For many, spring trips to the North Maine Woods are annual events, as outdoor enthusiasts take the opportunity to get away from it all, watch wildlife, and catch a few fish.

If you’re one of those who loves heading north just after ice out, the executive director of North Maine Woods has a warning for you: Call before you drive.

Al Cowperthwaite sent me an e-mail on Thursday, asking for help in getting the word out to prospective North Maine Woods travelers.

North Maine Woods is a nonprofit corporation that links large and small landowners with natural resource agencies. NMW operates gates at several locations, and adventurous Mainers can access more than 3.5 million acres of privately held land through those gates.

Moose hunters often use the North Maine Woods. So do deer hunters and bird hunters and anglers.

It’s important to remember that even though spring has sprung in much of eastern and southern Maine, there are still plenty of places where winter (or mud season) is hanging on.

Here’s some of what Cowperthwaite had to say:

“We’re getting a lot of calls from people planning to head north, but conditions are not suitable for travel into the North Maine Woods,” Cowperthwaite wrote.

“We have some unusual conditions this spring. There is green grass sprouting up around our office in Ashland and in communities in central and southern Maine, but snow depths north and west of Millinocket, in the KI Jo-Mary Forest area and north of Moosehead Lake average at least 15 to 20 inches and contain five to eight inches of water to run off once the snow melts,” he wrote.

“And with all the rain we had in December and January, the ground is already saturated,” he continued. “Wood contracts were filled in March and many roads were not plowed after the last three snowstorms. Snow depths prohibit travel on side roads. Main roads that were plowed over the past month and are too soft to travel on.”

The bright side: Even if you can’t get into the North Maine Woods, you’re probably not missing much in the way of fishing opportunities. Open water is hard to find.

“Lake ice is 20 inches or more on most lakes, and unless we get some warm weather and rain, it may be at least two more weeks before many waters are open to fishing,” Cowperthwaite wrote. “Chamberlain and Churchill lakes still have about 20 inches of solid ice now.”

Cowperthwaite points out that traveling on soft gravel roads will leave ruts that must be repaired, and those who push the season will be damaging roads for their fellow outdoors enthusiasts.

Cowperthwaite urges travelers to contact the North Maine Woods office for updated information. Call 435-6213 or send e-mail inquiries to info@northmainewoods.org.

Hennessey earns another honor

When the Maine Warden Service got together to honor their own on Friday, plenty of deserving conservation law officers walked away with plaques, certificates, and pins.

There was, however, another winner in their midst.

The Maine Warden Service Association – a benevolent organization that supports wardens and their families in times of need – recognized a few individuals for certificates of merit.

Included in that group: longtime BDN outdoors writer and artist Tom Hennessey.

Maine Warden Service Association President Chris Dyer read the nomination letter, in which Hennessey is lauded eloquently.

“The Maine Warden Service would like to take this opportunity to recognize Tom Hennessey for his profound contribution to the Maine sporting community and for his insightful support of the tradition of the Maine Warden Service,” Dyer said.

Dyer said that Hennessey’s work stood out among his peers.

“Tom’s writings, whether in his columns in the Bangor Daily News or his books, have kept the sporting traditions so unique to Maine alive in our hearts and minds,” Dyer said. “Tom did not shy away from controversy and always exhibited a willingness to publicly defend the sporting traditions so important to us all.”

Dyer also spoke about Hennessey’s gifts as an artist.

“Tom’s talent with the brush is as important as his work with the pen. Not only has Tom given the honorable sportsman words to live by; his images record real life outdoor experiences,” Dyer said. “You can bet your finest double-barreled shotgun that each piece of art is based on a snapshot in the rich sporting experiences stored in Tom’s mind.”

One more thing about Hennessey is also certain: If somebody else didn’t tell you about this most recent award, chances are slim that you’d hear it from the man himself. It’s just not his nature.

That’s why I thought it was important to tell you about Hennessey’s latest honor this morning.

Hennessey may have officially retired, but the Maine Warden Service Association has again proven that his work in these pages will be missed, and the man’s passion for outdoor traditions won’t be forgotten.

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