Maine Observer: Paddling when you can’t touch bottom

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 26, 2020

Lucky, my aunt’s German shepherd, and I had been doing the dog paddle while being closely watched by my grandmother and mother. God forbid that I should go out above my knees or not be able to “touch bottom.” Note: in my family if you could not “touch bottom” you would surely drown. And, by the way, the dog paddle is not swimming it is staying alive in the water when you have zero swimming skills and cannot “touch bottom.” I never became what you’d call a good swimmer. What’s more, I don’t remember the last time I could “touch bottom” in any area of my life. Sometimes having both feet in mid air is what you get. And maybe sometimes that’s good enough. ~ Sally Hinckley, South Portland

Opinion: Zealous rush to renewable energy is hurting America’s poor

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 26, 2020

Over the past five years, the price of natural gas has fallen by 33 percent. Yet residential electricity prices are up 5 percent during the same time. The costs of renewable energy projects are one reason. Renewable energy activists have used legal challenges to pipeline expansions to cut off natural gas to states and regions. This raises electricity costs in places that rely on natural gas but are far away from where it is produced. As wind and solar power are intermittent, having baseload natural gas is important. Our poor are facing tough economic times. The expanded use of natural gas will benefit our economy and our environment. Perhaps most important, it will help those who are least fortunate. ~ Paul Steidler, Lexington Institute, a public policy think tank based in Virginia

Opinion: Why environmental racism must end

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 26, 2020

Instead of prioritizing relief for struggling families, the Trump administration continues to use the coronavirus pandemic to bail out fossil fuel industry executives and roll back health and environmental safeguards. Aid has gone to those who need it least, while the Black, Latinx and Native communities dying at higher rates from the virus have been forced to wait. To make matters worse, the Trump administration is simultaneously throwing out the environmental safeguards that limit pollution — meaning that these same vulnerable communities are now subject to higher levels of toxins in their air and water. ~ Lena Moffitt, Sierra Club

Letter: Hess a champion of green economy

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • July 26, 2020

I am writing in support of Kalie Hess for Senate District 15. It is her advocacy of Maine’s wild spaces that I find most compelling. While Kalie literally gets her hands dirty picking up trash along China Lake and the Rail Trail or planting the Food Forest at Viles Arboretum, she also understands that sustainably harnessing these resources and encouraging responsible tourism will increase Maine’s economic prosperity. At the same time, she recognizes that championing a green economy is inextricably linked with fighting for climate and environmental justice, especially in our most vulnerable communities. ~ Amy Fuller, Augusta

Letter: CMP shouldn’t profit off Maine lands

MORNING SENTINEL • July 26, 2020

A common misnomer in the debate about CMP’s NECEC transmission corridor to deliver power from Quebec to Massachusetts is that CMP owns all of the land along the route. That isn’t true. This line would cross (and substantially impact) public reserve land, and the closed-door negotiations CMP engaged in with two administrations were a direct violation of the Maine Constitution. They are spending record amounts on flashy ads to convince Maine voters while holding court with Maine leaders behind closed doors and in violation of the law. Vote “yes” this November. ~ Michelle Stevens, Solon

Letter: Let’s go back to paper bags

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • July 26, 2020

Just a short time ago plastic bags used in most stores were going to be outlawed in Maine. Now plastic bags are all that is used and end up in the trash. If Walmart, Hannaford and Shaw’s changed over to all paper bags that are 100% recyclable, I can just imagine how many jobs in the paper industry would be saved and, in fact, created. Many years ago paper bags were used in all stores. Let’s learn a little from our predecessors. ~ David Hayden, Whitefield

State says number of wildfires has soared in Maine in 2020

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 25, 2020

The Maine Forest Service said Friday that Maine has had a 170 percent increase in wildfires so far this year over 2019, resulting in the highest fire count in 10 years. Calling it “an unprecedented number,” forest rangers said they have responded to nearly 800 fires, representing close to 900 acres, throughout Maine so far in 2020. 

Kennebec Land Trust conserves Pittston, Vienna parcels

TURNER PUBLISHING • July 25, 2020

The Kennebec Land Trust has conserved two new properties, the Storer Farm Preserve in Vienna and additions to the Eastern River Preserve in Pittston. The conservation of the new properties, 98 additional acres, advances the Kennebec Land Trust’s mission of protecting important ecosystems and providing open space for the region’s communities.

Extension hosts new resource for maple syrup industry

TURNER PUBLISHING • July 25, 2020

University of Maine Cooperative Extension is offering a new training resource for the maple syrup industry as part of the International Maple Syrup Institute Maple Grading School. The “Handbook for Maple Grading and Judging Training” is a series of nine videos and related resources designed to equip anyone with the knowledge and skills needed to enter and judge the quality of maple syrup and maple products. Topics include international maple grading and judging guidelines, judging fundamentals, and tasting syrup for off-flavors and allergens. More information is available on the Maple Grading School webpage.

