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AUGUSTA — The legacy of Maine sportsmen and the sporting camp tradition has been brought to life in a multi-media project compiled by the Friends of the Maine State Museum, in collaboration with the Maine State Museum, the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and Photoarchive3D.
The documentary, “Sportsmen & the Maine Sporting Camp Tradition; A 3D Historic Experience,” takes a “journey into a pastime that spawned ingenuity, political debate, community connections, new economies and more,” according to a news release from the Friends of the Maine State Museum. The work, which is presented in 3-D and includes archival images and oral history elements, will premiere May 20 at the Elks Lodge in Augusta, and then be available for viewing at the Maine State Museum.
Among the Maine sportsmen interviewed in the documentary are Ormy Pitcher and veterinarian Paul Wade, who both share a deep appreciation for the careful wildlife management that Maine enjoys today, the release said. Wade recalls a “dark age…a time when lumbering stripped the mountains bare and when no practical limit existed on how many deer or moose could be taken in a day.” Pitcher recalls “winter months when deer herd declined because there was a lack of food, habitats were stripped bare.”
“This project will share many stories of camp and sport and will keep alive traditional knowledge that is quickly fading,” said Jennifer Dube, director of the Friends of the Maine State Museum, in the release. She said the multi media aspects of the project will include more than over 80 images “brought to life through 3D technology and combined with oral histories, the traditional knowledge of our sportsmen and women. The program will enable audiences of all ages to connect with and explore a vital Maine tradition in ways never before possible, bringing history to life.”
Bernard Fishman, director of the Maine State Museum, “the Maine State Museum holds the largest environmental collections in the state. These collections are growing, and this great project complements our desire to know more about the history and preservation of Maine’s wilderness and of the people who have cherished it. This is a valuable part of Maine’s story and should not be forgotten.”
David Trahan of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, said, “Generations of Maine families and visitors use Maine camps to teach their children about our place in the natural environment, how to hunt, fish and navigate in wild places. These skills are passed from dads to sons, moms to daughters and mentors to pupil. Today, these camps and traditions along with their people are disappearing. It is crucial to capture their story as they play an important part in Maine’s history and in shaping the modern conservation movement.”
The May 20 program will include presentation of the documentary by Fishman, with commentary from Trahan. The event will also include a dicussion panel made up of Maine sportsmen, according to the release. The body of the collaborative work will be used in the museum’s and alliance’s educational programming and expand collections at the Maine State Museum, the release said.
The cost to attend the premiere is $60 per person and includes dinner, the documentary unveiling and presentation, and dicsussion. Proceeds will help fund the project and Maine State Museum programming through the Friends of the Maine State Museum. Tickets can be bought online at www.mainestatemuseum.org or by calling the Friends of the Maine State Museum at 287-2304. Kittery Trading Post, the Maine Arts Commission and the law firm of Doyle and Nelson have assisted in stewarding the progress of the project, the release said.
For more information, contact Dube at jennifer.dube@maine.gov or Friends of the Maine State Museum at 287-2304.
