The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
KIRO • July 4, 2020
Officials responded to their third rescue in as many days Friday since a popular park was reopened. A 31-year-old woman was rescued around 12 p.m. after injuring her leg while hiking the narrow Knife's Edge trail along Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park. She was rescued by helicopter then taken by ambulance to a hospital where she was treated for her injuries.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 4, 2020
The tomato crop can be negatively impacted when there isn’t sufficient rain. Choose a fertilizer with extra nitrogen to increase foliage growth. Watering correctly is important, too, especially in the heat. Overhead watering is the big no no as it can cause burning and fungal diseases. Regular watering — once or twice a week, deeply — and mulching to retain moisture will both help to prevent disorders and keep your tomatoes healthy through the dry, hot season.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 4, 2020
South Portland officials are seeking a tougher federal crackdown on Sprague Resources LP for air pollution from heated petroleum storage tanks at its facilities in South Portland, Searsport and five other New England cities. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed a lawsuit against Sprague in May, along with a proposed settlement that would require the company to properly license and take steps to reduce odors and emissions of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, from heated tanks storing No. 6 heavy residual fuel oil and asphalt. The city is challenging several aspects of the proposed settlement, including how Sprague’s facilities would be monitored and licensed in the future and why the company wouldn’t be required to pay penalties to South Portland or the state of Maine.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • July 3, 2020
Maine has lifted suspensions on registration of all-terrain vehicles, and ATV owners must now register or renew them. The state charges fees for ATV registration that are used to build and maintain its trail system. The fees also support ATV clubs and volunteers who work to maintain the trails.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 3, 2020
When it is hot and humid outside, many people’s first instinct is to take refuge inside and crank their air conditioners up, as far away from the heat as possible. However, this method of beating the heat may exacerbate the problem in the long run. Here are a few ways Mainers can keep cool in an eco-friendly, budget-friendly way.
• Turn on a fan
• Change your lightbulbs
• Close the blinds
• Turn off electronics
• Cook outside
• Stay hydrated
• Install a heat pump for next year
PISCATAQUIS OBSERVER • July 3, 2020
A 31-year-old Maine woman was rescued by Baxter State Park and Maine Forest Rangers after suffering an unstable lower leg injury on the Knife Edge of Katahdin on July 3. Baxter State Park Rangers Mike Pounch and Jen Sinsabaugh responded to the call on foot around noon. Maine Forest Ranger Pilot Lincoln Mazzei and Rangers Shane Nichols and Scott Maddox supported by helicopter shortly after 3 p.m., with a short-haul to Abol Pit near the south end of the Park. A Millinocket Fire Department ambulance then transported the patient to Millinocket Regional Hospital, where she was treated for her injuries. “This rescue went smoothly due to the consummate professionalism of the Maine Forest Service, Millinocket Fire and our own rangers,” said Park Director Eben Sypitkowski.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 2, 2020
With the state reopening, the summer tourism season under way and the coronavirus surging across much of the southern United States, many Mainers are anxious about the possibility that out-of-state visitors could spark a resurgence of COVID-19 here as well. Those fears may be justified. Updated figures from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention on how many nonresidents have tested positive for the virus in Maine show a near quadrupling in the pace of new cases in the last 11 days of June compared to the previous period.
BLOOMBERG • July 2, 2020
The novel coronavirus has barely touched the public health of this corner of rural Down East, with Hancock County reporting just 16 cases and one death as of June 30. Its economic health is another matter: The fallout from COVID-19 threatens a historically bad year for the state’s lobster industry. Fear of contagion and the near-total shutdown of restaurants and cruise lines, where most consumers eat the crustaceans, have devastated demand. Infection-prevention protocols at processing plants have cut capacity, and the drop in air traffic has snarled the logistics of shipping live creatures. Hopes for a recovery anytime soon are dim because prices already typically fall in July.
