Arctic Charr Sign Status Update

Informational signs have finally started going up on Maine's rare Arctic charr waters.  Due to a late spring and the remote location of most of the affected waters we didn't get out as early as we had hoped we would. 

Our plan is to put signs up at ten of the twelve remaining charr waters in Maine.  Floods Pond is not scheduled for signs because it is closed to fishing and Green Lake is not due to the fact it is still open to the use of live bait.

Signs have gone up at Rainbow Lake and Wadleigh Pond -- two each with a couple of more going up on the former next time someone goes in .  The former were put up by The Nature Conservancy who owns the pond, and the latter by Jack Gibson of ME NFC.  

Rainbow Lake...

Wadleigh Pond...

Signs for the recently reclaimed Big Reed Pond have been provided to Bradford Camps and should go up shortly if they are not already up. 

The signs for Penobscot Lake have been picked by ME NFC member Richard Yvon and are scheduled to be posted by the end of the month.

We are working on scheduling a trip to Bald Mountain Pond with project sponsors Ret and Karen Talbot in late July or early August. 

Signs for Wassataquoik Lake were provided to Baxter State Park early this spring.  As the most remote charr water in the state they will go up when the ranger gets in there.

Unfortunately, the Maine Bureau of Parks and lands has refused to allow us to post signs on state property even though the signs are co-sponsored by another state agency (Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife) and partially funded by the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund.  This affects four waters in the Deboullie Region: Deboullie, Gardner, Pushineer and Black.

While BPL builds roads, trails, boat launches, campgrounds and campsites on state land; cuts trees for profit on state land; allows trapping, hunting (including bear-baiting), fishing, motorboats, snowmobiles, and ATVs on state land; and even posts other types of signs on state land, they said they were concerned with "sign creep."  I say this not to challenge any of the other activities, just to put things in perspective. 

The situation at Maine BPL is hopefully temporary and will be revisited as soon as we get a new governor and BPL commissioner (the latter typically goes when the former goes.)   The current governor refused to appoint a commissioner of BPL for political reasons and turned it over to the State Forester which resulted in a notable ramp-up of logging on state land.