Bucky Owen gets nominated to be a NASCO commissioner

Bucky Owen, commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, is as hard to hook onto as a salmon in summer water. On Tuesday evening, however, he returned my call and confirmed that he has been nominated to replace Clinton “Bill” Townsend of Canaan as a U.S. commissioner to the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization. Townsend, who I was unable to reach because he is fishing in Canada, plans to resign as one of three U.S. commissioners to NASCO.

The other commissioners are Alan Peterson of Sandwich, Mass., chairman of the U.S. delegation, and Dave Egan of Guilford, Conn. Peterson is the director of the Woods Hole Research Center in Woods Hole, Mass. and is a regional director of National Marine Fisheries. Guilford is a director of the Connecticut Atlantic Salmon Commission.

Perhaps you know the U.S. commissioners to NASCO are presidential appointments. Therefore, you can expect some heavy political casting before Townsend’s vacated position is landed. The Canaan attorney also served three consecutive terms as president of the Maine Council of the Atlantic Salmon Federation. His successor to NASCO is expected to be appointed this fall.

Owen, whose brief term as commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife ends in November, says he will take the NASCO position if appointed. Judging from the energy he has displayed in directing the DIFW and his dedication to Atlantic salmon restoration and conservation, I’d say he’d be an excellent choice.

From what I’ve seen, it’s obvious that operators of jet skis and the like can use some school housing on the subject of the Maine’s water safety zone. Game wardens agree, allowing complaints are constant about the high-speed watercraft roaring along shorelines and near docks and floats well within the 200-foot safety zone. For those who aren’t aware of it – or who choose to ignore it – state law defines the water safety zone as “the area of water within 200 feet of any shoreline, whether the shoreline of the mainland or of an island.”

In regard to unlawfully operating a watercraft within the safety zone, the law states: “A person is guilty, except as provided in section 7802, of unlawfully operating a watercraft within the water safety zone if that person operates a watercraft at a speed greater than headway speed while within the water safety zone or within a marina or an approved anchorage in coastal or inland waters.” Headway speed is the minimum speed necessary to maintain steerage and control of the watercraft while it is moving. Section 7802 makes exception to people “actively fishing,” running a boat at trolling speed.

Now, tell me how many jet skis or “personal watercraft,” as they’re called, have you seen depart from a dock or float or shoreline at less than full throttle. Personally, I’ve watched such performances at my father-in-law’s camp at Beech Hill Pond in Otis. From what I’ve seen, regardless of reprovals, a warden could issue a summons to anyone saddling the waterborne bucking bronco tethered to the dock.

But calling a spade a spade, the finger of blame shouldn’t be pointed at the machines when the problem, obviously, is the people using them. That’s like blaming guns for the crimes committed with them. People are the problem.

Word from the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge in Calais is that four firefighters have been called from the refuge to assist in extinguishing the inferno raging in western states. Jeff Enlow, Tom Siekaniec, and Christine Minch have been sent to the Bureau of Land Management’s Burley District in Burley, Idaho, as members of an engine crew composed of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel assigned to Maine.

Fire fighter John Meister was sent to Burns, Oregon to join another crew of USFWS personnel from Maine, New Hampshire, and Maryland. Both crews are scheduled to eat smoke for three weeks.

On a more pleasant note, Moosehorn officials have announced the refuge’s blueberry field is abundant with fruit and open to picking from dawn to dusk – but for personal consumption only. Entry to the refuge is limited to foot traffic and roads posted for public use. Parking is available at refuge headquarters.

If you have a hankering for blueberry pie or pancakes, the field is located on the left side of Headquarters Road, about a five-minute walk from the gate. The limit is one bushel of berries per family. Also, because many species of wildlife are attracted to blueberries, don’t be surprised if you see a few furred and feathered pickers enjoying the plentiful repast.

For further information contact the refuge office located on Charlotte Road off Route 1. Phone: 454-7161 or 454-3521.