Sportsman gathering livened by new format

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Once a year, the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine herds up some of the state’s most prominent outdoors people, guides, fish and wildlife officials, and politicians for an informative day it loftily bills as the “Sportsman’s Congress.”

The meeting allows for the exchange of ideas, a bit of reflection on some accomplishments of the past year, and illuminates some key issues that SAM officials and others think will dominate the coming year.

On Friday, SAM hosted its 11th Sportsman’s Congress at a new site – Maple Hill Farm in Hallowell – and while many of the topics were familiar, a new format led to a lively, fast-paced, invitation-only affair.

According to Kelly Cochara of SAM, about 135 people attended the meeting, which was held at a smaller, more intimate venue than has been used in past years. The Congress had been held most recently at the Elks Lodge in Augusta.

Here then, are some reflections and high points culled from what has become a beginning-of-the-year ritual for many in the Maine outdoor community:

Eco-terrorism on the agenda: Maine enjoys a low crime rate, but according to a representative of the Maine Forest Products Council, lawmakers may soon address the growing problem of eco-terrorism.

Peter Triandafillou said a pending bill would make eco-terrorism a felony and pointed out that putting some teeth in the law could help sportsmen in the long run.

“I think it’s a good bill that will help prevent these crimes and preserve access to timberlands,” said Triandafillou, who urged Maine sportsmen to support the bill.

Sunday hunting still a hot topic: Many Mainers reacted angrily when a proposal to allow limited Sunday hunting was floated a year ago. And many still haven’t forgotten the issue, which was subsequently abandoned.

Here are three points of view offered at the Congress.

From Tom Doak of the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine: “At best half the hunters in the state of Maine favor it, it’s an incredibly divisive issue for sportsmen and we saw that play itself out recently … and perhaps most important, the public doesn’t want it. So after being rejected 25 times over the last 30 years by the Legislature, we think it’s time to stop pushing that issue and put the energy into some [other area].”

From Jon Olson of the Maine Farm Bureau: “In 1951 there was a bill in the Maine Legislature about Sunday hunting. The Maine Farm Bureau opposed it. I can tell you now that Maine farmers are opposed to Sunday hunting, and my suggestion is to put it to rest once and for all.”

And from George Smith, the executive director of SAM and an architect of last year’s Sunday hunting proposal.

“I didn’t know we’d been rejected 25 times in 30 years, but thank you for discovering that. Maybe the 26th time will be the one,” joked Smith, who admitted that any future Sunday hunting proposal would have to accommodate landowners and be supported by them.

All pro-, no con-: One of the hot-button topics in the outdoors world this year has been Plum Creek Timber Co.’s development plan in the Moosehead Lake region.

Congress attendees who saw “Plum Creek Moosehead Plan Presentation” on this year’s agenda and hoped for a spicy give-and-take session got nothing of the sort, however.

Instead, they were treated to a presentation by Doug Denico of Plum Creek, and then another presentation by representatives of the Coalition to Preserve and Grow Northern Maine.

In the interest of full disclosure, Edie Leary, the sister of SAM’s George Smith, is a consultant for that coalition and introduced its representatives at the lectern.

And what does that coalition stand for?

According to its pamphlet, “The Coalition supports projects that will help the people of northern Maine, including the Plum Creek Timber Company, plan for its lands around Moosehead Lake.”

While far from an outspoken Plum Creek critic thus far (I tend to think that well-planned development in rural Maine can be a tremendous catalyst, and needn’t be destructive nor a burden), I still found the two-pronged Plum Creek infomercial a bit overdone and tremendously unbalanced.

Is this an election year? Among the usual assortment of state politicians in attendance were three Republicans who have announced that they’re running for governor: Chandler Woodcock of Farmington, Peter Mills of Cornville, and David Emery of St. George.

Also attending: Democrat Gov. John Baldacci of Bangor, who made the keynote address after lunch.

Don’t bring your deer here: Chronic wasting disease is still a huge concern among Maine wildlife officials, and Mark Stadler, the DIF&W’s wildlife division director, said a new rule will soon go into effect that will change the way dead deer are transported into the state.

“We just recently completed a rule-making process that will go into effect probably by the middle of this month which will prohibit the transportation of cervid carcass parts into Maine, except for things like finished taxidermy mounts, clean skull caps, hardened antlers, things like that,” he said.

Your new wardens are on their way … almost: Maj. Gregg Sanborn, the state’s No. 2 game warden, said the Warden Service is in the process of hiring a new crop of officers to fill 12 current vacancies, but the process takes time.

Sanborn said 99 prospective wardens have applied, but none will take office for quite some time yet.

“Successful applicants are looking at 30 weeks of academy training, which is followed by nine weeks of field training, which means it will be June of 2007 before new game wardens will get to the streets,” Sanborn said.

Shorter, quicker … and more civil? For the past three years (sadly, my experience at Sportsman’s Congresses goes back only that far) the meeting has lasted well into the afternoon, and many attendees have left long before the closing presentations were made.

This year, with a short 9 a.m.-to-1:30 p.m. program scheduled, the attrition rate seemed much less.

That made for a few smiles (especially, it should be noted, among those ink-stained wretches who had deadlines to meet). But did it make for a more interesting Congress?

Yes … and no.

The meeting was certainly shorter, and presenters were generally allowed only five minutes to make their key points. That was an improvement.

But lost in the shuffle was the entertaining interplay between average sportsmen and state officials or politicians during the post-presentation question-and-answer period.

This year, questions weren’t entertained, which meant all the speakers returned to their seats without being grilled by an interested (or irate) audience.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.