Column: Bear, coyote hunting targeted in three petitions

SUN JOURNAL • July 11, 2020

There is probably no other anti-hunting activist in Maine who is more determined, persistent and passionate than John Glowa from China. Founder of the Maine Wolf Coalition, Glowa has been promoting the recovery of Gray Wolves in Maine since the early 1990s. According to the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, Glowa has successfully filed three legal petitions with the Fish and Wildlife Department which, if enacted, “would all but eliminate bear and coyote hunting and trapping in Maine.” He is also trying to get Maine coyotes classified as “eastern coywolves.” This would open the door to federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. Stay tuned. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

For southern Maine beach towns, mask ambassadors are summer’s front-line workers

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 11, 2020

In three of southern Maine’s busiest beach towns—Ogunquit, Wells and York—municipal leaders are using grants from the state to hire ambassadors to welcome visitors, remind them to practice physical distancing and wear masks, and answer questions about local regulations adopted to slow the spread of the virus.

Editorial: Maryland’s signature fish is under assault from mercury pollution

BALTIMORE SUN / KENNEBEC JOURNAL • July 11, 2020

Efforts to reduce fossil fuel consumption, to address coal-fired power plants have been thwarted by the Trump EPA. Earlier this year, the EPA took steps to specifically weaken the Obama administration’s Mercury and Air Toxic Standards that regulated power plant emissions. And that’s on top of rolling back carbon emissions standards (Affordable Clean Energy Rule) the Trump administration believed were causing economic harm to the coal industry. And that’s on top of backing off enforcement of multi-state Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts. So, it’s not as if the EPA was asleep at the switch, it’s more like they’ve been deliberately flipping the switch to the benefit of monied special interests but to the broad detriment of the public.

Loon hatches for 1st time in a century in southeastern Mass.

ASSOCIATED PRESS • July 10, 2020

A loon hatched for the first time in more than a century in southeastern Massachusetts thanks to a long-term effort to restore the traditional nesting grounds for the aquatic birds, wildlife officials said. The chick hatched this spring in Fall River, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and Biodiversity Research Institute, a Portland, Maine-based group, announced Thursday. BRI relocated loon chicks from Maine and New York to the Lakeville, Massachusetts, area back in 2015 in the hopes of re-establishing breeding and nesting patterns. They said that appears to have worked.

Marine Monuments Don't Hurt, But Help, the Fishing Industry, Scientists Say

TRIPLEPUNDIT • July 10, 2020

Last month, during a roundtable with Maine fishermen, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation to open the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to the fishing industry. Some fishermen claimed that restricting commercial fishing in the monument off the coast of New England endangered their livelihoods. These claims are, in fact, false, some scientists say: Opening this monument to commercial fishing hurts fishermen — and the effective way to manage the marine monument is to halt commercial fishing.

Environmental group trying to change waste rule that benefits Lewiston company

SUN JOURNAL • July 10, 2020

After failing through legislation, an environmental group is petitioning the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to change a rule that allows waste from out of state to be sent to Maine landfills. If successful, the change would force a Lewiston company to close, according to its owners. The environmental coalition, Don’t Waste Maine, and the nonprofit Toxics Action Center argue a “loophole” in the state’s waste regulations allows out-of-state waste to be funneled through processing facilities in Maine, including ReEnergy Lewiston LLC, making it eligible for disposal in state-owned landfills.

They Were Asked To Stay Home. But Some Thru-Hikers Insisted On Finishing The Appalachian Trail

MAINE PUBLIC • June 10, 2020

Every year, several thousand adventurous souls set out to hike all 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail. But this year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, thru-hikers have been advised to put their dreams on hold. Some have refused. That refusal has created tension between those who want to push personal boundaries and those who say there should be limits on public safety. The Appalachian Trail officially ends at the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine's Baxter State Park, and the park did not completely open until July 1. So several people essentially sneaked in to do the climb, and that created more hard feelings when they posted pictures online of themselves doing it.

Hydro-Quebec Says It Will Offer Maine A Deal On Electricity Transported By Proposed CMP Powerline

MAINE PUBLIC • June 10, 2020

Canadian energy giant Hydro-Quebec says it will offer Maine a cut-rate deal on a slice of the electricity carried by a powerline that Central Maine Power wants to build through Maine's western woods. Hydro-Quebec is offering to sell a half million megawatt-hours a year to a large Maine buyer at a discount of $4 per megawatt-hour. The Mills administration says that would be worth $2 million annually to state consumers. Project opponents in the environmental community say it could be worth only about 12 cents off a $100 utility bill. Nick Bennett, staff scientist at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, calls that "nothing."

Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry reminds about the risk of accidentally spreading invasive species while moving firewood

PISCATAQUIS OBSERVER • July 8, 2020

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) is reminding the public about the risk of spreading tree-killing invasive species while moving firewood. New infestations of invasive pests or diseases pose a serious threat to Maine’s landscapes, trees, agriculture, forests, wildlife, and the environment. Harmful invasive species, some of which are invisible to the naked eye, can hide in or on firewood. While most cannot move far on their own, these pests and diseases can be carried long distances on travelers’ firewood and start new infestations. Quarantines can help limit the movement of potentially infested wood, but everyone has to do their part to stop or slow the spread of invasive species. 

