Fifteen years ago, when the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife last set its long-term management goals for several species, large working groups did much of the heavy lifting, helping to set goals and objectives that have guided biologists ever since.
Now, with those 15-year plans ready for revamping, the department has opened the doors to virtually every Mainer who wants to help set the foundation for management efforts over the next decade and a half.
The DIF&W has unveiled a multiphase plan that includes a targeted survey, public meetings, focus groups and an open-to-all online forum as it hopes to complete the next 15-year plan before the end of the year.
And as it does so, the department also will attempt to make the end product more “user friendly,” according to Nate Webb, the wildlife biologist serving as the special projects coordinator in charge of the effort.
Consolidating the management plans for 13 or 14 different fish species — each of which was the focus of its own report the last time a long-range plan was formulated — into a single report is one method being used to simplify the process. The big-game plan will feature chapters on four species, but will also be included in a single document.
Mainers are being asked to contribute their thoughts on the management of big game animals — moose, deer, bear and wild turkey — as well as several fish species.
“Historically, since the early ’80s, our plan for fish and wildlife was to convene a working group for the species of interest,” Webb said. “That was our primary mechanism for public input.”
This time around, the department has set up a program that will allow more voices to be heard as deliberations are made later this year. Webb said he hopes draft management plans will be available for comment by fall, and said he thinks the project will be completed by the end of the year.
Among the questions biologists will tackle: What is the desired population level of each species in different Wildlife Management Districts around the state?
Webb explained the answer to that question can be difficult to tackle. Some, for instance, may say there are far too many wild turkeys in their area. Others might want even more of the birds around so they can be hunted more easily, while still others may suggest turkeys should be left alone completely to do as they will, so long as the habitat supports them.
Hearing diverse opinions is the goal of the department, Webb said.
The first phase of opinion gathering — a scientific survey conducted by Responsive Management, a Virginia firm, has been completed. The results of the fisheries survey and the results of the big game survey are available on the department website: mefishwildlife.com.
Several stakeholders also have been invited to participate on focus groups, which are closed to the general public.
“[The focus groups] allow us to have more of an in-depth two-way conversation about specific issues or questions that we have about the management of big game species or on fisheries management,” Webb explained. “There are things that don’t lend themselves well to a question on a survey or even to a large discussion in an open forum at a public meeting.”
For instance, Webb said focus groups may tackle issues such as revamping the moose permit lottery or addressing the divergent perspectives on wild turkeys that can vary greatly in different parts of the state.
But Webb said anyone can attend one of 10 public meetings set for Orono, Presque Isle, Portland and Farmington in the coming weeks.
And if attending those meetings prove inconvenient, the department also has set up a virtual town meeting website on which Mainers are encouraged to share their views on a bulletin board. The big game message board was active Tuesday, and Webb said the fisheries board should be operational by the end of the week. Both can be accesed on the website at metownhall.org.
“Typically with [public meetings] you expect the more interested and engaged folks are going to attend, to take the time to do so,” Webb said. “But we have the message boards, and that is an avenue for anybody who is interested and has any ideas, comments and concerns to post those and let us know what they’re thinking. It is interactive, so people can respond to comments just like on any other discussion forum.”
Webb said he hopes many Mainers choose to share their thoughts with the department and said the airing of those diverging opinions are important in formulating plans for the future.
“We can’t do everything for everyone in the same place in the same time,” Webb said, explaining that not everyone who voices an opinion on a topic will have the plan fully reflect their concerns. “[The process] requires a level of compromise.”
Bear management public meetings
— 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, Embassy Suites, 1050 Westbrook St., Portland, Maine, 04102, Katahdin Room
— 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, Northeastland Hotel, 436 Main St., Presque Isle, Maine, 04769, Red Room
— 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, March 30, Black Bear Inn, 4 Godfrey Drive, Orono, Maine, 04473, Blue Room
Moose, deer and turkey management public meetings
— 1-4 p.m. Saturday, March 19, Embassy Suites, 1050 Westbrook St., Portland, Maine, 04102, Katahdin Room
— 1-4 p.m. Saturday, March 19, Northeastland Hotel, 436 Main St., Presque Isle, Maine, 04769, Red Room
— 1-4 p.m. Saturday, April 2, Black Bear Inn, 4 Godfrey Drive, Orono, Maine, 04473, Blue Room
Fisheries management public meetings
— 6-9 p.m. Thursday, March 17, Embassy Suites, 1050 Westbrook St., Portland, Maine, 04102, Katahdin Room
— 6-9 p.m. Thursday, March 17, Northeastland Hotel, 436 Main St., Presque Isle, Maine, 04769, Red Room
— 6-9 p.m. Thursday, March 31, Black Bear Inn, 4 Godfrey Drive, Orono, Maine, 04473, Blue Room
— 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, University of Farmington, Lincoln Auditorium, 224 Main St. Farmington, Maine, 04938
