you when the world stopped turning?”

Tom Remington

Fly fishing is a fantastic sport. I don’t do it as much as I used to but I have had some of life’s greatest experiences working at the art form of presenting the right fly at the right moment in order to entice a fish to have a bite. And fishing with a worm and a bobber is also equally as wonderful a form of fishing. My question is why can’t fly fishing be talked about without putting down other forms of fishing?

Here’s an example of what I’m referring to. On CNN.com in the Living section, they ran a story about fly fishing. The title says, ” Fly-fishing lures all sorts of people”. The story begins by telling of the experiences of Fanny Krieger, in her late 70s, and all the fly fishing she has done around the world. Great information!

From there to story travels into fishing’s popularity and makes reference to the numbers the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently put out about the decline in fishing participation in the U.S. over the past decade. Then the story moves into more of a descriptive narrative of what fly fishing is.

Fly-fishing has a particular mystique, being a sport of presidents such as Dwight Eisenhower, writers such as Hemingway and artists such as Winslow Homer.

And then this.

President Herbert Hoover said the pursuit of happiness cited in the Declaration of Independence “obviously includes the pursuit of fish,” according to his presidential library. He also mocked his predecessor President Calvin Coolidge for preferring worms to fly fishing.

William C. Bullock III, executive director of the American Museum of Fly Fishing in Manchester, Vermont, says we shouldn’t be discouraged from fly fishing because of its “aristocratic image”. He does go on to say that once we can get beyond that image it’s a great family sport.

But it doesn’t end there. The article begins to tell readers how they can get started in fly fishing but not without putting down other forms of fishing while in the process. Dave Teufel, former spokesman for L.L. Bean, has this to say about getting started.

“If you wanted to get a stick and tie some line and a bobber and a hook and a worm, that can be very effective for sunfish,”

I guess a beginning angler is now lead to believe that a worm and bobber on the end of a stick, also called a fishing pole in many circles, can only catch sunfish. I wonder how old Mr. Teufel is? I caught many a night’s supper of brook trout, native ones too, with just the equipment he describes.

The story ends with a couple paragraphs to promote the practice of catch and release.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a clue about how to scale a fish for eating after you’ve landed your catch. When Fanny Kreiger brought in the 30-pound brown trout in Argentina, she threw it back. That’s common practice these days, known as catch and release.

“I think that’s what attracted women” to fly-fishing, Krieger said. “It’s no longer a bloody sport. It’s not catching them and killing and seeing them bleed.”

If catch and release is your thing, go for it. There certainly is nothing wrong with the practice. My advice, which didn’t get mentioned in this article, as it does seem to be targeting beginners, is to study up on and get solid information on the proper ways to catch and release your catch. Anglers need to be taught that simply because you choose to release the fish you just caught isn’t a guarantee that it will live another day. But let’s not get away for the subject at hand.

Krieger, the woman fly fisher talked about in the beginning of this story, says fly fishing has made the sport no longer bloody and killing and watching them bleed.

To be perfectly honest, I could care less whether a person who picks up a fly rod and casts with it thinks they are somehow above the worm fisherman. I still come back to my original question. Why is it that in too many instances, in order to promote fly fishing you first have to put down other forms of fishing? Doesn’t the sport of fly fishing have enough attractiveness and rewards that its merits allow for it to stand completely on its own? I think it does.

If I were a beginning angler interested in starting out fly fishing and read this article, I would be led to believe that fly fishing is for the elite upper class. Even though the article states you can get started fly fishing for under a $100, once it takes you through everything else you need, it far exceeds that. If this is true, where’s the story of the “common man” fly fisherman? They didn’t go look because they are all over the place and the vast majority of fly fisherman don’t feel a need to elevate their sport to something above the rest of us.

History shows me through this story that even presidents dissed worm fishermen, so there must be something wrong with drowning a worm. Yes, it’s a matter of history but wouldn’t the story have still worked if it only told about the years of pleasure Hoover got from fly fishing without making Calvin Coolidge out to be a fool?

I’ve learned that worms and bobbers only catch sunfish and that if you don’t fish with a fly rod and release your catch, it’s a bloody, killing sport.

Having read all this and Mr. Bullock says, “There’s an elitist edge to fly-fishing that everybody has to get past”. This is an odd way of making an attempt at getting past it.

