An Act To Rename B Stream in Houlton as Captain Ambrose Bear Stream
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 0245
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: BEAR, COLLINS, DANA
Amends: 38 MRSA §467

Legislative Document 
No. 245 
H.P. 177 
House of Representatives, February 3, 2015 
An Act To Rename B Stream in Houlton as Captain Ambrose Bear 
Stream 
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed. 
ROBERT B. HUNT 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative BEAR of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. 
Cosponsored by Senator COLLINS of York and 
Representative: DANA of the Passamaquoddy Tribe. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  38 MRSA §467, sub-§15, ¶E, as amended by PL 2003, c. 317, §18, is 
further amended to read: 
E.  Meduxnekeag River Drainage. 
(1)  Meduxnekeag River, main stem. 
(a)  From the outlet of Meduxnekeag Lake to the international boundary - 
Class B. 
(2)  Meduxnekeag River, tributaries - Class B unless otherwise specified. 
(a)  North Branch of the Meduxnekeag River and its tributaries above the 
Monticello - T.C, R.2, W.E.L.S. boundary - Class A. 
(b)  Moose Brook and its tributaries, upstream of the Ludlow Road in 
Ludlow - Class A. 
(c)  South Branch of the Meduxnekeag River and its tributaries, upstream of 
the Oliver Road in Cary - Class A. 
(d)  B Captain Ambrose Bear Stream and tributaries upstream of the Burnt 
Brow Bridge in Hammond - Class A. 
Sec. 2.  Name change from B Stream to Captain Ambrose Bear Stream.  
The county commissioners of Aroostook County shall rename the stream in and near the 
Town of Houlton in Aroostook County named B Stream to Captain Ambrose Bear 
Stream in honor of Captain Ambrose Bear, a Maliseet Indian chief who served in the 
Revolutionary War.  The commissioners shall provide notice of the new name to the 
Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, the Secretary of the United 
States Department of the Interior and other public agencies, boards, committees or other 
groups responsible for changing names of places and ensuring that such name changes 
appear on maps and other documents. 
Sec. 3.  Commissioner of Transportation to replace signs.  The 
Commissioner of Transportation shall replace any sign that is located on the interstate 
highway that contains a reference to B Stream to comply with section 2 no later than 30 
days after the effective date of this Act. 
Sec. 4.  Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.  The Commissioner 
of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife shall amend Department of Inland Fisheries and 
Wildlife's rules to change the name of B Stream to Captain Ambrose Bear Stream in all 
rules that mention the stream. 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires the Aroostook County Commissioners to rename B Stream in and 
near the Town of Houlton in Aroostook  County to Captain Ambrose Bear Stream, in 
honor of Captain Ambrose Bear, a Maliseet Indian chief who served in the Revolutionary 
War.  The bill also requires the county commissioners to notify the appropriate authorities 
and agencies of the name change.  The Department of Transportation is required to 
change any existing road signs designating B Stream to refer to Captain Ambrose Bear 
Stream.  The bill also requires the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to amend 
its rules to change the name of B Stream to Captain Ambrose Bear Stream, and it changes 
the name where the name B Stream is cited in statute.