Intervale no6 - Downeast Salmon Federation

INTERVALE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
T HE N EWSLETTER O F T HE
DOWNEAST SALMON FEDERATION
P AGE 1
I NTERVALE
N EW DRLT P ROJECTS : P ROTECT A CCESS
AND
H ABITAT
Volume 3 Issue 2
2006
In our continuing efforts to protect critical habitats and secure
public access to the downeast
Meanders
rivers, the Downeast Rivers
Land Trust has acquired two
"I don't want to ketch no tarpon
new properties totaling 44 acres
that weighs half a ton.
And feeding clams to sheepshead
and located a conservation buyer
isn't just what I call fun.
to purchase a third 20 acre parOf
salmon
when it's boiled or baked
cel.
I'll
say
that I am fond----The newly protected properBut
when
I'm
after sport I fish for
Photo by Hugh Chatfield
ties are located on the Machias
pik'rel in a pond.
and Narraguagus rivers. The
by Norman Jeffries
Photo by Larry Lack
Lack property (read story pg. 4)
View of the Machias River from the former Lack property in Whitneyville..
is an important point of access
near Munsons Pitch on the lower Machias past four years while we sought sufficient couple to buy the parcel.
in the town of Whitneyville.
funding.
Each of these parcels build upon a
The second property encompasses the
The third property is near the 422 acre community supported strategy to imfamous Little Falls salmon pool and abuts Hiro property on the Narraguagus that prove our fisheries, protect public acover 1,500 acres of state land on the Nar- was donated to the DRLT in 2003. The cess and the future of this region.
raguagus in Cherryfield. James Hall of 20 acre property came to our attention
See Land Trust articles on
Machias, an ardent salmon angler, had after acquiring the Hiro property and we
pages:2,4,8, and 9.
very patiently held this property over the were able to find a conservation minded
DSF R ECEIVES G RANT : P RESERVING
Since its founding in 1982 the Downeast
Salmon Federation (DSF) has had a strong
interest in the history of the rivers and
fisheries of Washington County. The DSF
has collected documentation, photos,
maps, tools, and fishing gear of all kinds
that tell the story of the connection between the people of Washington County
and the rivers. In order to ensure that
these materials and information are available to the public for generations to come,
they must be stored and displayed in a
proper manner. In order to ensure the
safety and accessibility of the collection,
the DSF has received a $5,000 grant from
t h e
THE
H ISTORY
OF
W ASHINGTON C OUNTY
Maine Historical Adv i s o r y
Board with
funds from
the
National Historical Publications
and
Records Comm i s s i o n . Photo of the Narraguagus from the Airline Road, circa 1920, reflects the changes in
Photo by Matt Craig
This money riparian vegetation and loss of habitat structure from log drives.
will be used to construct a vault at the climate controlled storage and access
new East Machias Aquatic Research Cen- to the DSF’s growing collection of
ter (EMARC) that will provide fire proof
Continued page 3
*In-ter-vale n. [a blending of INTERVAL + VALE] [Americanism, Chiefly New England] low,
flat land between hills or along a river. Webster’s New World Dictionary
PAGE 2
I NTERVALE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
W HY I S UPPORT
The quiet, natural beauty of Maine is
precious. In fact, it's more precious to
me with each year that I live in northern
Virginia, where we're surrounded by
relentless development, increasing suburban sprawl, and chronic traffic jams. I
grew up in Maine and treasure each visit
back there.
So I was very interested to learn of the
Downeast Salmon Federation's efforts to
THE
DSF
purchase the Lack property. I learned
that the property is a highly desirable
piece of land on the Machias River and
that it is also an important section of wild
salmon habitat. It seemed like a great
opportunity to help where help was
needed. After all, it's not very often that
I get a chance to help protect a piece of
my own home state!
I consider my assistance to DSF as a
E NDANGERED S PECIES L ISTING
Those of you who don’t keep close
tabs on the salmon issue might be
wondering what is going on with the
Atlantic salmon listing and recovery
process. In our last newsletter there was
an article on the release of the Recovery
P.O. Box 201
187 Main Street
Columbia Falls ME 04623
Phone: (207) 483-4336
Fax: (207) 483-6057
Email: [email protected]
www.mainesalmonrivers.org
Dwayne Shaw
Executive Director
Jacob van de Sande
Educator
Tracy Shaw
Administrative Assistant/
Membership Coordinator
Newsletter edited by
Jacob van de Sande
THE DSF / DRLT MISSION:
To conserve wild Atlantic salmon and
its habitat, restore a viable sports
fishery and protect other important
river, scenic, recreational and ecological resources in eastern Maine.
Plan and the formation of the Recovery
Team to which Executive Director
Dwayne Shaw was appointed. Just
recently the federal agencies released the
2006 Status Review for Anadromous
Atlantic salmon in the United States.
Since the formation of the Recovery
Team, the recovery tasks have been
divided into six categories and a
“Working Group” appointed for each of
eight categorys: Habitat, Water Quality
& Quantity, Land Use/Habitat
Protection, Education and Outreach,
Disease,
Aquaculture,
Fisheries/Biological Interactions, and
Maine TAC
Both Dwayne and Jacob van de Sande
the DSF Outreach/ Educator, have been
appointed to work groups. Dwayne is
serving on the Habitat and the Land
Use/Habitat Protection work group and
Jacob is serving on the Education
Outreach Work Group.
