This is in response to the Bangor Daily News story reprinted in the Sun Journal Jan. 16. It questioned if Maine’s forest rangers should carry guns.
I say no. If the woods are as dangerous as claimed, perhaps landowners who do not post their land should carry guns. Perhaps, the many visitors to privately-owned woodlands should, too. Our lives are as much at risk as those of the rangers. My family and friends already wear orange vests and hats for protection in hunting season so that we may enjoy our many trails. And we usually hike on Sunday, when there are no guns about.
Fortunately, the risk is exceedingly small.
Forest rangers have tried for years to upgrade their status to a police unit, but Maine needs no additional police force. We already have state police, county sheriffs and local police departments that deal daily with the public. Forest rangers are a combination of a forest fire fighting corps and code enforcement officers. The off-chance of encountering danger in the woods is minimal.
If a ranger encounters some illegal operation, logging, tapping, etc., he should have a communications device that enables him to take photos of the operation, send GPS coordinates, and call for police help, if necessary.
I have called a ranger because of illegal tree cutting on my land. He was very courteous, took my photo of a license plate, located the perpetrator and issued a warning.
No additional armed men roaming the woods, please.
Judith Berg, Buckfield
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