Happy Mother’s Day! To celebrate our passionate, tough, and nature-loving mothers and caregivers TU is offering a Free Trial Membership to Trout Unlimited. If you know a mother or a special person who is not already a TU member, we hope you will forward this message to them. This offer is only good for Mother’s Day Weekend, so don’t delay!

May 28 5:30-Our monthly meeting will be In person only at Helen’s in Machias. Colby Bruchs will discuss: Atlantic Salmon Conservation in Downeast Coastal Rivers: Habitat Restoration, Connectivity, and Land Conservation Benefiting Fish and Local Communities. Space is limited. Please RSVP to Tammy Packie, tpackiegmail.com (tpackie[at]gmail[dot]com)

April was a busy month for DETU!   At our Annual Meeting we experienced our first change of leadership. Our new Officers are:

Vice President Al West   aldime04658gmail.com (aldime04658[at]gmail[dot]com)

Secretary Karen Svenson granitefarmroadrunner.com (granitefarm[at]roadrunner[dot]com)

Treasurer Arthur Benson ajbrxyahoo.com (ajbrx[at]yahoo[dot]com)

We have no President at this time. Former Officers Robert and Tammy Packie, George Marnik, and Dana Hunter will continue to support the chapter and work with the new leadership to create a smooth transition. We elected Vincent Messer, Casey Shannon, David Klausmeyer and Thomas Daley to our board. Thanks to all for stepping up to serve!

Members volunteered at the Card Brook Clean-up, held two Fly tying events, mentored vets at a Project Healing Waters outing, hosted a superb lecture by Bucky Owen at the Wendell Gilley Museum, wrote advocacy letters, and talked about TU at the DSF Smelt Fry.  Raffle Winners were drawn at our Annual Meeting, Arthur Benson won a dozen lobsters and Paul Hansen the shad fishing trip. We sold 130 tickets, raising over $1200 for our conservation and education programs. Thanks to all who supported DETU.

Union River Watershed Summit: May 16 Zoom only & May 17 all day: Hosted by Green Ellsworth’s Union River Action Team-with DETU, DSF, Ellsworth Garden Club, FBC, HCSWD Heart of Ellsworth, Maine Audubon and more. This third summit will bring the community together to discuss issues surrounding the future of the Union River. Friday- History of the river pre-1907- Dwayne Shaw, DSF and members of the Ellsworth Historical Society. Register at: https://uregina-ca.zoom.us/meeting/#upcoming

Saturday-Displays, interactive sessions, a tour of the dam, and a walk along the river.

All summit events are free and open to the public. Advance registration is necessary for the Zoom talk. For more information go to Green Ellsworth or contact Mary Blackstone at 667-8878 or blackstmuregina.ca (blackstm[at]uregina[dot]ca).

May 25 7pm Maine Outdoors Al West will talk with V. Paul Reynolds on "Maine Outdoors" on WVOM. The Maine Outdoors is a live radio show on Sundays from 7-8pm on WVOM 103.9 Bangor or 101.3 in Augusta. Listen and call in with questions about the Eastern Maine Casting Competition or Downeast Trout Unlimited.

May 28 Downeast TU Meeting Colby Bruchs: Atlantic Salmon Conservation in Downeast Coastal Rivers: Habitat Restoration, Connectivity, and Land Conservation Benefiting Fish and Local Communities. Colby will present the current status of Atlantic salmon smolt production and adult returns in the Narraguagus River. He will discuss trends in adult salmon returns in the Pleasant, Machias, East Machias, and Dennys Rivers. He will also provide an overview of ongoing habitat restoration and connectivity projects that benefit Maine’s diadromous and freshwater fish species and local communities in Eastern Maine.

In person only at Helens in Machias.  Space is limited. Please RSVP to Tammy Packie, tpackiegmail.com (tpackie[at]gmail[dot]com)

2025 Alewife Events: Alewife, a small sea-run fish related to Atlantic herring, return to Maine in huge numbers from April to late May every year. Witness their remarkable migration and learn about restoration efforts, fish passage improvements, research, and the cultural importance of river herring to Maine's tribal communities at upcoming festivals. 

·  Benton Alewife Festival, May 17, 11am-3pm: https://townline.org/events-benton-alewife-festival-to-be-celebrated-on-may-17-2025/

·  Blackman Stream - Maine Forest and Logging Museum, Alewife Day, May 17, 10am-3pm: https://umaine.edu/mafes/event/alewife-day/

·  Skutik River Alewife Run, Sipayik to Forest City, May 24

·    https://www.mitsc.org/news/2025-skutik-river-alewife-run

·  Pennamaquan Alewife Festival, May 24, 10am-5pm: https://greenhorns.org/alewife-festival/

·  Damariscotta Mills Run with the Alewives, May 24: https://damariscottamills.org/run-with-the-alewives/.

