State fisheries officials have documented further proof that pike are living in Pushaw Lake, and are seeking the public’s help in ongoing efforts to control the spread of the illegally introduced fish.

According to officials, a female pike was caught on Jan. 2 near Whitmore Landing. The pike was 28 inches long and weighed 5 pounds, 8 ounces.

Pike were first reported in Pushaw in the summer of 2003, and reports of pike have been increasing since that time.

The Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife is conducting a creel census on Pushaw and Mud Pond this winter to assess the abundance and distribution of the pike population in those waters.

Fisheries officials say pike pose a serious threat to the entire Penobscot River drainage.

Any angler who catches a pike in Pushaw Lake or Mud Pond is encouraged to keep the fish and contact the creel clerk, Kevin Gallant, at 461-8815, leave a message with the DIF&W at 732-4131 or with the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission at 941-4449.

NRCM to discuss Plum Creek

The Natural Resources Council of Maine has scheduled a series of January public talks on the future of the Moosehead Lake Region.

The NCRM opposes Plum Creek’s proposal for development in the Moosehead Lake Region, and is calling its talks “Big Moosetake: Hear how Plum Creek’s plan could spoil the beautiful Moosehead Lake region and what you can do about it.”

The NCRM’s schedule of talks:

. Jan. 19 at Nomads, 100 Commercial St., Portland, from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

. Jan. 23 at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

. Jan. 31 at the University of Maine’s Hutchinson Center, Belfast, from noon-1 p.m.

. Jan. 31 at the Camden Library from 6:30-8 p.m.

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.