Signatures 70 total
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Name: Anonymous on Aug 17, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Allan on Sep 6, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Brian Spaulding on Sep 7, 2007Comments: I am a male, 68; a Long Lake shore front resident in Harrison, ME. I am a Navy submarine veteran of 24 years service. I was a qualified Weapons Duty Officer; Diving Officer and First LT. I was employed in Bath by a well known Naval Architect and Marine Engineering firm for 16 years as a Sr. Proj. Engr. I have held a CG Master's license, operated an offshore sport fishing business and water taxi service out of Portland, and I have operated a Lake Tow business on Long Lake, Brandy pond and Sebago Lake. I strongly feel that Game Wardens should be handling GAME related problems and that the State Police should have an Inland Marine Patrol. If you continue to insist that IF&W Game Wardens bog themselves down with inland lake and pond law enforcement the I highly recommend more Wardens be hired. A year ago last March I was told there were 12 vacancies. There should NEVER BE ANY VACANCIES given their responsibilities. I should capitalize RESPONSIBILITIES! It's obvious to many here on Long Lake that they certainly are not able with present manpower resources to do the job. As for speed limits, I recommend no faster than 50 mph day time and 25 night time. Considering night time problems with reduced depth perception and poor lighting, anyone with common sense knows that 25 mph is plenty fast enough. I have much experience with ship radar and had a unit on my 34 footer here on Long Lake that would accurately track boats, buoys, etc..etc.. I've heard them already and I don't want to hear any more excuses that hand held radar units do not work effectively on lakes! Then get a large enough unit installed on a boat! Nor do I want to hear again that the wardens have no idea where their sound measuring equipment is. At a meeting in Augusta, when asked if they have such gear, I received an answer to this effect, "Maybe some where here in a closet!" Many laws governing boat operation are on the books and citizens expect them to be enforced - plain and simple! They are there for a reason and not to be ignored. Listen to the reasons why they are not and CORRECT THE PROBLEM! Listen to this: OFFSHORE boats belong OFFSHORE; off coastal shores where the name originated! Get them off lakes that are obviously not big enough for other boats to operate safely when the OFFSHORE boats are not operating safely, in other words, with little or no consideration for other boaters! That's simple to do! No more excuses! The law says racing is not permitted. There is a lot or racing on long Lake, especially on summer weekends and unfortunately often at night! Not all operators are guilty of every aspect I'm commenting on herein. However, many operate OFFSHORE boats and "performance" boats illegally in one way or another, particularly with regard to using cut outs BECAUSE FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE THEY KNOW CAN GET AWAY WITH IT! Ask nearly any one and they will tell you that after the recent fatal accident here on Long Lake the "big boys with the big toys" laid low for 2-3 weeks until they knew few wardens, if any, were going to be in the area as they were in numbers during the on-the-water investigation. Same thing happened after the 4th of July weekend in 2005 when many wardens here from other parts of the state were brought here to try to control unsafe activity, left. The "bad boys" know when the wardens are here. They have radios and talk about on OFFSHORE web sites. Law enforcement has got to learn to fight fire with fire. Maine has got to learn that lives on water are just as valuable as lives on shore and need protection, too! Public safety includes the many bodies of water in this state. This should not fall on deaf ears any more. There should be an formula easily developed and utilized to determine maximum horse power given a certain length and width vessel RELATIVE to the length and width of a body of water. It's not rocket science! If you can't find an engineer to come up with that formula, let me know. I'll give it to you for free and save the state and taxpayers some money! God knows not much is going toward inland marine law enforcement and education! Many witnesses will tell you that many boats run w/o navigation lights or with malfunctioning navigation lights at night here on Long Lake. Many witnesses will tell you that many cigarette boats and performance boats are running on long lake with cutouts. This should be illegal. Noise equates to speed and often the speeders are cigarette and performance boats running w/o lights! This has got to be STOPPED! Many in smaller craft (12'-21' for example) have difficulty maneuvering safely in Long Lake when the surface is so roiled from the wakes of these "racing" boats and devil-may-care joy riders that many decide NOT to try to enjoy the lake until early or later hours. Many do not take their smaller craft out at night because they are intimidated by the larger boats. Seems to me there are laws on the books saying in effect that negligent and reckless operation is not to be tolerated and will result in fines, etc..etc.. I'd like to see that happen in the few years I have remaining. I also recommend ASAP a school be set up similar to that in Massachusetts and NH. I'd be happy to help teach that course. Operators of cars are required to pass a test, both written and operating a n automobile; truckers and pilots, as well. How come not boats They weigh as much in many cases as automobiles trucks and planes and in many cases have more horsepower than automobiles, planes and trucks! Let's wake up and get with the program! It should not be difficult to imply by written signature on a boat registration that the owner/operator is familiar with Maine Boating Laws and Regs. Said