The Maine Department of Conservation reported on Friday that attendance at state parks and historic sites had increased by a record 9 percent through September.

“In July we helped Gov. [John] Baldacci launch our ‘Take it Outside’ initiative, encouraging Maine families to reconnect with the outdoors,’ DOC Commissioner Pat McGowan said in a statement. “It appears that our message got through. Attendance at our state parks and historic sites was up 172,000 visitors in August and September, when compared to the same period last year.”

Baldacci praised the effort of DOC staffers.

“Maine’s $13.2 billion tourism industry is vitally linked to our special places,” Baldacci said in the news release. “As I’ve visited our parks, including the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, I’ve seen firsthand what a great experience visitors enjoy.”

Moosehorn beaver trapping open

Refuge manager Bill Kolodnicki has announced that the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge will be open to beaver trapping again this year. Each of the refuge’s four beaver-trapping units will be awarded on a lottery basis.

Information and trapping applications may be obtained by visiting the refuge office during regular business hours, or by contacting the project leader at 454-7161 or at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, 103 Headquarters Road, Baring, 04694. Trappers applying for a permit by mail must provide a legal-sized self-addressed, stamped envelope with their request.

Trapping applications must be returned to the refuge office by 4 p.m. on Oct. 25. A lottery will be held at the refuge conference room at 4 p.m. on that day.

The Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 28,885 acres in eastern Washington County. The Baring Division lies in Baring Plantation, Calais, Charlotte and Meddybemps. Parts of the Edmunds Division, located in Edmunds Township and Pembroke, border Dennys Bay.

GPC to hold haunted houses

The Greenland Point Center will stage a Halloween event on Oct. 27 in Princeton.

The festivities begin at 5 p.m., with a parade of ghouls. Prizes will be awarded for cutest, creepiest and most original costumes. Haunted houses will be located around the cabin circle.

Games and treats will be available at the main lodge, and there will be a bonfire for cooking marshmallows.

Admission is $4. An adult must accompany all children.

For questions or to volunteer, call 796-5186.

Turkey shoot on tap

The Pushaw Lake Snowmobile Club will hold a turkey shoot from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 21 at the clubhouse on Whitmore Landing Road in Hudson.

Shooters who put the most holes in a paper plate in one shot win a frozen turkey. There will be three classes – 12-guage, 20-guage, and .410. Shooters must purchase the club’s shot to participate, at $1 per shell.

A public spaghetti feed will also be held during the event.

For more information, call Mike Haggerty at 827-2150.

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.