Column: Number of eggs in a nest is just enough for a pair of birds to handle

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 7, 2020

A highly variable feature of bird reproduction among species is clutch size – the number of eggs laid in a nest. Ruby-throated hummingbirds and mourning doves always have a clutch size of two. Herring gulls lay two or three eggs. Most songbirds have clutch sizes in the single digits. For instance, chestnut-sided warbler and black-throated green warblers lay three to five eggs. Some birds are more ambitious. The clutch size of ruffed grouse varies from nine to 14. A female wood duck lays six to 16 eggs. Why the variation? The explanations are complicated, but food availability is a major driver. ~ Herb Wilson

Column: What/where in the heck is T5 R7 BKP WKR? It goes back to the late 1700s

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 7, 2020

By 1783, the American Revolutionary War pretty much bankrupted Massachusetts. Seeking relief from its financial straits, the Bay State turned to the District of Maine, where it owned vast areas of public lands that were considered to hold great value for settlement and development, and later, timber. The plans to turn Maine into a cash cow demanded large-scale surveying to section off the wilderness for sale. From 1783 through 1878, many surveys were done until virtually all publicly owned state lands were subdivided into 6-mile-square township blocks, each identified with one of some 15 land survey designations in a range and number system. Grab your Maine Atlas and AMC Maine Mountain Guide, select a few hikes and go exploring. ~ Carey Kish

Letter: NECEC construction jobs should be valued, not belittled

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 7, 2020

More than $300 million in contracts have been awarded to Maine companies as planning for the construction of the New England Clean Energy Connect begins. Good-paying work in this part of the state is often hard to come by, and has only gotten worse these last few months. Those against the project argue that the jobs are temporary. But that is the nature of construction jobs. That shouldn’t be something that people turn up their nose at. Mainers stand to gain so much from the project. That is why I am supporting it and I hope others will do the same. ~ Ryan Leeman, Palermo

Pandemic changes 40th anniversary plans for Belfast Farmers’ Market

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 7, 2020

Stalwart members of the Belfast Farmers’ Market have seen a lot over the years. That’s why they’re confident that the market will be able to weather the pandemic, too — a reality that makes it challenging to mark the market’s big anniversary. Noami Brautigam of Dickey Hill Farm in Monroe, the market’s president, said, “The market’s looking forward to a time when celebrating as a community feels more responsible. We’ll take advantage of that time when it comes.”

Column: Don’t overthink tying the fly

SUN JOURNAL • June 6, 2020

Why fish behave the way they do holds fascination for especially for fly fishermen. Fish, according to the conventional speculation, bite for three reasons: 1) Anger 2) Curiosity 3) Spirit of play. Fly tiers may be trying too hard, tying elaborate flies that please anglers more than fish. One of the most consistently successful fly fishermen I know, who buys all of his flies, gives each one a “haircut” with a pair of fingernail clippers before showing it to the fish. Tight lines, yes. But sparse flies as well. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

Friday afternoon fire in Solon burns 10 acres, multiple crews respond

MORNING SENTINEL • June 6, 2020

The cause of a fire that cleared 10 acres of property in Solon remains undetermined, the fire chief said. Crews responded to the report of a brush fire around 1:35 p.m. Friday at 652 South Solon Road. Fire Chief Duayne Rollins said Saturday that the cause is still being investigated by Maine Forest Rangers, though arson is not suspected.

Maine Smart Growth Awards nominations sought

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 6, 2020

Nominations are opene for GrowSmart Maine’s Third annual statewide Smart Growth Award competition. The 2020 award recipients will be announced at the 2020 GrowSmart Maine Summit on Oct. 22. The awards will showcase the kind of projects, plans, and policies that support smart growth in all its diversity, whether it’s a plan for a walkable and inclusive village center, a development that is affordable and sustainably built, a successful new transit endeavor, or a community-supported adaptation to climate change that safeguards the built or natural environment. Nomination deadline is Tuesday, June 30.

Great chance to get rid of lead sinkers

GEORGE SMITH’S OUTDOOR NEWS • June 6, 2020

Maine Audubon and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife are working with select retailers to provide $10 store vouchers to anglers who turn in at least one ounce of lead tackle at participating stores. Maine state law bans the use and sale of lead sinkers and lead-headed jigs weighing one ounce or less or measuring 2.5 inches or less.

Trump goes against environment; reopens commercial fishing at Northeast Canyons

WION • June 6, 2020

US President Donald Trump has taken a decision that is not being lauded by the experts, only this time it is the endangered species who will bear the consequences.

In a roundtable conference with fishing industry representatives and Maine officials, Trump announced reopening of commercial fishing at the Northeast Canyons. The Northeast Canyons is a marine conservation area off the New England coast. The new order by Trump to allow commercial fishing in this area has not garnered positive remarks by the experts, as they believe that commercial fishing in the area will be a critical threat for endangered right whales and other fragile marine life. Experts believe Trump's decision will threaten the end for right whales and other endangered marine animals.

Maine’s socially distant turkey hunt ends for spring

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 6, 2020

Maine’s experiment with a socially distanced turkey hunting season is ending for the spring. Turkey hunting is a popular activity in Maine in the spring, and the state decided to go ahead with it this year. Officials applied new safety precautions to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus, including calling on hunters to only hunt with members of their own households and to stay close to home. The season ends for the year on Saturday. There’s another turkey hunting season scheduled for the fall.

