A New Year of Hunting and Fishing Opportunity in Maine is Just Around the Corner!
The 2021 hunting and fishing licenses are now available for purchase online or at any of the more than 800 licensing agents statewide.
The state of Maine offers a wide range of hunting and fishing opportunities. Maine is nearly as large as all the other New England states combined, with over 17 million acres of forested land, 6,000 lakes and ponds and 32,000 miles of rivers and streams.
By purchasing a license each year, you are supporting Maine's fish and wildlife management efforts and we thank you for that!
To make your annual license purchase even easier, you can opt into EZ Renew when you purchase your 2021 license online. You will be able to select a convenient date to receive an email reminder, which will contain a link that will allow you to quickly verify the license to be purchased, your personal info, and your payment details. Opting into EZ Renew will allow you to complete your annual license purchase in less than a minute!
Maine's lifetime license
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A Maine lifetime license, which can be purchased for yourself or as a gift, allows the bearer to fish, trap, and/or hunt for their lifetime, regardless of where they live in the future. Youth lifetime licenses can be purchased for both residents and non-residents ages 15 and under. Maine resident senior lifetime licenses are available starting at age 65.
Learn more at mefishwildlife.com
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Maine DHHS Redeploys Team of Call Center Staff to Support People Testing Positive for COVID-19
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced that 17 call center specialists will join the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide notification and support for people newly testing positive for COVID-19. This is part of a comprehensive plan to adapt Maine's response to best contain the spread of coronavirus in light of the surge in cases in the state.
The team from the DHHS Call Center, who currently answer questions about eligibility for Maine health and human services programs, will be temporarily redeployed to conduct case notification for some individuals. Case notification involves reaching out to people whose test came back positive for COVID-19 at the State lab or other labs and who are not otherwise prioritized for investigation by Maine CDC. This call center team will provide basic information and answers on how to isolate and where to go for help as needed.
In light of the significant increase in COVID-19 cases, starting today, Maine CDC is focusing case investigation and contact tracing for people at greater risk of contracting or spreading the disease. All other cases will get a call from the DHHS Call Center.
Maine CDC will continue to conduct case investigations of the following groups:
Persons age 18 and younger
Persons age 65and older
Persons who are hospitalized
Persons identified on the lab report as a minority
Persons identified as having a disability
Persons identified on the lab report as a health care workeror first responder
Persons known to be living or working in congregate settings including:
Healthcare facilities
Nursing facilities
Homeless shelters
Group homes
Correctional facilities
Individuals known to be associated with schools or child care facilities
In the past week, the average daily number of cases of COVID-19 has risen from 168 to 291. Maine's 7-day positivity rate has also risen from 3.96% to 4.72%.
Maine CDC currently has 135 people conducting case investigation and contract tracing. Over 30 new case investigators and 50 new contact tracers are in training and expected to become active in the next month. Some of these workers are redeployed temporarily from other parts of DHHS and State government or the National Guard. The Call Center has a total of 45 workers, with 17 redeploying this week and the remainder being trained to help as contact tracers or case notifiers as needed for the short-term as Maine CDC brings on new people. The Maine Department of Education has also coordinated with Maine CDC to deploy a cadre of nurses for school-specific contact tracing.
The need for extra support comes as Maine CDC faces a significant backlog of test results for the first time since the pandemic began due to the recent surge in cases. Maine CDC is receiving a high volume of positive test results from the State lab and other labs, leading to delays in the next step in the process of assigning positive results to case investigators. In the coming days, the case count will significantly increase as 4,500 positive test results from November 30 to December 6 are reviewed to determine if they are new cases. Not all positive tests become a new case, as some are from people who test positive more than once and others are out-of-state residents whose results are reported to their state of residence. The additional support announced today will help to alleviate this backlog and ensure that people diagnosed with COVID-19 have information about how to avoid spreading the disease to others and get any support they need to stay in isolation.
With this redeployment of call center staff, DHHS continues to urge Maine people interested in applying for health and human services programs, including MaineCare, Food Supplement, and TANF, to visit MyMaineConnection, the online application portal.
Wreaths Across America Convoy Ready for Annual Mission, Undeterred by Pandemic
Tens of thousands of Maine-made wreaths are ready to go to Arlington National Cemetery this week. With a modified plan in place, the convoy will leave Columbia Falls on Tuesday and arrive in Arlington on Saturday.
As hectic and crazy as it's been, it's very humbling to feel that and feel how people support this mission," Karen Worcester, the co-founder of Wreaths Across America told NEWS CENTER Maine.
The organization released their modified itinerary, including stops in just Columbia, Winslow and Portland this year.
Tuesday, December 15
9:00AM Coastal Washington County Institute of Technology
12 Addison Rd., Columbia, ME 04330
10:00AM Parade through downtown Ellsworth, ME
12:45PM Arrive at Central Maine Veterans’ Memorial Park
Roderick Rd, Winslow, ME 04901
3:15PM – Arrive at Ocean Gateway, Portland ME
14 Ocean Gateway Pier, Portland, ME 04101
Wednesday, December 16
8:00AM Leave Portland (295, 95, off in Saco, Route 1 South, a small detour through York Village)
10:10AM Arrive at MA State Line
12:30PM Parade through portion of Worcester, MA
3:30PM Arrives at Regal Cinemas, Branford, CT
325 E. Main St. Branford, CT
7:30PM Cross The George Washington Bridge
Thursday December 17
9:45AM Arrive at Vietnam Veterans’ Museum, Holmdel, NJ
1 Memorial Ln, Holmdel, NJ 07733
1:30PM Arrive at Holy Rosary Church (The Guardian of the Defenders Memorial)
3200 Philadelphia Pike, Claymont, DE 19703
3:30PM Arrive at Whitehall Village -801 Mapleton Ave., Middletown, DE 19709
6:00PM Arrive at American Legion Post 278 Kent Island -800 Romancoke Rd, Stevensville, MD 21666
Friday December 18
National Mall Memorials - TBD
Virtual Event 6:30-8:30PM – Watch LIVE on Wreaths Across America Official Facebook Page
Saturday, December 19
National Wreaths Across America Day LIVE Virtual Event at 12PM on Facebook
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