Letter: E-bikes an overlooked technology

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 25, 2023

I want to highlight an important new technology that will greatly increase the use of the proposed Merrymeeting Trail for recreation, for tourism, and most importantly, for commuting. That technology is e-bicycles, bicycles that work both with regular pedaling and with supplemental electric power when needed. This is revolutionizing the distances that average people can travel by bicycle. E-bikes are a viable alternative to buses and cars. Funding for new trains in the U.S. should go for high speed trains between large population areas, not inefficient service between small towns. The future is here now, and it is e-bikes. ~ Peter Walsh, Dresden

How you can repel disease-carrying ticks without any chemicals

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 25, 2023

In many regions of the country, disease-ridden ticks are a major concern, serious enough to convince some people to douse their lawns with pesticides and chemically treat their outdoor clothing. Yet many people are opposed to introducing synthetic chemicals into the environment, even to combat a particularly dangerous pest.
• Exclude tick hosts: Fence in highly used outdoor areas so that some of the animals that carry ticks, such as deer, can’t enter.
• Natural tick repellent: Oil of pondberry, citronella, cloves and lily of the valley, Lemon eucalyptus may help.
• Can farm birds help? Free-range chickens and other domesticated fowl such as guinea hens and turkeys naturally eat ticks and other lawn pests, but whether this can have any significant impact is a matter of debate.
• Personal protection is key: Stay vigilant while outside, wearing long pants tucked into socks, develop a habit of checking your body and clothing for ticks after spending time outdoors.

Column: ‘Trout evangelist’ Bob Mallard’s new book is his best

SUN JOURNAL • June 25, 2023

My office bookshelves are festooned with fishing books. Fishing books by Bob Mallard, of which there are now five, get top billing on my bookshelf. His latest book is a winner. Titled, “Fly Fishing Maine,” it is his best work to date. The bonus in this book is Bob Mallard’s comprehensive reporting about Maine’s angling history, fish species and conservation. Mallard, who is founder and president of the Native Fish Coalition and often called the “trout evangelist,” manages to keep an even strain on his known capacity to sermonize about the folly of stocking over native fish. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

Letter: Just say ‘coast’ not ‘coastline’

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 24, 2023

Suddenly, however, “the Maine coast” has disappeared! The trend among modern media meteorological mavens is apparently to refer, instead, to “the coastline.” They generally seem incapable of just calling it “the coast.” “Coastline,” by definition, is “a line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake.” Does “coastline” sound more romantic or dramatic in the minds of weather forecasters? If they’re talking about the coast, why can’t they just say “the coast”? ~ Michael P. Gleason, Bangor

Letter: 2 stories about waste facilities

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 43, 2023

A page one story in June 23 Bangor Daily News outlines the sad tale of PERC in Orrington which is no longer online and due to be auctioned next month. In the same issue of the BDN is a  hopeful story that the Hampden waste plant will finally be sold. Which reminds me of a Castine town meeting several years ago where the representative of the MRC presented a glowing encomium of how the new plant will end our trash problems. I requested equal time be given for a PERC presentation and was dismissed as unnecessary given the obvious future success in Hampden. Mine was the sole “nay” vote. History confirms my choice. Now the MRC in its latest iteration presents what I hope will reverse its fraught past history. ~ Bob Friedlander, Castine

A federal bill would ban wind power development in key fishing area off Maine coast

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 23, 2023

Rep. Jared Golden has introduced legislation in Congress that would prevent offshore wind development in Lobster Management Area 1, which is the zone closest to the shore and stretches along the entire coast. There are currently a variety of plans across the state to create both public and private offshore wind farms. The Governor’s Energy Office wants to lease a site 45 miles from Portland in the Gulf of Maine to create the nation’s first floating offshore wind research site. A developer also is working with University of Maine researchers to build a commercial-size floating wind turbine off the coast of Maine. While Gov. Janet Mills is back and forth on what she is backing, Golden is hesitant to throw his full support behind offshore wind energy development.

Groups start new effort to buy land, protect water quality of Lake Wesserunsett in Madison

MORNING SENTINEL • June 23, 2023

The Lake Wesserunsett Association says that in order to ensure water quality doesn't decline, it will be raising $30,000 for an emergency fund to purchase and conserve land around the lake as it comes on the market. Members of the nonprofit lake association say a need for a “rapid response” emergency fund to purchase land in the watershed became apparent last summer, when a 52-acre parcel containing 40 acres of wetland unexpectedly came on the market. The Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture was able to come up with the $70,000 needed to purchase that land, and is in the process now of transferring ownership to the Somerset Woods Trustees conservation group.