Since late January, these work groups
have been meeting to identify and
prioritize recovery tasks and make
recommendations to the Recovery
Team. On September 29th working
groups submitted revised and prioritized
recovery tasks to the Recovery Team for
review in October. The result of that
review is a new prioritized list of
recovery actions which will be provided
to the federal agencies in charge of the
recovery effort, and it will help drive the
recovery effort for the next year. The
recovery actions list will also provide
way of giving to the future, so that river
habitat is protected, but also that natural
areas may be enjoyed by future generations. The Downeast Salmon Federation
is doing a terrific job to create protected
areas in eastern Maine and establish a legacy of effective conservation. I am confident that my assistance will help restore
Maine's wild salmon population and ensure that critical habitat will be protected.
Jeff Morin
Arlington, Virginia
justification for budgeting for the
agencies and justification for seeking
funding for NGOs etc…
The Status Review for Anadromous
Atlantic Salmon in the United States is a
200 plus page document produced
annually by the state and federal agencies
responsible for salmon management and
recovery. The review outlines the
current populations status, factors
leading to the decline, etc… The 2006
document (http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/
pr/pdfs/statusreviews/atlanticsalmon.pdf)
is significant in that there is now enough
genetic information available to warrant
the listing of the Penobscot, the
Kennebec, and the Androscoggin River
salmon populations. Back in 2000 when
the eight river populations were listed,
there was not enough genetics
information to warrant the listing of
those larger rivers. In the last six years,
more data has been collected and
analyzed and the agencies now believe
that the “Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon
Distinct Population Segment (DPS),
should be expanded to include salmon in
the Androscoggin, Kennebec, and
Penobscot Rivers, as well as hatchery fish
used in the recovery effort.” This is a
very significant development in wild
Atlantic salmon recovery here in Maine,
what it means to the DSF and the
recovery efforts on the Downeast rivers
remains to be seen. We will keep you
posted.
INTERVALE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
P AGE 3
P LEASANT R IVER H ATCHERY N EWS : W E ’ VE GOT THE POWER !
After 13 years of good service the
old Onan generator and auto-transfer
switching equipment, donated to the
DSF when the hatchery was first constructed, has been retired and replaced
by a brand new 20KW generator. This
new generator ensures a continuous
power supply to the Pleasant River Fish
Hatchery during the winter when the
incubating eggs and fry must have an
uninterrupted water supply.
Fifteen years ago, when the volunteers (plumbers, electricians and carpenters) were setting up the hatchery,
we were looking for a backup generator
to keep the pumps going in the event of
a power outage. We were fortunate
that dedicated salmon angler and former
board member Steve Corey donated an
older Onan air cooled generator set and
auto-transfer switch. For the past 13
years that generator kicked on automatically when the power went out
during the incubation season to ensure
the survival of the endangered salmon
eggs and fry.
In recent years, the old generator has
been harder and harder to get up and
running for the incubation season, to the
point last year where the cost of the repair was not justified. The DSF board
and staff discussed the matter and, despite
the fact that we did not know where the
funding was going to come from, we
bought a brand new Onan 20KW generator with a new auto-transfer switch. We A photo of our new 20KW generator
have since allocated funds to cover the dependable generator is an essential
cost of the generator.
piece of a hatchery and the new generaThe new generator is ready year tor certainly helps us and particularly the
around to supply all of the power needs hatchery manager sleep better on stormy
of the Pleasant River Fish Hatchery and nights.
Wild Salmon Resource Center and proDon’t forget to come visit the hatchduces enough power for expansion of the
ery between mid January and late
hatchery system.
April to see this years batch of
The generator “exercises” it self once a
Pleasant River Salmon!
week to ensure reliable operation. A
P RESERVING H ISTORY C ONTINUED ...
irreplaceable historical materials.
The connection between the people
of Washington County and the rivers
and fisheries goes back thousands of
years and is at the core of our cultures.
This history is both interesting and informative, reflecting the many changes
that have happened in the larger world
and is useful in informing current and
future decision making that affect the
people, natural resources and economy
of the region.
Tourism is and will continue to be an
important part of the Downeast economy, but if it is to grow there must be
quality tourist destinations. The museum and archives that are being developed by the DSF at EMARC will provide a historic/ natural history based
attraction that will engage visitors and
local people and inform them about the
unique history of Washington County.
The materials stored in the archives
will also provide researchers
and decision makers with information that can help answer larger social and economic questions and make
informed decisions. Everyone
has heard the phrase “those
who don’t know their history
are doomed to repeat it”.
Most of the large issues we
face today have been grappled
with before, whether it is economic development or management of natural resources.
Washington County has a
long and interesting history
that must be preserved and
made accessible for present and Brood stock being collected from Schoodic Brook on the Narrafuture generations. Through guagus 1950s. Courtesy Phil Harriman
this grant from the Maine Historic Records Advisory Board the DSF is or making a contribution to this project
doing just that. Anyone interested in can contact Jacob at 483-4336 or
donating materials of historic importance email jacob@mainesalmonrivers
PAGE 4
T RUSTING
I NTERVALE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
THE
Twenty years of memories came
flooding back when my wife Lee Ann
and I spent a July weekend clearing out
the cabin and the shed at the Machias
River land we've entrusted to the care of
the Downeast Rivers Land Trust.
