MAINE PUBLIC • October 30, 2026
The Penobscot Nation recently completed its first study of bear populations on tribal lands. Tribal Wildlife Resource Manager Benjamin Simpson said it’s important for the tribe to have its own data. “The state has their wildlife management goals, and the tribe has their own," he said. "And so, to protect that, their sovereignty, my goal is to have data that supports our mission and our goals and our hunting." Simpson said the data will help inform decisions affecting the tribe's spring bear hunt, which is one of only two allowed in the eastern U.S.