Tarantulas and a bunch of other big, hairy spiders seized from Norway motel

ADVERTISER DEMOCRAT • July 14, 2020

Inn Town Motel manager Andrew Coombs found dozens of unwanted guests when he tried to collect payment from one of his motel customers Saturday. A total of 53 hairy spiders in plastic cases were arranged throughout the room on stands and tables. Tim Coombs of the Maine Warden Service cited Sean Schoomaker for possessing three tarantulas that are illegal to possess in Maine. The other 50 arachnids were confiscated and transported to a facility for exotic animals in Lewiston for further identification. In Maine there are only three types of tarantula that are legal to possess.

Jay river walk trails vandalized

SUN JOURNAL • July 14, 2020

Police are investigating vandalism at the French Falls River Walk where signs were damaged and a chair possibly thrown into the Androscoggin River last week. Don Leclerc of Jay, had researched the river’s history, laminated and framed the information and nailed the signs to trees. “They had to work to get them off the trees,” Leclerc said Tuesday as he showed a pile of broken signs and glass. One of three Adirondack chairs wired together to a tree in case of flooding was missing. Leclerc said he believed the chair was thrown in the river.

Bath man arrested for allegedly hitting bicyclist, driving away

TIMES RECORD • July 14, 2020

Police arrested 27-year-old Daniel Willey of Bath after he allegedly struck a bicyclist with his vehicle and drove away Monday night. The collision happened around 10 p.m. at the intersection of Middle and Russell streets in Bath. The 33-year-old bicyclist, who had the right of way, was seriously injured. Relatives of Willey, the driver of the vehicle, contacted police after he returned home and told them what happened.

Editorial: Make an example of plover killers

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • June 14, 2020

For more than three decades, Maine has worked to restore the endangered Piping Plover. The fragile population of the birds has grown from 15 breeding pairs in 1986 to 89 pairs in 2019. The species has benefited from fencing around nests, leashing dogs, posting caution signs, reducing predation, and asking beachgoers to modify their activities near birds and fenced areas. But some people think they know better. The Maine Warden Service and United States Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating two cases of vandalism at the bird enclosures on beaches in Saco and Old Orchard Beach, which resulted in the abandonment and death of chicks. The incidents ought to be televised on North Woods Law and the culprits buried up to their heads in the beach for a day. If they admit their stupidity, they could earn a wire enclosure while buried.

Vandals destroy breeding enclosures of rare shorebird

BIRD GUIDES • July 10, 2020

Piping Plover nesting enclosures have been destroyed in Maine, United States, resulting in the abandonment and death of chicks. The Maine Warden Service and United States Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating separate cases of vandalism on the enclosures on beaches in Saco and Old Orchard Beach. Following some 35 years of conservation, Maine's population of Piping Plover has grown from 15 breeding pairs in 1986 to 89 pairs in 2019. The species has benefited from the widespread implementation of management practice, including installing symbolic fencing around nests, leashing dogs, posting caution signs, reducing predation and asking beachgoers to modify their activities near birds and fenced areas.

Commentary: Time for a Maine forest carbon program for forest landowners

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 14, 2020

Maine’s forests accumulate more carbon than they release. The annual accumulation is equal to about 60 percent of Maine’s annual fossil fuel emissions. Maine could develop a forest carbon storage program. Landowners who commit to manage their woodlots to promote carbon sequestration for decades – such as 25 to 30 years – would receive payments. There are national carbon markets where landowners can sell carbon credits and receive payments for long-term forest management that sequesters carbon. However, these programs are complex and expensive and not typically available for small forestland owners. Why not create a Maine program for small forestland owners? ~ Karin R. Tilberg, Forest Society of Maine, and a member of the Maine Climate Council’s Natural & Working Lands Group

Snap a pic of this spectacular comet now — it won’t be back for 6,800 years

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 14, 2020

The newly discovered comet NEOWISE is putting on a show in the early evening skies over Maine right now. It’s one of the rare comets to reveal its tail to anyone with a modest set of binoculars — and NEOWISE gets even more impressive when you take its picture.

The state is asking Mainers to keep track of how many deer they’re seeing

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 14, 2020

For years, the common question among hunters has been, “Got your deer yet?” Thanks to a pilot program aimed at helping management efforts, this summer’s refrain might change to “Seen any deer yet?” Nathan Bieber, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s deer biologist, explained that the agency is trying to gather more data by asking Mainers to take part in the Maine Deer Spy project. Participants will log their deer sightings between July 20 and Sept. 10, keep track of whether they are seeing does, bucks or fawns, and send the info to DIF&W to help determine the number of doe “harvest” permits to be issued.

14-year-old surfer at Kennebunk’s Gooch’s Beach saves woman from drowning

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 13, 2020

A 14-year-old surfer saved a woman from drowning at Gooch’s Beach in Kennebunk by pulling her onto his surfboard and pushing it to shore. Kennebunk Fire Rescue Division Chief John Brady said that the two women got in trouble at the beach despite being experienced and that Lucas Drinkwater Drinkwater handled the rescue very well.

