AUGUSTA – Commissioner Roland “Danny” Martin announced today that Dr. Kenneth Elowe will leave the position of Director of the Bureau of Resource Management on July 30, 2010.

Dr. Elowe, a 22-year employee of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, has accepted a position as Assistant Regional Director of Science Applications at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Region 5 headquarters, based in Hadley, Mass.

“Today, I have accepted Ken’s resignation with regrets,” Commissioner Martin said. “Ken has served this Department and the citizens of Maine with distinction, by creating and implementing several programs that now are nationally recognized, including Beginning with Habitat, and by being an outstanding spokesman for the agency. He truly is a talented individual and will be missed by all of us.”

In his new role, Elowe will be responsible for providing leadership and direction in the development and execution of high-priority regional science activities, including those involving climate change, adaptive resources management, and landscape conservation, particularly Strategic Habitat Conservation.

Elowe was named Director of Resource Management in 1998, which serves as the lead fish and wildlife biologist for Maine, after 10 years in the Department. Previous positions included Director of the Wildlife Division, leader of the Mammals Research and Management Group, and project leader for the Bear and Furbearer Group. As bureau director, he manages 120 employees, a $14 million budget, and all projects and initiatives related to wildlife and freshwater fish management.

For more than 11 years, Elowe has served as the Department’s senior liaison, building solid relationships with fish and wildlife agencies in other states and on the federal level, as well as conservation and sporting groups, and businesses.

“Ken has been instrumental in working with a variety of Maine conservation and sporting organizations in an effort to secure permanently protected funding for MDIF&W for the future,” said Peter Bourque, Director of Fisheries Program Development. “By ensuring proper funding, the Department can continue its efforts to preserve Maine’s outdoor resources for future generations.”

During his tenure, Elowe has monitored the status of fish and wildlife resources throughout Maine; directed the development of effective management programs for all species; lead the strategy for conservation land acquisition; and worked with private landowners and timber companies to develop strategies to manage lands while maintaining wildlife habitat. Currently, MDIF&W and 11 companies have wildlife habitat management agreements regarding more than 500,000 acres of forested habitat.

In Maine, Elowe was one of the originators of the Beginning with Habitat program, which seeks to integrate the principles of landscape conservation into municipal comprehensive planning. Beginning with Habitat also serves as one of the two pillars for Maine’s Wildlife Action Plan.

“Ken has been, and continues to be, an enthusiastic advocate for Beginning with Habitat and landscape conservation, using every opportunity that arises in Maine and the northeastern states, within the Northeast Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, and within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to support and advance sound landscape conservation application,” said Mark Stadler, MDIF&W Director of Wildlife. “His goal? That 50 years from now, our grandchildren will also be able to enjoy abundant and healthy wildlife management populations and habitats.”

Throughout his career, Elowe has sought to advance the concepts contained in Beginning with Habitat as well as worked extensively on endangered species policy and conservation initiatives at state and national levels.

Last year, Elowe helped celebrate the delisting of the Bald Eagle from Maine’s Endangered and Threatened Species List, after a 30-year effort by MDIF&W biologists and other natural resource groups to restore the populations in Maine.

Elowe is a member or a leader in the following groups: Atlantic Flyway Council, Atlantic Coast Joint Venture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Strategic Habitat Conservation Committees, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies; and North American Waterfowl Management Plan Revision Steering Committee; also a federal-state joint task force on federal aid policy.

Students from Telstar’s Challenge Program [Telstar High School] collected over 800 lbs of trash, including bed springs, pylons, washing machine, air conditioner and refrigerator parts, during the annual river clean-up on the Upper Androscoggin River between Gilead, Maine and West Bethel, Maine on Monday, May 24. National River Clean-up is sponsored by American Rivers and locally by the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance. Magic Falls Rafting Company provided rafts and garbage scows to collect the trash. Bruce Pierce, UAAA Director, coordinated the event along with Steve Keane, Telstar Challenge course instructor.

I got a telephone call one day from Les Otten, owner of Sunday River Ski Resort. He wanted to know if I could meet him at his office. When I arrived he was on the telephone heavily engaged in a telephone conservation concerning the sale of several new condominiums being constructed on the mountain. Twenty-five years ago, a few hundred thousand dollars was a lot of money. I waited.