Janet Mills signs deal with Canadian hydro company to provide discount electricity to Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 10, 2020

Gov. Janet Mills announced Friday morning that she struck a deal with Hydro-Quebec to provide discounted electricity to the state through Central Maine Power’s controversial transmission corridor. Under the agreement, Hydro-Quebec will provide up to 500,000 megawatt hours of electricity a year to Maine. Hydro-Quebec also pledged to speed up disbursement of about $170 million in benefits for the state. The controversial corridor is mired in legal challenges related to a referendum that would ask voters this November whether the project should be permitted to go forward. 

How to poop in the woods

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 10, 2020

Going to the bathroom is a part of daily life, and it doesn’t just disappear in the woods. So what if you’re hiking or camping and you can’t find a restroom? It may seem like a silly question, but pooping in the wilderness responsibly, effectively and cleanly is a skill that comes in handy if you’re spending any amount of time outdoors. In fact, knowing this skill may be more important than ever before. This summer, many public restrooms and outhouses are closed in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. And based on anecdotal evidence, people are spending more time enjoying outdoor activities this season.

Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust launches Community Conservation Corps

BETHEL CITIZEN • July 10, 2020

This summer, Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust launched the Community Conservation Corps creating well-paying jobs for people in a safe working environment, continuing our well-earned reputation for outstanding stewardship of conserved lands, and extending our stewardship practices beyond our 14,000 acres of conserved lands. The CCC will further RLHT’s mission while increasing the region’s economic resilience.

Facing referendum, CMP corridor backers negotiate $258 million incentive package for Mainers

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 10, 2020

The two energy companies behind the proposed New England Clean Energy Connect hydroelectric power transmission corridor through western Maine are attempting to sweeten the deal for voters by offering a $258 million incentive package. The financial commitment from Central Maine Power Co. and its NECEC partner Hydro-Quebec offers a significant boost from the originally negotiated incentive deal valued at $50 million. The latest offer comes at a pivotal time, just four months before voters weigh in on a referendum question asking state utility regulators to reverse their prior approval of the 145-mile NECEC project.

Column: Slow times at Mere Brook’s mouth

TIMES RECORD • July 10, 2020

After three days of brook-walking, extending my inquiry to Mere Brook’s sea-end via kayak seemed a good choice. Here, in this estuary, drifting up on the last impulse of tide, I feel changed. Yes, the immediate world shows in places. But the birds, a large, unidentified fish lolling near the surface, the slow, winding waters, say, No, let it go. And I do. ~ Sandy Stott

Chellie Pingree pushes Trump administration to act on lobster industry aid

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 9, 2020

The U.S. Department of Agriculture would have to act on aid that President Donald Trump said should go to the besieged lobster industry under language inserted in a spending bill by Rep. Chellie Pingree. The Democrat from Maine’s 1st District championed an amendment to a budget bill for the 2021 fiscal year that passed the House Appropriations Committee in a voice vote on Thursday. It awaits approval by the Democratic-controlled House and would have to pass the Republican-led Senate.

With thunderstorms threatening, stranded hikers rescued from Maine mountain

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July9x, 2020

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife wardens performed a daring rescue Wednesday in Down East Maine, carrying an injured hiker down a mountain on their backs just before severe thunderstorms rolled into the region. Wardens Camden Akins and John Carter responded to a distress call around 3:30 p.m. that two female hikers were stranded on top of Black Mountain due to medical issues. Black Mountain is located on the Schoodic Peninsula near Gouldsboro and Sullivan in Hancock County. Trails on Black Mountain are moderate to advanced, offering scenic views of Donnell Pond and Tunk Lake. Sturtevant was transported to a hospital in Ellsworth. She was treated and released.

Arrowsic research forest enhanced with educational signs

TIMES RECORD • July 9, 2020

In a partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the Maine Timber Research and Environmental Education Foundation (Maine TREE) recently installed a series of interpretive signs at its Holt Research Forest on the coastal island of Arrowsic. The program is the continuation of an effort to integrate the educational programming of Maine TREE into the Holt Research Forest, which it acquired in 2014 through a merger with the Holt Woodland Research Foundation.

State Officials Monitor Two More Maine Facilities for EHV-1

THE HORSE • July 9, 2020

On July 7, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry officials announced that contact tracing for all horses exposed to equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) on June 18 has identified two additional exposed facilities in Kennebec County. All exposed animals have been quarantined, and enhanced biosecurity protocols have been enacted at the index facility. Herpesvirus is highly contagious among horses and can cause a variety of ailments in equids, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease usually found in young horses), abortion in broodmares, and equine herpesvirus myeloencephalitis.

Maine’s official island registry removed for review after illegal, racist names discovered

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 9, 2020

State officials have removed an official registry of Maine islands for review after the Press Herald inquired about how at least five privately owned islands and ledges still have names incorporating racial slurs, decades after they were forbidden under state law. Commissioner Amanda Beal ordered the Coastal Island Registry removed from the state website Wednesday night after learning it listed three islands incorporating the N-word and two with “squaw,” a slur against Native American women. Both words are explicitly banned under Maine’s offensive place names statute – the N-word since 1977, “squaw” since 2001.

Two Maine paper mills announce major layoffs

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 9, 2020

Sappi North America said it will lay off 75 people from its workforce and shut down a paper machine in Westbrook, and Pixelle Specialty Solutions said it is stopping its pulp operation and laying off 59 workers at its mill in Jay.