Column: Dams are not ‘clean energy’

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • August 19, 2020

If you believe Hydro-Quebec’s dams will send clean energy through Maine to Massachusetts, you must read the book “Blue Deserts” by Stephen Kasprzak. When you do, you’ll know just how destructive these dams are. I’ve seen some of those dams and I know they’re bad for our climate and the health of people who live near them. But I had no idea, until I read this book, how terribly destructive these dams are, and not just in Quebec. I was astonished to learn that Hydro-Quebec’s dams caused Maine’s coastal waters to warm, resulting in the loss of a bunch of fish species. While we blamed the depletion of cod in Maine’s coastal waters on overfishing, the bigger problem was ocean warming caused by Hydro-Quebec’s dams. ~ George Smith

Letter: Bellows has great track record

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • August 19, 2020

I am voting for Shenna Bellows to represent Senate District 14 (Chelsea, Farmingdale, Gardiner, Hallowell, Manchester, Monmouth, Pittston, Randolph, Readfield, West Gardiner and Winthrop). Shenna is an experienced legislator with a great track record on the environment, education and supporting working families. Shenna was recently awarded a perfect score by the Maine Conservation Voters for her votes to preserve Maine’s natural resources and investments in clean energy. ~ Norm Rodrigue, Manchester

Letter: Stop the metal mining in Maine

SUN JOURNAL • August 19, 2020

Maine should not allow Wolfden Resources to open metal mining at Pickett Mountain near Patten. Doing so would destroy a lot of Maine’s beautiful scenery with all the acid and commercial pollution. Mining would destroy lots of trees and possibly poison groundwater resources for many miles around. ~ Mary Ann Michaud, Lewiston

Letter: Protection for a valuable resource

SUN JOURNAL • August 19, 2020

At the Poland town meeting, Aug. 25, the voters will be asked to vote on Article 11, to approve the purchase of the Laliberte Lot (Map 15, Lot 1-6), located westerly of Route 26 and southerly of Tripp Lake Road. That 2.25 acre lot is needed by the town to complete the ownership of The Heart of Poland Conservation Area, which the town has put together through several years to provide hiking trails and protect forest lands. ~ Fred Huntress Jr., Poland Spring

Katahdin-area teens tackle solo projects in Baxter State Park this summer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 18, 2020

The Baxter Youth Conservation Corps, a program organized and funded by Friends of Baxter State Park, hires Katahdin area teens every summer to conduct trail work in Baxter State Park. But this year, instead of working on a trail crew — which would have been impossible while practicing safe social distancing — the teens were asked to select one aspect of the park to study independently. The topics they chose ranged from mushrooms to native culture to fisheries biology. 

Wells police warn residents about a bear in the neighborhood

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 18, 2020

Police are warning residents to bring in trash cans and take down bird feeders after a large black bear was spotted prowling through a Wells neighborhood Tuesday morning. “This bear is probably out looking for food. Bring in or secure your trash cans and take down your birdfeeders. Don’t give a bear a reason to come into your yard,” Wells police said in a Facebook post. “From sharks to bears. Wells seems to have it all in 2020. Any bets on what our next sighting will be?”

Opinion: Trump’s push to expand Arctic drilling is dangerous and foolhardy

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 18, 2020

Finishing a task that a Republican-controlled Congress gave it three years ago, the Trump administration has finalized plans for new oil and gas leases in one of the most pristine stretches of the world: the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It’s a manifestly bad idea that Congress was wrong to slip into the 2017 budget bill, and in its rush to craft the new rules the administration has likely opened a door for legal challenges. But Congress should not defer to the courts on this — it must fix the problem it created. ~ Scott Martelle, a native of Maine, is a member of the Los Angeles Times editorial board

US approves oil, gas leasing plan for Alaska wildlife refuge

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 18, 2020

The Trump administration gave final approval Monday for a contentious oil and gas leasing plan on the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where critics worry about the industry’s impact on polar bears, caribou and other wildlife. The next step, barring lawsuits, will be the actual sale of leases.

State considering options to protect Moosehead Lake brook trout

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 18, 2020

At a minimum, we need to protect the large concentration of shore-spawning brook trout in the Lily Bay narrows. And we need to consider providing some additional protection to the high-quality fishery that has developed lake-wide. I will get into the details of what the department arrived at for a final regulation proposal in the next two reports. ~ Tim Obrey, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

State detects algae bloom on Damariscotta Lake

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 18, 2020

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has confirmed the presence of an algae bloom on Damariscotta Lake that could become potentially dangerous to humans and pets. But the DEP says there doesn’t seem to be enough cyanobacteria in the lake to create toxic conditions at this time.

Forest fire in Berwick burns more than 3 acres

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 18, 2020

It took firefighters from several towns about four hours Tuesday afternoon and evening to bring a forest fire in Berwick under control. The cause of the fire, which started in a heavily wooded area off Long Swamp Road, remains under investigation by the Maine Forest Service. About 3.5 acres of woods were destroyed by the fire, which was fought by firefighters from eight neighboring towns. Extremely dry conditions likely helped the fire spread over a broad area quickly.