Our longtime friend and partner at
"the land", Eric (Tigger) Squire,
worked with us as we sorted
through items left behind by a dozen
hardy caretakers who endured life without power, running water or even a
well in exchange for the chance to live
in paradise.
About an hour by canoe upstream of
the "bad little falls" in Machias, just
downstream of the Whitneyville railroad bridge, and just above storied
Munson's Pitch, where generations of
angling addicts played and sometimes
landed river silver is "the land"-- tenpoint-seven acres of sandy blueberry land and woods that are now held
by DRLT in trust for Mother Nature
and her big and varied brood of kids.
There were lots of surprises at the
land: The enormous mama snapping
turtle we found nesting in the compost
pile. The porcupine out on the end of a
limb that swung down to eye level right
in front of us to provide a perfect photo
op. And the two freezing fascinated
hours I stood motionless and watched a
coyote stalk a family of Canada honkers
on the ice. It crept toward them on the
far shore, one agonizingly slow step
every 30 or 40 seconds,
and finally charged from ten feet away,
missing the geese in a frenzied burst
of honking, flying snow and chaos
that suddenly broke the silent spell of
that windless, dreamlike day.
We remember blueberry harvests,
working from early light to midnight
raking, then winnowing on a friend's
line in Jonesboro, then driving the berries fifty miles to the freezer on the Airline, then driving home to catch four
hours sleep and then starting over.
L AND
AND
P UT TING I T
Larry Lack raking organic blueberries on his
former property in Whitneyville.
And swimming, as early as May and as
late as October, with the coffee colored
water from the logs that line the river
bottom taking in the sun and warming up
in early summer and staying warm into
the fall, watching the light streaming on
our luminescent red brown bodies in a
current geared to a lazy upstream crawl
so you can swim and stay right where you
are for hours. The soft sandbars for rest-
IN
T RUST
ing in midstream. And at night the sharp
slap of a big flat tail on the river
when our furry popple poaching
neighbors suddenly figured out that we
were in there swimming with them.
With Tigger's conscientious lighttouch thinning removing only dead and
fallen trees or ones well past their
prime, the forest at the land has matured
gracefully in two decades, and some maple groves near the river where the trees
were pretty tall when we first saw the
land in 1986 are now nearing the cathedral stage.
So finally this special land is in trust
and it belongs to all of us, which was my
goal--and Lee Ann's and Tigger's--from
the start. The land is open now to everyone, for hiking, contemplating the broad
river, watching eagles and osprey soar
over it, finding bear, coyote, deer and
moose sign in the berry field, and--yes,
swimming! With judicious planning by
DRLT and careful stipulations from the
land trust's legal troubleshooter Dave
Fletcher, the land's bodacious swimming
hole, complete with stairs and float, has
been retained, and some of the sweetest
natural water in the world is waiting
there to cool down and refresh us all,
and future generations "in perpetuity".
Please visit and enjoy this lovely place
3/4 mile off U.S. 1-A in Whitneyville.
Check with Dwayne, Jacob or Tracy at
DRLT (483-4336) for updates on the
land and directions for finding it easily.
We're grateful to DRLT for helping to
make our dream for the land a reality and
for holding and protecting these and
other special acres on behalf of those
of us who need to talk things over with
a river now and then.
Larry Lack (and Lee Ann Ward)
St. Andrews, New Brunswick
Sunset on the Machias River from Lee Ann and
Larry’s former Property in Whitneyville.
INTERVALE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
P AGE 5
1st Prize: Molly Perry, Narraguagus
High School, 2nd Prize: Michael Hilbert, Narraguagus High School, 3rd
Prize: Chris McCarthy, Narraguagus
High School, Honorable Mention:Gabe Winski, Washington Academy, Ralph Backman. Jonesport-Beals
and Terra Bee van de Sande. Narraguagus High School.
The winning art work was then auctioned off to raise money for DSF’s programs along with several other items
donated by local artists. The tables and
chairs were cleared away to make room
for dancing to the music of “Live Bait”.
This year’s event was bigger than ever,
the DSF raised some money and fun was
had by all. So mark your calendar
S MELT F RY AND A RT C ONTEST
On April 8th DSF held our fifth annual Smelt Fry. Over 1% of the population of Washington County (500+)
gathered at the Columbia Falls Community Room and the 40x40 tent (Thanks
to Bangor Hydro) set up on the town
hall lawn to eat and to celebrate the
Pleasant River and the accomplishments
of the DSF and DRLT.
There was a Skillet Toss competition
and a bounce house for the children.
Guests were invited to tour the Wild
Salmon Resource Center and Pleasant
River Fish Hatchery. At 5 pm the fried
smelts began coming out of the cooker
and shared the table with potluck dishes
of every type and description. Donations of food/cash were accepted for the
meal and raffle tickets were sold to win
the many items donated by local businesses and individuals.
As part of our 2006 annual Smelt Fry,
the DSF held a student art contest for K12 students from Washington County.