·  Orland alewife festival, May 24, 10am-2pm

·  Bagaduce alewife celebration, May 24 from 11-2 at Pierce’s Pond in Penobscot : https://www.worldfishmigrationday.com/event/bagaduce-alewife-celebration/

·  Brunswick Dam fish viewing station, May through early June, Wed-Sunday from 1-5pm

·  Penobscot Running of the Alewives, Penobscot Nation Farm, May 31, 12-5pm https://www.penobscotnation.org/event/running-of-the-alewives/

Alewife School Visits DMR is offering school bus trips to alewife run sites in 2025 to help facilitate learning about the state’s searun fish heritage. The alewife run peaks the week of Mother’s Day. If you are or know a teacher who is interested in participating in the busing program visit https://forms.office.com/g/n7zaNmqNjT  For questions call 207-350-6069 or email Theo Willis, PhD Searun Fish Restoration Coordinator for DMR.at theodore.v.willismaine.gov (theodore.v.willis@maine.gov).

Resources for learning about river herring: Maine Rivers - Alewife Trail Map, Gulf of Maine River Herring Network - Tools for Communities,  Maine DMR - Maine River Herring Fact Sheet and Swimming Home by Susan Hand Shetterly and Rebekah Raye. A great read for the whole family. Contact Tammy Packie at tpackiegmail.com (tpackie[at]gmail[dot]com) to purchase.

Maine Alewife Day- May 24. The Governor shall issue a proclamation urging Maine people to celebrate this fish so important to Maine’s river ecosystems and economy on the Saturday before Memorial Day.

Free Fishing Weekend May 31-June 1 Any person, except those whose license has been revoked my fish without a license. All other state laws apply.

Family Fishing Day at Lily Pond Deer Isle May 31 Join Island Heritage Trust and DETU for a day of family fun. Learn how to fish, tie flies and row. One lucky child will win a Maine Lifetime Fishing License. Gear, bait, and life vest will be provided. Contact Alex Drenga adrengaislandheritagetrust.org (adrenga@islandheritagetrust.org) for information and to confirm date.

Eastern Maine Fly Casting Competition: June 7, rain date June 8 at the Pleasant River Fish and Game Conservation Association, 1597 Tibbetstown Rd. Columbia, ME, from 9 to 2. Hosted by DETU & PRF&GCA. Individual & Team Competitions in Men/Women/Youth categories Each competitor will use a standard fly and leader utilizing a one-handed rod (9’ maximum) and will compete for both accuracy and distance. You will have 2 chances for both, the best of each trial will be entered in the competition. Compete for various prizes and bragging rights for being the best fly caster in Eastern Maine! Grab a friend to combine scores and compete as a team. Everyone will be scored individually for a chance to win but 2 people can combine their scores for a team entry as well.

Fishing Gear Sale & Swap: Same date, time location. Individuals, conservation organizations, and gear manufacturers may rent a sell/swap table at the Casting event for $15.  Contact Al West 207-632-7267 text/call or email aldime04658gmail.com (aldime04658[at]gmail[dot]com) to register. Fees - $20/Event, General Admittance $5, Table for Sell/Swap $15, Lunch $10

Volunteer Opportunity! Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery needs volunteer egg pickers!  Staffing is being reduced to two people, which means they will need to care for over 2.02M eggs and fry on top of their other duties!  One staffer will be working with Green Lake as a stocking truck driver as the season progresses.  This is a great opportunity to get involved with Atlantic salmon restoration efforts.

Egg/fry picking is a crucial on-going activity that helps prevent the spread of fungus from naturally-occurring mortalities to the healthy eggs and fry.  Salmon eggs are kept in incubation trays until they hatch and some of the eggs die during that timeframe, turning an opaque whitish color (fungus).  If the eggs are not picked, the fungus can spread to other viable eggs.

Contact Denise Buckley, Senior Fishery Biologist at denise_buckleyfws.gov (denise_buckley[at]fws[dot]gov) or 207-902-1558 if you can assist any Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday.  Volunteers should wear warm clothes and water proof boots.  Rain pants are optional,The hatchery can provide rubber aprons Rain pants are optional.  

This spring, state hatcheries will stock over 30,000 fish in 55 waters in the Downeast area and 430,000 fish in over 500 waters across the state, giving anglers opportunities to catch brook trout, landlocked salmon, brown trout, togue, splake (a brook/lake trout hybrid), rainbow trout, and landlocked salmon in a variety of scenic locations. View the stocking report online.

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing PHWFF is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active and veteran military personnel through fly fishing activities, education and outings. An outing was held last weekend last weekend; the fishing was poor, with rain and high flows but the camaraderie, conversation, and fly tying were good.  Are you a veteran or know a veteran that might be interested in participating? Contact Mike Manning Project Lead at mike.manningprojecthealingwaters.org (mike.manning@projecthealingwaters.org) Monthly meetings are held at DSF Hatchery in East Machias and will soon be expanding to Ellsworth.

