During a career at Baxter State Park that lasted from 1960 until 2005, Irvin “Buzz” Caverly Jr. attracted plenty of attention from supporters and detractors alike.
Some called him stubborn. Others defined that same trait as determination.
Some said he was inflexible. Others explained that he was merely steadfast in his belief that the park should be run according to Gov. Percival Baxter’s wishes.
Two things, however, are certain: First, Buzz Caverly was a tireless wilderness advocate in a rapidly changing world.
And second, if you want to learn more about the man and the park he dedicated his life to, Phyllis Austin can help.
Austin, a veteran Maine journalist who covered Baxter State Park issues for the Associated Press and the Maine Times for more than three decades, recently completed a book that delves deeply into the inner workings of the park, and into the life of its longtime director, Caverly.
Titled “Wilderness Partners, Buzz Caverly and Baxter State Park,” the book is an expansive 586-page tome that follows Caverly from his childhood through his early career in the park to his retirement.
The result is an impressive, warts-and-all look at Caverly and the park, thanks to Austin’s exhaustive research and attention to detail.
Austin, who lives in Brunswick, began work on the book when Buzz’s retirement began to loom. After a string of family crises slowed the process, she completed the book some seven years later.
“If I’d known it would have taken seven years, I’m sure I would have never done it. It’s daunting,” Austin said.
Austin said that reflecting the true Buzz Caverly was an important consideration, and one she continued to impress upon Caverly as the project progressed.
“I just held a position from the very beginning that it was very important to tell the truth, and it was very important for the readers to see Buzz grow,” Austin said. “And taking out anything that would reflect that he was other than perfect wouldn’t be true and wouldn’t be fair to readers.”
Austin succeeded on that count, and Caverly’s missteps are itemized in detail. In fact, Austin gleaned some of the book’s details — including both criticism and praise from Caverly’s bosses in the Baxter State Park Authority — through decades-old personnel assessments that Buzz kept and allowed her to read.
“I’m always in the role of the citizen activist,” the author explained. “My job is to bring to the public the information that I find and not protect one person or another.”
At first glance, the book seems an imposing read: It’s thick, it’s focused on a single man and a single place and it’s a historic account … and we all know how dry history can be, if left in the hands of an unskilled storyteller.
Fortunately, the storyteller in this case is top-notch, and readers are likely to start wishing the book was even longer before they reach the halfway mark.
The secret to Austin’s success is simple: She offers Caverly’s story to readers in quick, manageable nibbles, rather than trying to drive the entire Caverly saga down their throats in long, indigestible passages.
The story is written chronologically, so you find out about the issues Caverly and the park were dealing with in 1968 a few hundred pages before you learn about 1990 issues.
But the quick-hit structure of the book, along with some truly riveting tales from Maine’s wilderness past, assure that readers will keep on plugging.
Have a few minutes to read before bed? The book is set up perfectly for that approach; Be forewarned, however: You’ll likely end up reading more pages than you intended as you work your way through the mini-chapters that cover each era.
Want to hear how Caverly dealt with the issue of snowmobile access in the park? You can do it. But you’ll have to keep reading, as the management challenge kept cropping up, year after year after year.
Of course, you could simply hop ahead and use the index, which helps turn the book into a valuable research volume.
Austin interviewed nearly 180 people before writing the book and spent countless hours reading archival accounts of Caverly’s career and park issues.
Austin embarked on the project for a simple reason. She had covered Caverly and the park for years as a journalist since 1970. She knew the issues. She knew the people to talk to. And she knew Caverly.
“Since I had been the Baxter Park point person for so long, I thought, ‘Well, I’m probably likely the person who should write the book,’” Austin said.
After speeding through the book, I can assure you of this: She was right.
The rest of us can enjoy the end result.
“Wilderness Partners” was released in paperback and retails for $20. It is available at many Maine bookstores. For more information about the book, call Tilbury House publishers at 1-800-582-1899 or go to their Web site at www.tilburyhouse.com.
Another perch record set
Just a couple weeks ago the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife recognized Jeff Paquette of Freedom, who caught a state record white perch in December.
As it turns out, Paquette’s celebration was to be short-lived … and publicity surrounding his catch actually helped spur a new record-holder into action.
According to a DIF&W news release, Chris Bubier of Wilton caught a 3.13-pound white perch on Jan. 24 while fishing on Parker Pond in Jay. The pond is also known as Mirror Lake or Little Parker Pond.
That fish topped Paquette’s 3.02-pounder, which was caught on Dec. 19.
State biologist Dave Boucher said Bubier didn’t notify DIF&W personnel until he saw news accounts of the December record fish.
“When Chris caught the fish, he didn’t think much about it,” Boucher said in the news release. “But when he read about the record he said that he thought his fish would beat it and decided to call me and check. It did.”
Maine Sportsman magazine maintains the state record book, and the DIF&W and Maine Sportsman jointly announce new records.
For more information about existing records, or to learn about registering your fish in “The One That Didn’t Get Away” club, go to www.mainesportsman.com.