The art competition served to increase the
students’ awareness of our region’s distinction and heritage as a place of wild and
free flowing rivers that support unique
fisheries and natural resource based
economies. The number and quality of
entries was very impressive. Judging was
done by local artists and DSF board members. Monetary prizes sponsored by financial advisers Smith Barney and other
adonors were awarded to the following for next years Smelt Fry April 6,
six entries:
2007!
H ISTORIC S ALMON F ILM S AFE
As the dams that blocked the mouths
of the Downeast rivers fell into disrepair
and washed out between 1900 and the
1940s, there was a resurgence in the
returns of anadromous fish. With unfettered access to the rivers the alewives,
shad and salmon started returning in
greater numbers. As a result, commercial and sport fishermen came to the
banks of the rivers in search of their favorite qarry. At the same time post
WWII economic prosperity brought a
new generation of recreational anglers.
These anglers were willing to travel
great distances and pay good money to
fish for the King of Sport Fish, the Atlantic salmon. An industry developed
around food, lodging, and guiding
salmon anglers in Washington County.
For forty years, between the late 40s and
the late 80s, fishing for Atlantic salmon
was a favorite local pastime and an important industry for the local economy.
Unfortunately with the recent decline
of salmon populations in the downeast
rivers this industry and the culture that
surrounds it is fading into history. Fortunately Phillip Harriman of Cherryfield,
a visionary and dedicated salmon advo-
AND
S OUND
cate for more than 50 years, has
preserved a piece of history from
the heyday of Atlantic salmon angling in Downeast Maine. Phil’s
film Salmon Country, originally created as a promotional film for The
Narraguagus River Inn and guiding
service, now serves as one of the
few pieces of motion picture documentation of this period in
Downeast history. He takes us
from landlocked fishing on Tunk
Lake to the crowds gathering to Phil Harriman with a Narraguagus River salmon he caught
watch a sea run salmon landed in at the “Ring Bolt Pool” in downtown Cherryfield.
downtown Cherryfield. The film
truly brings you back to byegone days.
Federation, and the Atlantic Salmon
In order to preserve this piece of his- Commission.
tory and make it available to the public
The original film has recently been
the DSF has been working with Phil and transferred to NE Historic Film for arNortheast Historic Film to archive the chiving in their special cold storage faciloriginal 16mm film, recapture the film ity and we are working with them to
on digital video, and produce DVDs to develop a Deed of Gift to formalize what
be distributed free to schools and librar- will happen with the film and what rights
ies and sold as a fund raiser by Northeast the DSF will maintain. The film has
Historic Film and the DSF. This project been recaptured in digital format, and
is being made possible by Phil Harriman, we are in the process of creating front
generous grants from the Tunk Fund of and back covers and hope to have it
the Maine Community Foundation, the ready for distribution by February 2007.
Maine Council of the Atlantic Salmon
PAGE 6
I NTERVALE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
DPS Genetics
By Gerard Zegers PHd.
As the president of DSF’s board, and
a conservation geneticist, I am often
asked difficult questions - How does a
DPS* fish differ from other salmon?
Are there any native fish left after years
of stocking? Why can't you just grow
up some fish and put them in the river?
In this article I will not attempt to answer these questions for you, but I do
hope to introduce you to the genetic
studies the agencies have relied on for
their answers.
The first question that needs to be
answered is if there is any evidence that
the DPS populations differ from other
populations. There are a number of
sources that address this. Adrian Spidle,
from the USGS Leetown Science Center, and his colleagues have published a
compelling family tree, reprinted here,
which will be a focus of this article.
The family tree is a representation of the
genetic relationships (genetic distances)
among 25 populations of landlocked and
seagoing Atlantic salmon from Maine
and Canada. The longer the line (DA),
the more distantly related are the populations. The genetic markers used to
calculate DA are eleven different DNA
microsatellites. These microsatellites
are the same sort of markers used by
forensic experts to make "DNA fingerprints" in humans.
There are several features of this tree
that I found to be interesting. There is a
cluster of populations labeled 1-11.
Within this cluster the genetic distances
(DA) between these populations are
small. What is important about this
cluster is that it is structured much like
we would expect it to look in undisturbed wild populations that are geographically close together.
While
salmon return to their natal rivers and
have developed unique populations over
thousands of years there is also straying
between rivers which leads to genetic
exchange between populations. It has
been shown that the rate of exchange is
A neighbor-joining phenogram reprinted from Spidle et al. 2003, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 132:196-209,2003
directly related to geographic distance
e.g. the closer the rivers are the more
closely related they are genetically.
Hence the downeast populations cluster
together.
As fascinating as these DNA microsatellite markers are to us, what do they
mean for Atlantic salmon? We believe
that variability in populations found
using these markers indicates variability
in portions of the Atlantic salmon genome that make these populations different from other populations. Perhaps
the most fabled quality of the DPS
salmon is their size. The Atlantic
salmon that return to Maine's DPS rivers are large because many of them stay
at sea on average two years (>70%)
before returning to spawn. This makes
the downeast populations unique compared to salmon from Atlantic Canada
which have a much higher percentage
(>50%) of one sea winter salmon called
grilse. During that extra year they feed
on abundant marine food resources and
thus grow larger than Atlantic salmon
that return after just one sea winter.
