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Membership News - November 23, 2007

1. MPGA Meetings:

• Membership - Sunday, December 2, 2007 at 9:00 AM. Super Raffle winners will be drawn. Location is the Holiday Inn on Odlin Road in Bangor.
• Board of Directors - Sunday, January 6, 2007 at 9:00 AM. Location is the Holiday Inn on Odlin Road in Bangor.

Members are welcome to attend all Board meetings.

2. Super Raffle Deadline:

Note: Prizes will be drawn on December 2nd. All tickets and moneys must be turned in by November 25. Thanks for your cooperation.

Make your checks payable to "MPGA", and mail them with the ticket forms by November 25 to:

MPGA
PO Box 323
Patten, ME 04765

For additional information or if you have any questions about the raffle prizes or the sales incentive program, contact Bert Goodman at (207) 528-2320.

3. Super Raffle Incentive Program:

Note: You must include a contest registration form when submitting your ticket money and stubs. Otherwise you will not qualify for the prizes.

Prizes will be awarded to anyone who sells tickets!

• Sell $1,500 in tickets - win a Marlin 45/70 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, contact Bert Goodman at (207) 528-2320.

4. Public Lands Task Force

* * * Public Hearing Notice * * *

The Public Lands Task Force will hold two Public Listening Sessions to hear comments on how you feel Maine should be managing its public lands, including Parks, Public Reserve Lands, and the State interests in public access easements held on Conservation lands.

Bangor
Bangor Motor Inn
701 Hogan Road
6:30 – 8:30 PM

South Portland
South Portland Community Recreation Center
21 Nelson Road
6:30 – 8:30 PM

This is your chance to let your opinions be heard by the Legislature, State Agencies including the Bureau of Parks & Lands and IF&W, and major conservation land buyers like the Nature Conservancy, the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Forest Society of Maine.

Questions to answer: What is your opinion of the Task Force's recommendations? Should the State create more non-motorized access backcountry areas? How about creating more ecological preserves? Where should these areas be? How would these affect your guiding activities, including hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, camping and canoe tripping? How important is road access to you? How would you resolve conflicts between users, such as hunters and non-hunters, or motor vehicle access and wilderness preservationists?

The public listening sessions have been scheduled for November 27 at Bangor at the Bangor Motor Inn and November 28 in South Portland at the Community Recreation Center. Both meetings are scheduled for 6:30 – 8:30 PM.

A preliminary Task Force Report has been drafted, and will be finalized at the Task Force's meeting on December 18th. The report is available online at Public Lands Task Force, along with info about the Task Force and minutes of past meetings.

Some of the recommendations include:

1. Recreational Access and Conservation Forum - The state should create a Recreational Access and Conservation Forum comprised of environmentalists, conservationists, sportsmen, and outdoor recreationists; to meet at least three times per year to plan and share legislative and other agendas; educate one another on areas of individual expertise, discuss continuing issues; address emerging conflicts; and create initiatives that all can support.

2. Future Recreation and Conservation Needs - The State should undertake a planning effort to project user and conservation needs over the next 50 years for the full spectrum of uses for which Maine’s public lands and easements could be suitable and would identify gaps in habitat conservation, the ecological reserve system, and in recreational opportunities -- mapping potential areas needed to fill the gaps. For example, with proper planning through a truly inclusive process, all groups should be able to support the creation of non-motorized and motorized areas on both public and private lands and all groups should be active in habitat protection and enhancement programs and issues.

3. Access to Moving Waters - An initiative should be undertaken to secure access to Maine’s moving waters – with a mix of walk-in, boat and hand-carry launch options available that match the size and uses of the water.

4. Updating Maine’s Ecological Reserve System - The Governor should appoint a scientific review panel to review progress in establishing and monitoring the ecological reserve system in Maine, including a review of currently allowed uses of, and access to, existing reserves; and to develop clear guidelines for determining what types of recreational activities are compatible with specific reserves, both existing and future. The panel should be comprised of experts in wildlife, aquatic, terrestrial and conservation biology. Ex-officio members should include representatives of user groups, conservation organizations, and natural resource agencies responsible for the reserves.

5. Further Development of Backcountry Recreational Opportunities - State agencies and recreation groups should develop a process by which a long-distance network of hiking and remote backcountry trails could be created, mapped, and sustained, to provide opportunities for wilderness backcountry recreation has not always been fully recognized in the allocation of the State’s public lands planning, management, and implementation resources.

6. Landowner Relations and Public / Private Partnerships for Outdoor Recreation - The State should support the development of a coordinated landowner relations program. The State should use its resources to maintain essential connections with private landowners whose holdings abut, or may be connected with, public lands. Robust landowner relations programs at the State conservation agencies are important, and must be actively supported by recreation groups.

MPGA is represented on the Task Force by John Rust. If you have any questions or comments, please contact him during daytime hours at (207) 337-5858.

Visit the MPGA Website for more news and info.