TV Show Debates Lead Sinker Ban

After two years off the air, the Wildfire TV Show has been returned to the airwaves by Maine Audubon. Harry Vanderweide and I continue to cohost the show – the only TV talk show that focuses on hunting, fishing, outdoor recreation, conservation, and environmental issues.

Wildfire can be seen on the Time Warner cable station (channel 9 in most places). Each episode runs for two weeks, beginning on a Wednesday night at 7 pm. The show can also be seen on Fridays at 6:30 pm and Sundays at 8:30 pm. Beginning March 16, Wildfire will also air on Saturdays at 7 pm.

If you don’t have Time Warner cable, you can watch the show on Maine Audubon’s website.

The Wildfire episode airing right now features a discussion of Maine Audubon’s bill to ban the sale and use of lead sinkers and jigs weighing one ounce or less and measuring 2 ½ inches or less in length.

Susan Gallo of Maine Audubon offered the research and reasons for the bill, designed to protect loons that are particularly susceptible to lead poisoning after ingesting these sinkers and jigs. And then Don Kleiner, Executive Director of the Maine Professional Guides Association, joined Harry and I to discuss the implications and impacts of the proposal.

We also talked with Don about other bills of interest or concern to the MPGA.

Check it out!

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.