Tom Remington

Region A- Southwestern Maine

Sustained low late summer stream flows have enabled regional staff to make good progress in completing planned electrofishing surveys to assess select brook trout and salmon index streams. Annual late summer stream sampling allows us to monitor trends in fish size quality and population size. One noteworthy observation on the Crooked River this year, is the cooler than normal water temperatures in both the upper and lower river reaches, and as a result we’re capturing many more wild brook trout than we usually encounter. Late season fishing for brook trout in the Crooked River should be better than most years.

The Crooked River is the most significant salmon spawning tributary to Sebago Lake, and to date two of the four planned juvenile salmon productivity surveys in the drainage have been completed. Preliminary results indicate elevated levels of wild salmon production. Once all the surveys have been completed we will estimate total river production based on previously collected river habitat survey data to estimate wild salmon production and recruitment to Sebago Lake.

Over the last year, we have been trying to relocate a site on Trafton Pond (Hiram/Porter) to provide public access to this stocked 56 acre pond. Changes in landownership and willingness by private landowners to allow continued public use of their shorefront properties have eliminated traditional water access to Trafton. Furthermore, comments and complaints from anglers unable to access the pond to fish for stocked brook trout have resulted in our decision to suspend stocking until suitable pubic access can be provided. Department policy precludes stocking on waters that the general public can not access and utilize watercraft common to that water. This policy ensures that stocked hatchery fish will be available to fishermen who fund state stocking programs through the purchase of fishing licenses. Trafton Pond was stocked in the spring and the fall, providing a locally popular fishery, particularly during the winter months.

In past reports we have discussed ongoing regional efforts to contact private shorefront landowners who have allowed the public to access the water across their private lands (what we call traditional access). Our goal is to cultivate a working relationship with landowners to keep these traditional water access sites open to the public. The posting of special signage, and efforts to address property abuses will hopefully limit the future loss of public access and stocking programs. In recent years, Department stocking programs have been suspended due to lost public access on several other waters in southern Maine, including Swan Pond (Lyman), Allen Pond (Greene), Mine Pond (Porter), Raymond Pond (Raymond).

-Francis Brautigam, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region B – Central Maine

Hopefully, you read last week’s report in which Rick Jordan, the Department’s bass biologist, outlined and described bass tournaments in Maine. This article included information on not only the rules and regulations of bass fishing tournaments but also the appeal of this type of fishing to many anglers. This week I wanted to add how these bass derbies aid us in Central Maine to manage the bass fisheries.

Bass tournaments are a quick and easy way for us to gather a lot of information in a short time. Typically, we arrive at the lake at the end of the day to interview the anglers and measure and weigh bass and take a scale sample to age the fish. We often have interviewed 50- 100 anglers and taken biological data from 100 of each species of bass from each lake. We can collect all this data in just a couple of hours, whereas if we were to collect this information without bass derbies it would certainly be a few man-days of effort.

We noticed that bass fishing tournaments were increasing in popularity in the early 1980’s and decide we should collect information on these derbies to determine any effects they may have on the bass populations. We have now collected data on a handful of representative lakes in Central Maine nearly annually since the 1980’s. Information collected on these lakes through the years indicates overall a fairly stable and consistent bass fishery.

I urge people interested to attend a bass weigh-in to see not only the number and size of bass caught but also to talk with the anglers. These dedicated anglers love talking about bass and bass fishing and most will be glad to share many fish catching tips.

–Jim Lucas, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region C – Downeast

While everyone knows that man cannot live on the moon because of several unsuitable physical conditions, the task of determining which of Maine’s coldwater sportfish species can live in a particular lake or pond is not as easily known. This interesting determination is based largely on two physical conditions: water temperature and the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. During this late-summer time of year, fisheries biologists are busy assessing whether these conditions are suitably met to ensure survival of trout and salmon in these waters.

Late summer is the time when water quality conditions are at their “worst” because water temperatures in deeper water have reached their warmest levels and dissolved oxygen levels have reached their lowest levels. So if temperature and dissolved oxygen levels are suitable for trout and survival now, these fish should be able to survive year-round. To assess these levels, biologists use an electronic thermometer/dissolved oxygen meter while anchored in the lake’s deepest water.

If the electronic thermometer shows temperatures between 50-60º F, the temperature requirements for trout and salmon will be met, although lake trout commonly utilize water in the 45-50º F range. But, suitable water temperature is only ½ of the physical need consideration; even if cool temperatures exist in the deep water, trout and salmon can only live there if suitable amounts of oxygen (more than 5 parts per million) exist in the water.

