It is necessary to put into perspective the actions of the Maine Warden Service on the Penobscot River over the past week. Although we whitewater guides respect the wardens and their outdoors skills, it apparent to us that they are driven by tradition and ego rather than an actual willingness to learn when it comes to Maine’s swiftwater rivers. This was a fact that was confirmed by the debacle at Big A last Friday.

In early July, one of the foremost river rescue experts in the United States visited Maine. He held a daylong swiftwater rescue class at no charge. I attended, along with 14 other guides. The Warden Service was also offered the chance, but decided they were unable to fit such a class into their schedule. This is unfortunate, especially for Great Northern Paper, who would probably still have a working airboat had they taken this expert up on his offer.

Rather than spending a day with someone who could actually teach them a thing or two about swiftwater, the wardens set aside a day to “test the limits of their airboat.” The airboat is probably an excellent tool in rescuing victims who have fallen through the ice, but it has no place in the rapids of the Penobscot River.

Last Friday, I was on my way to kayak the upper section of the Penobscot when I heard that the wardens had requested the water be dropped in order to dislodge their boat. When I arrived at the first drop of Big A, I was hoping to that I might be of some assistance to the wardens. I was told by a friend that they had already been approached by a guide who offered gear, experience and know how. This offer was refused.

Rather than excepting the assistance of the guides, the wardens decided to tie the boat off with ropes to the shore for the weekend. Although the boat was avoidable, its seriousness as an entrapment risk was real.

I hoped that the lesson learned would have had something to do with understanding the limits of technology and the lack of their own expertise. Those hopes were dashed when I heard they had driven a skidder in for the recovery. Maine Whitewater Guides have been running inflatable rubber rafts down the Penobscot for 20 years…when was the last time we need a skidder to recover a raft from the river? Sometimes, simple is better. Matthew Swartz Portland