SPORTSMAN’S ALLIANCE OF MAINE
Vision, Mission, Core Values, Focus & Goals
Vision – To be the trusted and respected leader of Maine’s 300,000 sportsmen and women.
Mission – To interact with the legislature, state agencies, local communities, sportsman groups and others to enhance and preserve Maine’s outdoor heritage.
Core Values
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- Leadership
- Integrity
- Fairness
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Focus
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- Conservation of Maine’s natural resources & special places.
- Youth programs and education.
- To preserve and promote hunting and fishing in Maine.
- Landowner relations.
- Public access to Maine’s woods and waters.
- The right to keep and bear arms.
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Goals/Objectives
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- Defend and protect the right of law-abiding individuals to keep, use and bear arms.
- Preserve the American and Maine heritage of hunting, trapping and fishing.
- Educate the public concerning wildlife resources, field sports and conservation programs.
- Promote field sports and wildlife conservation and management through literature, television, radio, print and social media.
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Sams By Law
Staff
David Trahan, Executive Director
To all SAM members:
I am honored that the SAM board has offered (and I have accepted) the position of Executive Director for the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine. Lincoln County Commissioner, Sheridan Bond, was quoted in the Wiscasset Newspaper as saying, “David was born for the job.” I think he was right. I would like to take a little time in this column to tell you about myself and what I bring to this prestigious organization.
I was born in Waterville, Maine, lived in the small town of Clinton and attended Lawrence High School where I had the good fortune of attending classes with two teachers sharing prominent outdoor connections; Maine guide Dick Mosier and outdoor writer Ken Allen. Each recognized my passion for hunting and fishing and contributed to my education. Dick Mosier mentored my hunting skills and Ken Allen encouraged me to write about my outdoor experiences, which I did, selling several articles to the Maine Sportsman magazine. As a teenager, anything outdoors was my passion- hunting rabbits, deer, partridge, etcetera and filled my days fishing for every type of fish from trout in Tannery Brook behind my house and bass in the Sebasticook River.
Every season brought something new. I still hunt and fish; I have no prejudice for form, I enjoy casting a fly I tied myself or worm fishing with kids for white perch on Damariscotta Lake. I have a smelt shack I put on the Medomak River every winter. I fish for stripers, bluefish, and occasionally for ground fish, and I own my own pond which is stocked full of red finned shiners.When deer hunting, I still carry the Marlin I bought as a teenager. I raked blueberries for an entire season to buy my school clothes and that rifle and I wouldn’t part with it for any price. I have taken more deer with that gun than I can remember, mostly bucks as I now hunt patiently for a mid-sized buck that would feed me for the winter. I have tagged two moose and killed many coyotes over the years. Although deer hunting is my passion, my most memorable times were bird hunting with my best friend Roger Greene. Unfortunately, he died last year, but I will remember him fondly when I carry his over and under twenty-gauge into North Maine Woods.
After high school, I went to work in the woods earning a tough but honest living in the mid-coast area. Using a John Deere skidder and a chainsaw I worked alone for nearly 27 years. I live in a restored farmhouse with my wife Pamela; we have been together for 28 years. In 1998, frustrated with politics and with no political experience, I ran for the Maine House of Representatives and won. I would go on to win three more House elections and two terms in the Maine Senate. In each of those sessions, I served on the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee. I have also served on the Legislative Youth Advisory Council, Government Oversight Committee and as Chair of the Taxation Committee.
During my time in the Maine Legislature, I have had the pleasure to work George Smith, a tenacious lobbyist and advocate for sportsmen. I was also fortunate to become friends with the current Executive Director, Matt Dunlap. We have shared a trip to Russia and led an effort together to pass the legislation that created the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, OPEGA, the state agency now tasked with cleaning up waste and fraud in state entities like the Maine Turnpike Authority. For two decades, I have served as an officer in the Lincoln County Fish and Game Association, most recently as the President. In that time, our club has suffered like many others, nearly closing several times, but lately, we are energized. We hold turkey shoots, three youth fishing events and are lucky to have many committed members. The Maine outdoors has always been and always will be a source of pride and an important part of my life. Like many, I can’t imagine nor do I want to live in any other place. In October, I will proudly and officially take the job of Executive Director for the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine. My commitment to you is this: I will use my experience to passionately defend your gun rights and the tradition of conservation established when SAM was first created in 1975. I will manage the SAM organization efficiently, and take this strong organization to the next phase. In the coming months I will communicate with you a vision for the future that will include expanding youth activities, volunteerism within our organization and building on our rural economy through our natural resources. I look forward to the coming months and the opportunity to meet the cornerstone of our organization: the members. Don’t hesitate to stop in at our headquarters or give me a call; I would enjoy hearing your concerns and ideas on how we can keep and secure our sporting heritage in Maine.
David Trahan
Executive Director
The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine
Consultants
Gerry Lavigne, Wildlife Specialist
Gerry served as DIFW’s white-tailed deer biologist from 1975 to 2005. Since his retirement, he has volunteered extensively for SAM, specializing in deer habitat, predation, and hunting issues. Gerry began his first term on the SAM board in January 2012, and he is responsible for SAM’s Deer Management Network initiative. A small businessman, Lavigne operates Dunlatr Farm Wild Game Smokehouse at his farm near Milo, and he runs a wildlife consulting business.
Telephone: (207) 943-2584
Tom Tyler, President
Windham A lifelong resident of Windham he grew up in a family of hunters and fishermen. As a resident of southern Maine, he felt it was important to have representation on the board from the southern counties. With many areas of southern Maine having restricted land access, Tom believes that it was important to provide a voice for sports men and women in the area. Tom has served 2 terms in the Maine legislature ( the 117th and 126th). In the 117th, he served on the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, plus the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. In the 126th, he served on Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. He currently owns a manufacturer’s representative group based in Windham, Hidden Brook Associates Inc. He stated, “Being a member of the BOD of SAM allows me to work with sportsmen from all over the state. I truly feel sportsmen are some of the best protectors of lands and wildlife, as no hunter or fisherman would want to lose our cherished way of recreation.”
Windham
A lifelong resident of Windham he grew up in a family of hunters and fishermen. As a resident
of southern Maine, he felt it was important to have representation on the board from the southern counties. With many areas of southern Maine having restricted land access, Tom believes that it was important to provide a voice for sports men and women in the area. Tom has served 2 terms in the Maine legislature ( the 117th and 126th). In the 117th, he served on the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, plus the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. In the 126th, he served on Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. He currently owns a manufacturer’s representative group based in Windham, Hidden Brook Associates Inc. He stated, “Being a member of the BOD of SAM allows me to work with sportsmen from all over the state. I truly feel sportsmen are some of the best protectors of lands and wildlife, as no hunter or fisherman would want to lose our cherished way of recreation.”