Maine DOT urging driver safety May, June are most dangerous months for auto collisions with moose

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To many, spring means grass getting green, ice leaving lakes and ponds, and outdoor recreational opportunities becoming more varied.

The Maine Department of Transportation warns motorists that as temperatures warn, they ought to pay more attention to their own safety.

The reason: May and June are the most dangerous months for motor vehicle collisions with moose. Car-deer crashes are also common.

Nearly 15,000 moose and deer collisions occurred between 1999 and 2001, and 10 people lost their lives in those crashes.

The Maine DOT issued a news release this week and asked for help in publicizing the issue of car-moose and car-deer crashes.

“Large animal collisions are no longer a phenomenon of northern Maine, or even rural Maine,” the DOT release said. “And while deer collisions are disturbing, moose collisions can be fatal. Moose are more difficult to see than deer because the only aspect illuminated by headlights are the legs, and moose eyes do not reflect light as effectively as deer eyes do.”

The Maine DOT says the risk increases at this time of year as moose move down into lower valleys to find green food. Because the first areas to turn green are often beside roadways, moose are often just off the road this time of year.

“Moose will remain common by roadways until their next major food source – aquatic plants – mature later in the summer. Roads that border wetlands can be some of the most dangerous locations,” the DOT release says.

Various state agencies have studied the issue and have researched accident-mitigation techniques including fencing, lighting, animal overpasses and underpasses, pavement marking, reflective devices, signs, audible warning devices, increased harvest and driver education.

The state offers an important piece of advice: Don’t overdrive your headlights. Keep your speed down. This kind of accident can happen anywhere.

Bar Harbor forum scheduled

Outdoors enthusiasts in the Hancock County area may want to take note of a Sportsman’s Forum that will be held this week.

The forum, sponsored by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Emerson School in Bar Harbor.

DIF&W Commissioner Danny Martin is scheduled to attend, as is DIF&W Advisory Council member David Wardwell.

The forum will give sportsmen and women the chance to talk about issues with decision-makers and voice their opinions on a variety of matters.

Kids derby on tap in Greenville

Children in the Greenville area will be offered a fun day of fishing on May 17, as the Greenville Recreation Department hosts the 2nd annual Kids All-American Fishing Derby.

The derby will be held at the pit pond closest to town (contact the department for directions), and registration begins at 7:30 a.m.

Fishing begins at 8, and the weigh-in is planned for 11:30 (at which time refreshments will also be served). The presentation of prizes will take place at noon.

The pit is stocked with trout by DIF&W personnel, and children will compete for big fish and casting honors, as well as in the “I caught a fish” contest.

The derby is open to children up to age 15.

Greenville fisheries discussion set

Folks from the greater Greenville area who’ve been waiting for the chance to pick the brains of local fisheries biologists will get that chance this week.

If you want to find out more about Moosehead’s togue, have specific questions about your own favorite waterway, or if you just want to get out and talk about fishing, mark yourcalendar for Wednesday, May 14.

The meeting, which is being billed as an evening to discus fish and fishing, will be held at the Piscataquis Valley Snowmobile Club in Dover-Foxcroft, beginning at 7 p.m.

The event will be hosted by the folks from Greenville region Fisheries Division of the DIF&W, and local politicians – along with DIF&W Advisory Council member Ray Poulin – have been invited.

According to regional biologist Paul Johnson, the meeting will let anglers talk about their sport and learn what the state is doing on their behalf … or what people think the state should be doing.

“It’s an evening for sportsmen who enjoy fishing to come out,” Johnson said. “We’re going to talk a little bit about stocking and regulations. People can ask questions, tell us what they like, what they don’t like. It’s just an old-fashioned gab-fest.”

TU, L.L. Bean team up

Members of the Maine Council of Trout Unlimited are meeting this weekend for a training workshop focusing on youth fly fishing and conservation education.

The workshop, held today and Sunday, is being held at L.L. Bean’s Casco Conference Center in Freeport. Guest speakers include members of Trout Unlimited’s national office, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, and other local experts.

L.L. Bean and Trout Unlimited have a long history of cooperation and commitment to youth education. Recently, L.L. Bean donated $25,000 worth of youth equipment to TU’s national office for distribution to grassroots chapters around the country. The youth education workshop is another part of this increased partnership between L.L. Bean and TU.

TU’s national youth program coordinator, Rob Roberts, organized the event and will be leading the training sessions, which include “Elements of a Successful Program,” “Integrating Conservation Activities,” and will include samples of many successful programs.

Sunday’s session will focus on planning a weeklong TU youth fly fishing and conservation camp which will be held during the summer of 2004.

To submit an item for publication in the Outdoor Notebook, send e-mail to jholyoke@bangordailynews.net, fax to 990-8092 or mail information to Outdoor Notebook, Bangor Daily News, PO Box 1329, Bangor, Maine, 04402-1329.