June 22, 2016

IFW News -- Department To Hold Informational Meeting On Jamie?s Pond WMA Timber Harvest

AUGUSTA, Maine -- The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will hold a Public Information Meeting on Wednesday, June 29 at 6:00 pm at the Hallowell City Hall Auditorium to discuss an upcoming timber harvest on the Jamie?s Pond Wildlife Management Area.

The Jamie?s Pond Wildlife Management area encompasses 886 acres in the towns of Farmingdale, Hallowell and Manchester. Overall, IFW oversees over 100,000 acres of wildlife management areas throughout the state.

IFW staff will provide information about the upcoming timber harvest, and answer any questions about the harvest including how the harvest will enhance existing wildlife habitat, and how the department manages WMAs for wildlife. There is also a walking tour for the Hallowell and Manchester conservation commissions scheduled for 11:00 on Tuesday, June 28 at the Jamie?s Pond Wildlife Management Area. The tour will visit areas to be harvested, but due to the outside location and limited time, anyone with questions about the harvest should attend the public informational meeting Wednesday night, which is more interactive with IFW wildlife biologists available and will include maps, diagrams and a presentation of the area to be cut.

The timber harvest is designed to enhance wildlife habitat in the Jamie?s Pond WMA, and will include thinning around mast-producing trees such as red oaks in order to increase foraging opportunities for deer, snowshoe hare and turkey; cutting in and around deer wintering areas to increase browse and create patch openings in aspen dominated areas to provide habitat for both grouse and woodcock.

The project is scheduled to begin in the middle of this summer. For more information about the proposed timber harvest at Jamie?s Pond, please attend the informational meeting.