So, if biologists find 55º F water and only 4 parts per million of dissolved oxygen, we would not expect trout and salmon to survive. But if we found 6 parts per million of dissolved oxygen, we would not expect any limitations from water quality on survival.

Every lake must be assessed individually; there is no formula for guessing and predicting. We have found excellent water quality even at heavily developed lakes with hundreds of camps, like Beech Hill Pond in Otis and Green Lake in Ellsworth. On the other hand, we have found problems with low dissolved oxygen levels at practically undeveloped lakes and ponds like Fox Pond in Twp 10 SD and Bog Lake in Northfield.

Aside from water quality, other factors such as forage species and competition from other gamefish species play a very important role in determining fish survival and growth rates in each water and determine what species of fish will be stocked.

September is a prime time for white perch fishing. Anglers who locate schools of this delicious sport fish have fast fishing and ensure many meals of fried perch fillets or fish chowder. If you’re looking for perch, try Grand Falls Flowage (Princeton), Big Lake (T 27 ED), Pocomoonshine Lake (Alexander), Third Machias Lake (T 42 & 43 MD), Chain Lakes (T 26 ED), Georges Pond (Franklin), Abrams Pond (Eastbrook), Lower Patten Pond (Surry), or Green Lake (Dedham and Ellsworth).

-Rick Jordan, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region D – Western Mountains

Landlocked salmon, a Maine native, are the most sought-after coldwater sportfish in the state, with the exception of brook trout. Want to know more about this magnificent fish? Read on…

§ Landlocked salmon are a freshwater form of the sea-run Atlantic salmon.
§ Prior to 1868, landlocked salmon populations occurred in only four river basins in Maine: the St. Croix, including West Grand Lake in Washington County; the Union, including Green Lake in Hancock County; the Penobscot, including Sebec Lake in Piscataquis County; and the Presumpscot, including Sebago Lake in Cumberland County.

§ Today, landlocked salmon provide the primary fishery in 176 lakes comprising nearly 500,000 acres. They are present and provide incidental fisheries in an additional 127 waters comprising about 160,000 acres. Maine supports one of the largest sport fisheries for this species in the world.

§ Landlocked salmon also provide good fisheries in 44 rivers and streams totaling about 290 miles.
§ Hatchery stockings maintain fisheries in 127 lakes. These lakes do not have sufficient spawning and nursery areas to produce wild salmon. Without regular stockings, salmon in these lakes would disappear entirely, or their numbers would be very, very low.

§ Natural reproduction supports salmon fisheries in 49 lakes. These are lakes that have sufficient spawning and nursery habitat to produce enough salmon to support good fisheries. Most of these waters are located in western and northern Maine.

§ Salmon spawn in lake outlets or inlets during the period from mid-October to late November. Eggs are buried in gravel from 4 to 12 inches deep and remain there until hatching early the following spring.

§ Young salmon spend from 1 to 4 years in a stream environment prior to migrating to a lake.
§ In wild salmon populations, most males spawn first at ages 3 and 4, although a few spawn at ages 1 and 2. Females usually spawn first at ages 4 and 5.

§ Landlocked salmon may be repeat spawners, but most fish observed on spawning runs are spawning for the first time. Salmon may spawn in consecutive or alternate years, some may spawn in consecutive years then skip a year, and some may skip 2 or 3 years between spawnings.

§ Rainbow smelts are the favorite food of salmon in Maine lakes. Without adequate numbers of smelts, salmon growth and body condition will be poor, markedly reducing their value as a sportfish. Maintaining adequate numbers of smelts for forage is the most important element of salmon management in Maine.

§ Hatchery salmon generally provide fisheries for larger fish than do wild salmon because the number of smelt predators can be strictly controlled.

§ From 1996 to 2000, Maine open-water anglers voluntarily released over 60% of their catch of legal salmon; ice anglers released about 25% of their legal salmon catch.

§ From 1996 to 2000, the average size of salmon harvested from all Maine lakes was 17.4 inches and 1.7 pounds – the largest since Department fishery biologists began conducting scientific creel surveys in the 1950’s.

For even more information, see the fishing section of our website (www.mefishwildlife.com).

