Unfortunately we have had an incident this evening during the first night of bear hunting here at the guide service. It is not completely unique to just tonight, or to just this bear season, however I was put on the spot of "did I do my job?" Well that got me to thinking.
Many years ago ( many, many years...) when the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife board congratulated me after passing my oral exam, they said to me, "Kimberley, teach them something, if they go home with nothing else....teach them. And never stop learning!" This was a day I am very proud of. First off, there are not many, and back then even less, lady guides; with even less being hunting guides. Secondly, I worked very hard, and have continued over the years to learn more, be better at what I do; I truly have never stopped learning. When it comes to bear hunting,or just bear in general; I have made a point to learn the ways of the animal. I'm a hunter first, a guide second. I believe one can not be good at just one.
Also, most know and have heard of "Big E" if you have followed any of my writings. He is my husband and has been a wonderful teacher. He learned from his Father, and brothers at a very young age and is an accomplished hunter and trapper. He and I run the guide service together with the help of a true friend who is an accomplished hunter and trapper himself and my Mom in the kitchen. Therefore it is a joint effort in a labor of love and I could not do it without them; honestly wouldn't want to!
Anyway.....tonight we had the misfortune of not being able to recover an animal. This is a situation that I hate as it puts one in an uncomfortable place.....what do I/we say? Do we say anything? Did I somehow fail?
Many years ago (again) Big E and i worked for another guide and guide service before we decided to go on our own. Every Sunday night we were all required to attend "the meeting". It was the "talk". The do's and don't and don't you dare's of hunting camp and bear hunting. Big E and I over the years have contemplated the idea that for several reasons, we too should give "the talk". I was reminded of that tonight.
I thought about it for a while waiting for everyone to get back into camp. I thought about a lot of things......So when everyone got back in, and came in for the evening buffet, I asked for a moment that everyone just listen. I had thought out what I would say and how I would say it as I didn't want to put the person in the spotlight. I figured he probably felt bad enough. I know I would! I also know what it is like to have to wait until the next morning to go and look for an animal. It is grueling! You second guess yourself. You doubt yourself. You feel sick to your stomach and you watch the minutes click by until morning.....My animal was there. I had taken an excellent shot. I had done everything right......but I thought tonight......I thought.......what if? I believe that every hunter at some point, even the pro's have been in that situation. For me though, the thought of a wounded animal that I/we can't find is still terribly hard. That"s just the way I think. Therefore I decided it was time to have "the talk". I was careful; I was kind and then I was informational. Where to place the shot;behind the shoulder and in the middle. You see black bears have very thick and long hair, so three or more inches of blackness under his belly is nothing but thin air. Bring that shot up. I explained how bears often move and lurk in behind the baits looking for motion. I told them out of all the bear I have observed over the years, only one, one time did not look straight at the treestand and at me, yet I moved not an inch nor a muscle. I shared my knowledge; I'm a Master Maine Guide.
However it seems, that possibly it was not accepted in the light that it was given. Do I think that maybe I should have said nothing??? No, I had to. Not only is it my job, but it is a matter of ethics.
What do you think?
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Do we need a North Maine Woods National Park?
First I apologize for this posting being a bit belated. It is extremely busy this time of year for us with Bear season rapidly approaching and also, I wanted to see how the meetings were reported in the local papers as well to be able to give a complete perspective on this subject.
A little background information. In 2000-2001 I was a correspondent for a couple local papers and covered most of the subjects dealing with the outdoors and such activities in the region. At this time, many will remember the organization RESTORE: The North Maine Woods, which was attempting to bring about the creation of a National Park which encompassed the North Maine Woods, Telos region, Baxter State Park, and the Golden road beginning at the area we locals call the "dike", which is where Ambajesus and Millinocket Lakes converge. The total acreage was to be 3.1 million acres, with Baxter Park encased within it's borders. Also at this time, I would like to note that both paper mills were still operating so the economy was still good in the region. The group RESTORE was a Boston based activist organization of which Roxanne Quimby was a board member. This group was literally drove back to Boston with opposition from the region and things quieted down with people figuring the threat had been defeated. Quimby resigned from the board, stating at the time that their agenda was not the same as her own. Shortly afterward she began purchasing large parcels of land, blocking roads,taking out bridges, cutting off access, terminating camp leases, and encroaching on peoples lives and livelihood.This also included a major part of the Maine Snowmobile Associations ITS trail system linking Millinocket and East Millinockets trails to Bowlin Camps (which is a whole story in itself) and the Sherman/Patten region. This did not abode well with the locals and towns in the region which set the stage for many protests and even threats to Quimby. She retaliated in a manor that only made her image even worse and many folks went around with stickers on their vehicles stating "Ban Roxanne". Quimby stated at the first meeting that I attended in Millinocket in May that these attacks as she called them angered her deeply and she could not understand why she became the hated tyrant. However her retaliation certainly did not help her cause nor her image.
