The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 12, 2020
Regional planners are looking for ways to improve travel along the busy Broadway corridor from Mill Creek to Bug Light Park, including the possibility of adding cross-harbor ferry service to Portland. The planners have launched a transportation study, including a community survey and planned public meetings, to maximize mobility and safety along a peninsula artery that carries about 20,000 cars daily.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 12, 2020
Bird expert Bob Duchesne takes you on a fall tour of Katahdin Woods and Waters in Maine.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 12, 2020
The Maine-based Outdoor Sport Institute recently launched a series of free online programs and resources to help people increase opportunities for outdoor recreation in their communities. “I think now more than ever we’re seeing the need for this as people are trying to get outside and stay closer to home,” said Mike Smith, the institute’s executive director.
TIMES RECORD • October 11, 2020
After fielding complaints about the aircraft-warning lights that top the tower, Central Maine Power installed a radar system to keep the lights off except when an aircraft comes near the towers. That radar system was switched on last week. CMP Project Manager Jenna Muzzy said the tower lights will remain off 70% to 80% of the time, but they will come on automatically in poor weather, such as heavy rain and snow. “In the fog, rain and dark, the lights are horrendous,” said Curt Fish of Woolwich. “It’s the worst health impact we have in our house. It causes migraines.”
SUN JOURNAL • October 11, 2020
Almost seven months after Maine Maple Weekend was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it finally happened this weekend at locations in central and western Maine. More than two dozen maple farms and sugarhouses participated in the two-day event.
MORNING SENTINEL • October 10, 2020
Restaurants and other businesses have struggled during COVID-19, but one local venture has been able to adapt, create new opportunities and thrive. Maine Grains, housed at the former Somerset County Jail at 42 Court St., has hired its first full-time, in-house baker, allowing The Miller’s Table at Maine Grains to expand its cafe offerings. CEO and co-founder Amber Lambke said her twin sister, Heather Kerner, has also launched a new pizza dough company — The Good Crust — at the grist mill.
MAINE MONITOR • October 11, 2020
What do you do when the place you call home becomes unlivable? Tens of millions of Americans will face this wrenching choice over the coming decades as they contend with climate-fueled disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, sea-level rise and unbearable heat. A recent New York Times/ProPublica report suggests that many uprooted Americans will likely move farther north. Judging from the influx of in-migrants since the coronavirus pandemic began, Maine may be a preferred destination. Climate migration might seem like a distant prospect but already has begun.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 11, 2020
A bill to replace privately owned electric utilities with a power authority run by an elected board was neutered at the last minute by its sponsor, Democratic Rep. Seth Berry. But Berry and other advocates aren't giving up.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 11, 2020
By all accounts, the Maine moose hunt that began in the far north in late September and moves to the midsection of the state around Greenville, Bethel, Rangeley and Millinocket on Monday, is business as usual this year, despite the coronavirus pandemic.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 11, 2020
In the early stages of hunting it is the destination, achieving the intended goal that is paramount. As hunters mature, they learn it is the journey that matters most. One of the things that makes and keeps hunting interesting is that no matter how many years you’ve hunted and how many days you’ve logged over those years you can still learn something. ~ Bob Humphrey
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 11, 2020
There's plenty to take in, from the Fogg Island Trail in the Belgrade lakes region to the Mt. Battie Trail in Camden Hills State Park. ~ Carey Kish
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 11, 2020
It’s long past time for change in Washington, and Mainers shouldn’t be patient any longer. That’s why we endorse Democrat Sara Gideon to represent our state in the U.S. Senate. Within the context of her party, Susan Collins is a true moderate. But it doesn’t matter where Collins stands on issues as long as McConnell is in charge. Her caucus won’t move on the biggest issues, so the country can’t move. That means we wouldn’t be able to expect any federal action on climate change
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 11, 2020
A new moon over Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument on Oct. 15 will allow the darkest skies in the Northeastern United States to be absent of moonlight, making thousands of stars and the Milky Way galaxy visible to the naked eye. To mark the occurrence, the Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters organization will hold its seventh annual Stars Over Katahdin event, along with a new organization, Dark Sky Maine. It won’t be held at the monument as in years past, but will be virtual, meeting the same fate of other events during the time of COVID-19.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 11, 2020
Reversing waterfalls, dormant volcanoes, ancient fossils and many more geological wonders in Maine can be uncovered by searching for EarthCaches. Scattered throughout the state, these outdoor destinations are part of a worldwide hunt that’s accompanied by virtual lessons, written for the everyday person. EarthCaches are a part of geocaching, which is a popular worldwide activity that involves using GPS coordinates to hide and find caches. The traditional geocache features a container, which contains a logbook and tradeable items. EarthCaches, on the other hand, do not feature containers or any other physical item — aside from the landmarks they highlight. Essentially, they’re stops on a virtual tour.