-Dave Boucher, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region E – Moosehead Region

The fall fishing season is upon us. This is the time of year when anglers can experience some of the best fishing of the year. As water temperatures cool and the days get shorter, trout and salmon will begin to ascend the rivers and streams of the region in their pre-spawning ritual. Many of the best river fisheries are in fact highly managed or manipulated to improve the fishing. Mother Nature does not always provide adequate rain this time of year to make river and stream fishing productive. Just look at some of the small streams in your neighborhood this week and you’ll understand that fishing would be tough on most rivers if there were no additional flow from storage or hydroelectric dams. Many of the dams in this region have water management plans as part of their licensing requirements. We also have very good working relationships with companies like Florida Power and Light Energy, Kennebec Water Power, Brookfield Power, and Ridgewood Renewable Power. These companies work hard to assist us in managing the resource for the anglers of Maine.

In the Moosehead Lake Region, there are several big rivers that we manage for fall fishing flows. The dam at First Roach Pond controls the flow into the Roach River. The dam is owned and operated by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The crew here in Greenville is responsible for the day-to-day operation. Our water management plan includes filling the pond to 7.5 feet in early spring. We then try to maintain a full pond elevation throughout the summer while providing optimum flows in the river for the young wild salmon and trout that call the river home. We begin the fall release around Labor Day. This generally increases the flow from around 80 cfs to 150-250 cfs. The fall release is adjusted each year depending on available water. In years when there is ample water, we try to increase the flow early in September then give another “bump” in late September. We typically see an increase in fish movement with each increase in flow. This maximizes fishing opportunity. In years when water is low, we start the fall release just after Labor Day at a rate that will ensure there is adequate water for the month of September. This year we have about 1 foot less of storage in First Roach Pond due to low rainfall. Therefore, anglers can expect to see about 180 cfs on September 4th. We will plan to maintain that flow unless we get additional rain.

The East Outlet, Moose River, and the West Branch of the Penobscot are also managed to maximize fishing opportunities in the fall. Water is in shorter supply at Seboomook Lake just like First Roach Pond. While we like flows in the Foxhole to be around 900 –1000 cfs, we will see flows around 800 cfs to start September. We consider 500 cfs as the minimum for boat traffic on this section, so 800 cfs is still a good flow for boating and fishing, but let’s hope for a little more rain this month. Anglers can expect an increase from 1200 cfs to 2000 cfs at the East Outlet on September 4th. This is an ideal flow for drift boats on this awesome section of river. The fishing has been superb on the East Outlet this summer and we expect it to continue this fall. The flow at the Brassua Dam station will increase from around 500 cfs to a range of 800-1200 cfs in September.

On a related note, we want to let anglers know that we have removed the proposal to change the fishing regulation on the Moose River. There was considerable discussion and public input regarding the Moose River proposal. We discussed this proposal with the Moosehead Lake Focus Group, at a public forum in Rockwood, and at the formal regulations hearing in Greenville. We also handled a few phone calls and emails too. There were good points for and against the proposal, which would have returned the section of the Moose River below Brassua Dam back to the old ALO regulation. After listening (some say we don’t, but we really do!) to each side, we decided to pull the proposal for this year. This will give us more time to review the existing law and determine if the Warden Service can clarify the definition of a fly or perhaps we could consider something else next year if there continues to be a problem. There was no biological issue on the Moose River but instead it was a social/enforcement issue regarding the current law, which allows the casting and trolling of flies only. We want to thank all those that contributed to a very positive discussion.

-Tim Obrey, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region F, Penobscot Region

How do we keep track of more than 1,000,000 brook trout, lake trout, landlocked salmon, brown trout, and splake after they are stocked? By applying an individual fin clip to a percentage of the fish stocked in Maine each year, that’s how. During the week of September 10, over 120,000 fish will be marked at Cobb Fish Hatchery in Enfield by a very dedicated group of fin clippers from the Enfield and Lincoln area. This is the largest effort statewide to mark fish for later identification. An experienced fin clipper can mark approximately 400 fish per hour, so you can see that it takes a while to clip 120,000+ fish. Similar marking programs take place at all Maine State Hatcheries during the spring and fall each year.

Why do we clip all of those fish? We have a 4-year (11 year rotation for lake trout) fin clip schedule set up for all of the species of fish that we stock Maine, so that each year a different clip is applied. By looking at a marked fish from any lake, pond or stream in Maine that we stock, we can immediately determine what year that fish was stocked. Otherwise, we would have to take a scale or otolith sample of that fish and analyze the data at a later date. Although it takes a long time to mark 120,000 fish, it is a real time saver later in the process of evaluating our hatchery programs.

