2020 Source Award: The Pedal Pusher

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 24, 2020

For its work making Maine’s roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians, and encouraging environmentally friendly forms of transportation, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine has received a 2020 Source Award. Formed in 1992, the Portland-based coalition has long been recognized for getting more Mainers to ride through its annual Great Maine Bike Swap, in which hundreds of people look for good deals on used bikes. In the last six years, the group has also become known for its annual Bike Maine tour.

2020 Source Award: The Seaweed Supplier

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 24, 2020

Atlantic Sea Farms of Saco started out growing seaweed, but is now trying to grow a Maine industry. The company began in 2009 as commercial seaweed farming operation called Ocean Approved. It began to expand its mission in 2018, later changing its name to reflect that, and now partners with about two dozen fishermen and women up and down the Maine coast. The fishermen grow the seaweed in their offseasons, then sell it to Atlantic Sea Farms, which produces kelp-based products for sale online, in Whole Foods and other stores, and for use by several health-focused casual restaurant chains.

2020 Source Award: The Force Field

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 24, 2020

Daniel Mays wanted to celebrate the 10th year of Frith Farm in style, so he put 60 solar panels on the roof of his Scarborough barn. Frith Farm is a small, no-till farm that puts high value on increasing biodiversity and strengthening community by growing good food and being a good neighbor. Mays and his team grow organic vegetables, herbs and flowers and host workshops and community events. In recognition of investment, Frith Farm is a winner of a 2020 Source sustainability award.

2020 Source Award: The Seed Saver

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 24, 2020

Will Bonsall is doing everything he can find these days to call attention, and funding, to his Scatterseed Project, which he founded in 1981 to preserve endangered crop diversity. He has one more banner to raise. Bonsall is a winner of a 2020 Source Seed Saver award for his work as a master seed saver. It doesn’t come with the financial clout of the MacArthur genius grant, which pays north of $600,000 over five years, but the Source award recognizes Bonsall’s dedication to plant-based, self-reliant gardening and farming and his unique place in the world of seed saving, where he has achieved exalted status.

2020 Source Award: The Invasives Innovator

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 24, 2020

Marissa McMahan grew up in midcoast Maine, attended Georgetown Central Elementary and spent glorious days of her childhood on her father’s lobster boat. These days, Dr. Marissa McMahan visits Georgetown Central, among other schools, passing on her curiosity – and her knowledge – of local species in the Gulf of Maine, and invasive species, especially the notorious green crab. McMahan, 34, is a marine biologist and the Fisheries Division Director of Manomet, a Massachusetts-based sustainability nonprofit center. She is our 2020 Source “Invasives Innovator” award winner.

2020 Source Award: The Lakes Lobbyist

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 24, 2020

Linda Rice made a name for herself on Broadway and TV working with wigs and hair, but in Maine she’s become a tireless, self-taught crusader against another kind of growth – the invasive plants that choke local lakes. Rice, 64, has logged 10-hour days as a boat inspector, making sure that watercraft entering her beloved North Pond aren’t carrying milfoil or some other threatening invasive plant. In addition to serving on the board of the North Pond Association, she’s volunteered or worked with 7 Lakes Alliance, Maine Lakes Society and Lake Stewards of Maine.

Column: With 15 ‘Bald’ mountains in Maine, there’s sure to be one near you

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 24, 2020

Any mountain with “bald” in its name is, of course, a natural draw for hikers. The name itself – Bald Mountain – evokes images of wide, sweeping views and beautiful scenery. Dedham Bald Mountain, near Bar Harbor, is one shining example.

Editorial: Maine tourism industry need disaster relief

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 24, 2020

Out-of-state visitors are required to quarantine for a minimum of 14 days before going out in Maine. Since most visits to Maine are much shorter than two weeks in length, this alone could spell disaster for the state’s $6.5 billion industry. With the season now here, it’s clear that there is no magic trick that will bring back 2019 levels of visitors. We need federal disaster relief for the businesses and workers hit hardest by this public health catastrophe because there is no way that many of these businesses will survive otherwise. This problem cannot be fixed simply by lifting regulations. “Reopen the economy” might look good on a poster, but in Maine what you are really saying is reopen the border and let the out-of-state visitors back in, without restriction.

Wardens emphasize safety on Maine waters this weekend

SUN JOURNAL • May 23, 2020

Maine Game Warden Sgt. Jason Luce and Warden Neal Wykes patrolled the choppy water of Brandy Pond in Naples on Saturday as part of National Safe Boating Week, an initiative designed to stress the importance of staying safe on the water, particularly now, as water temperatures barely crest 60 degrees and hypothermia potentially can set in within minutes.

Plenty of power this summer, but is Maine looking at higher rates down the road?

ASSOCIATED PRESS • May 23, 2020

Energy demand is down by 3% to 5% in New England because of the pandemic, but utility bills unpaid by tens of thousands of people left jobless by the pandemic could drive electricity prices upward in some places in coming months.

