Opinion: It’s going to be a Clark Griswold kind of summer

TRIBUNE NEWS • June 27, 2020

If Americans took our national parks for granted before, they probably don’t anymore. Long weeks in COVID-19 lockdown, it turns out, have a way of renewing your appreciation for outdoor adventure. Last week, the Senate approved a measure that will be good for national parks and public landst for years to come. The measure ensures that the Land and Water Conservation Fund gets the $900 million it is supposed to get every year. It establishes a permanent funding source – a share of federal royalties for offshore oil and gas drilling. It also provides $9.5 billion to address a mountain of deferred maintenance. The Great American Outdoors Act, which President Trump has promised to sign, now goes to the House of Representatives, where approval is expected. ~ Clark Griswold

When the sun sets, it’s time to start mothing

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 27, 2020

When the sun sets, a host of beautiful nocturnal creatures comes to life, including moths of all shapes, colors, patterns and sizes. Some are iridescent. Others have long, feathery antennae or striped legs or showy wings. Fascinated by these nighttime flyers, naturalists around the world endeavor to learn more through a simple activity. And you can, too. Mothing. It’s like birding, but with moths.

Trust Maine people to decide on NECEC

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 27, 2020

On all the major networks and online, I have been seeing many advertisements for the transmission line Hydro-Quebec and Central Maine Power want to run through our state. These political ads seem to be purposely using pretty pictures, psychological tactics and half-truths to try and confuse voters. Hydro-Quebec and CMP have already spent more than $9 million to try and gloss over the truth and confuse Mainers. But the facts are clear. The transmission corridor would incur long lasting damage to that region of our state. The millions Hydro-Quebec is spending amount to interference in our elections by a utility solely owned by a foreign government. ~ Maria Strickland, Bangor

Maine’s governor objects to petition requesting vertical-line prohibition

SEA FOOD SOURCE • June 26, 2020

Maine’s governor, Janet Mills, has written a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross objecting to a recent petition that aims to prohibit the use of vertical lines in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries in four areas off the New England coast. The petition was submitted by The Pew Charitable Trusts earlier this month, with the intention of protecting the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale. Right whales are one of the most endangered mammal species in the world, and entanglement with vertical lines have led to new regulation that the Maine Lobstermen’s Association has objected to.

The black bear hanging out in a tree in Ellsworth has come down

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 26, 2020

A black bear that had been hanging out near Ellsworth Elementary Middle School for the last several days has come down from a tree on State Street and been relocated by state animal welfare workers. The animal is a healthy older male bear, about 300 pounds, and he was sedated without an issue.

The Cat ferry will not visit Bar Harbor in 2020

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 26, 2020

A seasonal ferry service featuring the The Cat, a high-speed catamaran, set to start running between Maine and Nova Scotia on Friday will not run in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Bay Ferries Ltd. Mark MacDonald, the company’s chairman and chief executive officer, expressed regret for the decision. “International non-essential travel worldwide has essentially come to a standstill. It is not clear when U.S. operations would be permitted to occur, what opportunity would exist for proper marketing of the service, and what short term customer demand would be,” MacDonald said in a statement released on Friday. 

The Maine outdoors can provide respite from pandemic worries

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 26, 2020

If you live “in town,” as we used to call it when we were growing up, it’s easy to get buried in the pandemic doldrums that have gripped many of us. Many businesses are still closed or running at partial capacities, or offering only curbside service. Masks are everywhere (or, at least, they should be). For more than three months, we’ve all been trying to find our way through this new reality. There are special places out there where life can seem just like it always has. All you have to do is head into the woods.

Popular West Branch rapids inaccessible to rafters after rockslide

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 26, 2020

An April rockslide at McKay Station, a hydroelectric dam owned by Brookfield Renewable, has forced the company to shut down a path to the West Branch of the Penobscot River that allows whitewater rafters and other recreational users to access some of the rapids of Ripogenus Gorge. The company announced this week that it is working on a long-term plan that should provide a new trail that would open in 2021.

Maine Warden Service honors two with top awards

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 26, 2020

The Maine Warden Service honored two men on Thursday as Warden Joey Lefebvrew was selected as this year’s warden of the year and Sgt. Tim Spahr was picked as the service’s supervisor of the year during a ceremony at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro.

Lawmakers Call On Regulators To Reject Proposal That Could Shift CMP Pandemic Costs To Ratepayers

MAINE PUBLIC • June 26, 2020

More than 50 state lawmakers are calling on regulators to reject a proposal by Central Maine Power (CMP) that could allow it to charge ratepayers for unexpected costs caused by the pandemic while leaving the company's shareholders off the hook.

