DIFW Should Unlock The Door

In the good old days, anyone could walk into DIF&W and meet with staff.

Commissioner Bill Vail’s door was always open. My Dad would go in and visit with Bill from time to time.

Today you must check in downstairs, wear a numbered badge around your neck, and the door upstairs is locked, so you only get in when someone notices you standing outside the door.

I probably don’t have to tell you that the leaders of the department are upstairs behind the locked door.

DIF&W staff has no reason to fear us – unless they just don’t want to hear our opinions.

It’s time to unlock that door!

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.