Column: Field of folly

TIMES RECORD • August 21, 2020

Growing up in Brunswick in the 1980s and 1990s was a great time to be a kid. Just down the street was an open field near a small farm stand. Cars, a great deal of them, generally drove on by as they headed for Bath Road or Maine Street. This field, while not very large, at about three acres was noticeable with large pine trees in its center and its wildlife. There is a plan being considered by the town’s Planning Board to remove the trees and vegetation, the animals and the tranquility. In its place will be 16 single family homes and garages. Sometimes a well-intentioned development can be just too much for the surrounding area. ~ Jonathan Crimmins

On this date in Maine history: Aug. 21

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 21, 2020

Walt Disney releases the animated film “Bambi,” which benefited from various Maine influences. Disney sent one of his employees, Damariscotta native Maurice “Jake” Day, a prolific artist, sculptor, photographer and naturalist, back to Maine to paint and photograph the area around Mount Katahdin in various seasons during the production of “Bambi.” As a result, many of the scenes in the movie are inspired by the Baxter State Park area. To aid the film’s development further, the Maine Development Commission sent two orphaned fawns, Bambi and Faline, to Hollywood by train for animators to study.

Lobster and industrial cleanups on menu during EPA official’s visit

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 20, 2020

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler made three other stops on his overnight visit: the Maine Port Authority in Portland, the recipient of a $500,000 cleanup grant for its cold storage project; the Cape Porpoise Lobster Co. in Kennebunkport, where he toured the pound and packing line; and the Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport, where he announced a suspension on marine diesel engine restrictions. In Portland, outside the new Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine, Wheeler touted the $12.2 million that EPA has awarded to Maine under the last four years to help clean up blighted industrial sites for redevelopment.

Experience the beauty of Maine’s Bold Coast at Boot Head

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 21, 2020

Massive ocean cliffs, cobblestone beaches, mossy forestland and an upland peat bog — Boot Head in Lubec has it all. Owned and managed by the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, the 700-acre preserve features some of Maine’s most spectacular coastal scenery, and can be explored by a network of well-maintained hiking trails. The bulk of the property was conserved by Maine Coast Heritage Trust in 1988, removing it as a possible site for a proposed 30-40 lot subdivision.

The Atlantic Is Awash With Far More Plastic Than Previously Thought, Study Finds

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • August 20, 2020

A new study adds to what's known but is still an incomplete picture. It estimates that there is upward of 21 million metric tons of three common types of small plastic pollution in just the top 200 meters of the Atlantic. It's a rough estimate and there could be even more plastic of other types.

Otisfield rehabber gives orphaned wildlife second chance

ADVERTISER DEMOCRAT • August 20, 2020

The best way to help young animals in the wild is to leave them undisturbed. But dedicated wildlife rehabilitators throughout Maine are prepared to provide care when it is necessary. Katrina Lewis Carstensen has cared for six orphaned fawns this summer. She is one of only four rehabilitators statewide who is equipped to care for deer. She specialties are fawns and smaller mammals – woodchucks, skunks, squirrels and porcupines. She also cares for migratory birds, which requires a federal permit.

Conservation organization buys 9,608 acres in northern Franklin County

SUN JOURNAL • August 20, 2020

The Nature Conservancy in Maine has purchased all 9,608 acres of Merrill Strip Township in northern Franklin County, naming it the Boundary Mountains Preserve. The property is directly adjacent to over 22,000 acres of public lands in Quebec, and next to a roughly 8,000-acre property where the Forest Society of Maine is working with a private landowner to purchase a conservation easement, according to the release.

Outdoor Recreation: Top Ways and Places to Actively Enjoy Maine's Great Outdoors During the Pandemic

MAINE PUBLIC • August 20, 2020

Getting outside during this prime season and making the most of Maine's abundant outdoor recreation opportunities is one way to tide out the pandemic--and stay distanced from others. We discuss the top-notch outdoor recreation options that can be found in Maine and New England, including different forms of recreation and different places to go. We highlight better know attractions as well as hidden gems--and how to enjoy them safely.

Column: Sea squirts — our long lost relatives

TIMES RECORD • August 20, 2020

They actually squirt when you squeeze them, as their name implies. But, they’re much more complicated creatures than you might think. And they are more closely related to humans than many animals that live in the ocean. Sea squirts are these strange, glassy little sacs that somewhere in their tiny soft bodies have a kind of a simple dorsal nerve or chord. That’s what defines the phylum Chordata, which also includes humans. ~ Susan Olcott

Commentary: Pass new Land for Maine’s Future bond to enable Maine’s COVID recovery

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 20, 2020

In Maine, our woods, coast, rivers and trails have long been the backbone of our communities and economies. Mainers know the strength and health of our state depend on the strength and health of our land. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this is truer than ever, as the outdoors has been an important site of healing and connection and our trails and public open spaces are seeing more use than ever. We encourage the state of Maine to rise to this occasion and pass a new Land for Maine’s Future bond measure to make our land a part of Maine’s physical, mental and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. ~ Betsy Cook is Maine, Maine director for the Trust for Public Land, and Shawn Gorman, executive chairman of L.L. Bean

