Maine wharf closure highlights shrinking access to working waterfront

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 2, 2023

The closure of a working wharf in the midcoast on May 30 is the latest hurdle for fishermen as access to commercial space along Maine’s coastline continues to shrink. The wharf in Tenants Harbor, operated by Bean Maine Lobster, was damaged during the December storm that battered some coastal communities in Maine. Engineers determined a month ago that the damage, combined with general wear and tear over the years, meant the wharf needed to be shut down for repairs. It’s unclear when the wharf will reopen.

Lightning hits Rumford paper mill, setting off chlorine leak

RUMFORD FALLS TIMES • June 2, 2023

A lightning strike at the ND Paper mill Friday afternoon caused a power outage that led to a chlorine gas leak, Fire Chief Chris Reed said. There were no injuries and the mill was back in full operation by early evening, he said. “I believe they took a direct strike,” he said, pinpointing the time at 3:42 p.m., adding that the rest of the town never lost power. A hazmat team and firefighters responded and the mill was evacuated immediately.

Electric vehicle charging network goes down in southern Maine

MAINE PUBLIC • June 2, 2023

A popular charging system for electric vehicles failed to work on Thursday. A systems failure at EVgo affected hundreds of the 850 chargers it has nationwide. The company has two dozen chargers in southern Maine, from York to Topsham, and none were working on Thursday morning.

Scientists Successfully Transmit Space-Based Solar Power to Earth for the First Time

GIZMODO • June 2, 2023

Researchers have reportedly beamed solar power from space to Earth without a single wire—and they say it’s a first. The experiment is a part of Caltech’s Space Solar Power Project. The researchers conducted the power transfer experiment using the Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment, or MAPLE, which is a small prototype aboard the in-orbit Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1) that launched this past January.

New farmers market to open next week in Turner

SUN JOURNAL • June 2, 2023

A new farmers market will offer fresh produce, meats, custard, plants and more from local vendors starting Tuesday. The market will run weekly from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in front of the former Natural History Club building at 442 Turner Center Road. In the last year, farmers markets were also started in Sabattus, Leeds and Lisbon.

Southern Maine communities celebrate York River's 'Wild & Scenic' designation

MAINE PUBLIC • June 2, 2023

The York River has been designated "Wild & Scenic," ensuring that more than 30 miles of the river and frontage are federally protected and funded. Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine's 1st District first introduced legislation for the designation in 2019. Four years later, President Joe Biden's government funding bill includes federal money to protect the York River and surrounding acreage. The designation makes the York River part of the National Park Service’s Wild and Scenic River System and recognizes the region as a national destination. It also allows the four watershed communities of York, Kittery, South Berwick and Eliot to address the river's long-term stewardship needs.

Lawmakers advance bill to overhaul Maine's bottle redemption program

MAINE PUBLIC • June 2, 2023

Thursday marked the 45th anniversary of the implementation of the law that uses a deposit system to encourage Maine residents to recycle their beer and soda containers. Maine's so-called "bottle bill" has been tweaked multiple times since 1978. But on Thursday, members of the Legislature's Environment and Natural Resources Committee voted to overhaul the way returnable containers are sorted and collected.

Hike the tallest mountain in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness for stunning views

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 2, 2023

There are a few ways to hike Whitecap Mountain, which rises 3,644 feet above sea level. The Appalachian Trail, a famous footpath that spans from Maine to Georgia, travels up and over the mountain. Then there’s the White Brook Trail, a side trail that approaches the mountain from the southwest to connect to the Appalachian Trail about a mile from Whitecap’s summit. That’s the trailhead that had eluded me many years ago. A sign marked the summit. A group of hikers, the first we’d seen all day, were eating lunch nearby, enjoying open views to the south. The mound of Big Spruce Mountain stood closeby, while a line of mountains — Chairback, Columbus, Third and Fourth — stood farther away. To give them space, we took a side trail to a nearby overlook. This one faced northwest, where Katahdin stood tall. ~ Aislinn Sarnacki

