Rep. Arata's News from the Legislature

Town of New Gloucester 385 Intervale Road, New Gloucester, ME 04260 (207) 926-4126 (phone) / (207) 926-4136 (fax)

Town of Poland 1231 Maine Street, Poland, ME 04274 (207) 998-4601 (phone) / (207) 998-2002 (fax)

2021 Maine Moose Permit Lottery Winners

To find out if you were a winner, select the first letter of your last name.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Results shown are in the following format -- Name, Town, State, Wildlife Management District (WMD), Season, and Permit Type

Seasons

• SEP = September Week (9/27-10/2)
• OC1 = First October Week (10/11-10/16)
• OC2 = Second October Week (10/25-10/30)
• NOV = November Month (11/1-11/27)

Adaptive Seasons

• W1N = Adaptive Unit Week 1 North Zone (10/18-10/23)
• W1S = Adaptive Unit Week 1 South Zone (10/18-10/23)
• W2N = Adaptive Unit Week 2 North Zone (10/25-10/30)
• W2S = Adaptive Unit Week 2 South Zone (10/25-10/30)
• W3N = Adaptive Unit Week 3 North Zone (11/1-11/6)
• W3S = Adaptive Unit Week 3 South Zone (11/1-11/6)

Moose Permit Swaps - If you are interested in registering or finding someone who wants to swap moose permits, please visit Swap Moose Hunting Permits for more information.

Moose Permit Alternates

To find out if you were chosen as an alternate, select from the “Resident Alternates” or “Nonresident Alternates” below.

Resident Alternates | Nonresident Alternates

Browntail Moth (BTM) Update

Much has happened recently, including observations of the first caterpillars pupating at all of the Maine Forest Service’s monitoring sites.  Again, this is a couple of weeks earlier than in the past (June 26 last year), which is not surprising.  Growth of caterpillars has been advanced this year, likely due to a warmer spring that allowed them to emerge and begin feeding earlier.

At this stage, insecticide control operations should be wrapped up for the year.  It is a far better investment, and a better choice for the environment, to target controls for the generation that will begin to develop in August.  These control measures should include removing and destroying winter webs where possible and management with insecticides if chosen.  We recommend working with licensed pesticide applicators for the latter approach.

Is summer 2021 expected to be a particularly bad year for browntail moth encounters?

Generally speaking, this year will be as bad or worse than last year in terms of potential encounters with browntail moth.  Browntail moth populations in Maine have been in an outbreak phase since 2015, and populations last year continued to increase.  In particular, the dry spring of 2020 limited disease in the caterpillar stage, thus allowing a bumper crop of moths to disperse in July.

What areas of Maine are most at risk?

Most areas of Maine, especially along the coast and inland that have significant host tree populations, are at risk.  In 2021, overwintering browntail moth webs were found in every county in Maine.  Highest populations, as reflected by mapped damage by aerial survey, are found in Androscoggin, Cumberland, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, and Waldo Counties.

What areas are at risk this year that were not heavily infested in the past years?

Aerial survey data points to increased impacts in parts of Cumberland, Kennebec, Knox, and Waldo County, with late-summer damage mapped in areas where early summer defoliation was not seen.  Maine Forest Service winter web surveys point to continued spread of the pest up the Penobscot River and I-95 corridors, and in southern portions of Oxford, Franklin, Somerset, and Penobscot Counties.  More disjunct sightings occurred in three towns in Aroostook County (Fort Fairfield, Monticello, and Smyrna).  Other areas where BTM was prevalent last year have spread to varying extents.

What are the most precise ways for people to know the browntail moth situation in their area?

Consulting this year’s winter web survey map will give people a general idea of what the BTM population looks like in their area.  However, there is no substitute for inspecting the host trees and shrubs around places they frequent.

• late-fall through early spring -- On sunny days, examine hosts for winter webs on the tips of host branches
• spring-early summer -- Look for the distinctive caterpillars.  The white stripes characteristic of older larvae usually develop in late-May, the two orange dots towards the rear are present throughout this stage.
• early-summer through leaf fall -- Watch for and avoid cocoons and their remnants.
• late-summer -- Watch for distinctive feeding and developing silk created by young caterpillars prior to overwintering.

Where is the best resource to find how to protect oneself from browntail moth?

More Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

The browntail moth is an insect of forest and human health concern that was accidently introduced into Somerville, Massachusetts from Europe in 1897.  By 1913, the insect had spread to all of the New England states and New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.  Since that time, populations of this pest slowly decreased due to natural controls until the 1960's, when browntail moth was limited to Cape Cod and a few islands off the Maine coast in Casco Bay.

Browntail moth populations are again building in Maine and are found in patches along the coast and up to 60 miles inland from the western Maine border to the New Brunswick border, with the greatest concentrations in mid-coastal Maine and the capitol region.  The larval stage (caterpillar) of this insect feeds on the foliage of hardwood trees and shrubs, including oak, shadbush, apple, cherry, beach plum, and rugosa rose.  Larval feeding causes reduction of growth and occasional mortality of valued trees and shrubs.

While feeding damage may cause some concern, the primary impact on humans by browntail moth results from contact with poisonous hairs produced by the caterpillars.  Microscopic, toxic hairs break off the caterpillars and can be airborne or settled on surfaces in browntail moth infested areas.  Sensitive individuals who encounter the hairs may develop a skin rash similar to poison ivy and/or trouble breathing.  Symptoms can last anywhere from a few hours to several weeks and can be severe in some individuals.

Maine Agricultural Fairs 2021

• Monmouth Fair June 16 —19
• Houlton Agricultural Fair July 2 — 4
• Ossipee Valley Fair July 8 — 11
• Waterford World's Fair July 16 — 18
• Pittston Fair July 22  — 25
• Bangor State Fair July 29 — August 7
• Northern Maine Fair July 31 — August 8
• Topsham Fair August 8 — 15
• Skowhegan State Fair August 12 — 21
• Union Fair August 21 -- 28
• Maine Farm Days August 25 — 26
• Acton Fair August 26 — 29
• Piscataquis Valley Fair August 26 — 29
• Washington County Fair August 28 — 29
• Windsor Fair August 29 — September 6
• Blue Hill Fair September 2  -- 6
• Harmony Free Fair September 3 — 6
• Springfield Fair September 4
• Clinton Lions Fair September 9  -- 12
• Litchfield Fair September 11 — 12
• Oxford Fair September 15 - 18
• New Portland Lions Fair September 17 -- 19
• Farmington Fair September 19 -- 25
• Common Ground Fair September 24 — 26
• Cumberland Fair September 26 — October 2
• Fryeburg Fair October 3 — 10

Maine House of Representatives Video Live Stream

This week, the Maine Legislature is in session at the Maine State House.

Tune in to view the proceedings here.