The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 9, 2020
Maine’s state government has received a federal grant for a pilot project that is designed to grow the availability of on-demand bus service in its rural northern areas. The $188,000 grant to the Maine Department of Transportation will aid the project in Aroostook County and the rural Presque Isle area.
MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • June 9, 2020
A 3-minute video released on June 5 by the Trump Administration makes the case for repairing the infrastructure in our national parks. It is moving, except for one point. At 2:38 the narrator, impersonating our national parks, says, “I’ll be there for you. Will you be there for me?” while a picture of Donald and Melania Trump flashes on the screen. They undoubtedly did not intend it to be ironic, but it is a good question: Will President Trump be there for our national parks?
So far, under the Trump Administration’s War on Public Lands protections have been removed from almost 35,000,000 acres of your public lands. And Trump is threatening an additional 50,000,000 acres in Alaska and 1,500,000,000 acres of ocean. The Trump Administration has recklessly given hundreds of thousands of acres to oil and gas corporations for drilling and mining while the country is virtually locked down due to the pandemic. Trump has done more damage to our country’s public lands and natural environment than any U.S. President ever. A coalition of nine national organizations recently declared that "Donald Trump has been the worst president for our environment in history.”
But he is not done with the carnage. Trump’s proposed FY2021 proposal calls for slashing funding from all natural resource agencies, including $587 million from the National Park Service annual budget alone, while lobbying Congress to appropriate an additional $2,000,000,000 for a wall that is disastrous for wildlife on the U.S.- Mexico border. And on the same day last Friday that the video was released Trump came to Maine to undo protections for 5,000 square miles in the only national marine monument on our Atlantic coast.
Using taxpayer money to rebrand the Trump gang as caring about our parks to bolster his reelection is worse than fraudulent, worse than a scandal, worse than corrupt. It is a mortal sin.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 9, 2020
I listen to the birds as hard as I can. I try not to take even the most common and incessant songs for granted: The robin’s, the catbird’s, the song sparrow’s whistles and trills ping-ponging in the weeds. Yet my attention fades, and my thoughts return to their earthbound ruts. What to do with this rage, this helplessness, this sorrow over the sickness and violence stealing so many lives? In this season of beauty and terror, the birds will be singing whether or not we listen. Every morning, may we open our eyes. May we open our windows. May we listen. ~ Kimberly Ridley, Brooklin
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 8, 2020
In Maine, people often stumble upon baby wildlife, especially in the spring and early summer. As a result, the Maine Warden Service and state biologists field a multitude of phone calls about wild animals that people worry have been abandoned or orphaned this time of year. And their message is always the same: If you care, leave it there. If you have pets, put them inside your home or on a leash so they don’t disturb the animal. And if you have reason to believe the animal has been orphaned or injured, call your local DIF&W biologist or game warden for help.
TIMES RECORD • June 9, 2020
~ Don Loprieno, BristolThe relentless siege that the virus has laid to our priorities and actions may even have affected our recollection of another very different pandemic that was directed toward the animals of Bath, replacing science with fear and resulting in questions which to this day still remain unanswered.
Why didn’t the Bath City Manager conduct more research on different options available to control the rabies outbreak, and then present those options to the Council?
Why was the contract with USDA signed before a public meeting instead of the other way around?
MDIFW’s own Rabies Management Guidelines states “The reduction of wildlife populations is not considered a viable approach to rabies management.” Why then did the Council agree to a contract that Maine’s own wildlife agency does not consider an effective solution?
~ Don Loprieno, Bristol
NEWSWISE • June 8, 2020
Researchers have projected significant changes in the habitat of commercially important American lobster and sea scallops on the Northeast U.S. continental shelf. They used a suite of models to estimate how species will react as waters warm. The researchers suggest that American lobster will move further offshore and sea scallops will shift to the north in the coming decades.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 8, 2020
There will be no large throng at this year’s moose permit lottery, as there has been in years past. You won’t meet up with your friends and relatives there. You won’t join in as the crowd tries to set a world record for most people making a moose call at one time. No, COVID-19 has, for the moment, made things like that a mere memory. This year’s lottery on Saturday, June 13 will be “virtual,” with a few Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife staffers bunkered at the department’s Augusta office building, streaming results live across the internet.
SUN JOURNAL • June 8, 2020
The tourism plan announced Monday afternoon by Gov. Janet Mills received a mixed reaction from local hotel, inn and resort owners, including confusion on how to confirm and enforce that out-of-state residents have tested negative for the coronavirus. According to the updated plan, starting in July, out-of-state tourists will not have to quarantine for 14 days if they sign a compliance form certifying they tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of checking in at their lodging. Tourists from NH and VT can start visiting Maine without a 14-day quarantine starting Friday. In Lewiston, Billie Cooke, owner of the Inn at the Agora, said “Are we supposed to enforce it?” A very small percentage of her customers come from New Hampshire or Vermont.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 8, 2020
A plan that allows out-of-state residents to visit Maine if they have a recent negative test for COVID-19 may still not be enough to save businesses struggling more with each passing day, tourism industry representatives say. Maine’s $6.5 billion visitor industry has chafed under a mandatory 14-day quarantine that’s been in place since March for any nonessential travelers to the state. Easing restrictions will help slightly, but Maine’s tourism businesses are struggling to stay afloat and hope for more ways to allow out-of-state visitors in, said Maine Tourism Association CEO Tony Cameron.