Trump To Nominate Anti-Environment Extremist As Permanent Public Lands Chief

HUFFPOST • June 26, 2020

President Donald Trump will formally nominate William Perry Pendley, a self-proclaimed “sagebrush rebel” with extreme anti-environmental views and a long history of advocating for the sale of federal lands in the West, to serve as director of the Bureau of Land Management. Pendley was tapped last July for a senior policy position at BLM, an agency of the Department of the Interior, and quickly elevated to acting chief. The backdoor appointment put him in charge of overseeing 245 million acres of public land — more than 10% of the entire U.S. landmass — and 700 million subsurface mineral acres. It also enraged environmentalists and sparked fears of a public lands sell-off. 

Gov. Mills asks Trump administration to reject right whale protection proposal

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 26, 2020

Gov. Janet Mills has asked the Trump administration to reject a petition from the Pew Charitable Trusts that proposes tight seasonal regulations for some lobster fishing areas to protect endangered right whales. The proposal “not only fails to provide additional protections for right whales, but contrary to Pew’s assertions, it will cause significant economic impact to Maine’s iconic lobster industry,” Mills wrote in a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. The Pew proposal may not actually protect the whales because fishermen might move lines into open water around the restricted areas.

Fishy smell clearing up in Chesterville and Vienna

SUN JOURNAL • June 26, 2020

If you’ve smelled something fishy in the Parker Pond area for more than a week, it was 13,000 rotten white perch left on an uninhabited island by state biologists. The invasive species was put in the cold-water pond illegally in 1990s, competing with salmon and trout. Biologists removed the perch last week and left them on the island, Mark Latti, spokesman for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said. The fish should not have been put there, he said. They were cleaned up Wednesday.

Column: Implications of salmon listing are complex

PISCATAQUIS OBSERVER • June 26, 2020

A coalition of conservation groups, including the Atlantic Salmon Federation, has recently urged the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to add the Atlantic salmon to the state’s list of Endangered species. The Atlantic salmon has been listed and protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act since 2000. Once the salmon was federally listed recreational fishing was prohibited. This prohibition of even catch-and-release fishing of the salmon has long been a thorn in the sides of anglers. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

Commentary: Federal COVID response a missed opportunity to help Maine fishermen

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 26, 2020

President Trump’s recent roundtable meeting with fishermen in Bangor was a unique opportunity to bring national attention to COVID-19’s catastrophic impact on fishing communities here in Maine and around the country. What resulted from this meeting was the opening of a national marine monument south of Cape Cod to additional commercial fishing, and the creation of a yet-to-be-defined fisheries task force. This action does not address the underlying economic challenge facing Maine fishermen because of the pandemic – the collapse of domestic and international demand for seafood. ~ Ben Martens, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association

Economic recovery panel suggests easing Maine’s tourism restrictions

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 25, 2020

A panel tasked with assisting the economic recovery of the state’s tourism and hospitality industry will recommend easing quarantine and COVID-19 testing requirements for out-of-state travelers and providing financial support for businesses hurt by the economic downturn triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Curtis Picard, president and CEO of the Retail Association of Maine and a subcommittee member, said the aim should be to find an acceptable solution for businesses and the government.

Fishery Fact Check

THE HILL • June 25, 2020

President Trump ordered the Department of Agriculture to offer a lifeline to the struggling Maine lobster industry that has been hit hard by his trade policies with China. Trump’s trade war with China evaporated Maine’s chief export market as escalating tariffs led China to place a 35 percent markup on lobster. The order from Trump all but directs the Agriculture Department to extend a $30 billion farm bailout program to Maine’s commercial fishers. The financial relief could have political benefits as well, particularly for Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who is facing a tough reelection campaign in a contest that could determine the next Senate majority.

Beatrix Farrand's American Landscapes

MAINE PUBLIC • June 25, 2020

Beatrix Farrand was responsible for some of the most celebrated gardens in the United States, including in Maine, and helped create a distinctive American voice in landscape architecture. The film follows award-winning public garden designer Lynden B. Miller as she sets off to explore the remarkable life and career of America's first female landscape architect-Beatrix Farrand. Stream the documentary on Maine Public TV; expires July 15, 2020.

National Parks: The latest list of what's open, what's closed and what's changed

CHIMANI • June 25, 2020

Many of the national parks and their concessionaires are slowing reopening. Needless to say, this season it will be more important than ever to check on the status of parks before you head out to visit them, especially if you have reservations for lodging or camping.

Desperate parents weigh whether summer camp is worth it this year

BLOOMBERG • April 25, 2020

Summer camps, which began in the 1870s, were created to get children out of the city and allow them to connect with nature and engage in outdoor activities. The CDC issued new guidelines early this month, suggesting coronavirus screening protocols and daily evaluation of children and staff for symptoms and exposure to COVID-19. But it left the final call as to whether camps could proceed up to each state. Jeff Konigsberg says he tried to find a way to stay open this summer. His popular camps, Camp Takajo, which houses 400 boys, and Tripp Lake, which houses 300 girls, are about an hour north of Portland. “Since the pandemic hit, I spent every waking moment trying to find a pathway,” he says. “But in the end, we simply don’t know, and that was the determining factor: the fear of looking one parent in the eye and saying his child was not well under my watch.”