Gardiner witnessing ‘spectacular event’ as hundreds of sturgeon spawn near downtown

MAINE PUBLIC • June 23, 2023

Hundreds of Atlantic sturgeon have turned up in a stream in downtown Gardiner, giving local residents a rare, close-up glimpse of the massive fish. Reports began circulating on Thursday that Atlantic sturgeon — a prehistoric-looking fish that can grow to 10 feet in length — were gathering in Cobbossee Stream in downtown Gardiner. Since then, crowds of onlookers have flocked to the Route 201 bridge over the stream to watch as the sturgeon swim and apparently spawn just underneath. Sean Ledwin, who heads the sea-run fisheries program at the Maine Department of Marine Resources, estimated there are at least 200 sturgeon just upstream from where the Cobbossee flows into the Kennebec River. “Sturgeon are a real success story,” he said. “The Kennebec River is the biggest spawning aggregation. And with the Clean Water Act, the clean up of the river and the removal of the Edwards Dam (in Augusta), the sturgeon population has really grown significantly.”

Go back in time by learning primitive skills at a Down East festival

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 23, 2023

If you have ever wanted to get a feel for how things were in the so-called olden days, Columbia is the place to be next month. The Pleasant River Fish & Game Conservation Association will give people a chance to take a small and temporary step back in time when it holds its eighth-annual Puckerbrush Primitive Gathering. The event, which will be held July 14-16 at the club’s grounds on Tibbetstown Road, is focused on demonstrating and teaching a variety of primitive outdoor skills. Offerings will include traditional archery, bushcraft,  basic survival skills, canoeing and handcrafts such as bow making, blacksmithing, woodworking and fire craft.

Acadia is home to more than 300 bird species. Climate change adds urgency to recording their songs

MAINE PUBLIC • June 23, 2023

“This is my sixth year. I come here in May and June to record all the vocalizations of the bird sounds of Acadia," Laura Sebastianelli says. Over the course of a year, Acadia National Park is home to more than 300 species of birds. But as the climate changes, those populations are in flux. To create a baseline for studying that change in the decades to come, Sebstianelli is part of a group of volunteers that making field recordings of as many species as they can, while they’re still here. Before Sebastianelli started her field recordings, there were just 58 tracks of bird calls from Acadia National Park archived on tape. Now she and her team have assembled over 1,200, establishing an audio baseline for future researchers.

What are those beautiful neon pink slime balls in the Maine woods?

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 23, 2023

The wilderness keeps surprising me with things I’ve never seen before — like neon pink slime mold. Slime molds aren’t fungi or lichens. They’re single-celled organisms that move around, similar to an amoeba. At that stage, they’re too small for people to see. But sometimes, they congregate to form threads and fruiting bodies that resemble mushrooms. Slime molds play an important role in the ecosystem. Often found on decaying forest litter and rotting wood, they serve as decomposers and recycle nutrients. They feed on bacteria, which decomposes plant matter. They also serve as food for worms, beetles and other creepy crawlies. Slime molds don’t have brains, but they can communicate with chemical signals. In a laboratory setting, they’ve demonstrated the ability to navigate mazes to find food. Furthermore, if fed on a schedule at a specific location, they can anticipate that feeding event and spot.

Letter: Maine’s DEP needs to protect water resources

SUN JOURNAL • June 23, 2023

Despite weeks of rain, Tripp Pond in Poland is at the lowest levels we have witnessed. Tripp Lake Camp received permission from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to blast a decades long beaver pond and remove 6 beavers. The camp used itsinfluence in Augusta to do what no other lakeside homeowner could ever imagine doing.Why does the camp want lake levels low? It has a grandfathered, enormous concrete pad — previously under water — that it uses to keep campers happy when learning to swim. Apparently, that is a more precious need than a healthy lake. Maine’s DEP needs to do a better job of protecting this resource. ~ Dorthea Seybold, Poland

Maine Senate passes solar industry-backed bill to shave generous incentives

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 22, 2023

The Maine Senate passed Thursday a bill backed by the solar industry and Gov. Janet Mills to slightly reduce generous solar incentives after they drove a sharp utility rate hike. It has been one of the two bills that have been subject to a squabble between manufacturers and the solar industry. The latter group has invoked former Gov. Paul LePage’s legacy of opposing solar projects in ads and hammered Public Advocate William Harwood after he estimated in April that subsidies dating back to 2019 would carry major costs.

