Find the natural beauty that’s right outside your door

TURNER PUBLISHING • May 18, 2020

Is there a wild spot, a quiet park, an empty overgrown lot, a secret path in your village that leads to a forgotten stream, vernal pool, or a place to sit on a wide river or the grand ocean? What if you visited this place throughout the year and sat? Dedicated some time to be still or stroll through silently to observe the wildlife that calls this treasured or forgotten spot home. In this year of the virus, this quieting of our lives, it is a good time to discover the hidden gems close to your home. This is how I fell in love with Cobbossee Stream five years ago. ~ Tina Wood, Maine Master Naturalist, Upstream founder

Letter: Regulating the true culprits

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 18, 2020

A federal judge ruled that the government failed to adequately protect the North Atlantic Right Whale from lobster fishing activities. This leaves the entire state wondering what will become of this industry that is central to our economy and our identity. The Maine lobster industry has already become a scapegoat for inadequate protection measures for these animals in Canadian waters. Now NOAA apparently wants to turn a blind eye to this potentially devastating practice of oil exploration, and put undue pressure on Maine fishermen and women. ~ Sam Sheppard, Orono

Encountering wildlife in the Maine woods? If you care, leave them there

TURNER PUBLISHING • May 17, 2020

Wildlife is very active during the late spring and summer, and it’s common to come across baby fawns, moose calves, fox, raccoons and other young wildlife in fields, woodland areas and even back yards, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife points out. The department is urging those who encounter wildlife anywhere in the Maine outdoors, to remember the motto: “If you care, leave them there.” Wild animals and birds do not make good pets, and it’s against the law to possess them without the proper state and federal permits

Coastal campgrounds suffer shortened season due to pandemic

TIMES RECORD • May 17, 2020

Coastal campgrounds are ramping up for an uncertain summer season as the state starts to slacken its coronavirus restrictions and closures. Last Thursday, Gov. Janet Mills announced lodging operators in Maine could begin taking reservations for June 1, with a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all out-of-state guests. Campground owners have started making preparations, but some worry whether local attractions that help drive business, such as coastal parks and beaches, will open in time or whether guests will bother coming at all amid all the uncertainty.

Column: You missed that turkey, so learn from it and move on to the next one

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 17, 2020

People often assign great levels of wariness and wisdom to the wild turkey. In truth, it’s largely survival instincts finely honed over millennia, combined with acute senses that allow these birds to elude us more often than not. If somebody tells you they’ve never missed a turkey you can probably conclude one of two things. Either they don’t have much turkey hunting experience, or they have a proclivity for prevarication. ~ Bob Humphrey

Column: Life during the wildlife rebellion

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 17, 2020

Reports from all over the world indicate that, because humans have been staying inside due to the coronavirus pandemic, wildlife is re-emerging into our territory. Reports from my yard confirm this to be true. Have you ever heard a red fox scream? ~ Victoria Hugo-Vidal 

Column: It’s not too late to set up those nesting boxes

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 17, 2020

The real estate market for a lot of our cavity nesting species may already be past its initial peak, but the answer is that it is never too late to put up a nesting box. Many of the species that are already using boxes, like Eastern bluebirds or black-capped chickadees, are likely to have multiple broods each year, so even if you missed their first attempt, you can be ready for the second. Keep house sparrows out of boxes. These old-world sparrows are invasive and very aggressive, often killing native species like bluebirds on their nests. ~ Doug Hitchcox

Maine team races all day in World Series of Birding

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 17, 2020

Six passionate birders from Maine scurried at a mad pace from 3 a.m. to well after dark last weekend – first in snow, then in rain and gusting wind – while competing as a team against some of the nation’s best in the World Series of Birding. The annual event requires a team of birders to identify as many species as possible in 24 hours. The Maine Audubon team ended up with 138 – a score that ties for eighth on the American Birding Association’s all-time best for Maine. 

Column: Worth the effort to explore Muddy River in Bowdoinham

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 17, 2020

It doesn’t sound enticing does it – the Muddy River? Don’t let the name deceive you. This 2-mile wilderness gem is one of the best places in southern Maine to enjoy the return of spring. But with no public access, you are going to have to do a bit of extra work to get there. A canoe provides the perfect social distancing craft, designed with the proper spacing between bow and stern. ~ Michael Perry 

Column: The benefit of a Maine lobster versus the cost of a Maine life

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 17, 2020

It’s a brutal question: What is the value of Maine’s summer tourist economy – not in dollars, but in human lives? There’s no simple answer. Maine hotels and other accommodations took in just over $800 million between May and September of last year, representing 64 percent of the industry’s annual revenue. During the same period, restaurant receipts totaled more than $1.3 billion, almost half their yearly income. But the more out-of-state visitors Maine receives in the next three or four months, the more Maine’s COVID-19 death count – now at 70 – will rise. We must all ask ourselves that gut-wrenching question, one rooted more in basic morality than in seasonal economics: In the frantic effort to save Vacationland, how many deaths will be too many? ~ Bill Nemitz

