AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife wants to hear the public’s ideas and opinions about Maine’s most popular wildlife and fish species.
Over the next month, the department will hold a series of statewide public meetings that will focus on moose, deer and turkey; bear; and freshwater fisheries. The meetings are designed to gather ideas and information from the public that will help shape management of these species over the next 15 years.
Three of the 10 sessions are planned in Presque Isle this week, with the others slated in Orono, Westbrook and Farmington.
Local meetings will be held at the Northeastland Hotel Red Room. The first is Wednesday, March 16, from 6-9 p.m., with a focus on bear management. The next will be Thursday, March 17, from 6-9 p.m., dealing with fisheries, and the third will take place Saturday, March 19, from 1-4 p.m., when discussion will center on management of moose, deer and turkey.
“We want to hear from the public concerning some of Maine’s most popular species,” said Jim Connolly, IFW director of resource management. “We’ve already conducted extensive public surveys, but this is your chance to provide additional input on the management of these species for years to come.”
In addition to public meetings, IFW is creating a dedicated “town hall forum” at www.metownhall.org to provide a further opportunity for residents to voice their opinions on deer, moose, turkey, and bear issues especially.
Starting March 1, residents will be able to access the town hall forum website and leave comments and suggestions at www.metownhall.org. The website will stay live until March 31, at which point comments will be reviewed. Residents are encouraged to log onto the website during the month of March to submit responses to prepared questions as well as interact with one another in an exchange of opinions and ideas.
Throughout March and April, there will also be a series of public meetings around the state to hear people’s thoughts and ideas regarding species management.
The meetings and online town hall are part of a larger study designed to assess priorities for bear, other big game, and fisheries management, including the issues residents see as important; their attitudes toward the current and desired population levels of various fish and game species; management techniques for these species; and any ideas for potential changes to the current management programs. Input from the public will help MDIFW to create the best management plans possible.
MDIFW contracted with Responsive Management, an internationally recognized public opinion research firm, to conduct the research. Responsive Management is handling the facilitation of the public meetings as well as the administration of the web forum. The firm has also conducted focus groups and surveys with Maine residents, hunters, anglers and landowners as part of the research.
Maine residents may have received a call, email, or letter in recent weeks inviting them to participate in one of the scientific surveys conducted for the project. The next phase of the project calls for a wider opportunity for residents to submit comments and suggestions in an open-ended manner via the public meetings and web forum.
