Climate change: ‘We have an opportunity to do better’

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 19, 2020

The Bangor Daily News hosted a discussion last Thursday with UMaine Climate Change Institute research assistant professor Sean Birkel, professor Jessica Leahy from UMaine’s School of Forest Resources, Appalachian Mountain Club research director Sarah Nelson, and New England Outdoor Center founder and owner Matthew Polstein about how climate changes can impact Maine. Their answers to a question emphasize the need to recognize the very real impacts of climate change, while keeping them in perspective, and to look for opportunities to adapt and to address the underlying causes of these changes.

Tractor-trailer loaded with wood chips overturns in Stoneham

SUN JOURNAL • October 19, 2020

A tractor-trailer hauling wood chips overturned on Main Street on Monday morning, pinning the driver in the cab and leaving him with minor injuries. The 2006 Kenworth owned by Western Maine Timberlands of Fryeburg was driven by Brenton S. Bennett, of Milan, New Hampshire. When it came around a left curve the trailer started to tip, striking two sets of trees near 463 Main St. After getting past the trees, the trailer flipped onto its side, taking the tractor with it. The accident also severed a Central Maine Power pole, knocking out power in the area.

Biddeford pushes forward on developing climate action plan

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 19, 2020

Biddeford has joined a small number of Maine communities to declare a “climate emergency” and will now develop an action plan to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. Biddeford is the sixth community in Maine to pass a similar climate emergency declaration, following South Portland, Portland, Bar Harbor, Brunswick and Saco. More than 1,700 cities and towns across the globe have also declared climate emergencies.

Proposed mine near Baxter State Park is first real test of Maine’s new mining law

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 19, 2020

Pickett Mountain, a small peak near Baxter State Park, is surrounded by several lakes and ponds populated with brook trout that make the area ideal for some quiet fishing. But this remote, serene area near the Penobscot-Aroostook county line is likely to be the center of an environmental battle as Maine’s recently enacted mining law — considered to be among the toughest in the nation — is tested for the first time. Wolfden Resources, a Canadian venture based in Ontario, has done test borings in the Pickett Mountain area and speculates there are deposits of valuable metals such as copper and zinc worth extracting, but the land has to be rezoned by the Maine Land Use Planning Commission from general management to a planned development area in order for the company to mine it.

Maine’s expanded moose hunt reaches end of second stretch

ASSOCIATED PRESS • October 18, 2020

Maine’s moose hunt is busier this year than in recent seasons, and it’s reaching the end of the second of four stretches of hunting. The state approved more than 3,100 moose permits this year. That was an increase of 11 percent from the previous fall. The number of people seeking a permit also ticked up to more than 65,000.

Canadian tribal lobster fishing tensions in the Gulf of Maine turn violent

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 18, 2020

Vandalism, physical intimidation and suspicious fires have broken out in Canada as tensions rise over indigenous fishing rights, according to Canadian news reports. A “suspicious” fire destroyed a storage building at a lobster pound near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The lobster storage facility is used by members of the Mi’kmaq tribe. It came weeks after angry mobs of non-tribal fishermen swarmed and vandalized lobster pounds used by Mi’kmaq fishermen, including the one set on fire Saturday. The fire is the latest in a series of escalating confrontations between Mi’kmaq and non-tribal lobstermen over the tribe’s position that it is not subject to seasonal fishing prohibitions.

Grouse hunters expected to pour into North Maine Woods

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 18, 2020

Grouse hunting in far northern Maine has been growing in popularity in recent years – and this could be a banner autumn, in part because the grouse population appears to have boomed because of favorable weather conditions. Up here, that’s bumper to bumper,” said Cowperthwaite. “It is the most I’ve ever seen in 44 years.” A surge in recreational traffic occurred this year in the North Maine Woods because of the pandemic as more people looked to travel to open spaces in the vast forestland, Al Cowperthwaite, the executive director of the North Maine Woods, said.

