g mea hicle with a If you want a photo like this…���� “Do I Need to Worry about Ticks in Baxter State Park?” A Rule of Thumb When Watching & Photographing Wildlife Visitors often want to view wildlife in the Park. By adopting the practices below, you can not only respect the needs of wildlife, you can increase your chance of observing a wild animal and its natural behavior in its habitat, the very thing you came to see: ���������������������������������� Respect the routines of animals, such as eating, resting, raising young and seeking shelter. Imitating or using animal calls disrupts the natural activity of animals. Use of electronic calls and playback audio devices to attract animals is prohibited in Baxter State Park. Observe the “Wildlife Area Only” signs and stay on trails, boardwalks and raised platforms. Protect the environment and habitat of the area for the wildlife. Treat all other visitors with courtesy. Educate those who may not know ethical field practices. If education doesn’t work, please report inappropriate behavior to a Ranger. Use zoom lenses when photographing animals to ensure keeping a safe distance away. It is extremely important to keep a respectful distance from wildlife, as the following behaviors stress animals - chasing them, enticing them for that perfect picture or feeding them. Avoid the travel routes of animals and if they approach you, move away, even if you must detour around your intended route. How can you tell if you are too close to an animal? You are too close if it changes its behavior, for example, it stops eating, flees the area (sometimes leaving its young unprotected), its ears go back, or the hair on its back stands up. Another way to know if you are too close is to use the “Rule of Thumb”. Stretch your arm out in front of you with your thumb pointed up. Close one eye and look at your thumb. If it completely covers the animal you are watching, then you are far enough away (see picture). The Rules and Regulations of the Park protect the wildlife and the natural environment, providing a wilderness experience for all. Harassment of wildlife is illegal in Maine. Every person can make a difference in keeping the Park animals “forever wild” There are many tick species in Maine, including ticks specializing in everything from birds to woodchucks. Lyme disease is the best known tick transmitted disease but other diseases can also be spread by certain tick species, including anaplasmosis, babesiosis, erlichiosis and powassan encephalitis. Here are some of the steps recommended by the Maine Center for Disease Control: Wear light colored clothing (spot ticks easier) with long sleeve shirts and pants Create an extra “no tick” zone by tucking your pants into your socks and your shirt into your pants Use insect repellent. Formulations with a percentage of DEET will work on ticks but many people decide to use these or permethrin (kills ticks on contact) only on their clothes due to concerns about direct contact with skin. For information on recommended repellents : http://www.cdc.gov/ ncidod/dvbid/westnile/RepellentUpdates.htm Check your clothing and skin carefully after being outdoors in likely tick infested areas and remove ticks promptly For information: Visit the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Infectious Disease website at Maine.gov. Wildnotes Be Bear Wise! Much of what follows is considered standard practice for other areas you may visit in the Northeast. Check regulations wherever you camp to make sure your campsite complies. Car Camping – When not at your site or not preparing meals, store all food, toiletries, cooking utensils, trash/garbage and scented items in your vehicle with the windows rolled all the way up. Backcountry Camping – Using a Bear Line – Before the evening darkness, set up your bear hang at least 100 ft away from your campsite using one of two techniques. One way is to toss a rope over a limb at least 15 feet up and 6 feet out from the tree. Pull the bag(s) up at least 12 feet from the ground. OR Tie a rope between two trees at least 15 feet off the ground, using the branches to loop over and around leaving the rope loose enough to reach. Attach the food bag(s) in the middle of the hanging rope. Pull the rope up from one end making sure the food bag(s) is at least 12 ft. from the ground and 6 ft out from each tree. Tie off as shown in the diagram to the right. Tips: Dark line is harder for a bear to spot and be sure to use waterproof bags. Using a Bear Canister – Using a bear canister takes some forethought and planning to fit all food, toiletries and garbage/trash in the canister. Choose foods that are compact and calorie dense, such as mac n’ cheese, tortillas instead of bagels, instant oatmeal, powdered drinks, nuts, dried fruits, peanut butter, jerk jerky, candy and nutritional bars. Repackage and label items to reduce bulk, inserting directions for cooking if needed.eded. Below is an example of food for a 3-day/2-night backpacking trip for two. Put all food food, scented items and garbage/trash sh in in the the ca canister when not at the campsite or when not preparing food. Place it t at least 100 10 feet away from your campsite. Avoid placing it near water, as the canisters are not watertight and do not float.at. The The P Park has canisters available at Togue Pond Gatehouse se and Katahdin Lake Wilderness Camps for use with a refundable deposit. Ask the Rangers for more details and keep your food safe and the bears in Baxter State Park wild. ast 15 r ne maki ot an sure you reparing t ng on he ne two he Pu a /in oatm to r tri t ng Be e/ educe Put g way yo din L k 00 feet a has ng ne arbage/tr ur camp fit al ac nd nutrition e of f andy an s examp ster wh Leave No Trace Principle #3: Dispose of Waste Properly - We are a Carry In/Carry Out Park - Protect yourself and wildlife by storing food and garbage in a tightly sealed container that is hard for animals to reach or store it in your vehicle. Although it is tempting to burn trash and garbage in the campfire, the fire isn’t hot enough to completely combust all materials and will leave residue and unburned food that will attract animals. Leave No Trace Principle #6: Respect Wildlife Never feed wildlife, human food is not for them. Keeping them wild will help them survive. 4
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