It’s probably way early to tell you about plans for the 16th Great Caribou Bog Wicked Winter Ski Tour and Race, but I’m going to anyway since we have snow on the ground. Who knows, with this crazy weather, when race date arrives on March 1 (rain date March 15), we may have flowers in bloom. Hey, it wouldn’t be the first time the race had to be canceled due to lack of snow.

Members of the Penobscot Valley Ski Club and sponsor Cadillac Mountain Sports have high hopes of making the 2003 event the best one yet, and to that end are looking to attract a wide variety of participants, both racers and folks who just want to have fun on the 18-kilometer tour. The annual free children’s tour will be held at Sargent School in Stillwater, and this year there is an 8-kilometer Bog Loppet (I didn’t make it up) for those of you in my shape and inclination. We ought to be able to shuffle 4.8 miles by then, shouldn’t we?

In another move to attract participants, ski club organizers are hoping to sign up five-member teams from area high schools, businesses, and other organizations to compete. The best three times will count, and the team with the shortest accumulated time wins.

I was invited to attend a planning session for the race at the Treadwell Building in Orono last Tuesday evening by Karen Francoeur, my paddling mentor, who has competed in this race numerous times. Geoffrey Gordon, Orono; Chris Dorion, Orono; Adrian Humphreys, Hope; Patricia Cammack, Holden, and Margo Lukens, Orono, rounded out the gathering.

For the enthusiastic, the 18-kilometer race will start at 11 a.m. at the base of the Essex Street recreation area and follow the old Veazie Railroad bed, up Kelley Hill, cross Forest Avenue near the intersection of Stillwater Avenue and finish at the Sargent School on Bennoch Road. There will be two water/aid stations and fruit and Gatorade at the end. There will be a food concession at the end as well.

Since this is a point-to-point race (one of only two in New England, the other being Craftsbury, Vt., Dorion said) buses will shuttle your warm clothing from the start to the finish, and then shuttle you back to the start so you may get your ride.

To drum up enthusiasm for the race, club members are working on setting up clinics to teach waxing and skiing technique. They also discussed plans to throw down the gauntlet to television meteorologists, challenging them to get out and race, or maybe just plug the race on air closer to race day – or just deliver good snow. Stay tuned.

If you just can’t wait, look up Penobscot Valley Ski Club at www.pvskiclub.org and you’ll find a registration form you can download, fill out, and send in. You’ll also find information about other club activities the club offers, including its annual Quebec City trip.

If you’re one to care about our environment, especially the health of the Gulf of Maine, here’s something you can do to back up your convictions – take a pledge to live in harmony with your environment.

To help you do that, the Maine Coastal Program of the State Planning Office is offering a free Maine Coastal Watershed’s Pledge Book. Its aim? To reduce nonpoint source pollution in the state. And by eliminating contaminants that reach our watersheds, we ultimately protect the health of the Gulf of Maine.

According to an e-mail I received the other day, “The book describes various contributors to nonpoint source pollution that arise from everyday activities. Categories span residential household related practices, such as lawn care, septic care, automobile issues and maintenance, landscaping, household cleaning products and toxins, pet care and water conservation. Other categories address more specialized activities such as boating, large animal agriculture and concern for salmon stream habitat, which also require care from the general population. After detailed descriptions, facts and information resources for each of the nonpoint source pollution categories, examples of potential watershed promises follow.

“Some examples of the promises on the Maine Coastal Watershed Pledge Card are:

“I Pledge to:

” . Get a soil test

” . Have my septic tank inspected annually

” . Properly dispose of antifreeze and oil

” . Avoid disturbing streambeds and salmon redds

” . Collect water in a rain barrel for use in my garden.”

If you need a little incentive to take the pledge by Dec. 1, the organization is offering you a ceramic tile from the Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, and will enter your name in a drawing for prizes from nature-based Maine organizations. These include whale watching companies, day cruises and kayak services.

If you would like to receive a copy of the Maine Coastal Watersheds Pledge Book, present the Pledge Book to your organization, or conduct a presentation with guidance from the Maine Coastal Program, contact Theresa Torrent-Ellis, at 287-2351, Theresa.torrent-ellis@state.me.us. For more information, visit the Maine Coastal Program Web site: http://www.state.me.us/mcp/.

The Maine Coastal Program was established in 1978. It grew out of the Coastal Zone Management Act passed by Congress in 1972.That legislation authorized funding for state coastal programs to work in partnership with the federal government to balance conservation with human demands.

The Maine Coastal Program is administered by the Maine State Planning Office, and is a partnership among local, regional, and state agencies. It also collaborates with many private organizations, such as local land trusts and economic development groups.

And here’s a little tidbit from Northwest River Systems latest newsletter: “Be prepared for your next adventure. The correct handling of all your gear after a trip is one key to making future trips a success. Be sure to clean and dry all gear before storing, and set up organized storage according to which gear needs new batteries, maintenance, repair, or replacement. Being organized and having a good plan for your next adventure will help assure successful trips and a lifetime of great paddling memories.”

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