Column: Mother Nature rewards the birds that are best at hiding ground nests

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 22, 2023

It’s a constant worry. There are many ground-nesting birds in Maine, and I fret that if I lead a dozen pairs of feet tromping off a trail, someone will stomp a nest. I know, because I’ve come so close to doing it myself. I remember missing one white-throated sparrow nest by inches, seconds after warning my group to watch out for nests. If ground nesting is so perilous, why do many birds do it? If it didn’t work, any bird following that strategy would have gone extinct eons ago. Large birds can build tree nests. Raptors, herons and egrets do it. However, they raise smaller broods. It’s likely that ground nests provide more camouflage for small songbirds, concealing their chicks deeper in vegetation. Meanwhile, tree-nesting birds face the threat of raids from crows, jays and red squirrels. Hell hath no fury like a robin trying to drive off a hungry squirrel. ~ Bob Duchesne

Researchers investigate how climate change affects spruce forests on Maine’s coast

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 22, 2023

Determining how climate change will affect spruce forests along Maine’s coastline and inspiring new ways to conserve them is the goal of a new study by University of Maine faculty and students. The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $643,848 for the project. Through their latest project, Wason and his colleagues aim to identify the factors influencing the location of coastal spruce forests, quantify their sensitivity to climate-based stressors and determine how a warming planet may reduce spruce tree germination, establishment, growth and survival.

3M reaches $10.3 billion settlement over contamination of water systems with ‘forever chemicals’

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 22, 2023

Chemical manufacturer 3M Co. will pay at least $10.3 billion to settle lawsuits over contamination of many U.S. public drinking water systems with potentially harmful compounds used in firefighting foam and a host of consumer products, the company said Thursday. The deal would compensate water providers for pollution with per- and polyfluorinated substances, known collectively as PFAS — a broad class of chemicals used in nonstick, water- and grease-resistant products such as clothing and cookware. Described as “forever chemicals” because they don’t degrade naturally in the environment, PFAS have been linked to a variety of health problems.

Opinion: Port facilities must be part of Maine’s offshore wind strategy

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 22, 2023

The Maine Research Array (MERA) is a critical next step in this compromise. MERA will be a floating base anchored some 40 miles out in the Gulf of Maine to conduct scientific research on how to accommodate offshore wind with fishing, lobstering and the gulf’s ecosystem. But Maine must first build a port capable of building these massive floating wind projects. No port means no jobs, no union work, no research to protect the Gulf of Maine. Maine’s legislation must anchor all its goals on the one goal that secures all others: the building of a port in Maine for the construction and launch of Maine and other floating offshore wind technologies. Maine can’t wait. It’s time for the port. ~ Tony Buxton, lobbyist representing New England Aqua Ventus and Pine Tree Offshore Wind

This is why rodents may be snacking on your car

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 21, 2023

The increasing popularity of plant-based and organic materials in automobile and truck parts is good for the environment. Perhaps a little too good as these eco-friendly products are potential tasty treats for wildlife. But what makes a good bioplastic also makes a tasty treat for a variety of rodents common to Maine. Where there is something good to chew on can also be viewed by the rodents as a nice place to build a nest and take up residence. Some people have had success using a commercial rodent repellent. Others swear by placing scented fabric sheets or peppermint oil throughout a vehicle as rodents allegedly dislike those smells. There is no sure fire way to keep them out, but starting and driving your car at least once a week as that may disturb any rodents enough that they move out.

New Maine law paves way for statewide e-bike rebates

MAINE PUBLIC • June 21, 2023

A bill signed into law this month by Gov. Janet Mills will allow the state to offer rebates for electric bikes that are used for transportation. Jim Tasse of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine says e-bikes can decrease carbon emissions and traffic congestion, while contributing to riders' health. “It would be targeting moderate and low-income people in particular," Tasse says. "These bikes would not be for recreational purposes, but for practical transportation purposes."

Sale finalized for closed Hampden waste facility

MAINE PUBLIC • June 21, 2023

The organization representing 115 Maine cities and towns said it has finalized the $3 million sale of the shuttered Hampden waste facility. At a town hall Wednesday, the Municipal Review Committee said it has partnered with Innovative Resource Recovery, and is set to close the sale next week. The facility shut down three years ago, and several companies have since expressed interest. Two efforts fell through because of funding issues. Innovative Resource Recovery, which will have 90% ownership of the facility, said Wednesday that it plans to be fully operational by early 2025.