Based upon this age and growth information, decisions about numbers of fish stocked, length limits, bag limits, gear restrictions and access issues are more effectively made. This is very important information that will provide us a great deal of insight as to the success of any of our stocking programs and management initiatives.

We also have about 100 anglers in our region that keep a voluntary angler diary on their fishing activities throughout the year. These anglers keep track of all of their fishing activities, and the presence of fin clip allows these folks to add that additional information to their record books. It also provides information to the angler about the age of their catch, making the collection of fishery information more meaningful to our volunteers.

Anglers wishing to participate in the Volunteer Angler Program should contact the fisheries office closest to where they fish or reside for further information. Also, anglers wishing to participate in the online version can go to http://www.triptracks.com/ for more information.

The week after fish marking marks the start of the fall stocking season. Hatchery personnel from Cobb Fish Hatchery in Enfield will, in the next month or so, stock 116,260 fall fingerling brook trout; 4,950 fall fingerling splake; 17,900 fall yearling brook trout; 1,600 fall yearling splake and 5,000 adult brook trout! Truly an amazing feat that they can stock over 145,000 fish in such a short time!

Steve Wilson retired from state service last week and will be missed by all who had the opportunity to work with him. Steve was a very dedicated professional who was the Superintendent of Hatcheries for the last 16 years of his 30+ year career with the Department. Steve was instrumental in bringing some needed upgrades and repairs to all hatchery facilities, and directed the modernization of the Fish Cultural Stations across Maine as a result of the Hatchery Bond. Anyone who has fished in the State of Maine owes Steve a debt of gratitude for all he has done for coldwater fishing in Maine!

-Nels Kramer, Assistant Regional Fisheries Biologist

Region G – Aroostook County

With the first of September comes that nip in the air that reminds you that fall is right around the corner. As the surface water cools and we get a little rain to increase streamflow, the last month of river/stream fishing is eagerly anticipated by many anglers. The lower Aroostook River is an excellent destination to try for fall brook trout. There are several points to access the river below Caribou Dam, one of which is immediately below the dam off the Lower Lyndon Road. There is a fishway in this dam, which precludes fishing within 150 feet of the fishway. Other access sites in downtown Caribou are at the mouth of Caribou Stream adjacent the boat launch and the mouth of Otter Brook. The mouth of the Little Madawaska River can be accessed off the Grimes Road. The Maine Department of Transportation has created a parking area and access to the mouth of Gray Brook off the North Caribou Road and it is only a short distance beyond that to Ansden Brook, another cold tributary to the Aroostook River. In the event that you are parking and accessing the river near a dwelling, please have the courtesy to seek landowner permission before crossing private land. Regulations in effect for this stretch of river are now artificial lures only with a daily limit of 1 brook trout or togue. Minimum length limit on brook trout is 10 inches. All salmon caught must be immediately released alive.

-Dave Basley, Regional Fisheries Biologist

Tom Remington

Let’s face it! Hunters, fishermen and all outdoor enthusiasts can’t enjoy their sports if they have no place to do it. Most states have at least some level of public lands but most of us still rely on private landowners’ unselfish willingness to allow you and I on their land. We have to respect the wishes of the landowner. It only makes sense. As a landowner myself, I want to be able to have a say in what I do with my land and who enters it and for what purpose. This is all part of being a free American and many of us enjoy it. As outdoor recreationists we need to do a better job in creating good, respectful landowner relationship programs.

America is becoming a conglomeration of special interest groups, each with their bent on controlling and manipulating the system in order to protect and promote their specialty. While the same could be argued for special interests as with property rights, not all is the best interest of free Americans. What I see are at least two specific areas that threaten my interests in hunting and fishing and as an American landowner.

The first are the efforts being put forth by special interests to promote their own thing. I see nothing wrong with that act in itself. I shouldn’t because as someone who works everyday to promote and protect the American heritage of hunting, I am very much a special interest group – at least to some degree. My efforts encompass all hunting and all fishing and is not focused on one aspect of each sporting interest like bow hunting or fly fishing but nonetheless, I am a special interest.

