The Lure of Mooswa #35

I am fortunate to live in an area where much of it is open to public access for fishing and hunting. Landowners make their land available to us as long as we respect it and keep it clean. In order to take advantage of its beauty, I only need to register at a gate and pay a minimal fee. If you are like TC and I, and frequent the area, you are more apt to purchase your yearly pass.

Now, my job allows me to be in contact with many people from outside our region, and it is often interesting to talk with them about how they view our remote area. Many times, they come here and one of the first things they talk about is their desire to see a moose. From time to time, they ask that we take a ride to try to find one so they can take a picture of it. I have even heard them remark that they have been here on a number of occasions, but have never seen the large animal. They question if there really is one, or if it is just fiction.

The word “moose” comes from the Algonquin Indians. These were native people who lived throughout the northern regions of Canada. The Algonquins called this strange looking creature mooswa. It means “twig-eater” or “the animal that strips bark off of trees.” Early explorers heard this word and through the years, it eventually changed into “moose.”

Those of us who live in Maine clearly have an answer for this question. I for one have been in the woods walking during hunting season only to come upon a large bull staring me down as if to say, what are you doing in my territory? When this happens, you quietly work your way to the side of the beast and find an alternative route of travel. I remember years ago while growing up, a Maine Game Warden, then stationed in Escourt Station telling us about the time he was fishing on Jones Pond. As he looked up, a bull moose was swimming towards him in the water at a speedy clip. The moose continued on and struck the boat sending the warden into the water. After striking the boat, the moose continued along to the shore and vanished out of sight.  I remember another story I was told, when my friend Jon was hunting in the woods, and all of a sudden, he ran by the gentleman he was hunting with at lightning speed. When asked why he was running, his response was that he was being chased by a big moose. Unfortunately, when the other gentleman looked behind Jon, there was no sign of a moose. Now, I was not there for either of those events, so were they true or were they just stories made up about this  beast?

So, are these animals real or a figment of your imagination? I leave you with this, next time you are traveling in the North Maine Woods, and it is hot and the heat is creating a mirage in what you see, and you come over a hill and all of a sudden off in the distance, you see a dark towering silhouette image up ahead side to you in the road, but you can’t quite make out what it is, stop the truck, step outside and take a good hard look. Could it be a moose or are you caught up in the lure of real vs. fiction?

How Dare You  #34

On Wednesday, the Bangor Daily News made a bold request under the freedom of information act to obtain the list of names and addresses of all individuals who hold a Maine concealed weapons permit. The reason they used was they wanted to measure the list against the people who have committed domestic violence, sexual assault and drug abuse. They made the request in a manner I feel they felt would fly under the radar and not rise to the level where Maine citizens would know that they had done so. Fortunately, their request was uncovered and reported, and many Mainers have voiced their outrage and opposition to their request, most notably on their web page under the comments section.
First, I don't generally write about politics. I prefer to talk about less stressful activities that you can partake in. However, when I learned of this diabolical attempt to obtain information using a less than credible approach to obtain that information, I was outraged. The Bangor Daily News knows full well that their request was made for a different reason. Many people who have voiced their outrage with the paper doing this have spoken about their concern for the safety of those people on that list, and for the unforeseen consequences of the papers action, should they be successful in obtaining it.
I understand that a number of Maine legislators have put forth a bill under an emergency preamble to prevent this request ,and others like it from being fulfilled. To those folks, I say thank you for at least helping to protect some sort of privacy that the media seems to want to exploit. Someone needs to protect us all from the underhanded tactics of a request such as this. I leave you with the text of the response of the Bangor Daily News when they learned that their request had been uncovered. Stop and think about it, if they are successful in getting this list and your name were on it, would you be happy in knowing that they may post the list in their newspaper where everyone could see it. Not to mention, those who might try to use the names on that list for their own personal gain? There is even a very good chance that by being on that list, you could end up with you and your family possibly being in danger.
Let’s voice our opposition to this sort of tactic. Contact your legislator and tell them that you support, LD 345, the bill now going through the Maine legislature that will prevent this information from being available.

