Be safe while paddling icy waterways

Winter’s grip on our slower-moving streams is loosening. White-water fanatics have been out on the faster stretches, but those of us who take life at a more leisurely pace have had to wait a bit longer for open fresh water.

A couple of Saturdays ago, I paddled a few miles up Pushaw Stream from the Route 43 bridge, and a week ago, my paddling mentor, Karen Francoeur, and I skidded our boats over the ice and snow into Souadabscook Stream at Vafiades Landing. The stretch of water between Hammond Pond and Hermon Pond was open, but both ponds were still iced over. By the time you read this, however, they’ll be free.

It’ll be fun to be able to get to open water without having to slosh through snow or skid boats over ice, but so far it has made for some interesting paddling. There’s something oddly appealing about paddling between ice-encrusted riverbanks. I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re new to paddling or you don’t have proper clothing for the water temperature. There are few escape routes to shore with all that ice.

In addition to the fresh air and exercise, the reward for me has been to watch ducks returning to set up shop for the season. They’ve been skittish, taking off about 100 yards away as we’ve approached, but they’re definitely pairing up for the nesting season.

I did a little wildlife watching another way on a recent Wednesday evening at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Park Street in Bangor. Tom Skeele, executive director of the Predator Conservation Alliance based in Bozeman, Mont., was in town to present a slide show on the reclusive world of the eight northern forest predators: the wolf, black bear, lynx, wolverine, fisher, marten, northern goshawk and mountain lion. The organization will make similar presentations throughout New England during the next two months.

It was too bad that there was no advance notice so others could have attended. The presentation was visually stunning and mentally stimulating. The photography of these “charismatic megafauna” was excellent. But the story of their potential demise is troubling.

Predators have a certain fascination for many outdoor-oriented folks. And when we think of predators we often think of Alaska, Canada and the western United States, forgetting that in our own back yard there is a good, albeit not complete, selection of the eight. Missing are the wolf, mountain lion and wolverine.

The message the Predator Conservation Alliance is taking on the road is an educational one that explains the key role of predators in nature – they are the top of the food chain and exert a degree of control on the lives of their prey and, in turn, other parts of the food chain. Take away part of that chain and the rest is affected negatively in some way.

Remove a predator that preys on weak and older animals and what do you have? A lot of weak, older, less vigorous prey. Then too, there is a decrease in the number of medium-sized predators such as the raccoon, possum, fox and skunk and so on down the line, the group says.

While we don’t have wolves or mountain lions in Maine, we do have a small documented lynx population in our northern woodlands. In 1999 and 2000, eight lynxes and 12 kittens were counted, the first since 1964. The big-footed cats, twice the size of a bobcat, are highly dependent on snowshoe hares and a mix of habitat that includes mature stands of trees with lots of logs and patches of young forest (where hares do best). Clear-cuts create gaps in the woods and when the trees grow back, the forest lacks the diversity needed for denning and hunting, the group says.

I asked Skeele about the draw wolves have had on tourism around Yellowstone National Park, where they’ve been reintroduced. His organization has been host to five viewing trips to the park since April 1997 and has brought in more than $24,000 to the area’s economy. There are a dozen other companies running wolf-viewing trips to the park and the surrounding area, he said. And hundreds of people come on their own to catch a glimpse of the predators.

If you are interested in learning more about the Predator Conservation Alliance, and its efforts to conserve and restore forest and grassland ecosystems and to protect predators and their habitats, write to Predator Conservation Alliance, P.O. Box 6733, Bozeman, Mont. 59771, call (406) 587-3389 or check out the Web site at www.predatorconservation.org.

Now that paddling season is here, it’s a good time to be thinking about safety on the water. After all, it’s better to think ahead when it comes to saving your life. When you’re in cold water over your head, it’s not the time to be wondering where it was you stowed that personal flotation device or how you could have avoided getting in over your head in the first place, is it?

Some of my friends have pooled their talents and, on May 18 at the Bangor YMCA on Hammond Street, they will present a first for our area – Paddle Smart from the Start Kayak Safety Symposium. It’s a collaborative effort of the YMCA, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the U.S. Coast Guard, Cadillac Mountain Sports and Castine Kayak Adventures. The goal is to spread the word about safety on the water. And it’s free!

Anyone who spends time in a canoe or kayak can take away something from this seminar. There will be informational displays on paddling clothing, island use and maps and charts as well as clinics on boat selection, communicating from your boat, essential equipment, effective rescue techniques and some basics of navigation.

There will be representatives of the Maine Island Trail Association, the Maine Safe Boating Council, Marine Patrol and Coast Guard Auxiliary on hand as well. And the list is growing each week.

Mark May 18 on your calendar and plan to attend between 6 and 10 p.m.

Jeff Strout can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.