Time is running out for those who want to attend the 33rd annual fund-raising banquet of the Downeast Chapter of Ducks Unlimited.

The banquet is set for Thursday, Sept. 23, at the Bangor Banquet and Conference Center on Hogan Road.

The doors open at 5:30 p.m., and all banquet tickets must be paid for in advance. Tickets cost $45 for a single, $65 for a couple, and $30 for a “greenwing” under age 18.

Since its inception in 1971, the Downeast Chapter of DU has raised more than $260,000 that has helped DU conserve, restore and manage wetlands and associated habitats for North American waterfowl.

For more information on tickets, contact Steve Sargent at 989-6789, David Poll at 947-4616 or Tom Duff at 989-6082.

SAM CEF auction set for Sept. 19

Gear and guns galore will be up for bids Sept. 19 as sportsmen head to the Augusta Elks Lodge for the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine Conservation Education Fund auction.

An abundance of items has forced a change: The doors will open at 9 a.m., and the auction begins at 10 a.m.

The auction features guns from Maine dealers, more than $20,000 worth of merchandise donated by L.L. Bean, as well as outdoor gear from merchants across the state.

SAM president Edye Cronk and executive director George Smith selected all of the L.L. Bean merchandise during a January shopping spree.

“I pretended it was all for me, so you know there’s a lot of hunting and fishing gear,” Smith said.

State Sen. Paul Davis of Sangerville will serve as auctioneer.

All funds raised at the auction will go to SAM’s Conservation Education Fund, which supports many projects throughout the state. SAM CEF provides scholarships to the Maine Conservation Schools, and maintains a Web site (www.samcef.org) with information on current issues of interest to sportsmen.

SAM CEF also supports SAM’s conservation work on many fishery and wildlife projects.

For more information about the auction, call the SAM office at 622-5503, or e-mail SAM at members@samcef.org.

Wildlife park open house set

The Maine Wildlife Park in Gray will host a free open house today from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The open house is a good chance for people to take a closer look at the wildlife of Maine. The 200-acre park has more than 25 different species of wildlife on exhibit, including moose, black bear, lynx, mountain lions, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys and bald eagles.

The open house will feature special demonstrations, displays and information on topics ranging from radio tracking wild animals to boating safety. Maine Game Wardens, hatchery personnel and Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologists will be on hand.

Visitors are encouraged to bring a lunch and take advantage of picnic areas in the park. A snack shack, bookstore and gift shop are also on the premises.

The Maine Wildlife Park is located off Exit 11 of the Maine Turnpike in Gray.

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.