A man trying to “smoke out” a woodchuck accidentally started a brush fire that burned nearly 2 acres of grass and brush at an apple orchard Saturday, officials said. The fire, which was extinguished by Monmouth firefighters, was on Norris Hill Road, at an orchard owned by Cooper Farms. Ed Pollard, an assistant fire chief […]
forest rangers
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Forest rangers undeterred by LePage veto of bill that would have armed them
BANGOR — Two perceived factors — training and the cost of paying for it — eventually led to the governor’s veto of a bill that would have provided for the arming of the state’s forest rangers, but one of the rangers who worked for the passage of LD 297 said the battle is far from […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Senate backs bill to arm forest rangers
AUGUSTA (AP) — A bill that would allow Maine’s forest rangers to carry firearms is moving forward in the Democratic-controlled state Legislature. In a 24-11 vote Tuesday, the Senate endorsed Republican Rep. Larry Dunphy’s bill, which won initial approval in the House earlier this month. Officials estimate it would cost nearly $87,000. Rangers would have […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
House approves arms, training for Maine forest rangers
AUGUSTA — A week after it was overwhelmingly supported, then abruptly tabled pending possible amendments, a bill that would arm and train the state’s forest rangers was approved by the Maine House of Representatives Tuesday and will be sent to the Senate for debate. On Feb. 25, the House voted 139-7 for LD 297, but […]
Posted inLetters
J. Berg: Risk is exceedingly small
This is in response to the Bangor Daily News story reprinted in the Sun Journal Jan. 16. It questioned if Maine’s forest rangers should carry guns. I say no. If the woods are as dangerous as claimed, perhaps landowners who do not post their land should carry guns. Perhaps, the many visitors to privately-owned woodlands […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Legislative committee works on funding firearms for Maine forest rangers
AUGUSTA — A legislative committee paved the way for a potential funding debate on a bill that would arm the state’s forest rangers, recommending its passage while admitting that funding for the measure had not yet been nailed down. The committee voted 9-2 (with two absent members allowed to vote until noon on Friday) to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine forest rangers make the case for sidearms
Bill Greaves knows how quickly things can go bad for a Maine Forest Ranger. In 1989, Greaves, now the regional forest ranger in Ashland, responded with a sheriff’s deputy to a call that nearly cost him his life. “The incident I was in was actually a medical emergency that went amok,” Greaves said. “It was […]
Posted inOur View
Time has come to arm Maine’s Forest Rangers
With the increasing likelihood that any Tom, Dick or Harry has a handgun stuck in his belt, we support arming Maine’s Forest Rangers as an unfortunate but necessary step to protect their safety. A bill to do so was sidetracked during the last legislative session when Gov. Paul LePage appointed a 10-person task force to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine looks at proposal to arm forest rangers
AUGUSTA (AP) — A special group in Maine is examining whether forest rangers should be allowed to carry firearms, something rangers say is critical to protecting them from the growing dangers they face in the field. The group, which met for the third time this month, was formed by an executive order from Gov. Paul […]