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PHOTO: 2022 Annual Lifetime Outdoor Achievement Award winner Galen Rhulin with his grandaughters. (Submitted photo)
AUGUSTA – Nominations for the 2023 Annual Lifetime Outdoor Achievement Award are being accepted by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
The award honors individuals who are dedicated to the stewardship and wise use of Maine’s natural resources, and who have been or are active in the state’s outdoor traditions.
The recipient will be selected by a committee of individuals from the department and will be recognized at the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine Annual Banquet in September.
To be eligible, nominees must have hunted, trapped and fished in Maine for a combined total of 40 years. For example, to meet that requirement an individual may have fished for 20 years, trapped for 10 years and hunted for 10 years; or could have fished for 30 years and hunted for 10 years. Ideal candidates would also be active in mentoring, teaching, or instructing outdoor activities.
Nominations should include the nominee’s name, address, phone number, photograph and a few paragraphs about them, their experience in the Maine outdoors, and an explanation of why they are a deserving candidate. DIF&W officials point out that they do not know the candidates, so it is important that those nominated someone describe the person with a few paragraphs. The nominator’s contact information should also be included.
Nominations are due by 5 p.m. on June 30, and can be sent by email to Emily MacCabe at Emily.MacCabe@maine.gov or by mail to 353 Water St, SHS 41, Augusta, Maine 04333.
Nomination forms can be downloaded at mefishwildlife.com.
Recipients are 2015, Harland Hitchings and Joseph Boudreau; 2016, Gary Cobb, Jim Martin and Oscar Cronk; 2017, Carole Dyer and Gabriel Giguere; 2018, Dana Johnson and Roger Milligan; 2019, Charlie Mann and George Smith; 2020 (awarded in 2021), Dan and Sally McAllister; 2022, Galen Ruhlin.
ABOUT THE 2022 RECIPIENT
Galen Ruhlin, of Gouldsboro, began hunting and fishing at an early age. His daughter Meghan recently saw some old films from the 1940s showing him hunting deer with his family at the age of 6 in Township 16, as well as lobstering and fishing off Gouldsboro Point as a kid.
He passed that love of the outdoors to his daughter, who has fond memories of waking at 3 a.m. to go salmon fishing on the Narraguagus. It’s clear he knew how to get young people hooked on the outdoors – his daughter’s memories of those trips also include stopping for a doughnut. It is no wonder Meghan was cleaning fish and skinning deer by the age of 6.
Many nomination letters were submitted for Ruhlin, with folks talking about his expertise and passion for the outdoors, and how he gladly passed that along to others through conversation or actions. He was a teacher to all, whether it was friends, children, or those that he guided. He shared in all their successes, whether it was just viewing a bear while on a hunt or taking one himself.
Several game wardens said that Ruhlin always had coffee or tea with biscuits or pie for anyone who stopped by. He’s been an excellent source of information regarding fish and wildlife resources in the area, and many wardens and biologists have leaned on him and his expertise.
Warden Dave Simmons said Ruhlin has always been willing to assist with a sick or injured moose, or a moose/vehicle accident, no matter the time of day or weather conditions. Simmons also noted that Ruhlin would never keep the meat, but instead gave it to those who needed it the most.
He was also a driving force that helped influence one of the state’s largest blueberry companies to adapt to non-lethal methods to keep bears away from beehives in the blueberry barrens, including encouraging the company to spend money on exclusionary fencing and relocating bears.
“Galen’s efforts over the years certainly exemplify stewardship and wise use of our natural resources,” IF&W said. That, combined with his “compassion for others and passion for the outdoors,” made him the clear choice for last year’s honor, the department said.