Roxbury ATV club carves out 8.5-mile trail to Rumford

RUMFORD FALLS TIMES • July 13, 2020

ATVers in the River Valley have completed a mission to build an 8.5-mile trail between Roxbury and Rumford. For the past 3½ years they have cleared brush, built bridges, installed culverts, made water bars, laid down swamp mats and dug ditches.

When a moose got stuck in mud, Maine biologists and wardens scrambled to try to save it

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 13, 2020

Maine Game Warden Jonathan Parker had planned to spend Saturday with friends, enjoying the Maine outdoors. Instead, after an angler discovered a cow moose mired in the mud of Pushaw Stream, he spent the day up to his waist in muck, helping a team of would-be rescuers as they tried to save the animal’s life. The moose didn’t make it — but not for a lack of trying.

Maine Open Farm Day pivots to virtual format for 2020 event

PISCATAQUIS OBSERVER • June 13, 2020

Maine Open Farm Day organizers encourage the public to visit farms online beginning Sunday, July 26 to learn how to support Maine agriculture this summer. “Our interactions with agriculture will be different this summer than in years past, especially as many cherished fairs and outdoor events have canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, because farmers are very skilled at problem-solving and adapting to changes, many farms across Maine are more accessible than ever this growing season,” says Amanda Beal, commissioner Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. The 31st annual Open Farm Day is one way to connect with area farmers. It will be presented as a virtual event and kicks-off the fourth week.

Letter: Carbon pricing key to climate plan

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 13, 2020

Although there is no silver bullet to solve the climate crisis, carbon pricing is the most effective single policy as it alone applies across the entire economy. Without carbon pricing, we’ll be forever playing “whack-a-mole” fighting each carbon source individually. The Democrats’ latest plan favors carbon pricing but fails to acknowledge that a well-designed carbon fee and dividend must be included to make other facets of the plan more palatable by creating political and economic demand for clean energy alternatives. Maine is the only state with both of our senators on the Senate Climate Solutions Caucus. Ask Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins to join Rep. Pingree and endorse effective and equitable climate action like the carbon cash-back policy of HR 763. ~ Annie Antonacos, Portland

Column: Danger lurks off the leash

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 13, 2020

 I love to go for long walks with my dog, Janey. I get to absorb the quiet beauty of the woods, and Janey gets to smell it. I absolutely love dogs, but I am a hardcore right-wing conservative when it comes to the issue of leashing dogs. Unless you are in a place that specifically has signs designating it as an off-leash area, or if you are on private property, I believe your dog needs to be leashed. “But my dog is well-trained,” you might say. No, they aren’t. Unless your dog has been professionally trained since puppyhood on recall, they are not safe enough to be trusted 100 percent of the time off-leash. And it takes only once for fatal consequences to happen. ~ Victoria Hugo-Vidal

Microplastics are harming the Gulf of Maine’s baby lobsters, study finds

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 11, 2020

Researchers at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Boothbay examined how microplastics — pieces of plastic broken down into tiny particles — affect lobster larvae in the gulf. They found that lobster larvae, which float in the water column and typically are found in shallow water, get fibers caught under their shells and sometimes ingest particles. The issue of pollution in the Gulf of Maine, where millions of pounds of lobster fishing gear is deployed each year, has environmental and economic implications for Maine. The study did not examine where the plastic comes from, but it is believed to have many sources, including lost fishing gear such as plastic rope or plastic foam lobster buoys, wastewater treatment plants, or even transported by winds through the atmosphere.

Fish are dying in four northern Maine lakes

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 11, 2020

Reports of dead fish — most of them yellow perch — on four lakes in northern Maine have prompted questions from the public. While it might seem unusual, the official word from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is that the fish die-off on Long Lake, Cross Lake, Square Lake and Madawaska Lake is natural. It shouldn’t cause concern.

Aroostook County experienced driest June in more than 100 years

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 12, 2020

The northern crown of Aroostook County is in a severe drought — the worst conditions in the state, the United States Drought Monitor said Thursday. The area recorded the driest June on record since 1895. Precipitation over the last 60-90 days was below average following dry conditions over the past few months, the National Weather Service in Caribou said.

Happy Birthday, Henry

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • July 12, 2020

American essayist, poet, and practical philosopher Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817. In 1845, he began his famous two-year stay on Walden Pond, which he wrote about in Walden. He died on May 6, 1862. His book The Maine Woods was published posthumously in 1864.

Portland Fish Exchange losing its longtime general manager

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 12, 2020

The longtime general manager of the city-owned Portland Fish Exchange has announced that he plans to retire at the end of the year. Bert Jongerden was hired as general manager in 2007, managing the seafood auction house at a time when groundfish landings in Maine were experiencing a decline  When it opened in 1986, the Fish Exchange transformed Maine’s seafood marketplace by placing the daily harvest of freshly caught cod, haddock, flounder and other groundfish in a refrigerated warehouse where the catch could be inspected by wholesale buyers. All of the fish was sold during a noontime auction and shipped out by truck in the afternoon.