Opinion: Pandemic no time to roll back air, water protections

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 6, 2020

In March 2019, we learned that Global Partners had been violating the Clean Air Act for over a decade. To help address this problem, I introduced two bills in the Legislature, and the city of South Portland formed a Clean Air Advisory Committee. But as we’ve been working diligently at the state and local levels, the federal government has begun to undermine our efforts. The Trump administration has turned its attention to rolling back the EPA’s clean air and water standards. Officials in Washington know that rolling back these regulations will kill people. Maine’s good work to preserve our environment and public health should not be put at risk, or worse, undone completely because of Washington politics. ~ Sen. Rebecca Millett, Cape Elizabeth

Letter: When it comes to Québec hydropower, let the science talk

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 6, 2020

In a letter, Richard Aishton claims that the energy provided by Hydro-Québec is not clean. The science proves otherwise. Greenhouse-gas research on Québec reservoirs clearly shows that emissions levels are low: on par with wind and 50 times less than natural gas. Notably, our cold and well-oxygenated waters lead to very low methane emissions. Unfortunately, misinformation has become fodder for opponents of Québec hydropower, a low-carbon energy source that can truly make a difference in fighting climate change. We hope that facts, the benefits and the significance of this project will ultimately be recognized. ~ Serge Abergel, director, media and external relations, Hydro-Québec, Montreal

An out-of-stater’s guide to vacationing in Maine during the pandemic

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 6, 2020

Tourism in Maine generates $9 billion annually to the state’s economy and most of it is spent by millions of out of state visitors who come between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Just in time for this summer’s tourist season, Maine is slowly reopening for business and officials are grappling to balance economics and public safety during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. If you are coming into Maine this summer, here are a few things you need to know.

With trails opening, is it safe—or ethical—to go hiking this summer?

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC • June 5, 2020

Summer is here, and that means millions of people nervous about flying in the age of coronavirus will likely hit the road in a car. As America’s national parks and forests start to reopen, many vacationers are looking to stretch their legs out on the trails. In ordinary times, a surge of hikers would be a boon for the picturesque gateway towns near these popular outdoor destinations. But during a pandemic, locals whose livelihoods are largely built on seasonal tourism are forced to reconsider the cost-benefit ratio of welcoming out-of-towners searching for that perfect waterfall picture or alpine vista. North Conway, NH, is a prime example of a backcountry recreation village. 

New pocket guide for Allagash explorers

PISCATAQUIS OBSERVER • June 5, 2020

The Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation and the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Bureau of Parks and Lands released “Allagash Explorer: A Take-Along Companion for Maine’s Wilderness Waterway.” A pocket guide designed to inspire, inform and educate travelers about the waterway, copies are available at Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Stores, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, New England Outdoor Center, Gulf of Maine Books, LL Bean bike, boat & ski, Epic Sports, Bogan Books and North Maine Woods gates to the Allagash.

Trump is really upset about lobster right now

THE WEEK • June 5, 2020

With the nation in chaos, President Trump is keeping his eye on…the lobster. Speaking from an elaborate set that involved a fishing boat and carefully-positioned lobster traps, Trump announced that he is creating a new task force designed to crack down on illegally harvested fish as well as reopening a fragile marine conservation area off of Cape Cod, the Northeast Canyons, to commercial fishing — a move environmentalists say could do damage that takes centuries for the region to recover from, if it does at all.

ReEnergy, DESRI-North Light propose joint biomass, solar project

SUN JOURNAL • June 5, 2020

ReEnergy Biomass Operations, with biomass power plants in Livermore Falls and Stratton, has submitted a joint proposal to the Maine Public Utilities Commission with North Light Energy, a Maine company partnered with D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments, for their proposed photovoltaic solar project adjacent to the ReEnergy Livermore Falls facility. The joint proposal relates to 25 megawatts of the output from the 39-megwatt ReEnergy Livermore Falls plant and all of the output from the planned 40-megawatt solar project called Ice House Solar.

President Trump Opens National Monument to Commercial Fishing

COURTHOUSE NEWS SERVICE • June 5, 2020

President Donald Trump on Friday opened 5,000 square miles of ocean off the New England coast to commercial fishing, reversing an order signed by President Barack Obama shortly before he left office. “I’m a believer in conservation, but they’ve gone crazy,” he said before an audience of Maine lobstermen, fishermen and crabbers. Trump vowed to lift other Obama-era regulations that restrict Maine fishermen. He separately vowed to fight foreign tariffs that hurt the Maine seafood industry.

Opinion: From swabs to fish, more jobs for Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 5, 2020

More opportunities for Maine’s commercial fishermen. That’s the good news President Donald Trump brought to Bangor on Friday as he signed a proclamation reopening the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts area to commercial fishing. The proclamation will reopen a one part of one of the most fertile fishing grounds in the world — the fecund waters that stretch to and through Georges Bank out to the limits of America’s 200-mile offshore exclusive economic zone. In 2016, under the previous administration, fishermen and lobstermen were informed that nearly 5,000 square miles of the area would be closed by presidential proclamation to commercial fishing. This was done without adequate justification, and it was an action taken by Washington elites that struck right at the heart of New England’s hard-scrabble commercial fishing and lobster industries. ~ Peter Navarro, White House Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy

Trump opens marine monument to fishermen, promises trade relief

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 5, 2020

President Trump announced he was opening a national marine monument off the coast of southern New England to commercial fishing during a visit to Maine on Friday, an administrative rebuke of government regulation that holds big political appeal for the Maine fishing industry but little practical value. At an hourlong roundtable with Maine fishermen in Bangor, Trump also vowed to use retaliatory tariffs to help the Maine lobster industry get better access to foreign markets, putting former Maine Gov. Paul LePage in charge of a task force on the matter.