AUGUSTA — Each year, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife recognizes a Registered Maine Guide with the Wilmot (Wiggie) Robinson Legendary Guide Award. Anyone who knows a deserving Registered Maine Guide can complete the nomination form and submit it by Jan. 10, 2020.

Nominees must meet the following criteria:

• Have spent 20 years as a Registered Maine Guide and be an active guide for 10 years;

• Pass a criminal background check — be a law-abiding citizen with no arrests for committing a crime related to human injury, gun laws or major hunting or fishing violations for 20 years;

• Has done volunteer community service, providing education about safety and survival in the Maine woods or introducing and educating youth about the importance of the ecosystem found in Maine;

• Be active on boards or committees that enhance and promote the importance of Maine’s outdoor resources, including youth programs, Scouts, conservation education, safety instructing, search and rescue volunteering, active in fish and game club(s) or a guide license examiner.

The nomination form is available at: www.maine.gov/ifw/docs/LegendaryGuideAwardForm.pdf

The award will be presented at the annual Maine Professional Guides Association banquet.

Bonnie Holding of Coplin Plantation was the recipient of the 2019 award. Holding has been a full-time guide for more than 30 years. In 2008, she was honored by Outdoor Life magazine as one of the top four women guides in the nation.

Along with guiding, Holding is a pioneer with Casting for Recovery, a national program that uses fly fishing and its related skills to help women recovering from breast cancer.