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It's Not Called Moosehead Lake for Nothing

May 02, 2010 - GREENVILLE -- Holy cow.


The contest entries in the Moosehead Region moose photo contest are reason enough to drive two or three hours to be in Greenville during the monthlong Moose Mainea festival.


Everyday moose photographed by everyday people every spring without fail. Lots of them, up close and seemingly unaware, as only moose can be.


The high incidence of this is because Moosehead is magic for moose in May.


And locals hope that will be the case this year during the festival that runs from May 15 to June 12.


"We all pretty much know about moose living here. There is no question we live and breathe moose. And there is no question moose is the No. 1 reason people come here for the first time," said Bob Hammer, director of the region's chamber of commerce. "It's the No. 1 question we get here."


Truth is, the lakes region around Maine's largest lake considers the spring a "shoulder season," when tourism is down and business is slow.


But the moose are not.


This year the moose have come out of the woods earlier.


Like everything in nature this year, the moose are a little ahead of schedule.


"Just on my way home last night at that famous place near the Shirley salt shed for (the Department of Transportation), right across the road was a 3-year-old bull," regional wildlife biologist Doug Kane said Wednesday.


Historically, the middle of May to the middle of June is when moose start showing in the roads around Moose-head Lake.


Because moose have gone through the winter with a low-sodium diet, they crave the salt and need it, especially before the heat of summer that drives them into bogs with their thick, heavy coats.


Locals who live in Greenville talk of moose walking through parking lots, through town and standing in yards like a scene out of the old television drama that was set in Alaska, "Northern Exposure."


"As soon as the babies can walk, the poor moose has to follow behind the mother, because that's the way moose are. You can see them walking through the Indian Hill parking lot," Hammer said.


The reality for tourists is not nearly as romantic, said the regional biologist who works beside Moosehead Lake.


"It's a good time to see moose. There are more moose out. And certainly for a month in the road and in the early evening, they can be seen," Kane said. "It's not a 100 percent (guarantee). The reason the (festival) is set up this way is because there is a high probability of seeing moose."


For those willing to work, Moose Mainea offers easy access.


Kane recommends a couple of spots.


One is the drive on Route 15 from the welcoming Appalachian Trail town of Monson to Moose-head Lake that comes with that amazing view at the top of Indian Hill. Specifically, stop at the Shirley bog, four miles south of the Indian Hill Trading Post.


The other is the road from Greenville to Kokadjo, that 24 miles where moose crowd around eating the buds and roam around First Roach Pond.


The best part is the last seven miles of that drive.


Hammer said there is one cow that has twins most years and patrols around First Roach Pond in Kokadjo. The chief of the chamber is convinced it is the same moose.


The science may tell a different story, Kane said, but it just goes to show, Moosehead locals love their moose.


"On a June evening there will be 20 vehicles parked beside the Shirley bog watching moose in the bog. They are only there for 15 to 20 minutes, and then another group (of moose) comes. It's sort of like a rotating show," Hammer said.


by Deirdre Fleming, May 2, 2010, Portland Press Herald

Lakes: Moosehead Lake
Regions: Moosehead


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