Blog Showcase Image:  Pioneering Maine outdoorsman George Smith dies at 72 (article in Portland Press Herald February 14, 2021) He was director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine for nearly two decades and four years ago was diagnosed with ALS. read more ..read more

Blog Showcase Image:  George Smith loved the outdoors as if it were his home (Portland Press Herald February 21, 2021) He lobbied for decades to protect Maine's woods and waters, because they filled him with awe and gratitude. By Deirdre FlemingStaff Writer     read more ..read more

Blog Showcase Image:  Photo courtesy of MDIFW LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD -- George Smith, center, is pictured with MDIFW Commissioner Judy Camuso and MDIFW Deputy Commissioner Tim Peabody after being honored with a department Lifetime Achievement Award on Sept. 7. Smith, who has a camp at Nesowadnehunk Lake on the edge of Baxter State Park, has been executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine for 18 years, host of the TV show “Wildfire,” a 30-year columnist for the Kennebec Journal and outdoor blogger for the Bangor Daily News. George Smith picked up birding binoculars la ..read more

Blog Showcase Image:  Bangor Daily News Editorial Board (February 17, 2021) It’s a rare achievement these days to be able to get people to agree on something. Yet, even those who often disagreed with George Smith shared the belief that he was a heartfelt champion for Maine who left an enduring mark on his beloved home state. Smith, 72, died on Feb. 12 after a four-year battle with ALS. He wore many hats: sportsman, advocate, writer, Grampy, to name a few. He spent 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) and was a prolific writer, including as an ou ..read more

Blog Showcase Image:  MOUNT VERNON – George A. Smith, of Mount Vernon, died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on Feb. 12, 2021. George was born on Oct. 15, 1948 to Ezra and Ada Smith of Winthrop. He had many fond memories of growing up in Winthrop and for the last 42 years lived in his beloved community of Mount Vernon.George is survived by his incredibly devoted wife of 41 years, Linda (Hillier); daughter and son-in-law, Rebekah Smith and Patrick Mellor of Union, son and daughter-in-law, Josh and Kelly Smith of Bridgewater, Mass., and daughter and partner, Hilary Smith and Flavio ..read more

Blog Showcase Image:    Ruth Moore is one of my favorite novelists. Sadly, none of her novels have been available for sale for years. So I am very pleased that IslandPort Press has started to republish Ruth’s wonderful novels. I quickly grabbed a copy of Ruth’s first novel, The Weir, and raced through it. It’s a very good story of two families living in a small fishing village before World War 2. The two families struggle and don’t always get along. Ruth was reluctant to write her first novel, but it was a huge success, so she kept writing, and her second book was so successful sh ..read more

Blog Showcase Image:    Ruth Moore is one of my favorite novelists. Sadly, none of her novels have been available for sale for years. So I am very pleased that IslandPort Press has started to republish Ruth’s wonderful novels. I quickly grabbed a copy of Ruth’s first novel, The Weir, and raced through it. It’s a very good story of two families living in a small fishing village before World War 2. The two families struggle and don’t always get along. Ruth was reluctant to write her first novel, but it was a huge success, so she kept writing, and her second book was so successful sh ..read more

Blog Showcase Image:    Peter Taylor’s book about the restoration of the Penobscot River is really good and important. From The Mountain To The Sea, published by Islandport Press, tells the amazing story of the very long and expensive effort to remove dams and build fishways on the Penobscot River. An unlikely alliance of many individuals and groups spent many years restoring the Penobscot, and Taylor interviewed more than 50 people for his book. It’s amazing to me that this group never gave up, despite lots of problems, including raising tens of millions of dollars to buy and rem ..read more

Blog Showcase Image:    The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has submitted 7 legislative bills. Although I  don’t remember the details of all of these bills, I do know about some of the most important ones. All of these bills were submitted last year, but the legislature adjourned early because of the Pandemic and none of the bills were enacted. Here are the bills. LR 94 An Act To Clarify and Enhance Maine's Fish and Wildlife Laws This is a typical bill the department submits each session, to fix any problems with the laws that govern their activities. There is rar ..read more

Blog Showcase Image:    If you like to fish, you should have a copy of the latest fishing laws and rules. You can get those here: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwKkHhQSvCjBSHrPnchnkRCxchQ       ..read more