The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 10, 2023
After the Saturday drowning death of 46-year-old Hope man, state officials are warning swimmers to take caution in the water due to the recent rain. After one of the rainiest months of June in at least a quarter century in Maine, state officials say rivers and lakes can be dangerous for swimmers, even if those who are familiar with the area and have swam there in the past.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 10, 2023
No bull. There was a moose on the loose in Auburn on Sunday night. Officers responded to the enclosed park of the Chapman House off Pleasant Street where a moose was out for a late stroll, according to the Auburn Police Department. The area near the Chapman House, a women’s senior living center, is a developed and populated part of Auburn, making such a sighting unexpected.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 10, 2023
Eastern Egg Rock, a tiny, seemingly nondescript, barren atoll located in outer Muscongus Bay, is one of a handful of locations along the Maine coast where Atlantic puffins come to nest. But it hasn’t always been that way. The colorful seabirds stopped returning to the rock around 1890. Until 1973, there was no reason to believe they would ever return. That summer, a team led by Stephen Kress began a painstaking effort to bring puffins back to the rock. For more than a decade, Project Puffin relocated chicks from Newfoundland and raised them on Eastern Egg Rock. After completing a circumnavigation of the rock, we began our journey back. ~ Ron Chase
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 10, 2023
Maine Conservation Voters recently elected four new members to its Board of Directors: Laura Bither, Freeport; Sara Freshley, Portland; Marcques Houston, Portland; and Mike Williams, Cumberland. MCV’s Board guides the organization’s vision, strategy, and decision-making on issues impacting Maine’s environment, democracy and our climate future. “MCV is committed to making sure all Maine people have access to a healthy environment, a strong democracy, and a sustainable economy.” said Maureen Drouin, executive director of Maine Conservation Voters. “We’re so excited to welcome these four new members to our board where they’ll provide new and unique perspectives on taking bold action to tackle the climate crisis while ensuring a fair and equitable economic transition for our communities.”
MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • July 10, 2023
Experts from local bicycle shops will go over what types of electric bikes exist and the benefits and drawbacks of different modals. At Curtis Library, Brunswick, July 20, 6 pm.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 10, 2023
Mark Bessire, a director of the Portland Museum of Art, seems intent on promoting mass timber, a relatively new technology in the U.S., for the proposed PMA addition. No mass timber manufacturing exists in Maine, so transport of materials (from where?) will cost the project in dollars and carbon. Perhaps Mr. Bessire will assure the art community that the LEVER addition is the best solution for the PMA collection – as well as a trial balloon for mass timber in Maine. ~ Robert Kahn, Portland
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 10, 2023
Slugs are especially active this summer in Maine, which is home to four species of slugs. Most of them want to eat your garden flowers and crops. Legless and boneless, these invertebrates leave trails of slime and destroyed vegetation in their wake. Fortunately, there are ways to counter slugs attacking your garden. Keep the area around a garden as clean and debris-free as possible. Some gardeners sprinkle diatomaceous earth or other gritty substances like cinders, sawdust, gravel or sand around plants. A simple mixture of salt and water in a spray bottle will draw all moisture from the inside of the slug. It dies from dehydration though it is a cruel death for the slug because they feel pain. Less cruel is placing pie plates or tuna cans filled with beer around your garden area in the evening. The yeast in the beer attracts slugs, which will crawl into the liquid and drown.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 10, 2023
Lawmakers settled a messy debate over Maine’s solar subsidies on Thursday by approving an industry-backed proposal aimed at reining them in. The importance of the change is still up in the air. Regulators and policy experts haven’t said with any certainty how much the measure will save ratepayers after the incentives for community solar projects drove an electric rate increase that was finalized last month.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 9, 2023
Three people died in the span of 6½ hours Friday in separate incidents in New Hampshire waters. New Hampshire State Police Marine Patrol and other agencies responded to three different calls Friday in Gilmanton, Manchester and Madison.
KENNEBEC JOURNAL • July 9, 2023
A moderate geomagnetic storm is coming this week, and the Northern Lights will be visible in Maine – unless cloud cover spoils the event. Going out at night, after 10 o’clock, away from city lights is the best way to see the Northern Lights – provided those pesky clouds don’t block your view.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 9, 2023
The heavy rain that is moving into the Northeast will set a bull’s-eye on northern New Hampshire and western Maine from Monday night into early Tuesday. Several inches of rain are expected to fall in a short time, likely leading to flash flooding. Future rainfall estimates have more than 5 inches of rain falling in a short amount of time for parts of the area.
