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Outdoors

  • Published
    May 4, 2013

    Lake Auburn: Good fishing in troubled water

    Algae in the lake may be bad for lake trout, but smelt thrive without that predator, and as smelt thrive, so do the salmon – big ones.

  • Published
    May 4, 2013

    Canoeing: Clear and craggy charm at Craig Pond

    ORLAND – One of the true paddling gems of Down East Maine is 218-acre Craig Pond. Its crystal clear water reflects a dazzling deep blue hue on a sunny day and reminded us very much of the deep waters of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior. Just to the north, the open ledges of […]

  • Published
    April 27, 2013

    Big appeal for big canoes

    The voyageur-style canoe -- with a history dating back more than two centuries to the fur trade -- is like a schoolbus on the water, but enthusiasts love to barrel downriver in them.

  • Published
    April 27, 2013

    North Cairn: The end of the road for a coyote

    She never had a chance. If outmaneuvering a car in the dark is a skill you must learn to survive, then the young coyote I struck sometime after midnight last week never had a chance. In the instant that mattered more than any other, she was off by that split-second that separates life from death, […]

  • Published
    April 27, 2013

    Deirdre Fleming: Hiker conquered life’s adversities, then started climbing mountains

    Randy Pierce is a study in determination and motivation. That may come as little surprise since he is a motivational speaker, telling his story of adversity to inspire others. But Pierce’s journey toward becoming a rare and intrepid hiker was littered with disappointments and uncertainty. Last winter Pierce became the first visually impaired person to […]

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  • Published
    April 27, 2013

    What’s Up in May: Signs of spring abound in the heavens

    The month of May is named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman goddess of fertility. As New England will continue its slow transformation into spring, so the skies above continue to reveal their new constellations, not seen since last year at this time. The famous Winter Hexagon continues to sink […]

  • Published
    April 27, 2013

    Birding: The graceful osprey is a remarkable raptor

    For birders, one of the joys of April is the arrival of the ospreys. We’ll look at this remarkable raptor today and in the next column. Let’s start with the scientific name of osprey — pandion haliaetus. The genus name pandion comes from a king of Athens in Greek mythology. Unfortunately, the scientist Savigny — […]

  • Published
    April 27, 2013

    Skiing in Maine: Summer’s no time for hibernation

    Contrary to the perception that Maine’s so-called winter recreation areas enter a state of suspended animation in the so-called “offseason,” nowadays nothing could be further from the truth. Many winter sports enthusiasts pack up their gear and head off for their summer pursuits, assuming once the lifts shut down, nothing’s going to happen at their […]

  • Published
    April 27, 2013

    Allen Afield: Throw the book at the backwoods philosophers

    Transcendentalism is alive and well, as many old Mainers have indicated when they tell me no one can learn from a book. These backwoods philosophers expostulate that experience teaches — not words on a page or screen — as if they have a corner on truth. Bull pucky. Books have taught me plenty about nature, […]

  • Published
    April 27, 2013

    Hunting: Science alone must regulate turkey hunt

    Gun bills weren’t the only thing flooding Augusta this spring. There was also a pile of proposed legislation dealing with turkey hunting. Here are a few examples. If enacted, L.D. 84 would purportedly “expand” turkey hunting opportunities in three ways. Eliminating the required $20 permit and big-game hunting license, it is assumed, would encourage greater […]