Dusty roads present hazard for moose hunters as season starts

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 24, 2020

One of the best things about a Maine moose hunt is the fact that those adventures typically happen miles from paved roads, in some of the state’s wildest places. This year though, with severe drought ravaging much of the state, those unpaved roads might present an unusual challenge when the first moose season starts on Monday, according to the state moose biologist. “It’s dry as hell, and as dusty as all get out [on roads in the North Maine Woods],” said Lee Kantar of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. “If you’re following people [on those roads], you’ve got to be aware of the dust situation.

This woodland trail in Orono is ideal for a quick hike and birdwatching

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 24, 2020

Gould Landing Trail is an easy hiking trail that’s managed by the Orono Land Trust near the shore of Pushaw Lake in Orono. Forming a loop, the trail measures about 0.5 mile, not including a short side trail and a cut-off trail that bisects the loop. The trail is mostly located on a 38-acre parcel of land that’s owned by the Maine Department of Transportation. The property features upland forest on the shore of Pushaw Lake, as well as wetlands and two islands in Pushaw Lake. A trail easement given by private landowner in 2003 made it possible for a walking trail to be created on the property because his land bridged a gap between the trailhead and the state-owned property. 

Tribal leaders seek to end decades-long ordeal, bring clean water to Pleasant Point

MAINE BEACON (Maine People's Alliance) • September 24, 2020

On windy days, the water that comes out of the taps on the Passamaquoddy reservation at Pleasant Point runs greenish brown. On a particularly bad day, it can be nearly black. “It’s been a long time that we haven’t been able to drink our water here on the reservation,” said Denise Altavater, a Passamaquoddy tribal council member. Now, a group of Passamaquoddy leaders have renewed efforts to work with local, state and federal officials to resolve some of the problems that have denied them clean water: from the rural district’s lack of funds to jurisdictional restrictions tied to limitations on tribal sovereignty.

Bowdoinham farmers recognized as ‘citizens of the year’

TIMES RECORD • September 24, 2020

The town of Bowdoinham ditched the tradition of awarding one person with the “citizen of the year” award to collectively honor the town’s farmers for their efforts to feed a community during a global pandemic. Selectman Jeremy Cluchey said there were other nominations related to food and farming but the nomination for Bowdoinham’s farmers stood out.

Poland Spring to build one of Maine’s largest solar arrays for Hollis bottling plant

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 23, 2020

Water company Poland Spring said Wednesday it will build a 10-megawatt solar project at its bottling plant in Hollis that will be one of the largest contiguous solar arrays in the state. The 47-acre array is expected to supply up to 25 percent of the current energy requirement at the plant. It is in the state permitting application process now. The groundbreaking is expected to happen next April and the plant should go online in the spring of 2022.

Woodstock fisherman, 104, keeps memories alive through decades-old notebooks

BETHEL CITIZEN • September 24, 2020

At 104, Leroy “Roy” Day enjoys a lifetime of memories of fishing and hunting ventures he has recorded in great detail since returning from World War II. When he returned home after the war, he began keeping a record of every fish he caught, documenting his catches in notebooks. Not only are the dates listed, but the locations of fishing holes, the species, sizes and number of fish caught, time of day he left and returned home, and the weather. Although he had to give up fishing and driving three years ago, he’s still able to relive his many fishing and hunting expeditions through his detailed writings and photos.

Newfoundland Pony Conservancy moving from Jaffrey to Maine

MONADNOCK LEDGER-TRANSCRIPT • September 24, 2020

When Emily and George Aho bought their six-acre property in Jaffrey, they thought they had found a permanent home for themselves and their herd of critically endangered Newfoundland ponies. But a recent gift from an anonymous donor has put them on a new path – to a sprawling farm in the MidCoast of Maine. Emily Aho, Executive Director of the Newfoundland Pony Conservancy Center, said she was first approached by the donor this summer, with an offer of land that included a house, two barns, an indoor riding rink, and fenced pastures. The land will provide all the space the Conservancy Center might need to continue its mission of rescuing, breeding, and educating the public about the Newfoundland Pony breed.

Drought conditions now extreme in parts of southern Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 24, 2020

Parts of York and Cumberland counties are now experiencing extreme drought after months of dry weather and worsening conditions, according to the United States Drought Monitor. The state-by-state drought monitor maintained by the University of Nebraska says there are “extreme” drought conditions in more than half of York County and a small section of coastal Cumberland County, including Portland. One part of Aroostook County and a tiny sliver of Penobscot County were already in extreme drought. Most of the state is in “severe” drought, according to the drought monitor.

Jay mill cuts 51 more employees

SUN JOURNAL • September 24, 2020

The owner of the Androscoggin paper mill announced Thursday that it will cut 51 more employees. The reduction included hourly and salaried employees. It is the second round of reductions since July, when 59 people were let go following an April 15 explosion that occurred when a digester at the mill ruptured. After Thursday’s announcement it leaves 348 workers at the mill. Pixelle Specialty Solutions purchased the mill earlier this year.

Piscataquis River’s water level is the lowest it has been in 117 years

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 24, 2020

The U.S. Geological Survey’s monitoring station at Low’s Bridge in Guilford reported Wednesday that the Piscataquis River was at its lowest level for any Sept. 23 since record keeping at that location began 117 years ago. The stream flow Wednesday was approximately 8 cubic feet per second. That compares to a range for the date of 40 to 170 cubic feet per second and a normal value between 70 and 80 cubic feet per second. The current drought is on track to be the most significant in the state since a multi-year drought in the early 2000s.