owner should be expected to establish with certainty that anyone who operates his/her vessel has the credentials to prove, for his own liability sake, that they know how how do so safely. The minimum should be a minimum fifteen question quiz about the Rules of the Road and less than ten correct should fail. It's time for license to be issued with a boat operators endorsement, same as a motorcycle operator endorsement. By the way, I taught that, too and it saved a lot of sailors lives in the broader New England Region, including NY and NJ. Why, except for the absence of will, can we not educate people, especially the younger folks, rather have them have to make dumb choices by possibly emulating the bad guys instead of the good guys Ask me! I've got more common sense information for you as do other members of the Board of Lakes Region Safe Lakes Association (LRSLA. I'm also Treasurer and on the Board of the Cape Monday Cove Road Association (CMCRA) and I can tell you that the members of both organizations are not happy with the status quo. I understand that Rep. Sykes (District 98) has introduced legislation dealing with several of the issues I've mentioned. I hope its comprehensive, not vague and generalized like many existing state boating laws and regs. It's way past time to mean business. Let's do the job, the right thing, or like many other problems in this country, let the bullies take over because they can. If that's the kind of state you would like to see and present to your grand children, ignore the signers of this petition and the many complaints made to the IF&W over the last 5-10 years and continue to do little or nothing. The cowboys are doing a pretty good job of beating up the indians here in the Lakes Region and I suspect elsewhere as well. Thanks you for listening, I hope you did. No lip service, please!Flag
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Name: Ken Schwefler on Sep 7, 2007Comments: This petition is right on as far as what is happening on Long Lake. Something has to be done or there will be more deaths attributed to unsafe boating practices.Flag
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Name: Christine Roman on Sep 7, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Christine Roman on Sep 7, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Henry Smith on Sep 8, 2007Comments: We are residents of Cape Monday Road in Harrison on Long Lake. We were horrified, but not surprised, to learn of the tragic fatal accident this summer on our Lake involving a small recreational boat not moving and enjoying the Perseid meteor shower and an offshore boat (that we understand may not even be an appropriate vessel for our inland lake) apparently travelling at speed. We strongly support the safety and enforcement sentiments of the petition. Thank you for your consideration.Flag
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Name: Henry Smith on Sep 8, 2007Comments: We are residents of Cape Monday Road in Harrison on Long Lake. We were horrified, but not surprised, to learn of the tragic fatal accident this summer on our Lake involving a small recreational boat not moving and enjoying the Perseid meteor shower and an offshore boat (that we understand may not even be an appropriate vessel for our inland lake) apparently travelling at speed. We strongly support the safety and enforcement sentiments of the petition. Thank you for your consideration.Flag
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Name: Catherine DeVoe on Sep 8, 2007Comments: As a homeowner on Long Lake with two small children, I am very concerned about the lack of enforcement on our lake especially in light of the recent boating accident in which two people were killed. Thank you.Flag
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Name: Jeff Wood on Sep 9, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: David Anable on Sep 9, 2007Comments: I strongly support this petition.Flag
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Name: Joan Larson on Sep 9, 2007Comments: I do not think those cigarette boats should be on Long Lake. They go too fast and make so much noise we on shore cannot even talk to someone until they pass. Extremely dangerousFlag
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Name: David Barker on Sep 9, 2007Comments: I would like to respectfully submit that you (we) would more likely get action if we simply noted that we have observed a problem that we would like solved without telling them how to solve it. We can objectively state that we have a problem, and officials can empathize and agree with facts. However proposing that more Wardens is the solution is likely to not get the response we desire. That answer is obvious, but not the only solution to the problem on Long Lake. Simply more warden coverage would go a long way to solving the problems on Long Lake and that is a problem they can address without necessarily adding more wardens (They could for example, assign all wardens to Long Lake or even some wardens to Long Lake, or a whole host of other possible solutions). That is a problem they could address without involving the politics of budgets and adding more wardens (in the short term). In other words, IFW would hire more wardens if it could. They could cite the problems of manpower they are assigning to Long Lake as proof. In this way, we would more likely get the Legislature move to hire more Wardens. I think your petition should be more focused on the immediate problem rather than how it might be solved.Flag
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Name: Virginia L. Spaulding on Sep 10, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: David Weir on Sep 11, 2007Comments: Not soon enoughFlag
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Name: Eleanor Weir on Sep 11, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Jan Wilk on Sep 16, 2007Comments: Excellent idea especially in light of the recent tragedy on Long lake in Naples. How many more deaths before we do something about this.Flag