We don't know the genetic basis for this
behavior but the outcome is spectacular.
Nate Wilke, in his graduate research
at UMO, looked at morphological differences (difference in shape ) of fish
from different river stocks raised in the
same environment. He found that there
was a significant difference morphologicaly between river populations, and that
those differences are probably of genetic
origin. The differences were distinct
enough that a computer could correctly
assign a fish to its river of origin based
on morphological measurements 85% of
the time. We can not be sure how the
differences in morphology affect fish in
the unique environment of their native
rivers. Nonetheless, this is exactly the
type of variation we might expect to see
as a result of thousands of years of adaptation and a high degree of reproductive
isolation.
I have seen salmon anglers almost
moved to tears when they recollect the
largest salmon they ever caught at the
Wigwams (a legendary location on the
Machias River now protected by our
own land trust), or waiting to fish (rod
on the rack) at the Cable Pool on the
Narraguagus, or remember fish they
have caught at places to Continued pg. 7
INTERVALE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
P AGE 7
C ONSTRUCTION B EGINS
AT
Construction has begun on the
Downeast Salmon Federation’s (DSF)
new facility the East Machias Aquatic
Research Center (EMARC) on the bank
of the river in downtown East Machias.
Most will know the large green concrete
building behind Archibald’s store. This
building, which was formerly owned by
Bangor Hydro Electric and has sat empty
for almost ten years, was donated to the
DSF and is now being renovated to house
a state of the art fresh water aquatic research center, conservation hatchery, and
community fisheries center. The renovation of the building is a project of the
DSF in partnership with Washington
Academy, The University of Maine at
Machias, Town of East Machias and the
Trusses being lifted into place for a new roof.
East Machias Watershed Council. The
7,262 sq ft facility will include a fresh
water flow through research and fisheries
enhancement hatchery*, a museum and
visitors center, a wet laboratory/ classroom, a certified water quality laboratory, a GIS and technical resources center, and office space for staff and visiting
researchers.
DPS Genetics
EMARC: R AISING
THE
R OOF
To date, the DSF has raised over
$300,000 and received another
$100,000 in donated equipment and
materials. With funding and materials in
place, Phase I of construction has begun,
including a new roof, chimney, and siding, engineering and permitting for a
water intake system. The hatchery facilities will rear East Machias River specific
Atlantic salmon to stock into the river.
The new roof, which can be seen from
Rt1 driving through town, has been
completed and gives the building a whole
new look (for the better). Unfortunately, high water flows this summer
and a complicated permitting process (it
is salmon habitat after all), prevented us
from installing our water intake, so the
earliest we expect the basic hatchery
operations to begin will be fall/ winter
2007. The DSF has also just received a
grant from the Maine Historical Advisory
Board for $ 5,000 for the construction of
a climate controlled, fireproof vault for
the storage of salmon and river related
historical documentation to be housed at
EMARC as part of the visitors center/
museum.
The DSF and its partners are very
excited about this project and its many
benefits for Washington County. With
the new research facility there is the potential to begin to solve some of the
problems facing wild salmon. Students of
Washington County will also have access
to top notch educational facilities, and
we hope EMARC will become a first rate
Continued...
precious to disclose. These accounts convince me that the DPS Atlantic salmon is
different from other Atlantic salmon and
worthy of our reverence and special consideration. I am also satisfied that we have
the genetic tools required to identify these
fish, and that there are biologically meaningful differences among Atlantic salmon
from the various DPS rivers.
The genetic tools that we have de-
scribed are most useful for stock identification and, when necessary, the enforcement of existing legal protections. There
is far more that we do not understand. It
would be useful to refine the morphological studies described above to gain
insight on how Atlantic salmon are
adapted to their home rivers. Can specific genetic markers be linked with these
morphological characteristics? In the face
IN
E AST M ACHIAS
visitor and community destination in
East Machias. These benefits will combine to provide economic growth and
opportunities for Washington County
focused on supporting salmon and other
fisheries restoration efforts.
The DSF has raised substantial grant
money for this project, but this project
has also been made possible by the 500+
members of our organization and other
generous donors. We have received
donations from individuals and families
ranging from $5 to $15,000 and would
welcome additional support. Anyone
interested in learning more about this
exciting project should contact
the DSF at 483-4336 or
[email protected]
The former Bangor Hydro building with its new
roof and expanded second story.
* These days hatcheries are sometimes
considered part of the problem in salmonids conservation, however it is important to distinguish between conservation and production hatcheries. The
DSF is in the business of conserving wild
fish and will operate our hatcheries
in a fashion that benefits the species.
of small population sizes, and an inevitable loss of genetic diversity, how
much diversity can be restored by mixing stocks? Which ones, and to what
degree? And perhaps most importantly, how can the present declining
population trends be reversed? Restoring population size is necessary for
evolutionary and ecological processes
to continue into the future for this (and
all) species.