The trouble that erupts happens when these special interest groups attempt to destroy one aspect of their own sport for the sake of self-promotion of their narrowly focused area. Take hunting for example. Bow hunting is a rapidly growing aspect of hunting. I personally admire dedicated bow hunters because of the time and discipline they have to put into their sport and the difficulties they face. Bow hunters have organized into clubs in order to form a more powerful coalition to promote what they do. Is this wrong? Absolutely not. I’m not a bow hunter but I fully support what they do. Bow hunting is very much a part of America’s hunting heritage and I will fight to preserve that. Should bow hunters work to promote their great sport by lobbying against other disciplines? Of course not. Any group that would do that is elitist, self-centered and has not vision for the overall well being of their sport.

I am a rifle hunter. It is what I prefer to do. I never hunted with a scope prior to the 1980s for a number of reasons but with the passage of antler restrictions and other similar laws, I thought it wise to equip myself with something that would help me with target identification. If I wanted to promote rifle scope hunting alone, I could probably find quite a number of hunters who would support that. What I shouldn’t be doing, is promoting my form of hunting by discrediting any or all others.

The second issue affecting me/us is the continued shrinking of available land to hunt and fish on. Obviously programs need to be created to encourage landowners to leave their property open for recreation.

Keeping our focus for now on special interests, these groups are doing more each day to remove land from the hands of landowners and for the sake of this argument, lands used for outdoor recreation. What’s disturbing about these efforts is that some are being funded by the federal government through private sector special interest groups.

One such program, which is part of our Interior Department, is called National Heritage Areas program. If you visit the website, you’ll find information about what they are doing and it all seems like well-intended programs. As a matter of fact, you’ll find this statement.

A “national heritage area” is a place designated by the United States Congress where natural, cultural, historic and recreational resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally-distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geography. These areas tell nationally important stories about our nation and are representative of the national experience through both the physical features that remain and the traditions that have evolved within in them.

It all sounds wonderful doesn’t it? Who wouldn’t want to preserve our national heritage? The problem is it’s not that simple. As a matter of fact, it gets quite complex. As a property owner, the last thing you should want is government, beginning at the federal level, dictating to you how to use your land. What if you should happen to buy a piece of land that a special interest group in another state lobbied Congress in order for them to designate your land as a “National Heritage Area”? And what if that’s what happened and Congress used your own tax dollars to strip you of your property rights leaving you with nothing? And what if that special interest group had authority to control virtually every aspect of your property, even to the point of manipulating it in order to make loads of money?

Now, that’s not right! But that’s what can and does happen!

The National Center for Public Policy Research issued a press release today announcing that they have sent a letter to the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and others, asking Congress to stop funding and supporting the National Heritage Areas programs.

The following letter — signed by a diverse group of more than 110 organizations, elected officials and citizens — was delivered on September 4 to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader John Boehner, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Pete V. Domenici, House Committee on Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall, House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Don Young as well as all the members of the House and Senate Natural Resources Committees.

Here is the complete press release as issued by the National Center for Public Policy Research.

Hypocrisy Watch: Congress Expands Opportunity for Self-Dealing While Claiming Historic Progress on Government Ethics

114 Groups and Local Leaders Call for End to National Heritage Areas

Washington, D.C. – At the very time Senators were congratulating themselves for passing what they termed “the most sweeping ethics reform in history,” they approved a series of “national heritage area” bills that significantly increase the potential for self-dealing and corruption, says the National Center for Public Policy Research.

In response, The National Center for Public Policy Research brought together 114 policy groups, grassroots leaders, local government officials, sportsmen groups, civil rights organizations, property rights advocates, farmers, ranchers, and individuals to call on Congress not to support the creation of additional national heritage areas or federal funding for heritage area management entities, support groups, or groups that lobby for or advocate the creation of new heritage areas.

The letter is being delivered to the House and Senate leadership and the leadership and membership of the respective natural resource committees.

Among the letter’s signers are the National Taxpayers Union, the 60 Plus Association, American Family Association, FreedomWorks, the Family Research Council, Partnership for the West, Gun Owners of America, two county supervisors, two mayors, eight aldermen, one city councilman and over 90 others.

National heritage areas are creations of Congress in which special interest groups, whose work at times has been funded through secret Congressional earmarks, team up with the National Park Service to influence decisions over local land use previously made exclusively by elected local governments and private landowners.

“If the investigations into earmarking abuse tell us anything, it is that we need greater accountability, not less. National heritage areas push us toward less government accountability,” said David Ridenour, vice president of the National Center for Public Policy Research. “Committees composed of unelected and unaccountable individuals – some of whom have a financial stake in local land use decisions – are given substantial influence over these very decisions through national heritage area designations. If you think power corrupts elected officials, just wait and see what it does to unelected ones.”

