Maine hay and forage directory available

TURNER PUBLISHING • July 27, 2020

 Hay and forage producers in Maine have experienced some major swings in weather over the past two years. Excessive rain delayed harvests last season, reducing quality, and this year excessively dry conditions in some parts of the state are reducing yields for second and third cuttings. University of Maine Cooperative Extension hosts a extension.umaine.edu/livestock/hay/”>hay and straw directory for sellers to list, and for buyers to locate, feed resources for livestock.

Don’t go fishing without these 5 must-have flies

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 27, 2020

Fly fishing can be a confusing. There are thousands of flies to choose from. I’d feel confident fishing these five flies in nearly all conditions you’ll find here in Maine. First up is the venerable Gray Ghost, a streamer fly that resembles a bait fish. My second choice — the woolly bugger — looks kind of like a leech, and will attract everything from trout to bass. If you’re fishing for trout in Maine, you must have a few of Alvin Theriault’s maple syrup flies. Maybe you don’t know if you want to fish a fly that floats, or one that will attract fish by darting below the surface. Maybe you need a muddler minnow. Finally, there’s the classic Adams dry fly, which is perfect for days when you see fish feeding on the surface, but can’t figure out what they’re eating.

Find bliss at a Maine swimming hole

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 27, 2020

Here are a few swimming holes you might explore this summer, as things heat up and you feel a need to cool off, both physically and emotionally.
• Smalls Falls
• Rattlesnake Flume and Pool
• Indian’s Last Leap
• Lake St. George State Park
• Coos Canyon

CMP corridor opponents still in the dark about police surveillance

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 27, 2020

Opponents of Central Maine Power’s proposed transmission line project say they are frustrated at delays in obtaining information collected about them by a secretive Maine State Police intelligence unit that’s come under scrutiny for its methods and tactics in recent months. Separately, Sandra Howard, the leader of Say NO to NECEC, said last week that since 2018, the FBI has been in regular contact with her to gauge whether members of the opposition group have become radicalized, she said – which she suspects was one result of the local surveillance efforts by state police. NECEC stands for New England Clean Energy Connect.

Local organizations step up to help feed people in need during pandemic

TIMES RECORD • July 27, 2020

Growing to Give, a farm-based nonprofit in Brunswick, is ramping up production to help feed more people, while local farms and the Brunswick Topsham Land Trust are distributing seedlings to help people grow their own food. 

When it comes to the banana curse, guides take no chances

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 26, 2020

Fishing brings out the superstitious fears in many anglers. But no curse or jinx – or as some Maine fishing guides call it, bad juju – compares to that of the banana. Many Registered Maine Guides, just like guides elsewhere, have banana stories that seem to hint at the supernatural, tales of clients who brought bananas on their boat (unbeknownst to the skipper) and the bad stuff that happened.

Maine ATV dealers ‘can’t keep the showrooms stocked’

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 26, 2020

 There is an ATV-buying boom across Maine and the U.S. during the pandemic. From Houlton and Bangor to Oxford and across southern Maine, dealership lots are empty and dozens of ATVs are on back order. The spike has been fueled by new riders, as well as veteran ATV riders upgrading their machines and parents introducing their kids to ATVs. Veteran ATV rider Jeff Pinette of Topsham is afraid new riders already have caused problems – and it will only get worse.

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