April at the University of Maine that means several things are fast approaching for students: final exams, summertime and Chickenfest.

Chickenfest is an annual underground music festival held in remote locations that are, more often than not, private lands. The event has recently come under heavy fire from law enforcement officials. During a press conference held Thursday, Maine State Police Officer Lt. Wesley Hassey spoke with Sgt. Ron Dunham of the Maine Warden Service in a bid to enlist the public in preventing this year’s event.

“It started as Bumstock, an event that was held on the [UMaine] campus. It has since moved off campus and grown in size and scope,” Wesley said. “What has prompted us to be more proactive this year is there was a death at it last year.”

The death Hassey referred to was that of Dean Levasseur, a musician who was scheduled to perform at Chickenfest 2012 in Howland. Levasseur’s body was found two days after the event; his death was ruled a suicide. According to Dunham, the follow-up investigation, which included the search for Levasseur and cleanup of the land, cost Maine taxpayers more than $30,000.

“The aftermath that a lot of people don’t hear about is the land closure and abuse of property,” Dunham said, referring to the closure of the clearing where last year’s event was held.

“It’s an event without any supervision. There’s no security. There’s no staffing. It’s a thrown-together event,” Hassey said. “Every year we get reports of assaults and crimes, [such as] underage drinking and sexual assaults. When these things happen, the responsibility is on the organizers.”

He added that, based on their offenses, partygoers can face anything from fines to jail time.

“We don’t want people to jeopardize their futures for a party,” Dunham said.

Chickenfest typically takes place at the end of April, just before finals week. The majority of attendees are college students, but there have been reports of middle-aged people and high school students in past attendance. Not much is known about the event’s organizers, who tend to keep the timing and location of the event secret until the day of the event itself.

“We suspect they use social media to get the word out,” Hassey said. “They usually send out a mass text message, often only hours beforehand. We usually figure it out when we see lots of traffic flowing.”

This last-minute notification makes responding to the event before it escalates extremely difficult, according to authorities. With attendance often reaching into the hundreds, the party soon becomes something that even law enforcement can’t stop. State and local police departments, from Penobscot and Hancock Counties, have teamed with the Maine Warden Service and UMaine Police Department to increase surveillance in an attempt to put a stop to the event before it can start.

Dunham and Hassey urge parents, students and landowners to help by watching out for large gatherings and strange traffic patterns. To make an anonymous tip text “Penquis” to 207-274-637 or call UMaine Campus Eyes at 207-581-9255.

“Events are run all the time. It takes organization and willingness [to do it appropriately]. This is unsafe,” Hassey said.