Les wanted to know if I was interested in building on an addition to one of his ski lodges. We walked around the building and peered under a deck where the addition would go, both of us raising several questions about the existing structure. Soon, with Les in his work clothes (dress slacks and dress shirt) and I in mine (grubs), we were both crawling on our bellies through the dust, gravel, weeds, debris and just about everything else one might have the pleasure of finding under a heavily traveled ski lodge deck. I did make a couple of comments about our adventure but I’ll refrain from posting them here.

I’ve told that story more than one time but as I was thinking more about it this morning after getting off the phone with Les, that action actually is a pretty good characterization of him. Here’s a man who could have sat in the comfort of his clean office but instead did not hesitate to roll up his sleeves and get dirty.

I’ve known Les for perhaps 30-plus years and during that time he has given unselfishly to his community. Time and space will not permit the endless list of how he has impacted the people in his home town and surrounding area.

Les Otten is a businessman who understands many things, among them tourism, promotion, marketing, investment, providing a viable product and operating within a budget. Whoever resides in the Blaine House will face daunting tasks and challenges. I believe he is up for the challenge and can put together the right people to make it all happen.

One huge undertaking will be the financial shortfall of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, a depleted whitetail deer herd, an overgrown population of coyotes and other predators, and environmental groups eager to make a living serving up lawsuits to stop hunting, trapping and fishing. The hunting, fishing, trapping and general outdoor recreation brings millions of dollars into Maine each year. The next governor has got to find a way to tidy up fish and game and make sure that those running it are in sync with the mission.

True to character, Otten will “roll up his sleeves and get dirty” on this issue.

All of the United States is at a crossroad. Things are changing and many of us don’t care for the direction it is going. If there’s one weapon we have as free Americans it is the right to vote. That’s where we can begin to push back.

Outdoor sportsmen can be independent people. We love to be outside, in the forests, on the water, enjoying the peace and quiet and the beauty God gave us. But to protect that, we have to give a bit more than we take sometimes. I’m asking every sportsman in Maine to make it a point to vote on June 8, 2010. Vote for the candidate(s) that you believe best represent your ideals. Finding the right people is extremely important at every level of government. Don’t wait to see who comes out on top. Be the one who puts your candidate at the top.

Tom Remington

Eric York of Damariscotta, Maine caught a record-setting yellow perch on Damariscotta Lake on Feb. 28, 2010.

The fish was weighed 1.73 pounds and was weighed on a certified scale at Yellow Front Grocery in Damariscotta. The record was confirmed by Maine Warden Service Game Warden Joe Lefebvre.

The previous state record was caught by Chad Mostats of Portland on Worthley Pond in East Peru in August 1989. It weighed 1 pound, 10 ounces (1.625 pounds).

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Maine Sportsman newspaper, which is edited by avid outdoorsman and TV personality Harry Vanderweide, jointly announce new records. The publication has maintained the state record book for more than 30 years.

According to Vanderweide, this is the seventh state fishing record set in the past three years. That is more new records in a three-year period than any other three-year period since the records have been kept.

The Upper Andro Anglers Alliance in co-operation with Trout Unlimited will host a free family fishing festival on Saturday, June 5. The festival will be held at Angevine Park on the North Road in Bethel, from 9 am to 2 pm, rain or shine. Free casting workshops and fly-tying instruction will be available throughout the day.

Local Maine guides and members of the Mollyockett Chapter of Trout Unlimited will teach the workshops. Instruction will include both spin casting and fly casting for older youth and parents. Maine’s Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs Program will supply complimentary rods and reels for use at the festival.

Families can practice newly learned casting skills in the one acre pond and are welcome to take home their catch. The pond will be stocked with trout courtesy of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Each young angler will receive a mini-tackle box complete with bobber, sinkers and hook courtesy of the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance.

Kids can learn how to tie flies with materials provided by local outfitters and fly shops. Children will be able to take home their hand-tied flies.

Families participating in the event will be eligible for door prizes from local outfitters and businesses as well as L.L. Bean and Kittery Trading Post. The Bethel Fire Dept. will host a barbecue of hotdogs and hamburgers, chips, and drinks and families are welcome to bring a pack lunch.

The weekend of June 5 and 6 is a free fishing weekend in Maine. Resident and Non-resident freshwater fishing licenses are waived each day.