PAGE 8
I NTERVALE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
N OTES F ROM T HE F IELD… B Y D ARRIN K ELLY
“Have you reckon’d a thousand
acres much. Have you reckon’d the
earth much….” –WaltWhitman
My face thrust in the hole… The
metallic smell of recently dug sandy
mineral soils with an undercurrent of
decomposing leaves – oak, maple and
paper birch… The crystalline web of
condensed breath foretold the presence
of an inhabitant only inches away...
Only moments before I had noticed
the recent excavation of the den and
now I lay on my belly on the cold late
fall dusting of snow. Months later, with
Randy Cross and his team from Inland
Fish and Wildlife and many DSF volunteers, I was able to once again go nose
to nose but this time she was fast asleep
thanks to a tranquilizer dart. She was a
two year old black bear denning on her
own for the first time - and on a
Downeast Rivers Land Trust property.
For the past year, I have had the
privilege of being the field technician
for gathering baseline data on fifteen
properties of the Downeast Rivers Land
Trust and two properties of the
Quoddy Regional Land Trust. In order
to lay the groundwork for future monitoring of properties by volunteers I used
GPS, digital photography, field notes,
and sketch maps to gather information
on ecological and manmade features and
highlighted existing land use and future
potential management issues. This included clearing and marking property
boundaries and building envelopes and
noting trails, roads, buildings and other
human uses. I also gathered basic ecological information that included documenting vernal pools, vegetation types,
and other significant wildlife habitat.
Exploration of properties entailed
crawling on all fours through “bear tunnels” to get through otherwise impenetrable hawthorne thickets; poling my
Old Town Tripper while dragging a
measuring tape through the muck;
snowshoeing along deer trails; and
longer teem with
Atlantic salmon, a
day in this riparian
corridor
yielded over 47
bird species – that
included nesting
Sharp Shinned
hawks and the full
array of Maine’s
warblers. As we
wait for the runs
to return let us
not forget all
those other species that use these
lands on their
Occupied bears den Darrin discovered on DRLT property by the Narraguagus River. journeys
from
dodging the aerial assault of black flies breeding to feeding grounds.
and helicopter pesticide spraying.
Many thanks are due to the people
Highlights included record water levels who shared their knowledge of the land
(ever try to locate surveyors rebar under – finding boundary pins and new bird
four feet of water?) - countless tracks of species with Greg Moser out on the
moose and bear – face to face encounters Wigwams, Mike Bailey sharing his
with young “pigs of the pine” (porcupine) knowledge and love of the land - and
– game trails of fisher, deer, and hare – those are just a few… And that may be
eddies swarming with great teeming balls the most important lesson – that it is the
of alewives and lamprey – roving meta- people who live, work and recreate on
morphs of pickerel and wood frogs - deli- the Downeast Rivers that are the real
cate orchids and lush verdant pillows of jewels of the landscape… For it is only
sphagnum and British soldier lichen- and through all of our efforts will we keep
of course did I mention the hawthorn and not just the warblers returning to riverside pools but the runs of the great leapblackflies…
Values of these properties surpass ex- ers, Salmo salar.
pectations. While we know the pools of
the Wigwams on the Machias River no
- Darrin Kelly has spent the last
year doing the fieldwork for baseline
documentation of the Downeast Rivers
Land Trust properties. He is owner and
Master ME Guide for Ardea EcoExpeditions offering Acadia Ecotours and Research Expeditions in Downeast ME and
beyond. He is excited to assist with volunteer monitoring of DRLT properties and
is always looking for others to get “out
and about” Downeast.
Friends and family of the DSF watch state biologists
weigh and measure the bear on DRLT property.
INTERVALE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
P AGE 9
T HE R EGIONAL L AND C ONSERVATION P UZZLE
Here in the easternmost county in the
US, we often feel pretty removed from
the rest of the world. Washington
County is far removed geographically,
economically, and culturally from much
of this country (and the rest of the world)
yet, just below the surface of daily life the
world economy and current events drive
much of the change we experience.
Our natural resource and tourist based
economy is very vulnerable to the whims
of the market and current events. This
situation poses a real challenge to the DSF
because we understand that our economy
has a significant impact on land use and
land use is a significant factor in aquatic
habitat quality. So for the DSF to pursue
its mission of restoring salmon and protecting recreational access, we must be
watching and preparing for shifts in anything from agriculture and forestry to
tourism and second home development.
This means tailoring our programs to
meet local challenges as well as working
with and forging partnerships with other
organizations, large and small, so that we
can address all of the challenges we face.
The Washington County economy and
culture are based around our abundant
natural resources: namely seafood, blueberries, forest products and natural
beauty. That has been true for thousands
of years, but the relationship between the
people, the resources, and the economy
are constantly changing.
The forest lands of Washington
County, which make up the majority of
the land mass in the county, historically
have been owned by large industrial land
owners who owned mills in which they
processed the wood harvested from their
lands.
The large scale of the industrial forest
land ownership is somewhat unique and
has strongly influenced the character of
Washington County including its appeal
for tourism.
This ownership was
“managed” with a focus on producing
wood products, which meant that large
portions of the region remained relatively
undeveloped and accessible to the general
public. Because of this relatively undeveloped character, Washington County is
home to some of the only wild Atlantic
salmon in the US. On the other hand,
200 years of timber harvesting has also
played a role in driving Atlantic salmon to
the brink of extinction.
