The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 28, 2020
The Penobscot Nation is coming out in opposition to Central Maine Power’s proposed transmission line through Maine’s western woods. Penobscot Natural Resources Director John Banks said the tribe is in solidarity with Canada’s Innu Nation, whose lands in Labrador have been damaged by decades of flooding to serve energy projects by Hydro-Quebec.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 28, 2020
Monday’s fatal shark attack off Harpswell is the result of rebounding great white shark and seal populations along the Maine coast, experts say. The attack on Julie Dimperio Holowach, 63, was the first fatal shark attack in the state’s history. Seal populations have grown since a 1972 law barred killing of marine mammals and white shark numbers have been rebounding for two decades as a result of a rule that said fishermen could no longer kill them. Tobey Curtis, fishery management specialist at NOAA, said, “There is no reason to suspect warming waters would bring more white sharks to the region; they are already there.” There are simple steps to avoid being in proximity with great whites, starting by not swimming in areas where seals congregate or large schools of fish are present, and avoid wearing dark wet suits and shiny objects, such as jewelry.
SUN JOURNAL • July 28, 2020
The city and local organizations working to reel in a downtown redevelopment grant worth between $10 million and $30 million are moving ahead with their application without knowing an official due date. The 250-page downtown transformation plan, rolled out in 2019, includes plans for a 66-unit, mixed-use development on Pine Street, along Kennedy Park, and a 64-unit, family-oriented redevelopment along Pine and Bartlett streets. It also lays out related beautification projects and a focus on safety, health and education.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 28, 2020
Representatives of insurance companies and wastewater utilities testified against a proposal Tuesday that aims to give property owners in Maine more time to file lawsuits over contamination with so-called “forever chemicals.” Tuesday’s legislative hearing came just four days after state agriculture officials announced that milk from a Central Maine dairy farm had “startling” levels of an industrial chemical linked to cancer, reproductive issues and other health ailments. Rep. Craig Hickman, a Winthrop farmer who co-chairs the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee, said the statute of limitations “for a forever chemical may need to be forever.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS • July 28, 2020
t’s so hot even the low temperatures are breaking records. The low temperature in Portland was higher on Monday than it had ever been on July 27 in any year, the National Weather Service reported. The temperature in the city never dipped below 78 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature shattered the old record of 69 degrees, which was set in 1979 and equaled in 1989.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • July 28, 2020
A federal government report stated Tuesday that the list of fish stocks that are subject to overfishing in the U.S. fell to an all-time low in 2019. The National Marine Fisheries Service determined that only 22 of 321 fishing stocks were subject to overfishing last year.
FORECASTER • July 28, 2020
Faced with a September deadline, fundraising by the Falmouth Land Trust to purchase Underwood Springs Forest is nearing the three-quarter mark, and two local residents have pitched in to encourage others to donate. The trust has raised $580,000 but $250,000 more is needed as a pair of anonymous donors have now pitched in $25,000 each as challenge grants.
FORECASTER • July 28, 2020
The owners of the Desert of Maine, a Midcoast landmark since the early 20th century, want to make improvements to ensure its survival throughout the 21st century. To move forward with plans to expand, Mela and Doug Heestand, are asking the town to create a Desert of Maine District at their 95 Desert Road property, which is located within a rural residential zone. A commercial entity since 1925, the Desert was allowed to continue as such after Freeport adopted zoning in the 1970s. “We really want to … invest over $1 million in the property, but we can’t really do that unless we have a viable business model, which we can’t do unless we get the zoning changes,” Mela Heestand said.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 28, 2020
Demand for outdoor gear such as bikes, boats and camping supplies has spiked this summer, leaving some Maine stores struggling to restock due to supply shortages and shipping delays. The shortages may be linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to increased use of outdoor destinations throughout Maine, outdoor recreation experts believe that more people are spending time in pursuit of outdoor activities right now since many can be done while practicing social distancing.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 28, 2020
The small public beach nestled into Mackerel Cove on Bailey Island would usually be full on a hot summer day, but it was mostly empty on Tuesday after a New York City woman was killed in the first fatal shark attack in recorded Maine history. Veteran fisherman George Coffin has seen small sharks off the coast and never a great white, but he once saw a chewed whale carcass that he believes to be evidence of their presence in deeper waters. He said the incident “probably changed the town forever” and that he was not sure he would want his grandchildren swimming there now.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 28, 2020
A recently retired fashion industry executive was killed by a great white shark while swimming near her summer home on Bailey Island in Harpswell Monday afternoon. Julie Dimperio Holowach, 63, was identified Tuesday as the victim of what is the first documented fatal shark attack in Maine.