The Family Fishing Festival is one many nationwide events that provide families with an opportunity to have fun on the water. The events are promoted by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (www.rbff.org). For those families wishing to stay overnight and fish or canoe the Androscoggin River on Sunday, special family packages are available for the weekend at local lodging establishments.

For information on the Family Fishing Festival, contact the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance at 207-824-3694, fish@upperandro.com or www.upperandro.com

“God Has a Sign And It Reads: Gone Huntin – Part II“, is now available for reading.

Okay, before you go into a tizzy and start screaming “blasphemy” or some other nonsense, give me a chance to explain the title. Believe me, it’s warranted. Many people in this country have fought long and hard to remove God from the docket, but I’m here to tell you, he’s alive and well, and rooted deep inside the hearts of a lot of American sportsmen.

Did you know that in Genesis, Chapter 9, God commissioned man with the job of wildlife management? He did. Did you know that Nimrod and Esau were very skilled hunters who hit the woods and fields with bows and arrows harvesting wild game for food? They were. Did you know that deer, antelope and other wild game were the chosen foods, even before man started eating domesticated meat? Read Deuteronomy Chapter 12. Did you know in Proverbs 12:27 it says that a lazy man neglects to roast his game, but the substance, (the meat taken through hunting), of the diligent man is considered precious? Well, it is. How about in Acts Chapter 10 where God himself commanded the apostle Peter to “rise, kill and eat” when he was hungry…and the passage spoke specifically about animals?

Yup…it’s all in there. The list of scriptures goes on and on my friend. And don’t even start about fishing. Jesus and several of the apostles were fishermen; some of whom even cast “lines” for fish, as well as nets. It was Jesus himself in John Chapter 21 who broiled some fish over a campfire for breakfast, and you outdoors-folk will also be glad to know that an occasional beer or glass of wine is not anti-biblical, no matter what you thought you heard. That’s right, I said it and I can back it all up.

So what’s with the title of this article? Why would it say that God has…’Gone Huntin’”? It’s because I’m bringing him into any and every hunting camp that will personally invite us both in, that’s why.

Not Just Inside Four walls

I’m a hunter, born and bred, and I’ve fished since the age of seven. I’ve got more outdoor stories inside me than you can shake a stick at, and yes, I was raised like most country boys, with a good Mama and a strong Christian background.

However, sad as it may seem, many outdoorsmen today, myself included, have little time for the standard church ceremonies. And I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, and I’m certainly not blaming anyone. Most of my friends are what I affectionately call “modern rednecks”, and that’s a good thing. The guys and gals I know, who love to share hunting and fishing stories over an open fire-pit in the summertime, are also God-fearing, red-blooded Americans, and very proud of it! They work extremely hard…often six days a week or more, they love their families, and any time off they may get, is spent out in the woods and fields or on the water, with family and friends in tow.

Unfortunately, many of us only get the traditional Sunday off as a day of rest, and though we firmly love God…and our pastors…we find it difficult at best to squeeze in a mid-day or evening service that could potentially be spent in camp or on the lake. Obviously, I need to stress that anytime we, as individuals, can make the time to go to church, we should. Our families need the support and so do the countless pastors who strive hard to keep us spiritually fed and “on track”. However, there are a myriad of sportsmen across the country who simply feel they don’t have time on Sunday, and who instead, go “out there”, all the while just trying to enjoy themselves after a hard week, yet still feeling a sense of guilt about it. And that’s where I come in…

Spiritual ‘Road Trips’

About two years ago, I was struggling as a concrete contractor, (self-employed), and found myself working long, hard hours, often six and seven days a week, just to keep the jobs moving. I found that there was little time for church anymore, and with my spiritual upbringing, I was guilt-ridden, especially if I tried to squeeze in a few days for spring turkey hunting or fall deer hunting. In time, I messed up my back and found I couldn’t do the strenuous work anymore so I quit…and immediately found myself unemployed and practically starving. The up side was that my situation drove me back to the books and most importantly, my Bible, and after many months of contemplating where my life was headed, I made the decision to bring both my faith and my outdoor passions, together. The only thing I didn’t want to do was change who I was and become some stuffy old Bible-thumper, knocking on people’s doors and shoving “God” down everyone’s throats. One day it came to me that I didn’t have to change, and ‘Mountain-Man Outdoor Ministries’ was born.