Opinion: Another perspective on Lake Auburn’s problems

SUN JOURNAL • June 2, 2023

We have already seen Lake Auburn stressed to the point of near collapse. I would just like to see a balanced discussion of this topic that should include other perspectives. For example, couldn’t development in what is now a barren gravel pit that includes thoughtful placement of trees and shrubs provide that mitigation? Wouldn’t putting all homes in the development on city sewage eliminate any concerns about leachate from failing septic systems? Could some regulation regarding use of fertilizers and pesticides in certain zones be part of a solution? Water lines to Poland, Lewiston and Auburn are sucking the lake dry. The flow simply is not adequate to properly cleanse the lake. ~ Alan Whitman, East Auburn

Letter: Take back our energy for the good of Mainers

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 2, 2023

CMP and Versant serve the interests of their shareholders, not the people of Maine, and it shows. Mainers are paying some of the highest electric rates in the county for an unreliable electric grid and terrible customer satisfaction. Our Power wants to change this with the creation of the Pine Tree Power Company, a local, consumer-owned utility that would serve the needs of Maine people. We need to take back our energy for the good of all Mainers! ~ Chloe Sheahan, Sunrise Bowdoin, Sedgwick

Column: Nesting season is in full swing and some Maine birds are ready for a fight

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 1, 2023

If you think humans have a hard time getting along, you should look at your backyard birds. Some of them are getting pretty testy with each other. For much of the year, birds are tolerant of their own kind. During nesting season, all bets are off. It varies by species. Some birds accept their neighbors better than others. Spy on the birds to see how they behave around each other. Which birds are content to stay in groups? Which ones argue? Listen for two singing birds of the same species and estimate how far apart they are. Is it the same distance as other singing birds? It costs 20 bucks to watch a movie or Netflix. Watching nature is free. ~ Bob Duchesne

Wildlands, the natural answer to climate change

COMMONWEALTH MAGAZINE • June 1, 2023

New England is not immune to the global ecological crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, which both threaten human health and safety. We are racing to make up for decades of inaction and are leaning heavily on technology and intervention, from industrial-scale wind generation to large solar installations and electric transportation. Those are only part of the solution. We propose focusing on a natural solution–one that stores and removes carbon from the atmosphere efficiently while simultaneously providing co-benefits, from sustaining rich biodiversity, to producing clean water, to safeguarding places that benefit people’s mental and physical well-being. That is the conservation of wildlands stretching from Maine to Connecticut. A new report, "Wildlands in New England,” makes a compelling case for substantially improving the legal protection of the region’s existing wildlands in perpetuity, while doggedly pursuing the goal of tripling amount of protected forest land to at least 10 percent or more of New England’s total area. ~ David Foster, Elizabeth Thompson and Jonathan Leibowitz, Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities

Scotland’s Parklands – Acadia National Park, Maine Conservation Exchange

PAWS TRAILS MAGAZINE • May 31, 2023

What might Maine learn from Scotland, what might Scotland learn from Maine’s examples and what can international visitors to both these special landscapes and so many others both prized for their natural beauty and under threat from overuse? Protecting natural areas and surrounding communities is most successful through the combined efforts of land-owners, both large and small, and of partners in local, state and national government. These individuals and partners hold a common value of taking the long view. They seem to recognize the positive and negative trends from history and act now to bend policy and practice toward sustainability, towards the notion of building healthy ecosystems and communities today so that future generations will enjoy a good quality of life.

Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed announces ED hiring

LIVERMORE FALLS ADVERTISER • May 31, 2023

The Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed (“FOCW”) has hired Tom Mullin as executive director. Mullin is a former Associate Professor of Parks and Forest Resources at Unity College; a Founder and Fellow of the National Association for Interpretation; President of the Maine Woods Forever Board of Directors; and serves on the boards of the Penobscot River Paddling Trail and the Washburn-Norlands Living History Center.

