Monthly Archives: September 2012

A Merger in Name Only

Maine’s Department of Agriculture merged with the Department of Conservation on August 30, a date established in law by the legislature and governor. But the only thing merged was the name. It’s now the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry. No one moved. No programs merged. No money was saved. The new department has 732 […]

DIF&W Proposes Ban on Live Fish as Bait

While it’s not exactly a bold move, it’s an important one. Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has proposed to ban live fish as bait on 16 brook trout waters on the agency’s “B” list of 267 lakes and ponds. Three public hearings on the proposal will be held in October – the dates, […]

State Moves to Restrict Deer Feeding

Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is proposing new rules that would severely restrict – and probably eliminate – deer feeding in the state. The Department’s wildlife staff has opposed deer feeding for a long time, but has never had authority to stop it or regulate it in any way. A lot of people […]

Stan Keach’s New CD’s a Keeper!

Stan Keach is a nationally-known bluegrass songwriter whose song, Whispering Water, was in the National Top Ten Bluegrass Singles Charts in 2009. But Stan’s greatest talent is working with young people, many of whom have found themselves and their real talent by playing for and with Stan. He’s an amazing man and someone I respect […]

Lots More Moose – No More Permits

It was the obvious question, after I received a September 7 press release from Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife announcing that Maine has a lot more moose than we thought: 76,000. So yesterday I posed that question to the agency’s moose biologist, Lee Kantar, after tracking him down at a Delaware conference: how […]

Want to Hunt or Trap Coyotes? Here’s How.

A key component in Maine’s Game Plan for Deer is a reduction in coyote predation. Both coyotes and bears kill a lot of deer and are one of the three major reasons that our state’s deer population in the north country has plummeted. Although it had budgeted $50,000 for a coyote control project last winter, […]

The Ghost Trap Will Capture You

The Ghost Trap is a compelling novel, propelling you along through the deep water, on board Jamie Eugley’s lobster boat of a life, anchored to a brain-damaged girlfriend who nearly died after being swept off the boat and ever-after becomes his burden, with a lobstering father who hates him, a daily life full of beer, […]