I won’t bore you with details but suffice it to say I’m a redneck, a hunter, a fisherman, and an outdoorsman, and I just happen to like sharing my faith when I can. What better way to do that than to just “be me”, and preach the Word, redneck attitude and all, through which I have also been appropriately referred to as “The Redneck Preacher”. Funny how God works sometimes, isn’t it? We are developing outreaches and programs designed to help kids, and are very interested in working to help set-up special hunts and trips for special people, (any age, disabled or incapacitated beyond their means), who are unable to enjoy hunting on their own anymore.

I’d like to think that the many friends and contacts I’ve made in the professional outdoor industry would be willing to help me in this venture by donating trips, hunts, and much needed gear. If you or anyone you know, wishes to become an active partner in this ministry, please contact me. I am available for interviews, discussions, and studies, and would love to be invited into your hunting camp this season! There’s no better way for me to share my faith than to visit hunting camps across America, share some campfires with redneck sportsmen just like me, hunt and fish with them, and, in effect, bring God straight into the heart of the American Hunting Camp.

I just wonder how many invitations I’ll actually get! You think Waddell and The Nuge could stand the extra excitement in camp? A Redneck Preacher with a Bible in one hand, a rifle or shotgun in the other, and a turkey call hanging out the side of my mouth. Hmmmm….I dunno… Let’s praise God, pass the ammo, and find out. And did I warn you I’d be bringing a camera and cameraman along for the ride? I didn’t? Uh oh…

(Blaine Cardilli is a freelance outdoor writer, industry prostaffer, and seminar speaker on hunting; He also enjoys teaching christian studies to rednecks & sportsmen, and has been referred to as The Redneck Preacher. He can be reached on Facebook at www.facebook.com/theredneckpreacher)

PORTLAND, ME – Fly Fishing in Maine (FFIM) is proud to present screenings of “The Good Life – Tall Tails from the East”, a fly fishing feature film produced by Maine native Carter Davidson. The event, hosted by FFIM, will be at the Frontier Cafe and Cinema in Brunswick on April 15, at two separate showtimes of 6:00pm and 7:30pm.

This is the 3rd full-length feature from Gray Ghost Productions, with last year’s “East by Northeast” exciting angling audiences with amazing footage from all over Maine, New Hampshire and beyond. This year’s film tours the better part of the East from Labrador to the Florida Keys and everything in-between. Hitch a ride in the flying Beaver with Luke Gray in search of huge Eastern Brook Trout and enormous Northerns. Check out the alluring saltwater for Stripers in the north or toothy monsters of the southern latitudes. From Peacock Bass to Landlock Salmon, from urban pools teeming with silver Shad to remote runs with glorious trout and a dash of the occasional Stonefly hatch, this film is proof that the good life is never too far away.

The Frontier is a stunning intimate venue located in the Ft. Andros complex, with excellent food and a unique collection of beverages. FFIM’s Dan Tarkinson adds, “The Frontier has quickly become somewhat of a favorite in the Maine Fly Fishing community. We’ve held several events there now, and the crowd and ambience of the theater have always gelled so well. We’re very pumped to be able to showcase the film-making talents of Carter Davidson and the Gray Ghost Productions crew at such a fine establishment”.

Due to limited capacity, we strongly recommend ordering your tickets in advance, by either purchasing online with a credit card at
http://www.flyfishinginmaine.org/thegoodlife/, or by calling the theater at (207)-725-5222.

The event festivities will also include several door prizes for each screening, as well as the chance at some larger fund-raising raffles, including a 2-person Pontoon Boat to be raffled off at the annual FFIM Conclave in June.

All proceeds from this event and the raffles will go to the FFIM Grassroots Grant fund. FFIM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Past recipients of FFIM Grassroots Grants have included Trout Unlimited, Casting For Recovery, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and many more. Among the beneficiaries this year is the Sebago Chapter of Trout Unlimited, providing them with a grant for their “5-in-5″ Southern Maine pond reclamation program.

For more information about Fly Fishing in Maine, please visit our website at http://www.flyfishinginmaine.org/

For more information about “The Good Life”, including the trailer and where you can purchase a DVD copy, visit their website at http://www.ggpfilms.com/

Photo from fOTOGLIF

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tom Remington

Photo from fOTOGLIF

AUGUSTA – Open water fishing season is now open under an emergency law signed by Gov. John E. Baldacci today, Thursday, March 25, 2010.

