New Guides Organization
We have enough snow on the ground to make all of the Christmas decorations look great and tease the winter sports enthusiasts. But not enough to actually ski or perhaps snowmobile in. Last Friday when it came down I had to scramble to get most of my final winter preparation done, I would still like to get the cover on the boat but will need a couple of warm days to melt the snow and ice out of it now, hopefully they are in the cards.
The new Maine Wilderness Guides Organization announced their launch last week and has created quite a stir. I received calls from reporters looking for the Maine Professional Guides Association take on the new group. I could not help them but I do have an opinion. It is clear to me that the voice of guides just got diluted in a big way which is too bad. I think that the MPGA is responsible for that since they have shown little interest in running an organization that benefited all guides. Or even one devoted to improving the professional lot of the membership any effort to broaden the focus to tourism or perhaps even fishing has been drowned out by a focus on bears and bear hunting.
Part of that focus is because the bear hunters understood the need for the organization and were willing to show up. Part of it is because in the guide world in Maine for the most part the bear guide makes all of the money and therefore has the funds to make the association happen at almost every level. Still it is too bad that now the voices of guides statewide will cancel each other out. Leaving all of us with little of the political impact that we could have had together.