TURNER PUBLISHING • July 28, 2020
Protect Maine’s Fishing Heritage Foundation is holding a live concert Sunday, Aug. 2, on the ocean to raise money for Maine lobstermen. The Covid-relief fundraiser will be matched dollar for dollar up to $25,000 by the foundation. Hosted and socially distanced on the waters of Casco Bay, the event will feature ”Turd Pollock,” a band from Chebeague Island. Turd Pollock is volunteering its time to help an industry that has suffered greatly during Covid- 19.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 28, 2020
The Central Maine Power corridor that will be the focus of a public vote in November provides no new energy and does nothing to encourage energy efficiency or conservation. It is just a power line allowing CMP and Hydro-Quebec to make billions by selling electricity to Massachusetts. Any potential emissions reductions in Massachusetts would result in a corresponding increase in emissions somewhere else. With Hydro-Quebec and CMP’s electricity shell game, western Maine’s forests and brook trout streams get hammered, CMP and Hydro-Quebec make a fortune, and we get no climate benefit. ~ Nick Bennett, Natural Resources Council of Maine
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 28, 2020
We now know that single-use disposables do not keep us safer than reusable products. More than 115 health experts from around the world, including virologists, epidemiologists, emergency room physicians and specialists in packaging and public health, recently signed a statement addressing the safety of reusable bags and containers during the pandemic. They agree that with basic safety precautions in place, reusable systems are no more risky than disposables. ~ Julie Lamy, UPSTREAM
MAINE PUBLIC • July 27, 2020
Advocates are urging state lawmakers to hold manufacturers of so-called “forever chemicals” accountable. Last week, the state announced that high amounts of chemicals known as PFAS were detected in milk from a central Maine dairy farm. It’s the second farm in the state known to have excessive contamination from PFAS, which have been widely used in consumer products. A proposed bill before the Legislature’s Judiciary committee would give Mainers harmed by the chemicals more legal recourse.
WMTW • July 27, 2020
For the first time since 2014, Saddleback ski area is getting ready to welcome skiers this winter. With new owners at the helm, work is well underway for the season. The ski area is undergoing a $38 million upgrade to nearly every facet of the resort’s infrastructure, including an expanded lodge, additional snowmaking and new lifts. "The skiing downhill was always exceptional. The getting up the mountain part was the challenge,” General Manager Andy Shepard said.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 27, 2020
While it has certainly stuck, the origins of the slogan are unclear. No one has been able to pinpoint a place, person or entity that first coined the phrase. During the Great Depression, the state’s 56th governor, Louis J. Brann, took several steps to increase Maine’s profile on the national scale. Among these efforts were several “welcome home days” – huge rally-like events that started at the State House and spilled out into Capitol Park. It was under Brann’s administration that the word first appeared on a license plate.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 27, 2020
A team of local developers wants to build a traditional New England-style village with hundreds of homes, offices and retail businesses on 300 acres of rural land in western Biddeford. The plan for South Street Village is still being developed, but Biddeford officials are considering a zoning change to allow it to move forward. Mathew Eddy, the city’s director of planning and development, said the zoning change and South Street Village project present the city with the opportunity to protect natural resources by preserving a large tract of land next to the village and provide bypasses that reduce stress on Biddeford’s transportation system.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • July 27, 2020
The source of a May wildfire that consumed 45 acres in Baxter State Park remains undetermined, but it was not caused by lightning, Maine forestry officials said. The fire took place May 21 in the state park, which is one of the most beloved outdoor destinations in Maine. The Maine Forestry Service said it’s asking for help from people who were hiking or fishing in the area on the day of the fire. The fire cost more than $33,000 to suppress.
MAINE PUBLIC • July 27, 2020
The coast of Maine is home to a number of whales. Humpback, minkee and pilot whales are a familiar sight. Less common, however, is the beaked whale. Yet, just in the last few weeks, two beaked whales - a Blainville's beaked whale, which had never been seen here before, and a Sowerby's beaked whale - stranded and died on beaches in York and Phippsburg. Linda Doughty, director of Marine Mammals of Maine, spoke about what's known about the unusual strandings at this point.