SUN JOURNAL • July 8, 2023
In the spring of 1970, a man from Millinocket introduced me to his secret trout pond. An hour before sunset the mirror-like surface took on a new look that drives most trout men into ecstasy. Surface feeding trout began leaving random dimples (rise forms) from one side of the water to the other. If you could delicately cast a #14 Parachute Adams or Blue Winged Olive so that it flitted down upon the center of the “trout dimple,” you got a hookup, almost every time. My life has never been quite the same since. Every June for most of the past 50 years, this bewitching, seductive place has found a spot on my calendar. ~ V. Paul Reynolds
MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • August 1, 2023
Learn how to confidently purchase an EV, locate chargers, and what benefits and costs to expect over the life of your vehicle. At Curtis Library, Brunswick, August 23, 6-8 pm.
• An introduction to Electronic Vehicles from Citizen's Climate Lobby by Sam Saltonstall
• An explanation of monetary incentives from Efficiency Maine by Hogan Dwyer
• A discussion by a panel of EV dealers and owners
• A summary by Barry Woods of ReVision Energy
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 9, 2023
A Hope man, Henry Brooks, 46, drowned Saturday while rescuing his daughters from drowning in Seven Tree Pond in Union. His daughters, who are 12 and 13 years old, were swimming when around 4:30 p.m. the girls fell into deeper water where the river enters the pond. Brooks jumped into the water to save them. His 27-year-old son grabbed a life jacket and followed him to help. The son was able to swim to his sisters and brought them back to safety, but when he looked back for their father, he couldn’t find him.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 9, 2023
Putting up bird houses is one of the best ways to help birds, at least those species that need cavities to nest in, but can’t create them on their own. However, we often hear from folks who are attracting nesting birds that they didn’t want, such as house wrens. Since the house wren is a native species, there isn’t anything wrong with this behavior; they are doing what they’ve always done. And from the legal perspective, house wrens are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act so if you don’t want to break federal laws, it is best to try to enjoy those loud bubbly wren songs. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 9, 2023
If you love birds and poking about in pretty spots, paddling the northern coves and passages of Yarmouth Island and Little Yarmouth Island in Quahog Bay in Harpswell will soothe your exploratory itch. ~ Michael Perry
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 9, 2023
I was surveying a block on the southeast side of First Roach Pond in Kokadjo, when I noticed a downy woodpecker clinging to a roadside tree, about 4 feet off the ground. Its head was turned, its bill across its back in normal napping fashion. On my return 45 minutes later, it was still there. As I approached, I noted that it was in classic cling-to-a-tree posture – two toes in front, gripping the tree, two in back doing likewise. Its tail was properly braced against the bark. But it was dead, apparently from natural causes. From this, I learned that woodpeckers are so well-adapted to a life of banging their heads against trees, that they can grip the tree even after dying. ~ Bob Duhesne
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 9, 2023
Aroostook County’s rural, hilly terrain may be grueling on a regular bicycle, but the landscape is perfect for e-bikes. The cyclist can switch on the motor to help power the bike, which makes demanding hills and long trips easier. Since they don’t use gasoline, e-bikes fit in with Maine’s climate goals to reduce fossil fuel use. A state law that went into effect on June 8 includes e-bikes in an electric vehicle rebate program for certain people who use them as their primary transportation. But even more than the green factor, the cycles get people of all ages and abilities out riding, exercising and enjoying the outdoors.
SUN JOURNAL • July 9, 2023
Moose can stand up to seven feet tall, weigh more than 1,000 pounds and they number between 60,000 and 70,000 in Maine. So you would think sightings would be common. But the largest member of the deer family is a tough animal to locate. If you ask pretty much anyone where to find a moose in Maine, the advice will be “go north.” Here are some Maine moose-spotting tips:
• Moose gravitate to wet areas surrounded by woods
• Look for an area that had a recent timber harvest
• Be quiet and unassuming
• Take binoculars, long pants and a long shirt to protect from ticks and other insects
• Also take sun protection, water, weather-appropriate clothing and a navigation method
• When you see a moose, give it a wide berth
• Take a moose tour
• If venturing on your own, check Sandy Stream Pond or Stumped Pond in Baxter State Park
SUN JOURNAL • July 9, 2023
I have voluntarily participated in the City of Lewiston’s spring and fall cleanup for the past couple of years. It doesn’t take long for the same areas collected to begin to fill up with more litter. From the end of March until December, I have averaged about five hours a week collecting trash from sidewalks and curbs. It could be almost a full-time job trying keep up with litter collection along Lewiston’s downtown streets. It only takes a home or business owner a little of their time each week to keep areas in front of their home or business free of litter. ~ David Gardner, Auburn