Here's How Experts Rate The Risks Of 14 Summer Activities

NPR • May 23, 2020

The urge to get out and enjoy the summer is real. But what's safe? We asked a panel of infectious disease and public health experts to rate the risk of summer activities:

1. BYOB backyard gathering with one other household: Low to medium risk
2: Eating indoors at a restaurant: Medium to high risk
3. Attending a religious service indoors: High risk
4. Spending the day at a popular beach or pool: Low risk
5. Outdoor celebration with 10+ guests: Medium to high risk
6. Using a public restroom: Low to medium risk
7. Letting a friend use your bathroom: Low risk
8. Going to a vacation house with another family: Low risk
9. Staying at a hotel: Low to medium risk
10. Getting a haircut: Medium to high risk
11. Going shopping at a mall: Risk varies
12. Going to a nightclub: High risk
13. Going camping: Low risk
14. Exercising outdoors: Low risk

Here’s what works when it comes to natural weeding solutions

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 23, 2020

Every gardener has that one weed that they can never seem to shake, no matter how many times they pull it up. After the umpteenth time it crops up again, there is temptation to reach for a chemical spray that will get rid of it once and for all. Even if you’re at your breaking point, natural remedies have many advantages over synthetic chemical herbicides: mulching, plastic covers, DIY spot treatments, hoeing.

Maine Potato Farmers Face Uncertain Times In What Is Already An Uncertain Business

MAINE PUBLIC • May 23, 2020

About 60 percent of the potatoes produced in Maine and around the country are grown to supply the food service industries. But with everything from school cafeterias to sports concessions to in-flight meals canceled, potato farmers are facing uncertain times in what is already an uncertain business. And many say that they are discouraged by what they are being offered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in a federal aid package.

Before you go foraging, here’s what you need to know

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 23, 2020

Spring is an especially exciting time for Maine foragers, as dandelions, burdock roots, wild strawberries, nettles and fiddleheads all emerge. If you are just getting started, here are some easily-identifiable things you can forage, what you need to know to do it safely and how you can use your foraging finds in tasty and creative ways: fiddleheads, dandelions, Japanese knotweed, ramps, nettles.

Opinion: Columnist too quick to link baiting, growth in Maine’s bear population

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 23, 2020

Consider a few things before putting stock in the statements by John M. Glowa Sr. in his May 19 commentary (“Let’s work toward shutting down Maine’s bear feeding program”). An inadequate food supply can lead to bears feeding on residents’ pets and livestock. Bear baits help keep bears in the woods. Discontinuing baiting would have tremendous impact on the population, leaving between 1,500 and 2,500 bears in the population every year. The reason for the increase in the bear population may be that there are fewer hunters. Do we want to limit the number of bears harvested each year with the populations on the rise and the number of hunters declining? ~ Kara Hodgin, Newfield, Maine Sporting Dog Association

Letter : CMP ‘snowing’ the public about ‘Clean Energy’

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 23, 2020

Be reminded that: (1) the New England Clean Energy Connect is a for-profit initiative; (2) proponents have spent millions of dollars on dubious advertising; (3) Mainers will receive very little benefit from this project, unless one considers 35 cents a month and 37 permanent jobs a windfall; (4) Opponents followed Maine law to have the decision for the NECEC placed in the hands of Maine voters and have been under withering assault from corporate “slick suits”; and (5) if anyone compares the actual benefits with the real costs, this project makes no sense. ~ Richard Aishton, Farmington

That Time A Loon Fatally Stabbed An Eagle In The Heart

GIZMODO • May 22, 2020

A lake on the outskirts of Portland, Maine, became a highly unusually scene last summer when a kayaker happened upon a dead bald eagle floating face down, pierced through the heart. Turns out it wasn’t some Great Gatsby-type story of revenge, but rather an angry loon trying to protect its chick. It’s the first documented case of loon-on-eagle homicide and shows that for all the glory of seeing loons take flight over misty lakes and hearing their calls at dusk, they can be cold-blooded killers.

Two wildfires in northern Maine under control

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 22, 2020

Two wildfires in northern Maine were declared under control Friday after burning a combined 280 acres. The largest fire, on May Mountain in Island Falls, burned 236 acres. A second fire, in Baxter State Park, burned 45 acres. As of earlier this month, the Forest Service said there had been 380 forest fires that had burned 180 acres.

State opens public comment on wording of ballot question to stop CMP corridor

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 22, 2020

The Maine Secretary of State’s Office is accepting public comment on its wording of a referendum question to stop Central Maine Power Co.’s New England Clean Energy Connect transmission corridor, which has qualified to appear on the November ballot. CMP contends the project would benefit Maine and the region by lowering carbon emissions, reducing fossil fuel usage and stabilizing electricity costs. But opponents say the project would create environmental damage and hurt homegrown solar, wind and biomass projects in Maine. In related news, the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices ruled Friday that Stop the Corridor, a campaign formed to oppose regulatory approval of the project, qualifies as a political action committee and therefore must disclose its financial backers.