LEWISTON – Some freshmen legislators say they are excited about the upcoming session, though few landed their first choice committee assignments.

Committee appointments were announced on Friday by Senate President Libby Mitchell and House Speaker Hannah Pingree, both Democrats.

“The Natural Resources Committee is going to be a good fit for me,” said Rep. Brian Bolduc, D-Auburn.

Bolduc’s top request was to serve on the education committee, but said part of his campaign platform was a commitment to cleaning up the Androscoggin River.

“So now I have a really good opportunity to get into that debate,” he said.

Rep. Dale Crafts, R-Lisbon Falls, was assigned to the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, which he said was his third choice. Crafts said he is an “avid deer hunter” and hopes to use his committee seat to brainstorm ideas for attracting out-of-state hunters back to the state.

“I’ve been going up (to northern Maine) for years hunting and it’s sad because we used to have a lot of out-of-state hunters that used to come to Maine and spend a lot of money here,” he said. “You go up there now and there’s nobody there.”

Crafts said the depleted deer herd was part of the problem.

“There’s always been a predator problem with the coyotes up there that has really hurt the herd too,” he said. “I’d like to see some type of bounty for the trappers to have an incentive to maybe trap more of them.”

Reps. Stacy Dostie, D-Sabattus, and David Van Wie, D-New Gloucester, were fortunate enough to land their preferred assignment: the Utilities and Energy Committee.

Dostie said she’s excited to serve on what she expects to be a very busy committee.

“I know the governor has been talking about all the things he wants to see like renewable energy and using our own resources in the state,” she said. “It’s the (committee) I wanted, so as a freshman, I’m really lucky I got it.

Van Wie said his experience in the energy field makes him well-prepared for a committee with a reputation for tedious detail.

“Fortunately, I’ve got a background in economics and I’ve worked at Central Maine Power, so I think I at least have a stomach for some of the stuff,” he said.

Rep. Mike Carey, D-Lewiston, is starting his first full-term after being elected in 2007 to replace William Walcott. Carey said he’s pleased to have been selected to serve on both the Transportation Committee and the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee.

“Transportation infrastructure is a real critical component of (economic development),” he said. “With the distribution and warehousing in the area and the rail lines coming through the community, it’s real important for Lewiston-Auburn to be represented on the transportation committee.”

Rep. Bruce Bickford, R-Auburn, has a plan that would make it easier for House members to land their favored assignments: Elect fewer legislators.

Bickford, who will serve on the Labor and Government Oversight committees, said he plans on sponsoring or co-sponsoring a bill to reduce the size of the Legislature.

“My goal is to rather than take a hatchet to it, go at it with a reasonable approach,” he said. “We should have three representatives for every senator. That would put us at 105 representatives to 35 senators, which I don’t think that would be a bad thing.”

There are 151 seats in the Maine House and 35 seats in the Senate now.

For a complete list of legislative committee assignments, visit http://speaker.maine.gov/committee/index.html