Cover men’s hoop

I would like to concur with Barry Terrill’s letter (BDN, Nov. 7) about the men’s basketball team at the University of Maine in Orono. As a Portland resident I log on to your paper to see an update on the team and have been sorely disappointed.

Coach John Giannini has recruited the finest talent in the history of the program and quickly turned around a league doormat. He deserves to be lauded for this. And we the fans deserve to be informed on a consistent and regular basis about the status of Maine’s only Division I men’s basketball team.

Pete Buckley

Portland

Coexisting with wolves

Yesterday afternoon I went out in the woods with a friend who was bow-hunting and as I sat in the rickety deer stand, high in a beautiful old white pine tree, I could not stop thinking about Tom Hennessey’s pre-election plea (Sportsmen: vote to keep Second Amendment, BDN, Nov. 4). While I appreciate Mr. Hennessey’s passion for his rights, I fervently wish he had relied on actual facts, not emotional and misguided dramatization.

First, Defenders of Wildlife is not an anti-hunting organization. I would urge Mr. Hennessey to read the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s description of Defenders, which begins “Defenders of Wildlife is neither an anti-hunting nor a pro-hunting organization…”

In fact, we are very supportive of talking with hunters and listening to their concerns and learning about what they experience and see in the woods. They can be valuable sources of information and local knowledge.

Second, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is not working solely with Defenders of Wildlife. The FWS is a federal entity that works with all stakeholders involved in an issue. At the moment, there is an ongoing dialogue to determine how people feel about the possibility of wolves being restored in the North Woods and the FWS should be commended for their desire to accommodate the wide range of opinions surrounding this issue.

On Oct. 12, the FWS held a public hearing in Orono to listen to comments on its proposal to reclassify the gray wolf throughout its range. Only two people out of 200 spoke out against wolves. Interestingly, the representatives from the state of Maine and from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife did not condemn wolves, but expressed a desire to work with the FWS to ensure that the potential recovery plan meet their expectations.

Third, there is no reason hunters and other sportsmen cannot coexist with wolves as they are already doing in several mid-western and western states. There are many hunters who know that a deer herd would benefit in the long run from the presence of a top predator. The presence of wolves would restore balance to the entire northern woods ecosystem.

Wolves would also help curb the burgeoning coyote population. Studies have shown that wolves limit coyote numbers where prey is not overabundant. The evidence that wolves would decimate a deer population is scant. When the prey base fluctuates, due to harsh winters or disease, wolf populations, unlike coyotes, self-regulate in response.

Fourth, to blame coyotes and wolves for the smaller deer herd in northern Maine is ridiculous. This is the northernmost part of the white-tail deer’s range so it is not much of a surprise that the population is slightly lower in northern Maine than it is in southern Maine. The snow is usually too deep for deer to travel effectively and forage for food. Habitat destruction, however, is a key factor to the smaller northern population. Only a small percentage of the historic deer yards remain and these are essential for the deer’s survival during the harsh Maine winters.

I respect the hunting tradition in Maine and want to work with hunters and trappers to restore the ecological balance of the northern woods. Emotions run high around this issue. It is important to keep the facts straight and proceed with the utmost respect for the land and the people and animals that inhabit it.

Lisa Osborn

Northeastern representative

Defenders of Wildlife

Shelburne, Vt.

Note to readers: The NEWS asks that letters be kept brief and reserves the right to edit submissions for libel, taste, clarity, and to fit available space. Letters should include a signature, full name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters may be mailed to: P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402, or e-mailed: bdnsports@bangordailynews.net