Changes Proposed to Endangered Species Act Support the Endangered Species Act under its current interpretation-which protects critical wildlife habitat. Habitat loss is the biggest single cause of extinction and creates endangered species around the world.  It is proposed that only harmful actions directed against an animal, not their habitat, be prohibited. This will make it easier to log, mine and build on lands endangered species need to thrive.  Submit comments before May 19, 2025 directly to the Fish & Wildlife Service; instructions below.

Proposed Changes: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service are proposing to rescind the regulatory definition of “harm” in our Endangered  Species Act (ESA) regulations. The existing regulatory definition of “harm,” which includes habitat modification, runs contrary to the best meaning of the statutory term “take.” We are undertaking this change to adhere to the singular meaning of the ESA. A summary of this proposed rule is available at https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2025-0034. 

You may submit comments by one of the following methods: 1-Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, enter FWS-HQ-ES-2025-0034, which is the docket number for this rulemaking. Then, click on the Search button. On the resulting page, in the panel on the left side of the screen, under the Document Type heading, check the Proposed Rule box to locate this document. You may submit a comment by clicking on “Comment.” 2-By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-HQ-ES-2025-0034, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

Comments must be received before May 19, 2025. For information contact: Gina Shultz, Acting Assistant Director, Ecological Services, 703-358-2171 or ADEcologicalServicesfws.gov (ADEcologicalServices[at]fws[dot]gov) with a subject line of 1018-BI38. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/17/2025-06746/rescinding-the-definition-of-harm-under-the-endangered-species-act

Trout Camp DETU is sending one student to camp this year. They need flies, please send a half dozen flies of the same pattern to camp by mailing them to Robb Cotiaux at 91 Tufts Rd. New Gloucester, ME 04260. Thank you Dan & Penny Legere, of the Maine Guide Fly Shop, for their donation of 15 dozen flies! Trout Camp Volunteers Needed: If you are able to help contact Camp Coordinator Robb Cotiaux rcotiauxgmail.com (rcotiaux[at]gmail[dot]com) ASAP to complete screening.

Penobscot River Trip October 18: Tickets are selling fast! Hosted by the Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company this 9.5 hour trip will combine fun, photography and environmental education with stops at 10 lighthouses. Join members from the founding organizations of the Penobscot River Restoration Trust: American Rivers, Atlantic Salmon Federation, Maine Audubon, Natural Resources Council of Maine, The Nature Conservancy, the Penobscot Nation and Trout Unlimited and learn about past and current conservation efforts on Maine’s largest river. 

Naturalist Zack Klyver and Bob Trapani Jr., President of the American Lighthouse Foundation, will host the tour. Photographer Michael Leonard will be onboard along with B&H Photo to discuss your photography and demonstrate equipment. Cost is $229, but if you are an active TU member or member of one of the organizations representing the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, you can receive a 25% discount. If you choose to become a TU member you can save $57.25. Contact Rob Packie rbpackiegmail.com (rbpackie[at]gmail[dot]com) or Tammy Packie tpackiegmail.com (tpackie[at]gmail[dot]com) to confirm your membership status and receive the discount code. Purchase tickets by going to the BHWW website, Oct. 18 Light house tour on their calendar.  

National TU: From Chris Wood-The last few months have caused tremendous uncertainty and while we are not out of the water yet, we made it this far because we all hung together. As of the beginning of May all our federal grants have been cleared. (for this year). This was a great team effort:  The grassroots and volunteer leadership of TU gave support to help offset delays in federal funding with donations and by reaching out to their members of Congress. The Board of Trustees stepped up with both their financial and strategic contributions and with the NLC made the cost saving decision to hold the upcoming board and annual meetings virtually. Your advocacy played a crucial role in unlocking federal funds that support TU’s restoration and conservation projects. Thank you to all who stepped up to make your voices heard.

While this news is encouraging, the outlook for federal conservation funding is uncertain. Longer-term challenges, including decreases in federal revenue over the coming years, require us to stay vigilant when it comes to national political decisions being made which could impact Trout Unlimited's work. https://www.tu.org/powering-the-restoration-economy-and-rural-jobs/

News: In a late-night move on May 6 House Natural Resources Committee Reps. Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Celeste Maloy (R-UT) introduced an amendment to sell off hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah. The committee voted to advance the budget reconciliation bill to the House floor.

This amendment sets a dangerous precedent for the future of America’s public lands. Budget reconciliation isn’t the place to make decisions about public land sales—especially without transparency or public input. Laws, regulations, and processes already exist to facilitate the disposal of public land when it is in the public’s interest.

