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MPGA Board Meeting - September 30:

Please Note this Schedule Change - The Board meeting originally scheduled for Sunday, September 23, has been re-scheduled as follows:

Board of Directors - Sunday, September 30, 2007 at 9:00 AM. Location is the Holiday Inn on Odlin Road in Bangor.

Members are welcome to attend all Board meetings.

Nature Tourism Task Force - September 19:

Now also known as the Maine Nature Tourism Initiative ("MNTI"), the Task Force will meet on Wednesday, September 19, in the Transportation Committee Room (Room 126) of the State House. The meeting will run from 1:00 PM to 4:00 Pm.

The current Co-Chairs are Karin Tilberg of the Governor's office, and Sharon Libby Jones. The agenda will include updates on the three pilot regions (remember Fermata?) and funding partnerships to complete the pilot projects.

Whitetail Deer Task Force - September 20:

The Northern & Eastern Maine Deer task Force will meet on Thursday, September 20, at the Bangor Motor Inn on Hogan Road. The meeting will run from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM.

MPGA Director Matt Libby chairs the Task Force. The agenda includes reviewing strategies for increasing the deer herd. IF&W coyote snaring policies were distributed prior to the meeting.

Trapper's Banquet - September 22:

The Maine Trappers Association will hold its annual Trapper Appreciation Banquet in Brewer on Saturday, September 22nd. Although this banquet is being held primarily for the enjoyment of MTA members, they would be pleased and honored if any friends from MPGA would like to join them for the evening. The MTA understands that is a very busy time of year for many guides, but hope that some of you will take the night off and help them celebrate!

• Maine Trappers Association Trapper Appreciation Banquet
  Jeff’s Catering
  15 Littlefield Way
  Brewer
• Saturday, September 22, 2007
• Happy Hour with Open Bar 5:30 pm to 6:45 pm
• Buffet Style Dinner served promptly at 7:00 pm
• Silent Auction will include exclusive artwork, antique traps and many other collector items.
• Live entertainment featuring Rick Spencer.
• $25.00 per person for the evening.

Please RSVP - Contact Charity at 207-746-5355 evenings, or Email trappersshed@pioneercable.net

Maine Conservation School Open House - September 29:

The Maine Conservation School at Bryant Pond will hold an open house on Saturday, September 29 (rain date is September 30). Everyone is welcome, and you are encouraged to bring children. There will be sporting clays lessons in the morning and a turkey shoot in the afternoon.

Please RSVP with the school so they can plan for lunches - 665-2068.

MPGA and Sporting Clubs throughout Maine are sponsors of the school through our scholarship donations. Enjoy the open house and meet the new staff.

Public Lands Management Task Force - October 10:

The Public Lands Task Force will meet on Wednesday, October 10, in Augusta. The location is still TBD. The meeting is expected to run from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

IF&W Deputy Commissioner Paul Jacques chairs the Task Force. The agenda has not yet been finalized, but will likely continue the discussions of how various users might accommodate each other.

Help MPGA Stay Involved:

MPGA strives to keep guides' collective interests at these and many more meetings and events. It is vital that policy makers hear from us. This can only happen if MPGA has the funds to support the effort. That takes your help.

Now is the best time to sell Super Raffle Tickets!

Your hunters will buy them - all you need to do is show them your recent MPGA newsletters, and then -

• Explain that the money goes toward MPGA's lobbying effort in Augusta to maintain their privilege to continue hunting in Maine.
• Explain how MPGA lead the fight to protect bear hunting in Maine.
• Explain how MPGA created the Deer Task Force to re-build northern Maine's deer herd.
• Explain how MPGA created the Sportsman/Forest Landowner Alliance to maintain access for hunting opportunities.
• Explain how MPGA participates in numerour Task Forces and Committees to maintain access for hunting, fishing and boating. Including:
  • The Governor's Task Force on the Management of Public Lands.
  • The Governor's Task Force on Access for Traditional Uses.
  • The Allagash Advisory Council.
  • The Maine Tourism Commission.
  • The Governor's Nature Tourism Task Force.
  • The Bureau of Parks & Lands Management Planning Committees.
  • The Land for Maine's Future funds that buy lands and access rights for hunting.
  • The Governor's Green Infrastructure Committee.
  • The Land Use Regulatory Commission.