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Name: Anonymous on Oct 12, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Alice Holt on Oct 13, 2007Comments: Amen!Flag
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Name: Debra Hamel on Oct 15, 2007Comments: It is critical that something be done effective immediately. Specfically with regard to horsepower and exhaust cutouts on our lakes. Especially following the tragic deaths this summer on Long Lake. It is truelly out of control and getting worse each summer. Please return Maine to the way life used to be, because it is evident that it is NOT the way life should be. Thank you.Flag
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Name: Sue Barnard on Oct 15, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Candice Morin on Oct 15, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Kathy on Oct 17, 2007Comments: I strongly support this petition.Flag
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Name: Carole & Ron Terciak on Oct 17, 2007Comments: We live on long lake near the Causeway and have to endure the roar of these large engine boats as they accelerate down the lake at all hours of the day and night. please give us some relief from this noise.Flag
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Name: Suzanne Andrews on Oct 17, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Graham & Celinda Crandall on Oct 17, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Geoff Stuart on Oct 17, 2007Comments: My relatives have lived on the shore of Long Lake, the scene of this summer's tragic accident. In recent years the incursion of powerful cigarette boats has caused unsafe conditions and diminished the pristine beauty of the lake. Please take action to help us reverse this!Flag
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Name: Jennie Keinath on Oct 18, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Barbara Grandolfo on Oct 18, 2007Comments: I have lived on Long Lake for 22 years without the need to have a power boat. I have been unable to use my kayak, sailboat and sometimes even swim in the lake because of the insanity happening before my eyes. Please do something!!!!!Flag
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Name: Anonymous on Oct 24, 2007Comments: IT IS ALL ABOUT COURTESY ! ABOVE WATER EXHAUST SHOULD BE OUTLAWED . ONLY SELLFISH SHOWOFFS COULD LIKE THEM. WE ARE LONG LAKE RESIDENTS.Flag
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Name: Edward Rosen on Oct 27, 2007Comments: I've speny 40 years on Long Lake, 35 as a hoe owner. Clearly we need speed limits and enforcement! Please be responsive! Thanks, ed Rosen, NaplesFlag
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Name: Sonya Boucher on Oct 29, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: JoAnne S. Diller on Oct 30, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Anne Wold on Oct 30, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Lynn Harrison on Oct 30, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Lynn Harrison on Oct 30, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Charlotte Hewson on Oct 30, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Janet Conner on Oct 30, 2007Comments: boating is often a luxury passtime. Use registration taxes to enforce common sense boater training and laws enforcement. Use a two tier system--like hunting liscensing --to charge out of state boaters the most!!Flag
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Name: Laura Ordway on Oct 30, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Stephen Shiman on Oct 30, 2007Comments: A a life-long summer resident on Long Lake, I totally agree that additional wardens are needed to protect people and property on Maine lakes, and our lake, in particular. Recreation is the lifeblood of our state. Better control is essential.Flag
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Name: Richard B Canton on Oct 30, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Sandra Long on Oct 30, 2007Comments: As a boat owner I have found many boaters on Long Lake and Sebago Lake to be rude, not paying attention, drinking far too much and of course, speeding. I feel something should be done ASAP to make our waters safer.Flag
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Name: Stephen Oliver on Oct 30, 2007Comments: I firmly believe in these limits. The beauty of Maine and it's lakes and the opportunity to safely enjoy them as they are is vital. People beat nature to death with an excess of pleasure crafts. In this case it was other people who got beaten to death. Speed boats of this sort should have never been allowed in the lakes, when we know very well that both open drinking and speeding are hard to monitor due to a lack of law enforcement. It is irrespnsible to do anything else.Flag
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Name: Cheryl Johnson on Oct 30, 2007Comments: I want to be able to canoe on our lakes without being run over....Flag
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Name: Betty Pearson on Oct 30, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Hugh Pearson on Oct 30, 2007Comments: Long overdue. Bring on the pressure to Augusta.Flag
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Name: Eve Abreu on Oct 30, 2007Comments: I feel that we need additional wardens to make our lakes safe agaoin.Flag
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Name: J. Douglas Burke on Oct 30, 2007Comments: If we have speed limits on highways for ovvious reasons, why not the Great Ponds Of MaineFlag
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Name: Lisa Sofman on Oct 30, 2007Comments:Flag
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Name: Craig Whitaker on Oct 31, 2007Comments:Flag
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