Page 10 - Pete Warner News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

By Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News Staff Most of Maine barely has any snow to enjoy the outdoors — and adding insult to injury is the limited amount of safe ice on many of the state’s lakes and ponds forcing the cancellation of local ice fishing derbies. So far this winter, warm temperatures and a significant pre-Christmas rainstorm have been instrumental in slowing the formation of ice in many areas of Maine.

By Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News Staff Beginning a new year is a time of reflection. The older I get, the more I realize we aren’t guaranteed anything in this life.

By Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News Staff The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 helped ignite a surge of people heading into the Maine outdoors — and that trend continued in 2022. Maine State Park campgrounds were visited at a record level last year, with more than 319,000 visitor nights recorded at the 12 parks that offer camping.

By Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News Staff Ice anglers are excited about getting out on Maine’s frozen lakes and ponds, but make sure you check conditions before venturing out this month. The January fishing reports from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife list several small bodies of water that typically freeze first, but it is up to anglers to test for ice safety before heading onto the ice as warm temperatures have not been conducive to good ice formation.

By Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News Staff The effects of chemical contamination of Maine’s fish and wildlife, the impact of the revamped antlerless deer permit system and winter tick mortality among moose are three of the key areas outdoor enthusiasts should follow as we head into 2023. Many important questions remain unanswered from 2022 concerning each of those issues, which will have long-term implications for people who recreate in the state’s woods and waters.