Spotted Cat Winery

05/27/2026

𝐂𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬
𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

WILSON POND - Seventy-five, YES, 75 boats inspected by Courtesy Boat Inspectors at Indian Hill Trading Post and Lower Wilson Pond Public Boat Launch. Good News-no invasive species found. Boaters were very cooperative and glad to see inspections happening in our area.

The primary focus of Courtesy Boat Inspection (CBI) is to encourage boaters to CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY boats before launching and after exiting a water body. The goal is to keep invasive aquatic species from being spread from one water body to another.

The most common Invasive aquatic species in Maine is variable leaf milfoil. It infests water bodies to the south and north of the Moosehead Region.
CBI Coordinator, Kathy Lees, was assisted by CBI volunteers Pam Warren, Chair of the Friends of Wilson Ponds Program Committee, and Kay Johnson.

Volunteer Inspectors are needed. To sign up go to Friends website www.fowpa.org.

There are two ways to accomplish signing up. Use the one most convenient for you.

Two part-time paid inspector positions are available, information available on the website.

04/21/2026

04/18/2026

DRAIN THE AUGUSTA SWAMP!

04/08/2026

Thanks to all of our winery friends for 14 fun years! We are going to spend more time in gardens and won't operate Spotted Cat Winery..too much work for Mom and Pop!
Old customers might find a little wine available with advance arrangements.
Love you all for your kindness and comraderie!

02/03/2026

Jump on the opportunity to make a lasting difference for Maine wildlife with the Chickadee Check-off! ✅

When you file your Maine state income taxes this year, tell your accountant you care about conservation! Voluntary contributions through the Chickadee Check-off directly support Maine's non-game, Threatened, and Endangered Species. Just like that, you're a Maine wildlife hero!

Learn about wildlife work funded through the Chickadee Check-off and download your Schedule CP Form at mefishwildlife.com/chickadeecheckoff

01/28/2026

Cold winters are no joke, but Maine’s aquatic turtles have adaptations up the wazoo…literally! They survive in part thanks to their unique tail-end anatomy.

Turtles take shelter below the ice and enter brumation, an energy-saving period of inactivity, similar to hibernation, used by ectothermic (cold-blooded) animals to survive winter’s limited food availability and cold temperatures.

It’s an elegant solution except for one thing- they can’t hold their breath all winter, and ice prevents them from surfacing to get fresh air. Enter an adaptation called cloacal respiration. That’s a fancy way of saying turtles breathe with their butts, at least that’s the easiest way to describe it!

Turtles absorb oxygen as water moves over areas of the body with the highest concentration of blood vessels, particularly the mouth, throat, and cloaca (the opening at the tail end of a turtle).

Learn more about weird ways reptiles and amphibians make it through Maine winters at www.maine.gov/ifw/blogs/mdifw-blog/herps-hiding

01/24/2026

***Update***
We are sad to to report that Chance Lauer was recently found deceased. We have removed his photo and personal information for privacy and out of respect for his loved ones. Maine Warden Service thanks you for your concern, patience, and assistance throughout the search.
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***Maine Warden Service, MASAR Volunteers Search For Missing Man in Orono***

ORONO, Maine – The Maine Warden Service, along with trained searchers from the Maine Association of Search and Rescue (MASAR), are searching for missing man in Orono.

Chance Lauer was last seen on Monday, January 19th at the Orchard Trail Apartments in Orono where he lives.

Game Wardens plan to begin ground searches in the Orono area at 8:00 a.m. with members of the Maine Warden Service, MASAR and ten total K9 units from the Maine Warden Service and Maine Search and Rescue Dogs (MESARD)

Due to the extreme weather conditions expected tomorrow, the Maine Warden Service is not asking for any volunteers at this time.

If any new information becomes available, this release will be updated.

01/18/2026