It wasn’t that long ago that Maine was in the midst of a costly battle to retain bear hunting as it is known throughout the state. Animal rights groups and anti-hunting groups spearheaded a campaign to rid the state of bear hunting. That referendum was defeated.
Not long after the dust had begun to settle, George Smith, executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine announced that SAM wanted to build a large addition to its Augusta headquarters. The addition would comprise a conference center including large and small conference rooms, a library and board room, office space and a kitchen.
The fear was that funding would be difficult to come by as many groups, individuals and businesses had spent tons of money fighting the bear referendum.
Now, that doesn’t seem to be the case as funding is renewed and pledges are coming in. L.L. Beans in Freeport has put up $120,000 bringing the total pledged to about $400,000. The building should cost around $700,000 to build but the ultimate goal is $1,050,000 which would include an endowment fund for management and maintenance.
There are those who are opposed to this much money being spent for an addition to the headquarters. They believe the money could be better spent on other needy projects.
Tom Remington