MORNING SENTINEL • July 1, 2020
A Boston-based renewable energy company has announced plans to build a $190 million solar project on land in Unity Township, Benton and Clinton. The Three Corners Solar Project, developed by Longroad Energy, would cover 700 acres featuring ground mounted single axis solar panels that track the sun during the day to produce energy. The project has been in the works since 2017. If it’s approved by the Maine Public Utilities Commission and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, construction will begin in 2021 and operations will begin in 2022, according to Matt Kearns, chief development officer for Longroad.
MAINE The Magazine • July, 2021
Looming above Baxter State Park, Mount Katahdin is Maine’s tallest peak and the last leg of the Appalachian Trail. Videographer and writer Chase Bartee and photographer Aimee Bartee joined AT thru-hikers on the final stretch of their 2,200-mile trek from Georgia to Maine, leaving from Katahdin Stream Campground and climbing to the mountain’s 5,269-foot summit.
KENNEBEC JOURNAL • July 1, 2020
Reggie Barnes, an employee of demolition contractor H.E. Sargent, uses a giant backhoe to break through the Edwards Dam in Augusta at 9:21 a.m., allowing the Kennebec River to flow freely there for the first time since 1837. The first breaching of a functioning hydroelectric dam comes about because, also for the first time, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission declines in 1997 to renew the dam’s license despite the owner’s wishes. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt says the demise of the Edwards Dam sets a national precedent that will and should be followed.
KENNEBEC JOURNAL • July 1, 2020
Congress is working on a bill to provide nearly $2 billion a year to improve and maintain our national parks. Of course, they’ve done nothing about Trump’s repeal of protections for our wonderful public lands and parks. He’s even opened them up to coal mining and oil and gas drilling. My wife and I visited many of our spectacular national parks, and I can’t imagine the damage Trump’s decision will cause in these beautiful places. Something really good: One of my all-time favorite adventures was a trip down the Allagash. The feds designated the Allagash as a National Wild and Scenic River. I was very pleased recently to receive a copy of the booklet, “Allagash Explorer,” created to help you enjoy an Allagash adventure. ~ George Smith
NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND JOURNEY • July 2020
There is something about getting to the top of Maine’s Katahdin. The mountain casts an eternal spell over the Maine wilderness and the hearts of those who dare to stand on its rugged shoulders.
MAINE The Magazine • July 1, 2020
An aerial tour of the North Maine Woods gives one couple a new perspective.
MAINE The Magazine • July 1, 2020
Maine magazine’s new columnist Bill Green reflects on his long career in front of the camera and the role of the outdoors today.
MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • June 29, 2020
A discussion about Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument with L.L. Bean's Executive Chairman Shawn Gorman and CEO Steve Smith along with Friends of Katahdin Woods & Waters board member Lucas St. Clair, and Executive Director of the Outdoor Industry Association Lise Aangeenbrug.
TIMES RECORD • June 30, 2020
Douglas Ridge, tucked into 280 acres of conservation land off Hacker Road, will feature 18 0.6 acre lots for “high tech, high performance, healthy homes,” — the ideal modern conservation subdivision done the right way, according to the developer.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 30, 2020
Piping plovers, small sand-colored birds, face risk of extinction in Maine and could use a bit of help in keeping their nests, which are made along Maine beaches, safe from human disruption. An endangered species in Maine, these seasonal birds lay eggs in the sand, nesting in front of dunes. At Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough beaches, there are about 40 chicks in total this year. Maine Audubon, in partnership with the state and local volunteers, has made improvements in the past few years to keep the birds around.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 30, 2020
Maine officials lifted restrictions about brush burning on Tuesday as rain fell on much of the state. The state had faced dry conditions, which necessitated the restrictions on burning. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Maine Forest Service said it worked with local fire departments and fire wardens to lift the restrictions.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 30, 2020
House Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a plan to address climate change that would set a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, while pushing renewable energy such as wind and solar power and addressing environmental injustice that harms low-income and minority communities. The plan backed by House leaders is less ambitious than a Green New Deal that a group of progressive Democrats outlined last year to combat climate change and create thousands of jobs in renewable energy. It includes six recommendations from bills sponsored by U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree that aim to reduce food waste, make it easier for schools to buy locally sourced food, study the impact of ocean acidification and help farmers reduce emissions.