Dr. Ronald Utt of the Heritage Foundation has revealed another way special interests can use national heritage areas inappropriately. He describes how a federally-funded partnership seeking Congressional authority to manage a proposed new heritage area to cover parts of four eastern states is apparently planning to use its management authority, if granted by Congress, to give itself a “near monopoly on real estate development opportunities” within the proposed heritage area. Such a monopoly presumably would be immensely profitable for this select group of politically-connected individuals.

“National heritage areas corrupt the principle of representative government,” the coalition letter warns, “by giving unelected, unaccountable special interests the authority to develop land management plans and federal money with which to finance their efforts.”

“National heritage areas are nothing more than government sanctioned looting of private property rights, and in many instances, minorities and lower income folks bear the biggest brunt of this theft,” said Deneen Borelli, Fellow with the Project 21 black leadership network. “Property rights, the hallmark of liberty, are being eroded by special interest groups and their government allies who promote national heritage areas.”

The letter also thanks Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) for his “leadership on this important issue.”

“National heritage areas drive a federally-funded, special interest wedge between citizens and their local government,” said Peyton Knight, director of environmental and regulatory affairs for The National Center for Public Policy Research. “The federal government should not be forcing taxpayers in one state to pay for special interest lobbying in another.”

To view the letter, go to www.nationalcenter.org/NHACoalitionLetter0907.pdf.

To read what others are saying about national heritage areas, go to www.nationalcenter.org/HeritageAreaQuotes0907.pdf.

The National Center for Public Policy Research, founded in 1982, is a non-partisan, non-profit educational foundation based in Washington, D.C.

There is quite a wide and diverse group of representatives supporting the efforts of the NCPPR.

In response, The National Center for Public Policy Research brought together 114 policy groups, grassroots leaders, local government officials, sportsmen groups, civil rights organizations, property rights advocates, farmers, ranchers, and individuals to call on Congress not to support the creation of additional national heritage areas or federal funding for heritage area management entities, support groups, or groups that lobby for or advocate the creation of new heritage areas.

Included in that diverse group of 114, is U.S. Hunting Today(Black Bear Blog and Skinny Moose Media). I proudly signed the letter being sent to Congress, et. al. and provided a statement, which was also sent along with the letter. If you view the pdf file of the letter, you can scroll down immediately following the letter and find the list of those who support this effort. My name and affiliation to U.S. Hunting Today is included.

When you view the pdf file that contains many statements made by various representatives of supporting groups, you can read the statement that I made.

What Sportsmen Are Saying…

“As a hunter, I want to be able to get on land to hunt, but I’m an American first who respects the property rights of landowners. This isn’t a government issue. We shouldn’t advocate for the federal government to take away the rights of others in the name of
appeasing special interest groups.”
-Thomas K. Remington, Managing Editor, U.S. Hunting Today

I would encourage all readers to take the time to study and review this issue. As with many government programs, there is far more than initially meets the eye. I am not advocating that we as Americans stop working toward the preservation of our national heritage but it has to be done the right way. I think Joseph T. Waldo, President, The Law Firm of Waldo and Lyle, P.C. put it best when he said:

“Protecting our heritage is a noble ambition, however these matters need to be handled at the local level by those closest to the issues at hand. It is important that the fundamental right of private property not be threatened by more misguided federal legislation.”

Even if you don’t see that this program can potentially strip Americans of their property rights, at least see it as a waste of tax dollars at a time when government has out-of-control spending, as most of these National Heritage Areas get funded through earmarks.

As hunters and fishermen struggling at an almost constant rate to find lands where we can enjoy ourselves, the last thing we need to be doing is advocating programs that remove more open land from everyone who recreates.

Contact your representative, today!

Tom Remington

I just wanted to take a few minutes to wish everyone a happy Labor Day. Labor Day is a time when we take a break from our busy work schedules to reflect back on the hours of labor and hard work put in by Americans everywhere that helps to make this country great. Thank you to all who have toiled hard this past year.

For many, Labor Day marks the end of summer. By this week just about every kid in America will be back in school but before that happens, I hope you enjoy a great time together getting in those end of the summer cookouts, camping trips and family gatherings.

Be safe!

Tom Remington