MDIFW Blog
Watch out for CWD
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) disease in cervids, including deer and moose. Other TSEs you may already know are Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, mad cow in bovines, and scrapie in sheep. TSEs are fatal diseases that effect the nervous system. Visible symptoms of CWD include excessive drooling, thirst, and urination, teeth grinding, drooping ears, unusual behavior, sluggish behavior, and emaciation.
Fall Preparation
Fall is just around the corner and IFW’s wildlife and fisheries biologists and hatchery personnel are rushing around preparing for the coming cool weather and all of the hunting, fishing, and fish stocking that come with it! For wildlife biologists, this means monitoring the black bear harvest, which is currently in full swing, and preparing themselves and the many tagging stations statewide for the inevitable rush of moose and deer and turkeys that will be coming in!
Creating Food and Habitat with Flame
The morning of August 24th rolled into Brownfield with blue skies, a few clouds, and only occasional wisps of wind; it was a perfect morning for setting the woods on fire in IFW’s Brownfield Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The Maine Forest Service, the USDA Forest Service, IFW, The Nature Conservancy, NOAA, and the Maine Army National Guard all congregated for the prescribed burn.
Maine's Moose are on the Loose!
Historically, Maine has been the premier moose hunting and viewing destination in the lower 48 states. Along with a healthy moose population comes the task of managing it at levels that are socially acceptable; this can be done effectively only if you know how many animals you have in the population. However, this objective is often significantly more difficult than you might think. There are a variety of methods that could be used to count individuals; most have been employed by Maine IFW biologists at some point to determine our beloved moose population.
Goldfish are Invading-part 1
[caption id="attachment_401" align="alignleft" width="300"] Hundreds of goldfish in small outdoor pond in central Maine.[/caption] When somebody talks about invasive fish species and illegal stocking, most often the fish that come to mind are northern pike, black crappie, and
Goldfish are Invading-Part 2
[caption id="attachment_407" align="alignleft" width="300"] Biologists mix the chemical Rotenone with water taken from the pond prior to application[/caption] As expressed in Goldfish part 1, those little inconspicuous, simple fish that may be resi
Creating Suitable Spots for Salmon Young
[caption id="attachment_396" align="alignleft" width="300"] IFW biologists and NextEra Energy biologists electro-fish for young salmon[/caption] The Moosehead Lake region has always been a hotspot for landlocked salmon fishing, with one
Resident Canada Goose Banding
[caption id="attachment_387" align="alignleft" width="300"] Corralling geese into the pen[/caption] About a month ago I had the opportunity to go out with our wildlife biologists when they were banding Canada geese.
Learning to fish with Backyard Bass
Teaching children to fish is both rewarding and challenging, especially when working with a large group of children at one time. I always strive to provide an opportunity for the kids I work with to go on an actual fishing trip but sometimes it just isn't realistic. Enter - Backyard Bass. I was first introduced to this tool when it was endorsed by the Future Fisherman Foundation.
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