October 14, 2015 at 12:10 pm
By Chuck Hulsey - IFW Regional Wildlife Biologist
The dominant feature of this WMA is a peat bog wetland located at the north end of the 196-acre Fahi Pond. Pronounced “Fay-hi”, the management objectives of this 258-acre WMA are waterfowl production and public use. At the outlet on the southern end of the pond and located on the Eames Road is a department-owned water control structure. There, visitors will find a launch site for hand-carry and small trailered watercraft. Parking is available but limited. The Eames Road is located off the Fahi Pond Road, between two and three miles north of the village of North Anson.
Regional Wildlife Biologists have management oversight for all department WMAs. This involves custodial functions, and wildlife habitat and timber management. We get a lot of help from the two foresters within our section as they do all the heavy lifting in carrying out forest management work. Fahi Pond WMA has highly limited forest management opportunity so work involves custodial chores and annual maintenance of the eight waterfowl nest boxes.
Unfortunately, too much of the custodial work is related to poor behavior by small minority of the public. Dumping trash, destroying gates, riding on soft roads, and defacing signs strains limited funds and needlessly burns up staff time. Last summer I met up with the regional wildlife biologist out of the Gray (Sebago Lake Region) to do some waterfowl nest box work on one of their WMAs. Upon our arrival to begin work, my counterpart discovered he first had to deal with the antics of someone who destroyed the lock mechanism on a gated management road.
So, imagine how nice it was to receive a call this summer from Shay Cyrway of Embden, Maine. Shay told me that he lived near the Fahi Pond WMA and noticed that both large WMA signs were not in the best of shape. One was shot up and the other, made entirely of wood, was okay but showing its age. He offered to replace them as part of a service project. I had personally replaced the defaced sign before, for the same reason. Initially my thought was, “this service offer must be court ordered”. But was I wrong. Shay had researched the WMA on his own and his suggestion was a good one. He told me he was a Boy Scout and wanted to replace the signs as a service project to reach the level of Life scout. His knowledge of the WMA impressed me, as well as his being the one calling and not a parent. I said I liked the idea and would get back to him.
MDIFW signs are made by the Maine Department of Transportation. Robert Rooney of the Maine Department of Transportation sign shop in Augusta fast-tracked my request for two large WMA signs and I delivered them to Shay and his dad in late August. Upon replacement of the two signs I received the following e-mail from Shay’s dad Shawn:
“Shay is 13 years old and is a member of Boy Scout Troop 419 from Madison, ME. This project and the 8 hours he invested, fulfills Shay's requirement to achieve the rank of Life Scout. To make this project even more special, Fahi Pond is in Shay's hometown of Embden and is a place which he loves to spend his summers camping, canoeing, and fishing. Having achieved the rank of Life Scout, Shay will now start working toward his Eagle Scout requirements”.
When we met on site to deliver him the signs and materials, Shay asked if there was any other work he could do. We maintain the waterfowl nest boxes from snowmobile. All are on posts and the work can be done far faster in the winter vs. by canoe. We had one box which we could never raise or maintain as the bottom was always frozen in the ice. I gave Shay a new box and a short piece of post and he and his dad later paddled to the box, extended the post height, and replaced the old box with a new one.
Shay’s contribution to MDIFW goes beyond helping out the regional wildlife staff. His hours contributed as a volunteer will be used as a match for acquiring federal funds available from the Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration (referenced on WMA signs). Those monies are used for wildlife management and hunter safety education.
Thanks Shay!
The dominant feature of this WMA is a peat bog wetland located at the north end of the 196-acre Fahi Pond. Pronounced “Fay-hi”, the management objectives of this 258-acre WMA are waterfowl production and public use. At the outlet on the southern end of the pond and located on the Eames Road is a department-owned water control structure. There, visitors will find a launch site for hand-carry and small trailered watercraft. Parking is available but limited. The Eames Road is located off the Fahi Pond Road, between two and three miles north of the village of North Anson.
Regional Wildlife Biologists have management oversight for all department WMAs. This involves custodial functions, and wildlife habitat and timber management. We get a lot of help from the two foresters within our section as they do all the heavy lifting in carrying out forest management work. Fahi Pond WMA has highly limited forest management opportunity so work involves custodial chores and annual maintenance of the eight waterfowl nest boxes.
Unfortunately, too much of the custodial work is related to poor behavior by small minority of the public. Dumping trash, destroying gates, riding on soft roads, and defacing signs strains limited funds and needlessly burns up staff time. Last summer I met up with the regional wildlife biologist out of the Gray (Sebago Lake Region) to do some waterfowl nest box work on one of their WMAs. Upon our arrival to begin work, my counterpart discovered he first had to deal with the antics of someone who destroyed the lock mechanism on a gated management road.
So, imagine how nice it was to receive a call this summer from Shay Cyrway of Embden, Maine. Shay told me that he lived near the Fahi Pond WMA and noticed that both large WMA signs were not in the best of shape. One was shot up and the other, made entirely of wood, was okay but showing its age. He offered to replace them as part of a service project. I had personally replaced the defaced sign before, for the same reason. Initially my thought was, “this service offer must be court ordered”. But was I wrong. Shay had researched the WMA on his own and his suggestion was a good one. He told me he was a Boy Scout and wanted to replace the signs as a service project to reach the level of Life scout. His knowledge of the WMA impressed me, as well as his being the one calling and not a parent. I said I liked the idea and would get back to him.
MDIFW signs are made by the Maine Department of Transportation. Robert Rooney of the Maine Department of Transportation sign shop in Augusta fast-tracked my request for two large WMA signs and I delivered them to Shay and his dad in late August. Upon replacement of the two signs I received the following e-mail from Shay’s dad Shawn:
“Shay is 13 years old and is a member of Boy Scout Troop 419 from Madison, ME. This project and the 8 hours he invested, fulfills Shay's requirement to achieve the rank of Life Scout. To make this project even more special, Fahi Pond is in Shay's hometown of Embden and is a place which he loves to spend his summers camping, canoeing, and fishing. Having achieved the rank of Life Scout, Shay will now start working toward his Eagle Scout requirements”.
When we met on site to deliver him the signs and materials, Shay asked if there was any other work he could do. We maintain the waterfowl nest boxes from snowmobile. All are on posts and the work can be done far faster in the winter vs. by canoe. We had one box which we could never raise or maintain as the bottom was always frozen in the ice. I gave Shay a new box and a short piece of post and he and his dad later paddled to the box, extended the post height, and replaced the old box with a new one.
Shay’s contribution to MDIFW goes beyond helping out the regional wildlife staff. His hours contributed as a volunteer will be used as a match for acquiring federal funds available from the Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration (referenced on WMA signs). Those monies are used for wildlife management and hunter safety education.
Thanks Shay!
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