“There is a time and a place for everything. There are mechanisms that allow for proper consideration of federal land transactions, ensuring adequate consideration and public input," said Trout Unlimited's President and CEO Chris Wood. "The time for selling off hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands is not right before midnight, and the place to do so is certainly not in a tax bill. Trout Unlimited strongly opposes efforts to sell off America’s public lands, especially when those efforts lack transparency and disregard public process. While this amendment passed committee, the fight to stop the sale of public lands is far from over. We need TU members and supporters now more than ever. Stand up for public lands: https://bit.ly/4ceqOq9

On May 7, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Reps. Zinke (R-MT) and Vasquez (D-NM) and co-chaired by Reps. Dingell (D-MI) and Simpson (R-ID) formed the Public Lands Caucus, dedicated to protecting the lands that are home to millions of acres of fish and wildlife habitat and endless fishing, hunting, and outdoor recreation opportunities

“Public lands are the backyard of the little guy, demonstrating our commitment to leaving the world a better place for our children than the one we inherited from our parents,” said Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited. “On behalf of Trout Unlimited members across the nation, I thank Congressmen Zinke and Vasquez and the members of the newly minted bipartisan Public Lands Caucus for their leadership upholding our legacy of public lands. We look forward to working with the caucus to prevent the sort of dark-of-night actions we saw this week to sell off hundreds of thousands of acres of America’s public lands.”

Climate Change Training:  The Climate Change Workgroup has five training modules- Introduction, Science, Adaptation, Advocacy and Education.  We are looking for volunteers to become Climate Change Coordinators at the chapter and Council level.  Information and links to the modules can be found at CCWG-COORDINATOR RESOURCES - All Training Modules.

Spring is in full swing and it’s time to start fishing! Try small trout ponds for brook trout or troll for salmon. Remember, dress according to the water temperature not the air temperature. Warm temperatures and sunshine can be deceiving and water temperatures are still very cold. For small brook trout try the small ponds in Acadia National Park, or Fox Pond along Route 182. All of these ponds fall under general law regulations.

Grand Lake Stream provides excellent opportunities to catch landlocked salmon.  Try a Golden Retriever or the Barnes Special are bpth good patterns to try. The Grand Lake Stream Hatchery is under construction but access by foot is still allowed along the stream. East Grand Lake and Pemadumcook Lake are good for trolling landlocked salmon. 

Keep an eye out for tagged fish: Biologists use "T-bar tags" or "Floy tags" to mark fish species across the state, helping to provide valuable data on fish populations and track movements of invasive species.  Each tag contains a unique identification number, allowing biologists to track individual fish through angler reports. Tags can be yellow, orange, or green in color and found on the back behind the dorsal fin. Your participation plays a vital role in helping biologists study fish growth, survival, catch rates, species abundance, and movement patterns.

When reporting a tagged fish, anglers are asked to provide the following information:

·  The tag ID number

·  Whether the fish was harvested or released

·  The fish's length

·  The location where it was caught

Report tagged fish online at mefishwildlife.com/tag  or send an email to Kevin Gallant at Kevin.Gallantmaine.gov (Kevin[dot]Gallant[at]maine[dot]gov)

Upcoming Events

May 16 & 17 Union River Summit contact Mary Blackstone at blackstmuregina.ca (blackstm[at]uregina[dot]ca).

May 25 7pm Maine Outdoors radio Al West will talk with V. Paul Reynolds

May 28 Colby Bruchs- Atlantic Salmon Smolts & Returns on the Narraguagus River at Helen’s in Machias.*In person only*

May 31 Family Fishing Day at Lily Pond Deer Isle contact Alex Drenga adrengaislandheritagetrust.org (adrenga@islandheritagetrust.org)

May 31 PFF 2 Handed Casting Class at the Eddington Salmon Club. Cost is $30.To register call Don at 207 478-3173 or email treasurerpenobscotflyfishers.com (treasurer@penobscotflyfishers.com)

June 7 Eastern Maine Fly Casting Competition at PRFGCA with DETU. Contact Al West to pre-register aldime04658gmail.com (aldime04658[at]gmail[dot]com)

June 7 Paddle the Orange River Watershed For more info: Paddle the Orange River

Downeast Trout Unlimited Gear: Hats $25, Brook Trout pins $15, Brook Trout Earrings $16.

Downeast Trout Unlimited (DETU) is dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring Maine's cold water fisheries and their watersheds. New memberships are half price. For NEW memberships only go to www.tu.org/join305Downeast. Use the link and DETU will receive $15. Call 800-834-2419 to renew.  Donations may be mailed to Downeast Trout Unlimited, c/o Arthur Benson, Treasurer; 32 Cottage Way Hampden ME 04444. For more information visit https://www.downeasttu.org/ or Downeast TU on Facebook