The Super Raffle is our major fundraiser. Its success is vital to MPGA's continued efforts in Augusta.

For info on the prizes, and a printable ticket order form, visit MPGA's Super Raffle website.

For other information, and for pre-printed tickets, contact Bert Goodman at (207) 528-2320.

Super Raffle Incentive Program:

NEW - Prizes will be awarded to anyone who sells tickets!

• Sell $1,500 in tickets - win a Marlin Guide Gun with MPGA emblem.
• Sell $1,000 in tickets - win a $200 LL Bean Gift Certificate.
• Sell $500 in tickets - win a $100 LL Bean Gift Certificate.

For info on the incentive program, and a printable contest entry form, visit MPGA's Super Raffle Contest webpage.

For other information on the incentive program, and for pre-printed tickets, contact Bert Goodman at (207) 528-2320.

DONATE A SUPER RAFFLE PRIZE:

Donating a prize trip helps you sell tickets.

It is like selling your clients a chance for a free hunting or fishing trip next year. No need to have a special raffle of your own. Remember, winners will bring friends with them next year - and they are paying customers. You increase your sales, while helping MPGA fight for you.

Contact Bert Goodman if you wish to donate a trip - (207) 528-2320.

For a trip donation form, visit MPGA's Super Raffle Contest webpage.

Members who donate trips will have their prize info added to our Super Raffle website. Each donated trip is listed with a description and link to your own website.

National Hunting and Fishing Day
Celebrates Unique Conservation System

Congressionally Appointed Commemoration Set for Sept. 22

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- National Hunting and Fishing Day -- the 36th annual, Congress-appointed, president-proclaimed celebration of hunters, anglers and conservation -- is set for Sept. 22, 2007.

Honorary chairman Jeff Foxworthy, a host of national sponsors and a growing list of public celebrations around the country -- including a signature event at Wonders of Wildlife museum in Springfield, Mo., the official home of National Hunting and Fishing Day -- are in place to help communicate the day's core message.

"The fourth Saturday of every September is a formal reminder for Americans who forget that wildlife and wild places exist only because of leadership and funding from hunters and anglers. Together, they keep our country's unique conservation system strong," said Chris Dolnack of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). He added, "If you can't volunteer, attend an event or show support in a public way, the best way to honor National Hunting and Fishing Day is to simply take a newcomer hunting or fishing."

It's among America's best ideas ever: assigning fish and wildlife resources to public ownership, and then taxing those who harvest the surplus. In other words, hunters and anglers, through licenses, permits, fees and special excise taxes, pay for the conservation programs that benefit society as a whole. This system brought our country's once overexploited wildlands gushing back to life. It sustains our fish and wildlife riches even today. And it remains the envy of many, many nations.

Every U.S. President from Richard M. Nixon to George W. Bush has recognized the day via formal proclamations. Their message still resonates with the public. Surveys show three of every four Americans support legal hunting and nine in 10 approve of recreational fishing, even though not everyone actually participates in any given year.

New data from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service show almost 34 million licensed hunters and anglers went afield in 2006, contributing more than $1.2 billion to conservation by purchasing licenses, permits and fees. Additionally, those who bought guns, ammunition, bows, arrows, rods, reels and other equipment also paid special excise tax earmarked for conservation. In 2007 alone, over $615 million in such taxes were apportioned to state conservation agencies. Over the years, this system has generated more than $10 billion for fish, wildlife and habitat programs.

National Hunting and Fishing Day 2007 sponsors include Wonders of Wildlife, NSSF, Realtree, Baron Technology, National Wild Turkey Federation, Smith & Wesson, Bass Pro Shops, Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, GunBroker.com, Field & Stream and Outdoor Life, Woolrich, The Sportsman Channel, Cabela's and Outdoor Channel. A host of partners also lend support.

For more information, including a detailed history of National Hunting and Fishing Day, as well as a feature article on Foxworthy as a hunter, angler and conservationist, visit www.nhfday.org.

Visit the MPGA Website for more news and info.