MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • April 19, 2020
Wednesday will mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, although the usual outdoor gatherings and park clean-ups in Maine won’t take place because of the coronavirus outbreak and the state’s stay-at-home order. But environmental leaders in Maine say the conservation lessons this year will be greater than ever before because the world has taken a giant pause as a result of the pandemic. “We can’t go back to the way we were, continuing to heat up the planet,” said Lisa Pohlmann, the Natural Resources Council of Maine’s chief executive officer. Maine Audubon Director of Conservation Sally Stockwell said it is a wake-up call to states, provinces and nations that we need to work together to create a healthier planet. Kate Dempsey, the Maine state director of The Nature Conservancy, said the volunteer work she’s observed in her community and across the state at this time has been powerful.