SUN JOURNAL • June 9, 2020
Due to uncertainty and safety concerns surrounding public gatherings during the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Maine Bicentennial Commission announced Monday it was postponing its many events celebrating Maine’s 200th anniversary until 2021. Tentative dates, pending any pandemic restrictions in place at that time, are below:
Maine Statehood Day Ceremony: Sunday, March 14, 2021, Augusta
State of Maine Bicentennial Parade: Saturday, May 15, 2021, Auburn and Lewiston
Sailing ships events: summer 2021, ports along the Maine coast
Maine200 Innovation Expo: Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, Portland
Maine200 Time Capsule sealing ceremony, fall 2021, TBA
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 8, 2020
President Donald Trump’s visit to Maine last week was about image and messaging. The president held a roundtable with fishermen and others in the industry. The centerpiece was the signing of a proclamation to allow more commercial fishing in the only marine monument on the east coast. The Northeast Canyon and Seamounts Marine National Monument was created to protect underwater canyons and mountains that are home to diverse wildlife, including corals not found anywhere else. Less than 5 percent of the regional fishing catch comes from the area. Maine’s fishing industry faces many challenges — lack of demand because of the coronavirus pandemic, competition with Canada, Trump’s tariff war, endangered species protection and the regulations that come with it. They deserve serious attention, not nearly meaningless proclamations.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 8, 2020
Two months after issuing an executive order that all out-of-state visitors must quarantine for 14 days or face a misdemeanor charge, Gov. Janet Mills on Monday relaxed restrictions on tourists meant to stop the pandemic spread. The Keep Maine Healthy plan, effective July 1, allows visitors in lieu of quarantine to sign and submit a certificate of compliance to their lodging facility that they have received a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of their visit. If they don’t have a negative test result, they must agree to quarantine in Maine for 14 days or show that they already have completed their quarantine in the state. Steve Hewins, president and CEO of the industry group Hospitality Maine, said the testing scheme will deter visitors as much as the quarantine has.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 8, 2020
Maine’s baby eel fishermen had a productive year in the state’s rivers and streams, but the price for the eels was much lower than usual. The fishing season for the eels, which are called elvers, ended on Sunday. Fishermen caught at least 9,650 pounds of the eels during a season in which they were limited to 9,688. The elvers are valuable because they’re used as seed stock by Asian aquaculture companies that raise them to maturity for use as food. They were worth $525 a pound at the docks this year. That’s much more than most fish species, but a steep decline from last year’s average of $2,091.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 8, 2020
Each summer more than 36 million visitors come to see Maine’s most popular attractions, including Acadia National Park, one of America’s most iconic national treasures. For the most part, these parks are well maintained, but years of inconsistent federal funding have resulted in potholed roads, deteriorating historic buildings, eroded trails and more. Earlier this year, a bipartisan bill was introduced called the Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422), which will address the $12 billion maintenance backlog in our national parks, as well as fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The bill will enable national parks to make many of the necessary infrastructure improvements that have been put off for too many years. S. 3422 has the support of U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King. Both have been tireless advocates for national parks. ~ Rep. Tom Skolfield of Weld worked in Maine parks and conservation agencies for 45 years
STAR-HERALD • June 8, 2020
After months of struggles due to the shutdown of the food service industry during the coronavirus pandemic, the Aroostook County potato industry is seeing increased sales as states begin to reopen their economies. Rather than going unsold, many more potatoes from the 2019 crop will end up on plates and trays across the country as restaurant-ready items such as french fries and mashed potatoes.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 8, 2020
We’ve lived on North Haven for 15 years. The impacts of a changing climate started with a lobster boom; local lobstermen had a few great years as the lobster population moved north. That faded as the lobsters have continued shifting to the colder waters of Nova Scotia. And then the boat launch parking lot started to flood on a regular basis. If the summer residents with homes closer to sea level are forced to leave or the businesses located on the shore close up shop, it could collapse the tax base that supports our small school. I want to see us approach climate change the same way we have approached this pandemic. With climate change as with COVID-19, we need structures in place to support businesses that take a hit and help them rebuild for a sustainable economy. ~ Courtney Naliboff, North Haven
KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 8, 2020
Cianbro is reportedly one of the contractors for the New England Clean Energy Connect. When their worksite in Augusta was shutdown the week of May 18, it was reported that some of the workers who tested positive for COVID-19 were from out of state. Does anyone really think that CMP and its contractors will hire mostly Maine residents for these temporary jobs? ~ Charles E. Brush, Wayne
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 8, 2020
Normally, communities located along the famous Appalachian Trail welcome thousands of long-distance hikers every summer, offering shelter and supplies to those endeavoring to complete the famous 2,190-mile trail. But this year, everything has changed. Due to the pandemic, most hikers have postponed their treks, leaving trailside towns wondering how the decrease in business and absence of trail culture will impact their communities. Hostels, inns, shuttle services, gear shops, grocery stores and restaurants are all expected to take a hit. In Maine, this reality will especially impact towns like Millinocket, Monson, Caratunk and Rangeley, which serve as major rest stops for hikers.
ACADIA ON MY MIND BLOG • June 7, 2020
Maine is requiring out of state tourists to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, and that is unrealistic for most short-term visitors like Farr. The quarantine is discouraging many and creating uncertainty and new doubts about vacations at Acadia National Park, which opened the Park Loop Road to traffic on June 1. A new plan won’t come soon enough for Maine’s hard-hit tourism industry. While the quarantine requirement is tough on tourists, it’s cut visitation to Acadia and been financially traumatic for lodging operators, retail stores and restaurants in Maine.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 7, 2020
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife received 65,634 applications for this year’s lottery. That’s an 11-percent increase from 2019 and marks the first time since 2008 that more than 60,000 applications have been received. Some think the pandemic and restrictions on travel may have brought more attention to Maine’s long-standing image as an accessible wild land with legendary big bulls and a sizable moose population.