Restoring Woodlands

RE:TV • September 24, 2020

Forests are more than just a resource for timber. They mitigate climate change, reduce the impact of natural disasters, and are the most biologically diverse eco-systems on land. Executive Director, Bob Perschel and Chief Operating Officer, Frank Lowenstein outline The New England Forestry Foundation's ambition of creating a global standard for sustainable forest management.

Acadia National Park launching its vehicle registration program next week

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 24, 2020

Acadia National Park will try to streamline its traffic, and give a hint to its future, when it launches a vehicle registration program on Oct. 1 at the Sand Beach and Cadillac Summit Road entrances. The pilot program is intended to guarantee access at peak times at these highly congested areas from Oct. 1-18. The vehicle reservation system’s launch will help the park prepare a full season of vehicle reservations in 2021, officials said.

There’s no in-person Common Ground Fair this weekend, but you can still enjoy it virtually

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 24, 2020

The Common Ground Fair — normally held in late September — won’t be happening in person this year. But the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association will still be hosting lots of workshops, talks and other interesting events online, Friday through Sunday. A full list of all the different programming is available on the MOFGA website.

Study: Maine's lobster co-management system offers lessons for other fisheries

MAINEBIZ • September 24, 2020

In the 1990s, Maine’s lobster industry and state regulators developed a co-management system that established seven lobster fishing councils, comprised of local fishermen, to oversee fishing practices in seven zones along the coast. The system was designed to integrate the knowledge of local fishermen to help manage certain aspects of the fishery, as an alternative to top-down management by government regulators. That model has lessons for fisheries beyond Maine, according to a new study by University of Maine conservation scientists.

Climate activists’ support for Collins has faded with her loyalty to Trump

INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS • September24, 2020

Eighteen years ago, Sen. Susan Collins stood with eight other GOP senators to block President George W. Bush’s plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. But in 2017, she voted to open the pristine wilderness area to oil exploration as part of President Trump’s big tax cut bill. That vote began the unraveling of the environmental community’s longstanding support for Collins. Now, large membership groups like the League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club are lined up against Collins.

Column: The amazing, adaptable Great Blue Heron

TIMES RECORD • September 24, 2020

Herons are also rather amazing in their adaptability. Fresh water or salt, marsh or river, mangrove or swamp, they are able to live in quite a variety of habitats. Probably because they are often found solo, they seem somehow to be wise. That may have something to do with their life span as well. On average, herons live about 15 years, but have been known to live as long as 23 years – a truly wise adult by then, to be sure. Whatever the case, as summer winds down and things along the coast begin to shift, the slow, steady beat of a Great Blue Heron’s wings is comforting and a good reminder of the importance of adaptability and perseverance amidst a changing horizon. ~ Susan Olcott

Opinion: Think global, act local, eat local

TIMES RECORD • September 24, 2020

 The coastal ecosystems health is in peril. Sounds pretty bleak. Not so fast…. A single oyster will filter nearly 50 gallons of seawater a day resulting in decreased turbidity, decreased nitrification, increase in seagrasses, decreases in coastal acidification all the while sequestering carbon and phosphorus in its fast growing shell. The end product a tasty and plump oyster ready to harvested. There is a lot at stake here, whether it’s the food on your dinner plate, the health of our coastal ecosystems or the vibrancy of the coastal small business economy and working waters or even the vitality of a $500 million-dollar aquaculture industry. ~ Dan Devereaux, co-owner, Mere Point Oyster Co.

Letter: Consumer-owned power utility needed in Maine

TIMES RECORD • September 24, 2020

Due to U.S. Supreme Court cases decided in the 1920s and 1940s, the captive customers of any investor-owned utility must pay in full, plus interest, for all capital investments. A utility can maximize its return to shareholders by overinvesting in a way that creates a problem, and then investing even more to fix the problem they have created. The obnoxious CMP lights that have plagued Merrymeeting Bay for over a year provide a guaranteed, double-digit return to distant investors over twenty years. In addition, we will pay the company’s corporate taxes on these profits. Until they own the grid themselves, CMP customers will keep paying for expensive “solutions” to fix previous “solutions” to fix problems that may never have existed in the first place. ~ Seth Berry, Bowdoinham

Two Weeks at Baxter State Park: A Conversation with Visiting Artist Jill Osgood

NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • September 23, 2020

Those who have visited Baxter State Park know it is an inspiring place rich with history. It is a sacred place for Native Americans. Countless artists and writers have drawn inspiration from the park as well. Recognizing how profound an experience visiting the park can be, in 2009 Baxter State Park established a Visiting Artist Program to provide the opportunity for an artist to live and create art in the park for two weeks in September. This year, Portland-based artist Jill Osgood was selected for the program, and she graciously accepted an interview request from the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Here’s what Jill had to say, fresh out of the North Woods.

Colder weather, widespread frost are turning Maine’s leaves faster than normal

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 23, 2020

One of Maine’s happiest traditions of fall, trips into the North Maine Woods to observe the changing of the colors of the state’s leafy trees, will likely have to ramp up this week thanks to some unseasonably cold weather and an early frost. The leaves of northwestern- and northeastern-most Maine, from Eustis and Greenville diagonally to a point just north of Houlton along the Maine coast, are well underway on their colorful journey from green to the vibrant yellow, orange and red hues of fall.