All lakes, ponds and brooks are open except those with specific opening-day regulations that start after April 1 as listed in the 2008-2009 Open Water Fishing Law Book.

Bag and size limit rules contained in the 2008-2009 Open Water Fishing Law Book also apply.

The emergency law is in effect from March 25 to April 1, 2010.

A new fishing law book that combines ice fishing and open water fishing rules, including several new regulations, will become effective on April 1, 2010. Distribution of this law book began a couple of weeks ago and is available where fishing licenses are sold.

“People have been anxious to drop their lines given that ice fishing season ended too soon in some parts of the state, with many lakes and ponds experiencing early ice out conditions,” Commissioner Roland “Danny” Martin said. “We’re happy to provide this opportunity to anglers, and remind them to be mindful of early spring cold-water conditions by being safe.”

Open water fishing season historically begins on April 1 on most waters of the state. Because of unseasonably warm weather opening up waterways in many counties and strong public interest in wanting to fish, Maine Sen. Bruce Bryant, D-Oxford County, sponsored emergency legislation to start the season early.

“Let’s go fishing!” exclaimed Sen. Bryant, upon the Governor’s signature of the bill.

As part of National River Cleanup, members of the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance and students from the Telstar Challenge Course at Telstar High School in Bethel, Maine will clean up a section of the Androscoggin River from Gilead to West Bethel on Wednesday, May 19. Students, ages 16-18, will float down the river in rafts armed with garbage bags and towing garbage scow rafts to collect debris along the riverbanks. The clean-up flotilla will launch at 9 am from the bridge at Gilead and take out at Newt’s Landing in West Bethel. Community members are welcome to help clean-up this and other stretches of the river. The town of Bethel will provide trash collection at Newt’s Landing and deliver to the town’s solid waste facility.

Magic Falls Rafting Company of West Forks, Maine will provide rafts and garbage scows. Immediately following the clean-up, Pleasant River Campground in West Bethel is hosting a barbecue for all participants.

Rivers and watersheds have been used as dumps for old appliances, shopping carts and other refuse. Litter, such as foam cups, plastic bottles and food wrappers float into waterways, build up along the shoreline and stay there for years. With landfill space at a premium, recycling efforts stymied by a lack of plant capacity and toxic waste expensive to control, a grassroots effort can help maintain a constituency for preserving and protecting waterways. In 2009, 600 tons of trash and debris was collected and 7,500 miles of rivers cleaned across the nation. Last year the Upper Andro yielded over a ton of debris including bed springs, tires and tire rims and a 1950’s record player.

The Upper Andro Anglers Alliance is co-ordinating the local clean up. Says Clean-up Co-ordinator and UAAA director Bruce Pierce, “There’s been a long-standing effort to improve the Androscoggin’s water quality and fishery-now we need to improve the shore land zone along this wonderful river.”

National River Cleanup was founded in 1992 by America Outdoors, the largest association of America’s outfitters and guides, to assist local groups in keeping waterways clean. In 2007 American Rivers assumed administration of the river clean up. American Rivers, founded in 1973, is the nation’s leading river advocacy organization. NRC Information is published on line at www.nationalrivercleanup.org.

AUGUSTA – The Maine Warden Service continues to warn people about thin ice conditions on many of the state’s waterways.

Above-average temperatures, along with recent storms, are creating conditions that are weakening ice throughout the state. Rivers and streams still are high, causing substantial amounts of water to flow into lakes, opening up inlets and outlets and creating dangerous conditions. Also, power companies recently have performed routine draw-downs of water that changed ice conditions, especially along shorelines.

The state’s larger lakes have substantial swatches of open water, and in southern Maine many of the smaller lakes and ponds are opening up.

Because of insufficient ice in parts of the state, promoters of the 10th Maine Chevrolet Derby, a statewide ice fishing derby, decided Tuesday night to cancel the event, which was scheduled for March 6-7.

According to derby promoter Tom Noonan, only six of the 25 fish weigh stations reported having two feet of ice or more. For more information, visit www.icefishingderby.com.

The Maine Warden Service is advising that people to be cautious. Do not drive heavy vehicles, such as cars or trucks, onto lakes or ponds. Any snowfall, such as that forecasted for tonight in parts of Maine, may blanket any open water. Persons unfamiliar with a lake or pond are advised not to go on them, particularly at night.