Changing land ownership
The rapidly changing economy of the
world and the region are changing the
ownership of land in Maine and will eventually change the landscape. To reduce
the risk to stock holders, most of the major paper/ lumber companies in Maine
have sold all of their land from which
they have harvested wood for their mills,
some of them for over a hundred years.
These companies are passing the risk associated with owning the land, such as increased taxes, natural disasters, increased
regulation, management of public use,
etc… to the new owners while most of
the wood harvested from that land still
goes to their mills. As a result of this
trend, at least 6,862,107 acres or 31% of
the state has changed hands in the past
seven years. At the same time, since 911
and the stockmarket downturn, there has
been a significant increase in interest in
buying timberlands for residential/ recreational purposes, primarily for seasonal
and second homes associated with waterfrontage. For example, in 2004 the
Washington County registry of deeds saw
a 30% increase in the number of deeds
transferred as compared to pre 911.
Increase in land conservation
At the same time as we have seen huge
changes in lands ownership and increased
development pressure we have also seen
the growth of land conservation organizations on multiple scales resulting in a
many fold increase in land conservation in
Washington County.
In 2000, the
Downeast Salmon Federation formed the
Downeast Rivers Land Trust in response
to a need to protect critical salmon habi-
tat and public access along the downeast
rivers. Habitat protection is identified as
a key component of salmon recovery, yet
there was no entity that was ready to take
on protecting critical habitat at the local
level. The DSF, with its roots in the
hunting and fishing tradition of downeast
Maine, also saw that with increased recreational and residential development
there was a real need to protect critical
traditional access points to the rivers and
woods, knowing that we need people
recreating in and around these rivers to
look out for the rivers and the fish. At
the same time organizations like The Nature Conservancy and the New England
Forestry Foundation have bought easements and land ensuring ecological protection, public access and sustainable forestry for millions of acres in the state
including the Machias River Corridor
Project (see latest news on the project on
our website news page “Nearly 7,700
acres from Machias River headwaters to
be protected”).
One of the trends that seems clear is
that the industrial forestry is becoming
less important as an economic factor and
tourism and second home development
are becoming a more dominant factor,
providing a high percentage of the high
paying skilled jobs in the region. There is
currently a real estate boom in the region. Second homes and tourism have
become a dominant force in our economy
and have the potential to continue to be a
mainstay of our local economy. This will
only be true if, through collaboration and
good planning, we maintain the natural
beauty and resources that make the area
so attractive in the first place. The DSF
believes that outreach and education of
students, land owners, and municipalities
along with collaboration with the larger
conservation movement is key to our
success for salmon and our way of life.
PAGE 10
W INNOWING
I NTERVALE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
THE CHAFF IN THE AGE OF INFORMATION OVERLOAD
By Executive Director Dwayne Shaw
Maybe this hefty newsletter finds you
in the same position that I am in. At a
table filled with paper, magazines, reports and requests. What does it all
mean and what are the most important
pieces?
We all make choices about how to use
our time and resources to have the most
impact and the greatest outcome. As our
members and supporters your generous
support helps us to identify and winnow
out what is most important, opportune
and possible and then your support makes
it all happen. Thank you.
As conservationists we work with a
large and constantly changing group of
partners, including teachers, landowners,
students, volunteers and with other organizations that are working in the best
interest of the natural resources of this
important region.
When a national study, regional commission, town committee or group of
WSRC G ETS
A
citizens needs a partner for conservation
of fisheries, water quality or most any
thing else to do with the outdoors in this
region - guess who is often at the top of
the list? DSF has built a reputation as an
action oriented, community based organization with a finger on the pulse of these
issues. That reputation is well deserved,
hard earned and needs to be sustained and
built upon. Anyone interested enough to
read this newsletter can play a part and
contribute toward fulfilling the DSF mission. Simply stated, that is the recovery
of healthy fisheries and waters – particulary salmon and salmon watersheds.
We’ve sifted the lists and piles of information and have the high priority projects
on a roster ready to go. Our real job is to
match the project to the partner(s) and
what a delight it is when the pieces come
together!
It is no secret that Downeast Maine is a
special place. Shuffling through my pile
of new information on the desk I see recent references to Maine as the last
stronghold for native wild Brook Trout
and a report beside it stating the need to
greatly accelerate habitat protection and
enhancement for endangered salmon.
There beneath the printed e mails and
agency letters are reports stating the national importance of the nearby woodlands and wetlands for waterfowl, rare
plants and black bear. The latest water
access, fish and wildlife, farming, forestry
and ecotourism reports each address the
Downeast area as a very special opportunity.
The bottom line is that someone needs
to winnow all this info and find a way to
make meaningful projects happen on the
ground - or in the water. That is where
DSF comes in and where your support
has made such a difference. Please keep
us abreast of your observations and interests and we can try to match your interests to our selection of great conservation
projects and programs.
Thank you and Peace
in the NewYear
N EW R OOF
Back in 1991 the Downeast Salmon
Federation (DSF) rallied its volunteers
and completed the Wild Salmon Resource Center (WSRC). Since that time
the DSF has raised hundreds of thousands
of salmon fry in the hatchery, provided
educational programs to thousands of
Washington County students, protected
critical habitats and public access, and
engaged the community in a broad range
of wild salmon restoration programs.