SUN JOURNAL • October 11, 2020
With much of America’s West Coast burning and Southeast Coast flooding, it’s amazing that the subject of climate change has barely been mentioned in the Susan Collins-Sarah Gideon Senatorial slugfest. In a state which can rightly claim to have birthed the environmental movement and which remains in the forefront of progressive environmental policy, one hears scarcely a word from either candidate about climate change. A Maine Congressional delegation unified behind a systematic national and international approach to fighting climate change could become the greatest catalyst for responsible environmental policy since Rachel Carson wrote her seminal work and Edmund Muskie safely guided the Clean Air and Water Acts through legislative minefields. ~ Elliott Epstein
SUN JOURNAL • October 10, 2020
One of the best-kept secrets about the workings of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is the Advisory Council. Of all the bureaucratic processes in Augusta that make decisions and choices that impact the lives of all of us, whether sportsmen or simply Maine citizens, the IF&W Advisory Council stands out. Sportsmen interested in having a voice in hunting and fishing rule changes need to establish a connection with their respective council members. It is the best way to be heard. ~ V. Paul Reynolds
BOSTON GLOBE • October 10, 2020
Donald MacGillis wrote about the wilderness with such reverence that his prose edged toward poetry as he led readers across rugged terrain. Into the wilderness he often walked, and it was atop Mount Katahdin in Maine, a place he loved and liked to revisit, that an accidental 50-foot fall led to his death on Wednesday, at 74. A careful hiker, Mr. MacGillis left only footsteps — and crisp, graceful writing as bracing as mountain air. “I don’t know anyone in my life who had less pretense than Don MacGillis. He was completely straightforward, honest, sincere, and right-minded,” added Benjamin, who also formerly was the US State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 10, 2020
Two recent deaths on Katahdin, Maine’s tallest mountain, have stirred conversation about hiking safety, raising questions like: “What kind of safety gear should you carry besides water, snacks and a headlamp?” First of all, accidents happen, and sometimes they’re entirely out of our hands. On occasion, the most prepared hiker can become injured or worse. But there are many ways you can reduce risks while hiking.
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • October 10, 2020
Squalene, a compound that is harvested from the livers of sharks, is a common moisturizing ingredient in cosmetics. It's also used in malaria and flu vaccines as an agent that boosts the immune system's response. Shark Allies, a nonprofit that advocates for the protection of sharks, projects that some 500,000 sharks could be killed if a coronavirus vaccine with shark squalene proves to be effective. Already, an estimated 2.7 million sharks are killed annually for their squalene to make cosmetics, according to the group.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 10, 2020
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has passed along some tips to help make sure that scavenging birds, including bald eagles, don’t end up ingesting that lead, which can prove fatal.
• Low Effort: Leave your gut pile and carcass under conifers to hide from avian scavengers.
• Moderate effort: If you’re on your own property or have permission from the landowner, you can dig a shallow hole under conifers and bury your gut pile and carcass to prevent access from avian predators.
• Most effort: If you carry the remains of your gut pile and carcass out, leave nothing behind for scavengers to find. Use a trash bag and dispose of the carcass in a certified landfill.