Enrollment at Unity College sets record amid implementation of remote learning

MORNING SENTINEL • August 18, 2020

About two weeks after announcing its planfor a fully remote learning model in the 2020-21 academic year, Unity College reported record enrollment Tuesday. College officials said 1,170 students have enrolled between the two academic programs being offered this fall. The 3-year-old Distance Education program has 770 students, and the college’s first hybrid term has 400 students. In early August, Unity announced it would lay off 15% of its staff and explore a sale of its main campus at 90 Quaker Hill Road as the college faced a $12 million budget deficit.

Commentary: Anti-referendum ruling won’t end baseless anti-corridor arguments

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 18, 2020

Last week the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the proposed referendum against Central Maine Power’s New England Clean Energy Connect is unconstitutional on its face. Still, we may expect to hear more Chicken Little arguments about this project from the Natural Resources Council of Maine. What is most striking about NRCM’s claims (“Commentary: Don’t fall for CMP’s, Hydro-Quebec’s climate change claims,” July 28) is less their baselessness than their revelation of just how many Maine experts must be wrong for NRCM to be right. ~ Richard Barringer, former Maine conservation commissioner, and Ellen Pope, retired COO of Maine Community Foundation

Letter Gideon and the environment

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 18, 2020

I met Sara Gideon as a fellow parent of our school-age children. We spoke about seeing our children participate in more outdoor activities. With her partnership, I launched Old Mast Landing Outdoor Club, which engaged kids in outings. I was impressed by the ease with which Gideon spoke with clammers about green crabs and their impact on the clammers’ livelihoods, and the insight she brought to her conversations with lobstermen about the impact of warming on the Maine Gulf. Maine is my home and that of my ancestors going back 10 generations. We have an enormous investment in the ecology of our state and are gravely concerned about the disturbing changes that climate change is bringing about. But we are proud that our town of Freeport has put forward a candidate who can challenge the uninspiring tenure of Susan Collins. ~ Joseph Coleman, Registered Maine Guide, Freeport

The muddy waters of US ocean protection

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS • August 17, 2020

The century began with a great deal of optimism around marine protected areas as tools to protect the oceans. Two decades later, conservation goals and fishing interests remain at odds.

Deadline Arrives To Apply For Permit In Maine's Expanded Deer Hunt

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 17, 2020

The deadline to apply for a permit to participate in a deer hunt that promises a high level of participation has arrived in Maine. Maine biologists proposed offering nearly 110,000 "any deer'' permits this year, and an advisory panel recently approved the total. That's the most in state history. The deadline to apply for a place in the permit lottery is Monday at 11:59 p.m. Biologists have said they want to encourage more deer hunting because the deer have exhibited strong survival over winters. The state uses the deer hunt to control the population of the animals to help prevent health hazards such as car accidents and disease.

Latest funds for Acadia visitor center part of $50M plan to manage vehicle congestion

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 17, 2020

The $9 million in federal funding announced earlier this month to help pay for a second phase of development at the Acadia Gateway Center is part of a broader plan of nearly $50 million worth of projects aimed at better managing the increasing number of visitors at Acadia National Park, which attracts millions every year. Combined with an expected redesign of the existing visitor center property in the Bar Harbor village of Hulls Cove, and the removal of the information center on Thompson Island, where the causeway connects Mount Desert Island to the mainland, the planned expansion at the Trenton facility is “a key piece” to the Acadia’s new plan for how it will manage motor vehicles inside the park

Opinion: Maine needs a new Land for Maine’s Future bond

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 17, 2020

As fans of Land for Maine’s Future, we are concerned that Maine people haven’t been given a chance to vote for a new Land for Maine’s Future bond in eight years. The program has run out of money and needs to be replenished. It’s not a given that remote places in Maine will stay the same forever. Development, climate change and pollution threaten the health of Maine’s rivers and woods. Land preservation is one common sense way of sequestering carbon pollution and reducing our climate impact while also protecting our outdoor heritage and supporting the outdoor economy. ~ Rob Bryan, Harpswell, board member of New England Backcountry Hunters and Anglers; Jeff McEvoy, owner of Weatherby’s Lodge, Grand Lake Stream and a Master Maine Guide

July to be ‘National Blueberry Month’ after urging from Collins and King

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 16, 2020

The U.S. Senate has approved a request to designate July as “National Blueberry Month” at the urging of senators from one of the country’s most important blueberry growing states. Maine Sens. Susan Collins, a Republican, and Angus King, an independent, called for the designation. Maine is America’s top producer of wild blueberries.

Sale of Unity College campus not imminent, but could have appeal

MORNING SENTINEL • August 16, 2020

It is not definite Unity College will sell its main campus, but real estate experts say such a move could open many options. Buyers or developers, including some from other states, might have interest in site for a variety of uses, according to experts.