Column: Exploring South Pond in Locke Mills

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 18, 2020

Maybe you will be making the trek up to Mt. Abram in Greenwood this winter to carve some turns on some of the best-groomed ski slopes in the east. For a fun preseason primer, put your canoe on your vehicle and make the trip up to Locke Mills to paddle the circumference of South Pond in October. You will enjoy the changing stages of foliage from the coast to the western Maine mountains on the drive up and back. ~ Michael Perry

Column: Hummingbirds in the fall

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 18, 2020

Q: Why do we, in Maine, sometimes get rare hummingbirds in the fall but not the spring? A: Many of the rare birds that show up in Maine occur during spring or fall migration, and while there are many theories and catalysts for vagrancy, the majority tend to be when birds are migrating. In spring, most of our rarities are southern overshoots—that is, they’ve literally flown too far north. During fall, we often see western vagrants, many of which are immature and presumably lost on their southern migrations. ~ Doug Hitchcox, Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist

Column: You should agree that on many things, hunters will most likely disagree

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 18, 2020

Yes, hunters "can be a particularly argumentative lot" – Hunt in the morning. No, in the afternoon. Track it. No, use a tree stand. Caliber for the rifle? Don't even go there. ~ Bob Humphrey 

Two coyotes strike a pose in this cool trail cam photo

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 18, 2020

We’ve received a pile of trail camera cool pics, and some stunning videos. Today’s submission comes from Bob D., who shared several great shots. “I’ve used trail cams for years, so I went through and pulled some nice ones your readers might like,” Bob said. “[These are] from western Kennebec County, behind my house, where my back line is bounded by a large bog. Images are taken on a trail that runs along the side of the bog. Of the images below, my favorite (and relatively rare) is the picture of the two coyotes.”

Letter: COVID-19 relief funds can help teens

SUN JOURNAL • October 18, 2020

School districts may wind up leaving coronavirus relief money on the table because they can’t spend it before the year end deadline. Our youth are losing their connection to nature at an accelerated pace, yet the outdoors is a resource for learning, engagement and health and should be available to all students, regardless of race, age, economic status or experience. As executive director of the Brunswick-based Teens to Trails organization, I have two ideas for how to spend the money: 1. Equipment for outdoor activities. 2. Durable outdoor classrooms and training. ~ Alicia Heyburn, Brunswick

Maine gets first real snowfall of season

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 17, 2020

Higher elevations in western Maine got their first significant snowfall of the 2020-2021 winter season on Saturday morning with some areas reporting around half a foot. Warm temperatures on Sunday are expected to make most of the snow melt away, according to forecasters. 

Early snow draws handful of skiers to Saddleback

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 17, 2020

An early snowfall provided an early start to skiing at Saddleback Mountain near Rangeley, but the official opening is still about two months off. About a year ago, Arctaris Impact Fund of Boston announced a deal to buy the resort. Andy Shepard, chief executive officer and general manager of the resort, said some skiers went up the hill on their own and skied down Saturday. Workers are still installing a new lift that is expected to be ready for the official opening of the resort on Dec. 15, Shepard said. He said about 10 inches of snow fell at the lodge and a foot or more on the mountain.

The Last Quiet Places

SMITHSONIAN • October 2020

Gordon Hempton, a self-described acoustic ecologist. Hempton has spent nearly four decades capturing what he calls the planet’s “jukebox” of natural sounds. He has recorded the music of insects and owls, mountain ranges and jungles, the rustling of prairie grasses and the echoing vibrations inside a log. Hempton uses the word “silence” to describe what he’s after, even though he isn’t seeking a vacuum. He’s looking for the soundscapes that emerge when human noise disappears—antidotes to the din of a mechanical, beeping world. “Silence is the think tank of the soul,” Hempton told me softly earlier this year. “All religions share and revere silence.”

Climate change affecting fall foliage

WASHINGTON POST • October 17, 2020

Scientists say the long-term effects of climate change on fall colors are already apparent. Warming temperatures tend to help invasive species. Because they tend to come from places with milder winters than the eastern United States, they readily adapt to the longer growing season and remain an active threat for more of the year. Invasive shrubs are overwhelming forest understories and adding more red tones with their leaves and fruit. Pests and pathogens may continue to ramp up their attacks on certain species and allow others to take over, shifting the fall palette. And as the climate gets warmer and drier, forests in New England that appear mostly red and orange today might not stay that way.

Auburn restarting talks on swimming at Outlet Beach

SUN JOURNAL • October 16, 2020

Officials are reviving talks on how to reopen Outlet Beach — the only source in the entirety of Lake Auburn available for public swimming, which has been closed since 2013 due to bacteria levels. The Parks & Recreation Advisory Board says the beach should be reopened if a study finds that it’s feasible by controlling the bacteria levels. If it finds that the water cannot be made safe enough to swim, but can be controlled in some way, the board recommends the beach be used to offer kayak lessons, paddle boating, or other water recreation that is not swimming.