Unfortunately despite the good work of
the volunteers back in ‘91 the roof shingles have not held up. The WSRC is
located right on the marsh on the Pleasant River where it gets pounded by the
southeast wind. Over the past couple of
years the shingles started peeling off of
the roof and ended up in the front yard
and the roof started to leak.
Now fifteen years later the DSF again
rallied the volunteers to re-shingle the
roof. On October 15th over
25 volunteers contributed to
the project There were plenty
of hands to strip the shingles,
put on the underlayment, and
line up the new shingles.
There were three air nailers
going with experienced carpenters and contractors to run
them, a mason to re-flash the
chimney, some do it your
selfers with tools in hand to Volunteers (L to R) Art Tatangelo, Keith Kanuti, Tom Folsum,
do the odd jobs, gofers for and Dan Pelletier flash the chimney and lay down new shingles on
materials, and several cooks the WSRC’s roof
to run the grill and make sure every one was completely re-shingled. This volunwas well fed. All of the nail filled rotten teer effort saved the DSF over $2,500 in
wood that made up the baffles in the old labor and H.F. Pinkham and sons
fish ladder was removed, the grounds helped by providing materials at a diswere cleaned up, and everyone had a count. Thanks volunteers and Pinkhams
good time. People brought food, cash for your help. If all goes well we will not
and material donations, and nobody left have to do it again until 2041.
hungry. By 4:30pm the 1,600 sq ft roof
INTERVALE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
P AGE 11
B UILDING MEMBERSHIP : P ASS IT ON ...
By Tracy Shaw Membership Coordinator
The staff and Board of DSF would
like to wish each of you the best in
2007. We are grateful to the many of
you have been instrumental in the
success of our organization. Because of
your commitment and interest in DSF,
you are on our current mailing list and
hold in your hand our latest newsletter.
As the Membership Coordinator, I
am writing to appeal to those of you
who do not hold a current paid
membership, to renew (Check your
mailing label to ensure it says Member
2006/7, if not, you are not a paid
member). Due to the current restraints
in federal and state dollars available to
organizations such as ours, the need to
raise funds privately is more necessary
than ever before
As we approach
potential funders, one of the most
important assets is our strong
membership. DSF is proud of the fact
that we have increased our paid
memberships from less than one hundred
to nearly five hundred in the last four
years.
This documented community
support has been recognized and rewarded
by several private foundations. So for
those of you who are not members or have
not renewed, I am asking that you
consider taking this opportunity to
become a member or update your
membership for 2006/7.
To those of you who have already
become 2006/7 members ~ thank you. I
encourage you to pass our newsletter
along to someone you think may be
interested, supply us with contact
information (to send a newsletter) or give
a gift membership. It is imperative that
we reach out into the community and
broaden our support. We realize our
members are our best advocates and hope
you will help us reach other like
minded individuals.
Practice Catch and Release!
Release this newsletter to a friend. Reward them and your self with a
“trophy” gift membership to the DSF.
Downeast Salmon
Federation
Board of Directors
Dr. Gerry Zegers
President, Machias
Sheila Tatangelo
Vice-President, Cherryfield
Don Sprangers
Secretary, East Machias
Alan Kane
Treasurer, Gouldsboro
Robert Matey, Gouldsboro
Ray Carbone, Steuben
Ralph Nodine, Jonesboro
Joe Robbins, East Machias
Ruth Charmichael, Machiasport
Glen “Boo” Endre, Harrington
Now is the time to send in your contribution, renew your membership, give a gift or become a new member. Each contribution is tax
deductible. Please complete the form below and return it to our office at PO Box 201, Columbia Falls ME 04623. Visit our website
www.mainesalmonrivers.org for details or to join/donate online.
____ $ 10 Individual
Name: ________________________________________________
____ $ 25 Family
____ $ 50 Business
Address: ________________________________________________
____ $100 Supporter
____ $250+ Sustainer/
Lifetime Member
________________________________________________
E-Mail: ___________________ Telephone: ___________________
In addition to my membership, the enclosed contribution is in support of:
___ Downeast Salmon Federation (general operations)
___ Downeast Rivers Land Trust
___ Wild Salmon Resource Center (Education & Hatchery) ___ East Machias Aquatic Research Center
Shirt Orders: $10.00 + Shipping $2.50 = $12.50
Size:
___ S ___ M ___ L ___ XL ___
Downeast Salmon Federation
Downeast Rivers Land Trust
P.O. Box 201
Columbia Falls ME 04623
S ALMON R ETURN T O T HE
P LEASANT R IVER !
Events Calendar
January: Eggs arrive at Pleasant
River Fish Hatchery.
March: Eggs begin to hatch in our
hatchery, come by for a visit.
April 6: 5th Annual DSF Smelt Fry
Columbia Falls. Stay tuned for details
(see story page 5).
May: Fry stocking event, volunteers welcome, contact us if you
want to join in .
Preliminary Fall redd (salmon nest) counts conducted by the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission indicate at least 8 salmon returned to the Pleasant and spawned this year. These are
the first redds counted in several years and are the results of US fish and Wildlife and DSF
stocking efforts.