Commentary: Maine’s trails and great outdoors richly deserve our investment

MORNING SENTINEL • May 31, 2023

Maine lawmakers will decide whether to send a Maine Trails Bond to the November ballot so that Maine voters can decide whether to invest $30 million over the next four years in the development and maintenance of trails statewide. I hope they do. We have the potential to become a top-tier state in the nation that is known for trails that attract new residents, talent, businesses and tourists. I say this as a lifelong trail user and an economic development professional in central Maine. Skowhegan continues to realize our vision of becoming an outdoor recreation mecca. Like other small, rural towns, we just need more capital to bring our goals to fruition. I urge the Legislature to send the Maine Trails Bond to the voters. ~ Kristina Cannon, Main Street Skowhegan

Maine islander wants to bridge the gap between fishermen and scientists

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 31, 2023

Hattie Train has spent her whole life on Casco Bay. The daughter of an activist fisherman and science-focused teacher, Train grew up a few miles off Portland on Long Island. She hauled her first lobster traps at eight and was running her own boat by age 12. At college, she earned a marine science degree with minors in aquaculture and fisheries. Since graduating, Train has helped collect scientific data for organizations including the Maine Lobster Institute. Now, she’s setting out on her biggest marine-related challenge yet: bringing Maine fisherman and scientists together. Calling on her background in both fishing and science, Train is opening Wharfside Associates, a consulting firm aimed at bridging the often contentious communications gap between those who make their living harvesting the ocean’s bounty and those who’ve dedicated their lives to studying it.

Letter: Lawmakers should amend PFAS statute

SUN JOURNAL • May 31, 2023

Last year, the Legislature passed a bill in response to PFAS contamination that aimed at eliminating the sale of PFAS in Maine. While the Legislature acted swiftly in response, its good intentions did not properly weigh the balance between public health, environmental impact, and the small business community and consumer impact. While the goal was to ban harmful PFAS chemicals, the bill created an all-encompassing definition that includes virtually every product in one’s house, car, medicine and life. The Legislature must amend the current statute to more effectively balance public health, environmental impact and the small business community and consumer impact. ~ Bruce Bickford, Auburn

Letter: Auburn leaders should heed China Lake lesson

SUN JOURNAL • May 31, 2023

Thank you for running Ben Lounsbury’s May. 28 guest column, which aptly compared Lake Auburn to China Lake. China Lake Syndrome ended up degrading not only China Lake’s water quality, but also destroyed property values and significantly reduced property tax revenues in China. China Lake’s example points to the folly of encouraging development around Lake Auburn. Auburn’s citizens need to elect leaders who will heed the lesson of China Lake. ~ Michael Dixon and Carmen Dufresne, Auburn

Migratory fish flood into Maine rivers after several years of restoration efforts

MAINE PUBLIC • May 30, 2023

River restoration projects along the Maine coast have allowed populations of migratory fish to rebound, and Sean Ledwin of the Maine Department of Marine Resources says fish runs are exploding this time of year. Ledwin says the tally at the Penobscot River in Milford has already far surpassed last year's record run of 3 million alewives and blueback herring. And more than a million river herring have returned to the China Lakes, which fish can access for the first time in centuries following a river restoration project completed last year.

Don’t panic if you find Barbie in your compost

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 31, 2023

Commercial compost available from garden supply centers or compost facilities around the state get their compostable materials from a variety of sources, said Nicholas Rowley, sustainable agriculture and horticulture professional with University of Maine Cooperative Extension.  That means it can contain a variety of items that can be a bit surprising. Everything from dinnerware to plastic toys can end up in yard debris. Then along comes the landscaper or yard company who collects it all. “They can be sucking up the weeds and end up sucking up a Barbie Doll in the process.” A small amount of inert ingredients will not harm your garden, according to Rowley.