According to his supervisors, Dave Simmons isn’t one of those game wardens who wants much attention.

Simmons, they say, is most comfortable working behind the scenes, doing the thankless work and protecting the state’s fish and game resources.

In Winslow on Friday, Simmons was honored for his determined low-key approach. Simmons was named the 2005 Maine Warden of the Year at the Maine Warden Service banquet.

Simmons lives in Gouldsboro and he is responsible for patrolling an area that includes that town, as well as Franklin, Eastbrook, Sorrento, Sullivan, and Winter Harbor.

“Dave possesses a unique quality where he often works for the greater good without seeking credit for his actions,” said Col. Tom Santaguida, the chief of the Maine Warden Service. “Dave routinely initiates investigations and plays a significant role in solving wildlife crimes, but in the end does not seek recognition.”

On Friday, he received that recognition from his peers … whether he sought it or not.

“Dave’s priority is getting the job done,” Santaguida said. “It’s difficult to say enough about Warden Simmons’ intensity, drive, and positive attitude.”

Simmons was recognized for his skills and enthusiasm, as well as his willingness to assist his fellow wardens. He chipped in on the moose hunt in Aroostook County last fall, when his investigative work was instrumental in making a case against two hunters who had allegedly killed two moose.

His work ethic also was cited in regard to waterfowl protection. When the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife issued a directive to make waterfowl protection a priority, Simmons proceeded to detect 28 waterfowl violations last season.

Simmons was recently put in charge of evidence collection for the Search and Rescue Incident Management Team, has researched the newest evidence collection methods, and made evidence collection kits available to those in the field. He routinely travels to section and division meetings and helps educate wardens on new techniques and has also become the head of the wildlife forensics lab in Bangor.

Other wardens receiving awards on Friday:

. Jeremy Kemp of Carroll Plantation and Paul Farrington of Springfield, a meritorious service award for their role in a search for a pair of teenage boys whose canoe overturned on East Grand Lake during a storm.

. Joey Gardner of Edmunds, James Martin of Baileyville, Joseph McBrine of East Machias, and Brad Richard of Princeton, meritorious service awards for their initiative, courage, and diligence in a search for two men who drowned on Cathance Lake.

. Sgt. Ron Dunham of Lincoln, meritorious service award for his part in the rescue, with the department hovercraft, of two canoeists on the rain-swollen Kenduskeag Stream.

. Dan Scott, Jeremy Judd, Dave Chabot, Jason Luce, Michael Eaton, Daniel Carroll, and Shon Theriault, exemplary service awards.

. Dan Scott and his canine, Roxy, the search and rescue canine case of the year award; Mark Merrifield and his canine, Aspen, the K9 conservation law enforcement case of the year award.

. Sgt. Pat Devlin of Carmel, the supervisor of the year award.

. Retired Warden Virgil Grant, the 2005 legendary game warden award.

. Rep. Michael Michaud, the colonel’s award for his efforts to procure nearly $600,000 for the Maine Warden Service through the Office of Justice Programs Community Oriented Policing Services. The technology grant will be used to equip all Maine wardens with computers.

Northern Maine salmon update

As I told you in Tuesday’s editions, I had the chance to attend the Atlantic Salmon for Northern Maine banquet and auction in Presque Isle on Saturday, and had a great time meeting old friends and making new ones.

On Thursday Ron Grover, the president of Atlantic Salmon for Northern Maine, called with an update.

The banquet was a sellout, with 200 tickets going for $50 apiece, and he estimated that the total money raised (adding in the take from live and silent auctions, raffles, and the like) was between $25,000 and $30,000.

Not bad for an evening’s work, I figure.

And according to another club member I spoke to earlier this week, after reading the details of the sumptuous feast that we enjoyed, several more potential attendees said they felt like they missed out on a fantastic evening.

Trust me. They did. The good news: There’s always next year.

MYFGA holding turkey day

Dave Georgia, a Maine Game Warden and one of the driving forces behind Maine’s Youth Fish & Game Association, called on Thursday to tell me about a program the club will offer next weekend.

And if you’re a fledgling turkey hunter (or know of one), you might want to head out the Stud Mill Road on April 22 for the club’s turkey-hunting seminar.

The event will take place at the clubhouse at 1 p.m. (just head out to the County Road in Milford, turn right onto Stud Mill Road, and look for the sign).

It’s being sponsored by the Maine chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, and will offer plenty of hunting and safety tips. In addition, participants will get to pattern their shotguns at the club’s new shooting range.

I attended this seminar a year ago, before my first-ever turkey-hunting trip, and learned plenty of great tips from very knowledgeable turkey hunters.

Aroostook turkey plan reached

A few months back, this newspaper reported on the tempest brewing among some farmers in Aroostook County and DIF&W.

In a nutshell, the farmers weren’t too pleased with the state’s immensely successful wild turkey reintroduction effort, in that those birds were creating some sizeable problems down on the farms.

The state vowed to meet with concerned parties and to figure out a way to continue reintroduction efforts while recognizing the potential problems farmers could face.

On Friday, the state announced that a solution has been reached.

According to a DIF&W press release, after a series of meetings with stakeholders in Aroostook County, the department will resume releasing wild turkeys up north but will follow a protocol designed by the stakeholders themselves.

“I am very glad that this diverse group was able to work together, work through the challenges, and then devise a plan that will bring more turkeys into southern Aroostook County,” said Roland D. Martin, the commissioner of the DIF&W.

Here are the highlights:

. Before releasing turkeys into suitable habitat in Aroostook County, the DIF&W will evaluate potential sites with regard to agricultural concerns, turkey habitat needs, proximity to agricultural operations, and the potential impacts of turkeys to those operations.

. A response plan will deal with the impact of potential nuisance turkeys. That plan includes education on protection, as well as help lines, an emphasis on quick, direct response, and working with animal damage control agents.

. The plan provides a vehicle to review the established protocol so that it can adapt to any issues that may result in the future.

According to the press release, the department is guided through goals and objectives set by stakeholders. In 1999, a group convened to establish turkey population goals and objectives for the subsequent 15 years. One of those goals was to establish wild turkey populations within all suitable habitat in Maine. Turkeys are already present in all 16 counties in the state, including the Aroostook County towns of Hersey, Benedicta, and Orient.

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