Since that time, Millinockets paper mill closed its doors and recently so did the mill in East Millinocket. Quimby, who had attempted to go over our heads had approached our Senators in Washington D.C. for support of her proposal to place the 70,000 acres she had accumulated on the eastern border of Baxter State Park and the eastern shore line of the East Branch of the Penobscot River to the National Park Service, to create a National Park.Our Senators for once did the right thing informing her that the only way they would ever consider supporting her efforts was if the local towns that would be affected supported it as well. Hence the meetings began. She also thought that since the mill closures, the towns and their people would welcome her with open arms like some kind of savior. Not so. Never to be underestimated the people of this region are strong, resilient and very set in their ways, and in fact a little hostile to anyone coming from away.
The most recent meetings have been to try to rally support for a feasibility study on the proposal of her lands to be turned over to the National Park Service and the creation of a Park. The study is meant to show all the pro's and con's of the proposal which Quimby feels will bring new life and employment to an area in desperate need of an economic boost.
This brings me to the last and most recent meeting I attended at the Medway Middle School, which was set for the purpose for the Town of Medway to bring to a vote approval or disapproval of the feasibility study with the school board (of which I have no idea why they are involved ) and the towns selectmen having already stating their support. At this time Millinocket has sent them packing with a no vote. East Millinocket has not yet joined the movement with their selectmen stating they will not give approval or speak for the towns people without the peoples support. Medway did pass approval for the feasibility study, the only ones thus far.
Now, this brings to question, do we need a National Park? In light of the current financial despair of our Nation and the fact that the National Park Service does not have enough funding to truly take care of the National Parks already in existence, how does one ethically propose the creation of yet another National Park? It would take millions to create a road system, campgrounds, and Ranger stations and whatever it is that would be needed to appropriately maintain and run a National Park. That fact alone in my opinion should be a resounding "no"! But still, do we really need another park??? I don't believe we do.
We have Baxter State Park with the majestic Mount Katahdin reaching towards the heavens smack dab in the middle. It is estimated on average that 70,000 visitors come from all over the world to visit the park. It is, depending on which way one wants to look at the, either the beginning or the end of the famed Appalachian Trail. Quimby, stated from reports from the National Park Service, that National Parks have up to three times more visitors on average yearly. However, you are talking about National Parks like Yellowstone, Glacier, the Grand Canyon, ect. This land that she proposes, although beautiful in it's own right, would only be playing off Katahdin which is already within the borders of the State Park. Oh but State Parks do not draw enough visitors; are not well known enough so Quimby says. My opinion? We could fix that, right? Why Not?
There used to be an organization called MAGIC, which was supposed to promote and attract businesses and economic growth to the region. They failed. Why? I don't know all; the details. However, would it not be in the greatest interest for another organization or committee to be created to do the job and this time, do it right? All we really need is to open some doors and a lot of eyes. Too many years have gone by with the dependency of the local paper mills to take care of us. Too many are opposed to opening the area to year round tourism wanting to keep the area, "our little secret". Times have changed and if one does not want the National Park becoming a reality even someday, they need to change as well.
Now, 70,000 visitors to Baxter Park alone is a wonderful thing, but why does the area continue to waste away? That answer is plainly visible just driving down main street in Millinocket. What does one see? Insurance agencies, a little cafe and empty storefronts with the only life at the end with the Pellitiers restaurant and the Schoodic Inn. On Central Street, the Penobscot Plaza which once housed a big department store and movie theater among other stores still sets empty with the IGA supermarket on one end and a Dollar Store on the other. What do tourists want?? Places to shop, things to see and do! We need to breath life into our communities before we can ever really thrive. We need to market our Park. Our region is so very rich in many ways with the lakes, ponds and rivers. It is an outdoors enthusiasts extravaganza provided by good ol Mother Nature and we need to open our eyes, hearts and minds to that fact. We don't need a National Park, or Roxanne Quimby to save us, we can save ourselves with some good old fashioned ingenuity.
