Outdoors

Published
September 15, 2012

Hunting: Anniversary time for an important bill

Hunters and fishermen have long been known as conservation pioneers. The modern conservation movement began in the early 1900s when drought and overexploitation from virtually uncontrolled hunting decimated wildlife to the verge of extinction. Individuals and organized sportsmen’s groups demanded more and stricter regulations, and got them. One hunter in particular stepped up. Once called […]
Published
September 15, 2012

Birding: Some shorebirds are legendary for long-distance flight

Shorebird migration continues apace through Maine. I can’t help but marvel at the tremendous migrations many shorebirds undertake. Semipalmated sandpipers depart from the Bay of Fundy and fly nonstop over the ocean to the mudflats around the mouth of the Amazon River in Suriname. The Pacific golden plover flies nonstop from Alaska to its wintering […]
Published
September 15, 2012

Allen Afield: Sighting of endangered black racer proves fleeting

Recently, Tom Seymour of Waldo spotted a 24-inch black snake on bare gravel by his home and assumed it was a black racer, rare in Maine, so rare that state officials have placed it on the Endangered Species List. Seymour’s observation excited him enough to email me digital photos of the snake and also to […]
Published
September 15, 2012

Best Bets

TUESDAY Fun in the Park 2 p.m. in Freeport Daily nature programs are still being held at Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park. Meet at the benches at the end of the second parking lot. Free with park admission, which is $1 for ages 5-11, $3 for ages 12-64. Call the day of the program for […]
Published
September 13, 2012

Saltwater Fishing Report

If you are a recreational saltwater angler, Maine law may require you to register with the Maine Saltwater Recreational Fishing Registry. To learn more or to register, visit www.maine.gov/saltwater or call 207-633-9505. OFFSHORE Sea surface temperatures have dropped to within a few degrees of the 60-degree mark. Groundfishing (pollock, cod haddock, hake, redfish, etc.) has […]

Published
September 8, 2012

The state’s a lure for hunters

The remote woods, black bears and camaraderie induce out-of-staters to spend time and money here.
Published
September 8, 2012

North Cairn: Here, gone: Change is constant

For three nights running, I lay on my side in bed at midnight, gazing out a small window at the moon, staring at me in what seemed like wonder. Of course, it was the reverse really; I was wide-eyed at the full moon — blue moon, it turned out, the second full moon of the […]
Published
September 8, 2012

Deirdre Fleming: For Forest Rangers, Facebook means fans, feedback and solving problems

The Maine Forest Rangers have been around since 1891. But it’s only in the past several months that they’ve stepped into the public arena of social media and gained an enthusiastic fan base. And the rangers have Facebook to thank. Since joining Facebook on Jan. 15, the Maine Forest Rangers have recruited nearly 2,300 fans, […]
Published
September 8, 2012

Hunting: Taking the bite out of possibility of outdoor trouble

It was looking like one of those perfect evenings for bear hunting, very little wind, temps in the 70s and both expected to drop as soon a the sun set. My son and I climbed our adjacent ladder stands and no sooner had we settled in when the first mosquito buzzed by. I put a […]
Published
September 8, 2012

Kid Tracks: New Hampshire’s peaks are worth the planning

The girls and I have been hiking mountains all spring and summer to get ready for our highest (to date) mountain hiking adventure in Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire. All our “training” paid off because we had a wonderful 9-mile hike that included three mountain summits — Little Haystack, Lincoln and Lafayette — […]

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Outdoors