2nd Place = Koch Family, 3rd St.

3rd Place = Grant Family, 21st St.

2nd Place = Schultz Family, 23rd St.

3rd Place = White Family, Spillway

Congratulations to all of our winners! We had another great turnout this year and hope the trend continues.  It’s never too early to start thinking about what to do for 2004!

With all the great designs to choose from, our judges had a lot to consider.  A big thank you to parade judges Jon Mapes, Merrilee Perkins, Steva Scarpelli, Karen Pierce, Duane Snyder, and Ed and Margo Meehan.

Now here are the results of the

13-16 Age Group:
Stephen Webber, age 14, 34th St.  Fish: 15” long, 27 oz.
Honorary mention to: Brad Reeves.  Fish: 14.25”, 24 oz.

9-12 Age Group:
Jeff Trafton, age 10, 23rd St. Fish: 14.25” long, 1.5 lbs.

8 and Under Age Group:
A.J. Davis, 26th St. Fish: 17” long, 2.25 lbs.

Youngest Angler to Catch a Fish:
A.J. Davis, age 2.

Winter inspections of members’ camps will be performed in December, February and April.

Any questions regarding the upcoming inspections should be directed to Larry Valliere.

On July 10th at 8:45 a.m. I received a call from Judy Sevigny stating that she found a loon on the Shapleigh town beach that was entangled with fishing line. The loon was currently in a large cooler and the warden had been called.

I arrived within 15 minutes and observed a distressed loon with a fishing hook in the left eye and approximately 50' of line leading from the eye to multiple wrappings around the beak, closing it shut, and winding down and around the right wing.

My heart immediately sank at the sight of this poor defenseless bird so injured, frightened, and now so unable to function normally. With the loon’s thrashing and its severe constraints, I deemed it necessary to call the Center for Wildlife in Cape Neddick immediately.

I then began cutting loose as much of the fishing line as possible from the loon while holding its head cautiously but firmly. Line was cut from the right wing before more injury could occur and the beak was freed as much as possible. The line leading to the eye area was cut and loosened as much as we dared without creating more issues. This line was also wrapped around both the upper and lower beak many times and entangled within the beak. Due to the loon’s thrashing and the sensitivity of the eye injury, I decided to transport the loon to the Wildlife Center immediately. (We had also been advised that a confined loon’s body temperature would rise and without an ample air supply, it could die.)

The loon was loaded into my car and the warden call was cancelled. We turned on the air conditioner and removed the top of the cooler as the loon seemed stable and only thrashed about occasionally. Traffic was heavy and slow and the trip to Cape Neddick seemed to take an eternity.

We arrived at the Center to find some very concerned and able personnel awaiting our arrival. After looking at the eye and the entanglement, they assured us that the loon would be attended to within a matter of minutes by a qualified veterinarian. The loon had both a yellow and blue band on its feet and we were told the loon, if able, would be returned to its home on Square Pond.

The ride home was much less stressful and appeared to take much less time. It was also full of speculation as to the outcome of the event. Although arrangements had been made to call the Center on the 11th for an update on the loon’s health., to my surprise, I received a call from the Center at 3:00 the same day stating that the loon was ready for release. The fishing hook had been in the eyelid, not the eye, and had been surgically removed without any eye damage. The loon had also been re-hydrated and given antibiotics to aid its recovery.

By 4:00, Jane (the wildlife expert) and I arrived at the town beach and the release began. The loon was placed in the water and began to swim outward into the lake. To our delight, it gave several displays and began to follow the shoreline. We watched as it dipped its head into the water several times, probably trying to adjust to the hook removal and get used to the new sensations I’m sure it felt.

At this point in time I felt extreme relief that the loon had survived its crisis to become such a positive statistic in my “loony” life. Since the loon appeared to be acting as normally as could be expected after 8 hours of trauma, Jane and I left knowing that we had just witnessed a beautiful sight and been part of a wondrous event that left us both pleased and relieved.