Some parts of the state, primarily ponds in northern Maine, have ice. But Game Wardens are advising that its thickness should be checked before venturing onto its surface.

The Maine Warden Service offers these tips for ice safety:

· Never guess the thickness of the ice – Check it! Check the ice in several different places using an auger or some other means to make a test hole and determine the thickness. Make several, beginning at the shore, and continuing as you go out.

· Check the ice with a partner, so if something does happen, someone is there to help you. If you are doing it alone, wear a lifejacket.

· If ice at the shoreline is cracked or squishy, stay off! Watch out for thin, clear or honeycombed ice. Dark snow and dark ice are other signs of weak spots.

· Avoid areas with currents, around bridges and pressure ridges. Wind and currents can break ice.

· Parents should alert children of unsafe ice in their area, and make sure that they stay off the ice.

If you break through the ice, remember:

· Don’t panic.

· Don’t try to climb out immediately – you will probably break the ice again. Reach for solid ice.

· Lay both arms on the unbroken ice and kick hard. This will help lift your body onto the ice. Once on the ice, roll, DON’T WALK, to safety.

· To help someone who has fallen through the ice, lie down flat and reach with a branch, plank or rope or form a human chain. Don’t stand. After securing the victim, wiggle backwards to the solid ice.

The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in order to obtain around 100,000 email addresses of those who bought hunting and fishing licenses online. As a result, it has set off a firestorm across certain channels of the hunting and fishing outdoor world in Maine. At issue is privacy and unwanted SPAM from SAM as well as the ability of any other individual or group to obtain the same list. Potentially, this could open a can of worms.

According to WMTW-TV website, SAM obtained the emails to send out information about coyotes. SAM has become very active of late in working to get all hunters involved in doing what they can to stop the further decline of the whitetail deer herd in Maine, which is suffering greatly due to many factors; poor management, severe winters, loss of habitat, overblown populations of predators, among other things. One aspect is to encourage and promote the hunting of coyotes.

One would have to recognize and appreciate SAM being all agog to fire up the licensed hunters and get them involved but I have to seriously question the decision to mount an email campaign using emails obtained, 1). through FOIA request, and; 2). using emails from fellow hunters without their approval. These are the guys you want help from. It’s an odd way to go about it.

We all hate SPAM and some are obsessed with it. It think it safe to say that most hunters are not very thrilled with the prospects of what can come from this move by SAM. First, it immediately creates bad public relations. Second, it forms distrust. Many hunters are asking whether SAM will resell the list to other agencies. This all comes at a time when hunters need to unite in an effort. I think SAM is attempting to do this but they failed to grasp what would happen. Third, if SAM, which had to go through the Maine Attorney Generals Office, can obtain this list, anyone else can. That fact in and of itself, has angered a lot of people.

In my opinion, here is what SAM needs to do. Immediately issue a public apology. Promise the list will not be used and that they will work with the Attorney General and MDIFW in order to get the law changed to protect those emails. I don’t believe this was the intent of FOIA. This only makes sense. MDIFW has promoted their MOSES online license purchasing program for quite some time. It is time and money saving for MDIFW. If perspective license buyers can’t be confident their email information and perhaps other personal information, cannot be safeguarded, it will seriously detract from the program. This has to be done immediately.

Once SAM has done what it can to minimize the damage they have caused, then they can choose other routes to get their message out. SAM has a website that needs updating to become more user friendly and interactive. They can wage an opt in/opt out email campaign for sending out newsletters, etc. and seeking new members. They can provide needed updates on their website along with providing RSS feeds so other websites, including blogs and forums, can post SAM’s feed so their readers have easy access.

Press releases can also be generated from the website and sent to all media outlets across the state. If SAM is wondering how well this might work, then just take a lot at how quickly and widespread the news traveled about them confiscating emails. I rest my case.

We live in an electronic age. With the rapid growth of the Internet, lack of knowledge can set businesses and organizations back in their progress as was the case for SAM. On the same token, knowledge can advance their cause. They now need to mend some fences and get with the times. The days of “stealing” email addresses to send unsolicited information is not only outdated but is extremely bad business. SAM needs to become cutting edge in this regard.

Tom Remington