Commentary: Supporting our farms is key to Maine’s public health, economic recovery

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 25, 2020

At Broadturn Farm, which I co-own and have been operating with my husband for 14 years, we produce food for wholesale accounts and grow cut flowers. Seemingly overnight, we lost 75 percent of our business for the season, and had to completely retool what our year looked like. As a result, I returned to nursing as a way to supplement our farm income. None of the federal programs for lost farm income has helped our farm, and I know we’re not alone. I hope that Gov. Mills and the Legislature will consider how important food security is for all of us in Maine, and support Maine’s farms and farmworkers through the pandemic. ~ Stacy Brenner, Scarborough

Commentary: Integrated pest management uses science to protect crops, lands

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 25, 2020

Both plant and insect threaten much of the landscape, as well as our gardens in Maine. Comprehensive pest control solutions are necessary if we are to protect our food and ecosystems, and pesticides have an important role to play in conservation practices like integrated pest management. That, along with coordinated response measures and proactive monitoring, can help us protect endangered species as well as our crops. Implementing a science-based and integrated approach to manage invasives and other pests only makes sense. It benefits the environment, and protects our crops, investments, natural resources and green spaces for future generations. ~ Lauchlin Titus, Vassalboro, certified professional agronomist, and Dave D’Andrea, Windham, property and turf manager

Opinion: CMP project a bad deal for Maine

SUN JOURNAL • July 25, 2020

Recently Jon Breed, Central Maine Power Company’s hired gun to push its unpopular NECEC Corridor project, wrote a guest column (July 19) that was ripe with mistruths. It was insulting to the hundreds of Mainers who delivered tens of thousands of signatures to qualify the referendum for the ballot. Our volunteer effort was impressive, covering nearly every single municipality in Maine, and it was driven by the determination of everyday Mainers who want to protect this beautiful state from greedy foreign corporations. CMP’s project may be the cheapest option for Massachusetts, but it’s the worst deal for Maine. ~ Sandra Howard, Caratunk, Say NO to NECEC, and No CMP Corridor PAC

Without better protection, our birds will keep disappearing

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 25, 2020

In January, the Trump Administration weakened the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Companies would no longer be responsible for practices that only “incidentally” killed birds. A new bipartisan bill, The Migratory Bird Protection Act of 2020, would reintroduce the prohibition against incidental killing of birds. North America has lost 1 in 4 birds over the last 50 years. Maintaining and strengthening legal protections for migratory birds is called for in this current moment. Incidental killing of birds accounts for at least a quarter of bird deaths and represents the most avoidable source of mortality birds face. It is important to fight the Trump Administration’s attempts to roll back the legislative teeth of the act. ~ Max Driffill, Sebec

The Pandemic Continues To Wreak Havoc On Maine Farms

MAINE PUBLIC • June 24, 2020

With harvest on the horizon and the summer slipping away, COVID-19 continues to wreak new havoc on Maine farms in diverse ways. Some farmers say the pandemic is dealing blows to their business plans and complicating an already complex labor market — even driving some to the brink of disaster.

State Finds High Level Of PFOS On Central Maine Dairy Farm

MAINE PUBLIC • June 24, 2020

State regulators have taken a central Maine dairy farm off line after discovering levels of a contaminant as high as 10,000 times the actionable limit. Samples taken in June and early July showed the high levels of Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. Called P-FOS, it's one of a class of substances found in flame retardants, Teflon and other products that is associated with a broad array of health problems such as infertility, thyroid disease, and low birth-rates. But Nancy McBrady, who directs the state's milk-testing program, says milk from the farm that went to market was blended with a very large amount of uncontaminated milk, and so general consumers were not exposed to toxin levels above the "action threshold."

Manchester swimming spot draws crowds, complaints

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 24, 2020

The Outlet, at the intersection of Pond Road and Collins Road in Manchester where Cobbossee Stream flows out of Cobbossee Lake, has a fairly short bridge that people like to jump off into the cool water below. It also has rocky area where others like to swim and relax, and where many families take their kids in a part of Maine where it can be a challenge to legally reach the water to take a dip. But neighbors say it has far too many people. They say many are respectful, but others drink beer and smoke pot, occasionally pick fights, leave behind trash, don’t always watch their kids, and put themselves and others at risk by darting into and across the road and bridge, which is just after a sharp corner.

Parts of Maine Face Severe Drought

MAINE PUBLIC • June 24, 2020

Hot conditions since May coupled with very little rainfall have caused not just drier than average conditions in Maine, but actual drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Most of the state, especially in the North and East, is experiencing "moderate drought" which can have negative impacts on agriculture and increase fire danger. In far Northern Maine, the drought is being classed as severe.

Cause of Baxter State Park fire still unknown

WCSH-TV5 • July 24, 2020

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's Maine Forest Service (MFS) is still trying to determine the cause of a fire at Baxter State Park in May. The May 21 fire occurred at an area known as T2 R10 Wels and started near the Appalachian Trail on the Penobscot River's West Branch. The blaze consumed 45 acres of land. A log cabin, two outbuildings, and a newly constructed trail bridge over Katahdin Stream were destroyed in the fire. The total estimated cost to suppress the fire is more than $33,000. Statewide, to date, Forest Rangers responded to nearly 800 fires, representing close to 900 acres, the highest fire count in 10 years.

5 ways to attract wildlife to your backyard

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 24, 2020

If you love wildlife and would like to see more of it around your home, you’re in luck. There are many ways to make your yard more attractive to birds, butterflies and a whole host of other wild creatures. But first, be prepared. Make sure this is really what you want because when it comes to wildlife, you usually can’t pick and choose exactly what shows up.
1. Put out a bird feeder
2. Plant native food sources
3. Provide different types of shelter
4. Keep pets under control
5. Offer a fresh water source

Maine researchers find microplastics in larval lobsters

ELLSWORTH AMERICAN • July 24, 2020

Scientists at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences have discovered that microplastic pollution of the ocean is having an impact on Maine lobsters. In a study published last month, a team of researchers reported its findings that microplastic fiber pollution in the ocean affects larval lobsters at each stage of their development. According to the report published last month in the Marine Pollution Bulletin, the tiny plastic fibers affect the animals’ feeding and respiration and could even kill some larvae.