The Annual Fishing Derby

This is the way we started out our day.
The rain did not deter these little ladies.  As the starting horn blew, they were the first ones on the water.  We had a total of 60 children register to fish.  We usually have around 100.  It's a great time for all.  The smile on the faces of the kids who catch their first fish causes us all to smile.  There are prizes, hot dogs, cookies, chips, and drinks all donated by businesses around town.  It's a BIG thing that the children look forward to.  The pond is stocked by Maine Fish and Game. 

This little girl won in her division.  This was her very first fish to catch.  The picture was taken after all the screaming and jumping up and down.  The derby was over at noon and then came the clean up.  After that, we continued with our day.  It was a continuation of yesterday.  Finishing up with trail counters and water level readings.

On our drive at the Edmunds Unit, we happened upon this Snapping Turtle laying eggs.  They come up on the gravel roads to lay their eggs.  She was dropping them as I took pictures.  After the egg dropped, she would use her back leg to put them in position.  The average clutch is 83.  It is one of the largest turtles in North America and they are very aggressive predators.  Snapping turtles have been around for 100 million years.  They can live for 40 years.