The legislature’s supplemental budget, approved by the Appropriations Committee last week, includes $4.8 million to fix problems in two state fish hatcheries. Given all the needs in this state, the Fish and Wildlife Department has to be congratulated for getting this money. For example, while there’s been a lot of discussion about what we need […]
Jonathon White’s book, Tides, roars in and out like the tides at Lubec. Which is very appropriate, given that the book, subtitled The Science and Spirit of the Ocean, is all about our amazing tides all over the world. White fills his book with fascinating stories about his worldwide adventures, lots of history, and […]
You can shoot 25 snow geese a day! That’s one of the most surprising things about the proposed new rules governing hunting of migratory birds in Maine in 2017, just issued by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. A public hearing on all of these rules is scheduled for Monday, March 13, at 6 […]
It takes 462 pages to give us all of Maine’s laws governing hunting, fishing, trapping, and other outdoor fun. I just finished reading through the law book and found some very interesting things that I will share with you. But first, it’s what I didn’t find that puzzled me. Last year I wrote a series […]
“I want to get the pike out of Sebago Lake. They are reproducing like you wouldn’t believe,” testified Representative Lester Ordway of Standish, who lives on the lake and said he has had to guard his little dog against Eagles, and is now worried about pike whenever the dog jumps into the lake. “The salmon […]
“We need to reduce the department’s size.” That was DIF&W Commissioner Chandler Woodcock’s response to a question asking why he was proposing cuts to the Maine Warden Service’s budget, including a decrease in positions and mileage. Chandler presented his proposed budget recently to members of the legislature’s IFW Committee, and the Warden Service cuts were […]
The legislature’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee will host public hearings on three of my bills on Tuesday, February 28, along with three other bills. LD 305, my exotic animals bill, is sponsored by IFW Committee chair, Senator Scott Cyrway of Kennebec Country, and promises to draw a substantial crowd in opposition. This bill has […]
Our TV show Wildfire has been dashed. Simply put, it was fun but too much work for my cohost James Cote and me. Our last show aired in mid-December and featured Tom Brennan of Poland Spring Bottling Company. For 13 years I cohosted Wildfire with my friend Harry Vanderweide, and it was a great experience, […]
Let’s call this Deer Day. The legislature’s IFW Committee has scheduled hearings on 8 deer bills for 1 pm, March 2, in Room 206 in the Cross Building next to the Capitol. The Committee has already killed one deer bill which would have allowed senior hunters to shoot does anytime during the hunting season without […]
The bill to create a commission to simplify Maine’s complicated fishing rules got a unanimous ought-not-to-pass recommendation from the legislature’s IFW Committee yesterday, even though five members of the committee had cosponsored the bill. That was a big disappointment for me, as I had proposed the bill and asked Representative Michelle Dunphy to sponsor it. […]