Column: Complex politics behind statewide corridor vote

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 17, 2020

 The decision by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to let the question on whether Central Maine Power can construct a transmission corridor remain on the November ballot marks the formal start of the campaign. It won’t be a purely partisan issue by any stretch of the imagination: Both the current governor, Janet Mills (D), and her predecessor, Paul LePage (R), support construction of the corridor. In the Legislature, Republicans and Democrats haven’t clearly split along party lines. A number of Maine environmental groups oppose the corridor, but some former state environmental leaders support it. ~ Jim Fossel

Opinion: Let’s put an end to the state’s bear-feeding program

SUN JOURNAL • May 17, 2020

Maine’s bear population is exploding. This is largely a human-caused phenomenon, thanks to the State of Maine’s bear feeding program that permits the dumping of tons of food at thousands of bear feeding sites across Maine. The intent of this program is not to control Maine’s bear population but to support Maine’s bear hunting industry, primarily for out-of-state hunters, and to increase revenue for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. I submitted a petition to IFW to phase out Maine’s bear feeding program over 10 years. Both bears and the hunting industry would have time to adapt. Rather than end the feeding program, IFW proposes to extend the bear feeding season and to allow hunters to kill more bears. ~ John Glowa, South China

Opinion: NECEC is an important step in protecting Maine’s forests

SUN JOURNAL • May 17, 2020

Throughout our careers, we have worked to protect the North Woods of Maine in leadership positions. Ensuring a healthy future for the Maine Woods and the animals and plants it nurtures requires that we recognize their biggest threat — climate change. We have carefully weighed the benefits and impacts of the New England Clean Energy Connect and believe it is one important step to immediately begin reducing the emissions causing climate change. ~ Thomas Rumpf, formerly at The Nature Conservancy and Maine Forest Service; Lloyd Irland, formerly at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Maine Bureau of Public Lands and Maine State Economist

River Valley chosen for spotlight on working-class American communities

RUMFORD FALLS TIMES • May 17, 2020

The River Valley, a rural paper mill community comprised of nine working-class towns around Rumford, is the focus of one of 10 reports on the condition of American communities and what they need to thrive. The new initiative is called American Roundtable. The valley serves as a microcosm for working-class communities across America. Its natural resources, mountain springs once prized for their healing properties, the Androscoggin River and the mountains that offer recreation and inspiration for hikers, skiers, authors, campers, artists, fishermen and musicians, are overshadowed by the smokestacks of Rumford’s 100-year-old paper mill that has been blamed by residents for environmental and human offenses.

Column: 14-day quarantine could end state’s sporting camps

SUN JOURNAL • May 16, 2020

In his 2016 book “Maine Sporting Camps,” George Smith writes, “In 1904 there were at least 300 sporting camps in operation in Maine. By 2007, this number had dwindled to fewer than 40. Governor Mills’ insistence that non-residents could not patronize Maine businesses without first undergoing a 14-day quarantine, looked to be the kiss of death for tourism and sporting camps in particular. This quarantine order, which is expected to remain in place until August, will, if allowed to stand, put an end to Maine’s rich and fabled sporting camp heritage once and for all. ~ V. Paul Reynolds 

Community helps Turner woman search for Godzilla the fleet-footed tortoise

SUN JOURNAL • May 16, 2020

Sher Blevin’s pet tortoise Godzilla-Lee went everywhere with her. Then he went missing. Godzilla is more than a pet: He’s a family member. On Thursday, she shut Godzilla in the kitchen, and went outside. Godzilla managed to open the door. About 20 people showed up to help her look fo him this morning, with a group coming from as far away as Rockport. Blevin has been putting up posters and Mr. Drew and His Animals Too of Lewiston put a post on Facebook that’s been shared over 1,000 times. Blevin said she hopes Godzilla hunkered down nearby.

Mercer turkey farmer’s business is booming with backyard farmers

MORNING SENTINEL • May 16, 2020

On Saturday, local farmers congregated at Scott Greaney’s Turkey Farm in Mercer to talk about the struggles of raising livestock during a pandemic, when some grocers and farmers have been known to price-gouge. Greaney said that during the pandemic he has maintained his prices as his customers have increased. Greaney and his family are witnessing a groundswell of interest in individuals wanting to secure their own food supply as COVID-19 shakes Americans' confidence in the food supply chain and locally grown and locally owned become watchwords of food security. The people contacting him, he said, are coming from all over the state.

Conservationists propose lobstering restrictions to protect right whale

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 16, 2020

Conservation groups are calling for the banning of vertical rope in lobstering off Cape Cod, saying it can snare endangered right whales. In a legal brief filed Friday, the Conservation Law Foundation, the Center for Biological Diversity and others called for an immediate ban on lobster lines in the area. They also call for a more comprehensive plan to protect the whales by February 2021. The environmental groups sued claiming that regulators violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to protect the right whales.

Investigation of Jay mill blast may take months

ASSOCIATED PRESS • May 16, 2020

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection of the site of a paper mill blast could take several more months. OSHA has until six months after the date it entered the Pixell Specialty Solutions mill on April 17 to complete the investigation. The federal agency is focusing on whether there were violations of workplace safety and health standards.

Editorial: Turning Maine into Staycationland, this summer and in the future

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 16, 2020

The idea of promoting “staycations” here in Vacationland is nothing new. And with dire predictions about the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on Maine’s hospitality and tourism sector, there are several ways to adopt and adapt the concept of a staycations to help soften the blow and plan for the future.