BDN Explanation in Thursday, February 14 edition:

On Wednesday, the Bangor Daily News requested data from Maine police agencies regarding concealed weapons permits in Maine. I’d like to explain our thinking, and clarify our intent.

The BDN requested the records of concealed weapons permits as part of long-term reporting projects on domestic violence, sexual assault and drug abuse.

It always had been the BDN’s intent to request this information to support our reporting projects. However, the introduction of legislation to remove these permits from public records accelerated our timeline in doing so.

The BDN has never had any intention to release identifying information about permit holders, and said so in our request. We recognize how sensitive this information is, and made sure police agencies knew of this intent.

We believe the wholesale publication of permit holder information, as was done recently by a newspaper in New York, is irresponsible.

We intend to use this information about permits, along with other information sets we are gathering, to analyze possible correlations relevant to our reporting projects.

I regret the confusion our request has caused. We had hoped that by stating our intent right in our letters, we could have assuaged any concerns it could have caused.

Again, no identifying information about permit holders will be published, and no stories specifically about permit holders are planned.

Sincerely,

Anthony Ronzio

Director of News and New Media

Can I have the Front Seat? #33

It’s a very early morning in the North Maine Woods.  As the fog lifts off the water, and the loons, now quiet after having voiced their opinion much earlier, are now taking time out to rest their voice. As I look out over the water, I wonder what the day has to offer us.

 This particular morning, we prepare for our plane ride from Chandler Lake to Fourth Musquacook Lake to check on the camp there. Our chariot is at the end of the dock tied up and ready to go.

 As TC and I jump in with pilot Jason and Sherry, we can’t help but look out over Chandler Lake and just think about how beautiful this country is, and how lucky we are to be able to be a part of it. We are really looking forward to the short trip over, and will be taking in all the sites once in the air. As we leave the dock, TC, Sherry, Jason and I taxi over to the far end of the lake, I look back at the camps and just sit there in amazement.

 Jason and TC are in the front and Sherry and I are in the back. As Jason comes to the end of the lake, he turns the Cessna around and points it into the wind. He revs up the engine and lets it go. We gain speed and go by the camps and then the plane begins its climb into the air over the North Maine Woods. In no time we are up and making our way to Fourth. As we travel, Jason keeps me informed about where we are and what lakes and ponds lay below us. The morning is clear and we can see for as far as your eyes can take you.  We pass over ponds that I have fished and we take in new ponds that I would love to find my way to.

 I also notice the forest and the beauty that it has. You can see miles and miles of uncut greenery, only broken by the clear blue water.

In no time, we are descending at Fourth Lake and taxing up to the camps. This is my first time at the camps and they are beautiful.

We pull up to the dock, and Jason jumps out and ties his plane down. We all bail out and get a tour of another one of the best kept secrets in the North Maine Woods. I am told that this camp was once owned by International Paper and they used to come to it for retreats and other activities. Next to it is another smaller camp that is under repair, and a garage. We take it all in and promise to come back to stay sometime in the near future, but, unfortunately, it is time to get into the plane and head back. TC lays claim to the back seat, so I jump in the front.  I now have great viewing from my vantage point. Jason unties us and pushes the Cessna out. He starts the engines and quickly spins us around and revs the engine up. We travel down the waterway and up into the blue sky heading back to Chandler Lake. On our way back, Jason takes a bit of a detour to show me some new territory, including some great fishing spots, and he tells me how to get there over land. Then he points the plane in the homeward direction and in no time I can see Chandler Lake in the distance. Jason comes in over the tree tops and lands on the lake like we were on a carpet. He slows the plane down and steers it to the dock and cuts the engine as we glide back to where we started.

          As we come to a stop, I cannot help but think about the folks that frequented these woods many years ago, and how they got around before there were many roads. I am told that when Chandler Camps were first built, the only true access was by plane. A gentleman from Portage Lake used to fly the owners and all of their gear in and bring food and other items in as they needed them. If you stop and think about it, they were totally cut off from the outside world. Today in a world with TV, cell phones, computers, video games and what not, I bet it would be tough for many people to be that sheltered like they were.  What do you think? Could you have done it? I know I could have.