AUGUSTA (AP) – Officials at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said a cut in state funding will have noticeable effects on its services.
Eleven department employees were handed pink slips this week to help cover a $5.3 million shortfall in the department’s two-year budget, Commissioner Roland “Danny” Martin said Friday.
The cuts at the Maine Warden Service, which has 127 positions, include three of five lieutenant positions and two of 18 sergeant positions.
To the public, the most obvious effect of the job losses will be a diminished ability to respond to questions and provide information to reporters, said Major Tom Santaguida.
A warden will no longer be assigned to provide information about accidents related to outdoor activities on weekends.
“That’s a huge service issue to me,” Santaguida said. “There may not be much information available until there (can be) a supervisor at the scene.”
The job losses also mean the state’s 95 field wardens will have less supervision, Santaguida said.
The Warden Service not only protects Maine’s fish and wildlife, it also oversees boating safety on inland waters, snowmobile and ATV safety, and directs the state’s search and rescue operations, among other responsibilities.
One possible response to the loss of jobs, Santaguida said, would be to outfit field wardens with laptop computers so they can communicate more effectively with supervisors and record information faster. But there is no funding for the project, he said.
Martin said a study of the Warden Service, authorized by the Legislature, will provide an outside assessment of the best ways to manage the service. But that won’t be available until next year.
The department has also announced plans to raise most license fees by $3, and to increase all-terrain vehicle fees by $13 for residents and $30 for non-residents.
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