Maine ski area sells $29 lift tickets for Feb. 29

NEWRY, Maine (AP) — In celebration of leap day, Maine's Sunday River ski resort is selling lift tickets for $29.

Wednesday is Feb. 29, a date that falls every four years when an extra day is added to the calendar for leap year.

Sunday River says the $29 lift tickets can be bought Wednesday at any lift ticket window.

Maine ski resorts are reporting good ski conditions following recent snowstorms.

'Tangled' eagles stop traffic on Route 101 in Bedford | New Hampshire NEWS

'Tangled' eagles stop traffic on Route 101 in Bedford | New Hampshire NEWS

By DAMIEN FISHER
New Hampshire UnionLeader

Published Feb 26, 2012 at 5:56 pm

BEDFORD — A pair of bald eagles stopped traffic on Route 101 Sunday morning for an hour.


“It looked like one was protecting the other, or, as people have suggested, they were mating,” New Hampshire State Trooper Stephanie Clarke said.

Clarke was heading out on patrol about 6:30 a.m. when she came across two cars stopped in the eastbound lane of the highway, near the Everett Turnpike.


“There were two cars stopped in the middle of the road, in what looked like an accident,” she said.


The cars were stopped because a pair of eagles were tangled together in the road. The drivers were trying to protect the birds, keeping them from going into the high-speed lane, Clarke said.


The birds appeared agitated and skittish, Clarke said. When anything moved near them, they would make for the high-speed lane, she said.


Clarke said she tried to keep the birds safe and keep other drivers from getting into an accident while she waited for Fish and Game officers to arrive. The birds did not appear injured, she said.


“It looked like they were tangled up together,” she said. “To be honest, I'm not a bird specialist.”


Before Fish and Game officers could respond, the birds disengaged from each other and took flight.


“It was a pretty amazing spectacle to watch,” Clarke said.


The birds seemed to head out in the same direction, as through to a shared nest, she said.


Any other day of the week, when traffic is heavier, the birds on the highway could have caused accidents, she said.


“Something bad could have happened,” Clarke said.

Mating Bald Eagles Halt Traffic On Rte. 101 In NH

Possibly Mating Bald Eagles Halt Traffic On Rte. 101 In NH « CBS Boston

BEDFORD, N.H. (CBS) – Two bald eagles were spotted tangled in one another on Route 101 in Bedford, New Hampshire on Sunday morning.

Troopers who arrived on the scene and originally thought they were responding to an accident, but instead they saw a car stopped in the middle of the road to protect the rare birds.

Trooper S. Clark said the birds appeared to have been mating, though she wasn’t certain.

Because bald eagles are federally protected, troopers called in the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department to protect them.

Crews tried to approach the birds, but they became agitated before detaching themselves from each other and flying away.

Clark said in her 24 ft on the force, she has never seen two eagles land on a highway.

