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In grainy photos, two men can clearly be seen driving around in a boat setting fire to the grass and trees on the edge of the Miramichi River .

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Randall Connors owns the island in Upper Blackville where these fire bugs landed. Sunday evening he watched the men trespass on his property and start lighting the place up.

In one photograph, several separate fires can be seen burning in the grass and trees.

Connors says he never leaves home without his camera in hopes of photograph local wildlife.

On this occasion, however, his camera served another purpose. With it, he was able to capture proof of the damage and destruction being cause to his land by human hands.

Standing far away, so the men could not see him, he used his camera's zoom capabilities to capture the images.

"I saw smoke, but then it went away after awhile," Connors explained. "But then I saw them go up and come down the river ... [and] watched them set fire to a big elm tree."

Connors said this has happened before.

For years pyromaniacs, as he calls them, have been starting fires on his private property — and in every other woodsy areas in Upper Blackville.

The island has been flooded for the last couple of spring weeks, so the fires went out on their own.

But Connors worries the troublemakers have started early this year — which means he and his neighbours can expect trouble come the dry season.

"There have been lots over the years. We all worry about our houses ... We are scared to death. It happens every year. Sometimes its so bad you can hear it roaring."

In addition to the possible threat to houses, Connors worries about animals' homes too.

A long-time fishing guide, Connors says he has witnessed the devastation caused by fire starters.

The elm tree on his island, for example, is home to birds nests and serves as shelter to the fish in the river where its branches hung low over the water.

"I'm 52. That elm has been here longer than I have," said Connors. "I'll have to look at it, but I imagine the bark is burnt and it will probably die.

He said he went to the police when this happened before, but he is skeptical about their ability to do anything, given their lack of success in the past, and has not yet gone to them with his current evidence, though a cousin did send the photos to the Department of Natural Resources.

Cst. Eric Anderson is with the District 6 RCMP.

He agreed this is a problem officers see a lot.

"It's an issue every spring with people setting fires. The fire chiefs in Sunny Corner and even Miramichi will tell you the same. Sometimes it's kids, sometimes not, but these are nuisance fires," said Anderson.

He said the police do catch people setting fires, but often they are children and instead of prosecuting them, they are dealt with through the parents.

He added any adults caught are charged with arson.

Connors said he would like to see more prosecutions of these sorts of crimes. He noted the fire starters did seem to lay low for a while after one was convicted, but currently they seem to be getting out of control again.

Meanwhile, Connors said, he's running his own investigation.

"I'll know by next week who it is."

Connors has been e-mailing the photos he took to his friends and family in the area in an effort to identify the men.

"The boat and new engine are recognizable," said Connors.

He added he also hopes the media attention will scare off other arsonists.

"This is something that has to come to an end," said Connors.

Connors said he is still considering whether or not to take his photos to the police.

Anderson said he hopes he does.

"We want him to report it to us so we can look at the photos. We can only open a file if there is a complainant. Otherwise no one can be charged," said Anderson.