Volunteers improving Aroostook River access for fish

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The next generation of Aroostook River anglers could have a better chance of landing a brook trout, because local sportsmen took matters into their own hands.

Volunteers from the Aroostook River Advisory Council are literally rebuilding portions of the river to create better access for the trout, salmon and other species that live in the river’s many tributaries.

“There’s been a lot of discontent in northern Maine with the wild fishery and how it’s deteriorated over the years,” Matt Libby of Ashland said.

The Aroostook River hasn’t been stocked by state biologists since the 1950s, and no one knew exactly why the quality of the wild fishery had declined.

Then, while surveying the water temperature of river tributaries in 2000, sportsmen noticed that gravel banks had formed at the mouth of many nursery streams, blocking access into the river.

It became obvious that fish travel was impeded by sediment that built up around culverts installed during road and railroad construction.

“All of that gravel over the years had spread out and created a delta,” said Sandy Baird of Mapleton.

Sportsmen surveyed the length of the river last summer and identified more than a dozen streams in the same condition, Libby said.

With $200 in donations and a lot of volunteer efforts, local sportsmen cleared the gravel from Gardner Creek in Mapleton and saw immediate results.

“We saw a fish in the river the next morning,” Libby said.

This summer, Merit Brook in Presque Isle will be cleared once water levels fall from their spring peaks. Other small tributaries will be cleared as funds become available, Baird said.

The commission is also seeking grant money for a large-scale study of the Aroostook River’s potential as a game fishery.

“We need to take a look at the entire river system and come up with a plan,” Baird said.

“What we’re trying to do is simply maximize the potential of the river,” he said.

Accessible wildlife

Wildlife watchers and hunters who have not met with success in the north woods can at least get a glimpse of their quarry with a visit to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s Maine Wildlife Park, located in Gray.

An easy day trip from central Maine, the 200-acre park has more than 25 species of native Maine wildlife on display, including moose, black bears, fishers, lynx, mountain lions, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, bald eagles, hawks, owls and brown trout, according to department spokesman Mark Latti.

This summer, visitors can explore four new exhibits, including a wetlands area featuring native turtles and amphibians, a freshwater fisheries display, a coyote enclosure and an exhibit featuring a 6-year-old bull moose.

The park offers children a first opportunity to see many of these animals, as well as educational programs and demonstrations that explain the relationships between different species and their habitats.

The Maine Wildlife Park opened for the season in April, and will remain open each day through November, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $4.50 for adults, $3 for students ages 5 to 12, and free for young children. For more information, contact the park at 287-8000 or 657-4977.

Earth Day at Baxter

More than 100 volunteers turned out Saturday, May 4, for a belated Earth Day celebration at Baxter State Park.

Volunteers spent three hours cleaning litter from park roads, and collected two truckloads of scrap metal, two truckloads of garbage and $14 in recyclable bottles and cans, said Park Director Irvin “Buzz” Caverly, offering his thanks to all participants at a recent meeting of the Baxter State Park Authority.

Turkey trouble

A Southern Maine turkey hunter’s attempt to draw in a big tom instead attracted a hungry coyote last week, according to the local weekly paper.

Darryl and Steve Flagg of Jefferson had posed a pair of turkey decoys, then waited for the birds to arrive. Instead, a large coyote slunk close to the plastic hens, flattening one of the decoys and surprising the hunters.

Using the remaining decoy, the father and son eventually did attract a turkey, and bagged a 20-pound bird using a bow and arrow.

Misty Edgecomb can be reached at medgecomb@bangordailynews.net.