If you’re reading this, you are probably an outdoor person. Maybe your thing is fly fishing for trout, or camping. Perhaps you simply like to spend time in the great outdoors in a kayak photographing loons. You may be a deer or upland bird hunter with no interest in hunting Maine black bears. In the larger scheme of things, though, all of us outdoor- loving folks are, at heart, Maine sportsmen – this includes women, kids, visitors from away, and so forth.

As Maine sportsmen, we need to unite and rally to the cause. For make no mistake, in this fall’s bear referendum our entire heritage as sportsmen is on the line. This attempt by wealthy out of state animal rights extremists to ban traditional bear hunting over bait will, if it succeeds, open a flood gate of other anti-sportsmen initiatives that will in time infringe upon the rights of all Maine sportsmen and endanger our outdoor heritage.

You can help. You can help send these anti-hunting carpetbaggers packing with their collective tails between their legs. As the clock ticks closer to the crucial November referendum vote, the most useful support you can offer is to buy a ticket and attend the Bear Campaign Banquet being held Sept. 18th at the Augusta Civic Center. Not only will proceeds from this banquet and the evening auction go to underwrite the advertising budget for the upcoming campaign, the banquet is shaping up as the most exciting sportsmen’s affair in Maine history. The banquet features national speakers, door prizes, raffles and auctioned merchandise.

Tickets aren’t cheap. But the stakes are high and, sad to say, we must battle the opposition dollar for dollar this fall as the campaign heats up. Buying a banquet ticket or two is the best way that you can join forces with the rest of us in defending Maine’s hunting heritage. If you are a guide, outfitter or retailer, please consider donating trips or merchandise to the banquet auction.

There are still tickets left. Get yours by calling 1- 888-837-4426. See you at the banquet.

Stepping it up

After reading State Rep. Matt Dunlap’s monthly column in the Northwoods Sporting Journal last month about the $8 million deficit facing the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIF&W), a generous reader decided to step forward and donate a half million dollars to the department. A few days later, the deal was concluded and the department issued this press release:

Governor John E. Baldacci announced on Aug. 13th one of the largest and most significant donations to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife from a private individual. The $500,000 gift, from a woman who prefers to be identified simply as “a proud citizen of Maine”, will greatly impact the Department’s mission. “I am pleased to learn of this most generous and charitable gift,” stated Baldacci. “This citizen, who takes great pride in Maine’s quality of life, recognizes the connection between the treasures of our natural resources and work of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in protecting and preserving these resources.” The idea for the benefactor’s donation stems from reading a column written by Representative Matt Dunlap in the Northwoods Sporting Journal on the endemic shortage of funds plaguing the agency. As House Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Representative Matt Dunlap is well aware of the need to secure funding so that the valuable work of the agency is maximized. Upon reading the column, the benefactor contacted Representative Dunlap. She became determined to lead by example by making a donation to the Department. Her support of the Department’s mission, the Warden Service, our fisheries program, and the emphasis on good landowner relations were relayed as part of the decision for making the contribution. The benefactor described herself as a person at home in the woods, who hunts and enjoys boating. She wants the Department to continue to provide search and rescue efforts but realizes that the funds may not always be there. Needless to say, this lady’s generosity and foresight will long be felt and appreciated by all of us who hunt and fish and benefit from the mission of Maine’s Fish and Wildlife Department. She told me that her hope was that others will follow her example.

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is [email protected].