A little background information. In 2000-2001 I was a correspondent for a couple local papers and covered most of the subjects dealing with the outdoors and such activities in the region. At this time, many will remember the organization RESTORE: The North Maine Woods, which was attempting to bring about the creation of a National Park which encompassed the North Maine Woods, Telos region, Baxter State Park, and the Golden road beginning at the area we locals call the "dike", which is where Ambajesus and Millinocket Lakes converge. The total acreage was to be 3.1 million acres, with Baxter Park encased within it's borders. Also at this time, I would like to note that both paper mills were still operating so the economy was still good in the region. The group RESTORE was a Boston based activist organization of which Roxanne Quimby was a board member. This group was literally drove back to Boston with opposition from the region and things quieted down with people figuring the threat had been defeated. Quimby resigned from the board, stating at the time that their agenda was not the same as her own. Shortly afterward she began purchasing large parcels of land, blocking roads,taking out bridges, cutting off access, terminating camp leases, and encroaching on peoples lives and livelihood.This also included a major part of the Maine Snowmobile Associations ITS trail system linking Millinocket and East Millinockets trails to Bowlin Camps (which is a whole story in itself) and the Sherman/Patten region. This did not abode well with the locals and towns in the region which set the stage for many protests and even threats to Quimby. She retaliated in a manor that only made her image even worse and many folks went around with stickers on their vehicles stating "Ban Roxanne". Quimby stated at the first meeting that I attended in Millinocket in May that these attacks as she called them angered her deeply and she could not understand why she became the hated tyrant. However her retaliation certainly did not help her cause nor her image.
Since that time, Millinockets paper mill closed its doors and recently so did the mill in East Millinocket. Quimby, who had attempted to go over our heads had approached our Senators in Washington D.C. for support of her proposal to place the 70,000 acres she had accumulated on the eastern border of Baxter State Park and the eastern shore line of the East Branch of the Penobscot River to the National Park Service, to create a National Park.Our Senators for once did the right thing informing her that the only way they would ever consider supporting her efforts was if the local towns that would be affected supported it as well. Hence the meetings began. She also thought that since the mill closures, the towns and their people would welcome her with open arms like some kind of savior. Not so. Never to be underestimated the people of this region are strong, resilient and very set in their ways, and in fact a little hostile to anyone coming from away.
The most recent meetings have been to try to rally support for a feasibility study on the proposal of her lands to be turned over to the National Park Service and the creation of a Park. The study is meant to show all the pro's and con's of the proposal which Quimby feels will bring new life and employment to an area in desperate need of an economic boost.
This brings me to the last and most recent meeting I attended at the Medway Middle School, which was set for the purpose for the Town of Medway to bring to a vote approval or disapproval of the feasibility study with the school board (of which I have no idea why they are involved ) and the towns selectmen having already stating their support. At this time Millinocket has sent them packing with a no vote. East Millinocket has not yet joined the movement with their selectmen stating they will not give approval or speak for the towns people without the peoples support. Medway did pass approval for the feasibility study, the only ones thus far.
Now, this brings to question, do we need a National Park? In light of the current financial despair of our Nation and the fact that the National Park Service does not have enough funding to truly take care of the National Parks already in existence, how does one ethically propose the creation of yet another National Park? It would take millions to create a road system, campgrounds, and Ranger stations and whatever it is that would be needed to appropriately maintain and run a National Park. That fact alone in my opinion should be a resounding "no"! But still, do we really need another park??? I don't believe we do.
We have Baxter State Park with the majestic Mount Katahdin reaching towards the heavens smack dab in the middle. It is estimated on average that 70,000 visitors come from all over the world to visit the park. It is, depending on which way one wants to look at the, either the beginning or the end of the famed Appalachian Trail. Quimby, stated from reports from the National Park Service, that National Parks have up to three times more visitors on average yearly. However, you are talking about National Parks like Yellowstone, Glacier, the Grand Canyon, ect. This land that she proposes, although beautiful in it's own right, would only be playing off Katahdin which is already within the borders of the State Park. Oh but State Parks do not draw enough visitors; are not well known enough so Quimby says. My opinion? We could fix that, right? Why Not?
There used to be an organization called MAGIC, which was supposed to promote and attract businesses and economic growth to the region. They failed. Why? I don't know all; the details. However, would it not be in the greatest interest for another organization or committee to be created to do the job and this time, do it right? All we really need is to open some doors and a lot of eyes. Too many years have gone by with the dependency of the local paper mills to take care of us. Too many are opposed to opening the area to year round tourism wanting to keep the area, "our little secret". Times have changed and if one does not want the National Park becoming a reality even someday, they need to change as well.
Now, 70,000 visitors to Baxter Park alone is a wonderful thing, but why does the area continue to waste away? That answer is plainly visible just driving down main street in Millinocket. What does one see? Insurance agencies, a little cafe and empty storefronts with the only life at the end with the Pellitiers restaurant and the Schoodic Inn. On Central Street, the Penobscot Plaza which once housed a big department store and movie theater among other stores still sets empty with the IGA supermarket on one end and a Dollar Store on the other. What do tourists want?? Places to shop, things to see and do! We need to breath life into our communities before we can ever really thrive. We need to market our Park. Our region is so very rich in many ways with the lakes, ponds and rivers. It is an outdoors enthusiasts extravaganza provided by good ol Mother Nature and we need to open our eyes, hearts and minds to that fact. We don't need a National Park, or Roxanne Quimby to save us, we can save ourselves with some good old fashioned ingenuity.
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