Many people in Maine are turning to the outdoors to boost their morale and health during the COVID-19 pandemic. This, state officials say, is a good idea -- as long as it’s done with social distancing in mind.

Grade 7 students at SeDoMoCha Middle School had the opportunity to head north to the mountain to ski and snowboard -- many for the first time -- earlier this year.

The spring turkey hunt will begin on time this year -- despite web rumors, officials said. Citing misinformation that has been spreading on the internet, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife issued a press release on Wednesday, March 25 to assure hunters that the scheduled spring wild turkey season will begin as originally planned, with Youth Turkey Day on May 2 and the opener for all others on May 4.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is asking all hikers to postpone any hikes on the Appalachian Trail until the risks of spreading COVID-19 to others has reduced significantly. The statement was issued on March 23 after multiple sections of the 2,193-mile footpath, which spans from Georgia to Maine, experienced large crowds this past weekend.

Last week Gov. Janet Mills and Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife commissioner Judy Camuso announced an early opening of the state's open-water fishing season, and also said that until April 30, no fishing licenses would be necessary.

April – Maine’s seasonal limbo month -- just got a little more interesting. Gov. Mills directed Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Camuso to waive the need for a fishing license during the entire month of April. Of course, anglers must still abide by all of the fishing regulations as outlined in the new fishing law book, but nobody needs a license for the first 30 days of the open water fishing season, which commences April 1.

New England Fights has re-scheduled its scheduled April 18 mixed martial arts show at the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine in Orono for Saturday, June 13, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. Janet Mills directed Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Judy Camuso to open all inland waters for fishing and to waive the requirement that anglers need a recreational fishing license to fish the inland waters of Maine. The order, which is effective immediately, will run through April 30 and is intended to encourage Maine people to enjoy the outdoors as we confront the challenges associated with COVID-19.

Maine is home to some truly challenging hiking trails. Mud, steep slopes, slippery stream crossings, exposed tree roots, ridiculously rocky terrain. Maine has it all, and often hikers must contend with all these things at once. But here’s the thing: It’s worth it.

News that this year's Kenduskeag Stream Canoe race won't be staged came as no surprise, and in fact, most of the races scheduled for the next six weeks have also been scrapped as efforts to enforce social distancing to slow the spread of the COVID-19 ramp up.

Registered Maine guides are among those in industries in which face-to-face service is an essential part. But as spring and early summer fishing seasons near, some guides have already begun seeing a dropoff in reservations due to the COVID-19 virus.

Preseason training camp for the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl all-star football game will return to Foxcroft Academy in Dover-Foxcroft for the next five years under a new agreement reached recently between the school and the game’s board of directors.

The Maine Principals’ Association football committee took a step Monday toward branching out beyond the traditional criterion of school enrollment to classify high school teams around the state in that sport. The panel voted unanimously to approve the addition of 16 schools to the state’s two, eight-player divisions this fall.

Most outdoors people that I know would rather take an alder branch in the eye or get thumb-snagged on a rusty hook than spend 10 minutes at a political rally. But sometimes political reality gets close to home, especially for recreational hunters whose heritage is linked inextricably to their right to possess and use firearms in the field.

With an effort to support social distancing and reduce potential exposure to COVID-19 within the Piscataquis community, the Piscataquis Regional YMCA announced that the facility will close on Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 27.

The Maine Principals’ Association Board of Directors and Interscholastic Management Committee voted on March 13 to delay the start of the 2020 spring sports practices until April 27. The original date was March 23, which marked when baseball and softball coaches were able to begin working only with their pitchers and catchers for a week.

The Piscataquis Regional YMCA is pleased to announce the appointment of Mandy Adams as its new executive director/CEO, effective March 11. Adams was selected by the Y’s CEO search committee, following a 3-month search.

The basketball season is not over yet for a talented group of sixth-graders from Dover-Foxcroft. Fresh from a 14-0 season as the SeDoMoCha Middle School ‘B’ team, the group now is  competing at the AAU level as the first-year Dover-Foxcroft Eagles.