Paul writes, “these two were having issues earlier today..”
The color may be fading from the hillsides but there is much to observe in Maine Nature during the fall. These sparing moose were photographed last week in Aroostook County.
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife continue their efforts to stock and monitor Maine’s ponds and lakes. In a follow-up from last week’s post, the remote ponds are stocked by float plane. The truck will drive to one of the larger lakes or body of water where the float plane can land. Then, as this picture from IF&W shows, the “trout are transferred from the truck to specially-made tanks that are attached to the floats of the plane. The tanks have oxygen-enriched water, and the tanks can be remotely operated from the cockpit in order to release the fish into remote ponds”. Having seen this done in previous years, the plane will fly as low as possible to the water’s surface where the fish will be dropped from the holding tanks. It looks like a spray of water coming from the floats before the plane quickly lifts up over the trees and back to reload the tanks and jump to the next pond.
In other IF&W news, the biologists are busy each fall collecting data on the fish stocks of Maine’s ponds and lakes. These pictures were taken on Schoodic Lake near Brownville, DMA&G 42. The biologists used live collection nets to “catch a variety of fish. On this day, the haul included landlocked salmon, brook trout, white suckers, and pickerel. The white suckers, some in excess of five pounds, were immediately released. The salmon, trout and pickerel where placed in a bucket where they were anesthetized, weighed and measured, then released.”
Pictured below, “Biologist Greg Burr measures this salmon, Biologist Joe Overlock records the weight and length of the fish. The data collected this fall will be analyzed and used to assess stocking rates, fishing regulations, and the health of the fishery.
Before the fish are released, the fish are clipped with an identifying clip in the tail. The fin clip ensures that the same fish will not be measured twice, even if it is caught again.”
In other news from State agencies working to benefit Maine Nature, the Department of Conservation Forest Rangers patrol the forests not just from the ground but also from the sky. This picture was taken by one of the forestry planes looking south at the confluence of the East Branch of the Penobscot and Wassataquoik Stream. DMA&G map 51 T3 R7. Click here for a link to Maine’s Forest Rangers…
There is a Waning Crescent Moon hanging in the sky this week. The first weather reports of snow have been issued and most parts of the state have now seen a hard frost. The only areas still not affected by frost are locations very near to the ocean and other water that keeps the air temperatures just high enough to keep the frost away a while longer.
News in Public Policy this week surrounds Open Pit Mining. 
Comments close tomorrow, Monday October 28th regarding proposed changes to state policy on Open Pit Mining. According to the Natural Resource Council of Maine , new regulations that were adopted in 2012 need strengthening to protect Maine’s waters, wildlife and communities from mining pollution, specifically sulfuric acid and arsenic. An area near Allagash Village in Aroostook County is of current concern for mining development. The NRCM website provides more detailed information and to give comments to the Maine Bureau of Environmental Protection Click here to comment…