NH Snowmobile Trail Report 2-24-2012

February 24, 2012 Update Snow is heading this way. Grooming will commence when storm is over. Predictions are for 2-7” statewide. This should drastically improve trails that are current open. Also be aware that some gates have been closed and posted as such and will not reopen. Use caution in other areas of the state as there is water and ice. Recommended to Stay off Lakes and Ponds where ice depth is unknown. Pittsburg- 2-4" new snow 6-8" base in higher elevations and 2-3" in lower. Grooming is ongoing, and conditions range from marginal to great. South of town and there could still be some problem areas and some areas are still closed and are posted as such. Please pay attention to all signage! There are still logging operations going on. Perry Stream Rd is closed to snowmobile traffic and stay on the side of Magalloway Rd; some shared roads and are posted 10 mph. Lakes are still considered to be unsafe! Annual Steak Feed and Poker Run Saturday Feb 25th. Poker Run 8am-3pm and Steak Feed is 4:30p-7:30pm. For more details go to www.pittsburgridgerunners.org. Colebrook- Lower elevations range from poor, bare ground, open water and ice, to fair spring like conditions Higher elevations range from good to great , watch for ice and open water bars Ride with caution For more info go to www.colebrookski-bees.com Stratford- 3" base, trails are groomed and riding is marginal to good. Some bare spots and open water bars. Caution some trails are getting icy.  Potato Hill trail is closed due to logging and also at junction of Corr 3 and 7. Groveton/Nash Stream- 2-6" base. Trails are groomed and riding is moderate to good. 5 South Temporarily Closed. Caution some icy conditions. Diamond Pond/Coleman State Park- 4" new snow on a 6-8" base. Trails are groomed and riding is good to great. Several logging operations going on. Lake ice is marginal. Warming hut open Saturday and Sunday. Gas pumps open 24/7. For more details go towww.swiftdiamondriders.com Errol- 1-4" base. Trails are groomed and riding is moderate to good. Use Caution some trails are getting icy. Cambridge- 1-3" base trails are not being groomed at this time and riding is marginal to moderate. Grooming will start again when conditions allow. Milan- 1-3" base. Trails are not being groomed at this time and riding is marginal to moderate. Twin Mtn- 2-6" base. Grooming is being done in the Base Rd at Jefferson Notch and all other grooming will start again when conditions allow. Riding is moderate. Dalton- No Report. Berlin- 1-5" base.  Trails are groomed and riding is moderate to good. For more details, go towww.whitemtridgerunners.com Berlin/Success- 0-2" base. Trails are groomed and riding is moderate. Gorham- 0-4" base. Trails are groomed and riding is marginal to moderate.   Use caution some open water bars. And use caution around logging jobs. For more info go towww.presidentialrangeriders.org Jefferson- 1-3" base. Trails are groomed and riding is moderate. Corr 5 in town of Jefferson is closed due to lack of snow. For more details go to www.waumbekmethna.com  Franconia Notch- 1" new snow on a 1-3" base. Trails are groomed at this time and riding is moderate. Corr 11 North of Notch is not groomed and riding is marginal. Campton/Thornton- 0-5" base. Trails are not groomed at this time and riding is marginal to moderate. Corr 11 Rail line not groomed use caution. Some bare spots and ice. Bear Notch- 1" new snow on a 4-8" base. Trails are groomed. Riding is good. Caution watch for some icy areas and in corners.  RR Tracks starting to show in some places. Use Caution and watch for mushers and skiers. Conway/ Chatham- 50% open 0-4" base. Not groomed at this time. Fields showing bare spots stay off. Corridor 19 and loops are icy and some open water bars. Riding is marginal. Ossipee- 60% open 1-3" base. Trails are not groomed at this time. RR Tracks exposed. Castle Trails Closed. From white lake out to Wonolancet loops is only riding and is marginal with some rocks and water bars showing. Pisgah State Park-  Closing this week Pillsbury State Park- Closing this week Rail Lines: Northern: Closing Ashuelot: Closing Fort Hill:  Closing Sugar River: Closing Concord to Lincoln:  No riding Additional Resources and Information Please be safe and ride with caution. Respect our landowners. Watch speeds and stay to the right. For more information contact brenda.drouin@dred.state.nh.us.  2012 NH Snowmobile Corridor Map   (For a printed map contact NHSA or the Bureau of Trails) Snowmobile Trail Conditions Reports Snowmobile Club Information Snowmobile User Information Snow Depth Map NH Weather Radar

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Unprepared Hikers Rescued from Blue Job Mountain

Unprepared Hikers Rescued from Blue Job Mountain

CONCORD, N.H. – N.H. Fish and Game Conservation Officers and staff from the Strafford and Farmington Police and Fire Departments last night participated in a search for four hikers on Blue Job Mountain. The group was found and escorted back to the parking lot a little after midnight this morning, Friday, February 24.

Three men in their early 20s had set out at about 5:30 p.m. from the Blue Job parking lot. The mountain has multiple popular hiking trails, and it's a little more than a mile to hike to the top, where there's a fire tower. The men, from Rochester and Wakefield, were hiking without lights, backpacks, or any safety gear, and were wearing only sneakers. According to Conservation Officer Ron Arsenault, they got "turned around" at some point, and used a cell phone to call an older friend for help – the same man who had dropped them off at the trailhead.

The friend hiked up and managed to find the trio, at which point all four became lost and called 911.

The hiking party was advised to stay in one place. They managed to start a fire, which helped Strafford Police locate them on a logging road in Farmington, on the far side of the mountain.

For information on safe hiking, visit http://www.hikesafe.com.

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