Presque Isle to spend $15.6M fixing its wastewater sludge problem

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 20, 2020

The Presque Isle Utilities District has a two-part $15.6 million plan that will update its wastewater treatment plant to use a sludge dewatering system and to increase treatment capacity. The changes will bring the city of Presque Isle into compliance with 2019 orders from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

Oxford selectmen suspend Thompson Lake dam committee meetings

ADVERTISER DEMOCRAT • August 20, 2020

Oxford Selectmen decided Thursday that before convening future meetings of the Thompson Lake Dam Advisory Committee the board needs to “get its own house in order,” Selectman Sharon Jackson said. With construction to replace the east gate of the dam set to start next month, selectmen moved on to discuss how to proceed with repairing or replacing the Welchville Dam, which drains Hogan and Whitney ponds into the Little Androscoggin River.

Lobstermen catch break on diesel engine standards

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 20, 2020

Lobster fishermen are getting a temporary reprieve from federal diesel engine emissions standards because the cleaner running engines needed to power today’s bigger, faster fishing vessels farther and farther offshore have yet to hit the commercial market. During a visit to Maine on Thursday, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is expected to announce that lobster and pilot boat builders will have another two to four years to meet low particulate, low nitrogen oxide emissions standards written into the national marine diesel program in 2008

Letter: Gideon’s climate agenda

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 20, 2020

Having worked for many years on climate change issues, I was thrilled after reading Sara Gideon’s climate agenda. Gideon’s record in the Maine Legislature on climate issues has included such things as restoring $38 million to energy efficiency funding in Maine and I am delighted to see that she intends to continue to push for positive action on our climate future if elected to the U.S. Senate. ~ Barbara Brown, Portland

Judge: Lobstering can proceed until new right whale protections are finalized in May

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 19, 2020

A federal judge refused to ban lobster fishing in a large right whale feeding ground south of Nantucket on Thursday, but warned federal regulators they would meet with considerable disfavor if they fail to meet a new May 2021 deadline to publish a final rule to protect this endangered species from deadly entanglement in lobster fishing gear. The environmental groups suing the National Marine Fisheries Service said U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg’s Thursday night ruling is important because it will force the federal government to move quickly to establish more right whale protections in the U.S. lobster industry. The groups claim federal regulators and lobstering states have been stalling.

Protecting public access to 'wild' woods and waters close to town

WCSH-TV5 • August 19, 2020

Cathy Houston stands on the edge of Shiloh Pond in Kingfield, looking at the water, the woods and the mountain beyond. “I like the wildness of it,” she says. Shiloh Pond feels wild, even though it's only a few miles from the center of town. And assuming residents vote next month to accept the gift, the pond and 215 acres will soon belong to Kingfield for guaranteed public access to fish, hike and enjoy the outdoors. The High Peaks Alliance, a western Maine land conservation group, has been working to raise money to buy the land and pond ever since they became aware the family that has owned it for years decided to sell. Like many parts of the Maine woods, the private owners have always allowed public access. Brent West, executive director of the High Peaks Alliance, says they wanted to make sure local people continue to have that access.

Maine mudflats are covered with these shorebirds in August

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 19, 2020

Maine is blessed with multitudes of shorebirds at this time of year. In spring, dozens of shorebird species race north to the Arctic to breed, mostly bypassing Maine. They’re in a hurry to get the best nesting spots and take advantage of the hellish explosion of insect life that accompanies snowmelt. But the season of abundance is short, and they all start heading south again in August. They’re not in a rush, and Maine’s coastline has more natural food washing onto the mudflats in August than it does in May. So huge populations of birds that nested clear across northern Canada get funneled through our coastline, some heading all the way to South America. That’s happening right now. ~ Bob Duchesne

Maine delegation urges Trump to make good on lobster promise

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 19, 2020

President Trump issued a memorandum in June that called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide assistance to the lobster industry to offset the losses the industry has suffered due to trade hostilities with China. China was a major buyer of American lobster before the breakdown in trade with the U.S. The memorandum included a 60-day deadline, and that means the USDA must act by Monday. Maine’s congressional delegation urged the Trump administration on Wednesday to make good on its promise to come to the aid of the lobster industry.

Mail-order chicks are arriving dead, costing Maine farmers thousands of dollars

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 19, 2020

Several Maine poultry farms have received shipments of hundreds of chicks that died while being delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, either because the shipments were delayed or mishandled. “It’s one more of the consequences of this disorganization, this sort of chaos they’ve created at the post office and nobody thought through when they were thinking of slowing down the mail,” Rep. Chellie Pingree said.

Dairy farmers, specialty crop growers see most Maine coronavirus aid

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 19, 2020

Maine’s dairy farmers and specialty crop growers have received the bulk of federal aid that’s designed to help food producers weather the coronavirus pandemic. Farmers in the state have received nearly $20 million in total.