Readers get three mini-columns for the price of one today, all for shelling out a hard-earned 75 cents:

* What a difference a year makes.

Last year at this time, we were wondering where all the stripers were. From the mid-Atlantic states clear on up here to central Maine, we'd floated about a hundred different theories on why the population of striped bass seemed to have fallen off.

We'd heard everything from a mismanagement of commercial fisheries to a strange variances in water temperatures having caused the fish to stay further south.

Early signs this year suggest that anglers are going to be in for a good striper season.

"I was at Wal-Mart getting a rod and reel for one of my boys and somebody asked me if we'd had caught any stripers," said Butch Cunningham of Oakland. "I was like, 'I've caught about 30 of them already this year.'

"The guy looked at me and was, like, 'What?!?!?' "

The highlight of Cunningham's season so far was the 40-inch striper he caught right on the Kennebec River in Waterville last week. He caught it on a top-water lure right in the middle of the mid-day heat and sun while fishing with Scott Stevens of Winslow.

"It weighed 20 pounds, exactly," Cunningham said.

An avid outdoorsman in all seasons, Cunningham has been impressed with striper fishing this year versus recent years.

"They seem to be a little better than last year," Cunningham said. "There's still not a ton of fish there, but it's almost like the ones that are here are bigger than they've been. I know a lot of people say the fishing's best first thing in the morning or in the evenings, but I've actually had the best luck when the sun comes out."

Cunningham also said that with the rain we've been having, he's found fishing on the surface has produced better results -- particularly for the bigger fish. With the current carrying so much debris, it's possible that fish are looking up for easy meals.

* The economy stinks. Vacation budgets are tight. Getting people to come to Maine -- and stay here long enough to enjoy everything the outdoors offers here -- isn't easy.

Several organizations have banded together to create "Maine Woods Discovery." The focus is simple. When people come to Maine to take advantage of any one of a number of outdoors activities, they'll have a reason to come again.

At Northern Outdoors in The Forks, Russell Walters believes that if one business benefits from using Maine for "recreational tourism," then everybody benefits in the long run.

"Let's say that someone comes to see us and spends their vacation with us, but they don't necessarily want to come back and do the same thing again, or they want to experience something different," Walters said last week. "Now, we have a way to keep them here in Maine."

Some of the groups working on the project include the Appalachian Mountain Club, Sunday River ski resort, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and Maine Huts and Trails.

Last week, Gov. John Baldacci joined leaders from some of the groups to help unveil a new Web site to launch the project -- www.mainewoodsdiscovery.com.

From Rangeley to Moosehead, from Bethel to Katahdin, some of Maine's most popular destinations are outlined. Here's hoping it will be a boost for the eco-tourism industry and for Maine's outdoors, in general.

* When it comes to deer and moose, things can get a little -- how should we say it...? -- technical.

In talking to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's lead biologist on the two species, Lee Kantar, it's clear there are some very big differences in managing those herds.

The biggest difference is that the moose population isn't nearly as susceptible to outside influences -- winter severity and disease among them -- as is the state's deer population.

In a story about the moose permit lottery held last week at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, it was erroneously reported that next year the state would see a decline in the number of moose hunting permits issued. For the last two years, a total of 3,015 permits have been issued each season.

"In fact, we're going to be giving out more permits (in 2010)," Kantar said.

Some of those will come in northern areas. Legislation is playing a role in that, too, dictating that a less dense moose population in certain well-traveled areas would pose less risk to cars traveling at night. The number could jump, theoretically, by as many as a few hundred more permits -- but Kantar said it was far too early to get into specific details.

For hunters who did get their moose permits this year but are interested in swapping them for a permit in a different region, DIF&W endorses the site www.MoosePermit.com. For a fee, the site matches permit holders who desire to hunt in another area where someone also is interested in a swap.

Travis Barrett -- 621-5648

tbarrett@centralmaine.com