Unity Environmental University sees enrollment grow as it continues transition to distance learning

MORNING SENTINEL • July 20, 2023

Unity college announced in February it was rebranding and taking the name Unity Environmental University to better reflect its focus on environmental studies and remote learning opportunities. it appears to be paying off. The same day the university announced it has 1,000 students who are enrolling, making it the university’s largest incoming class. In another two years, school officials expect to enroll more than 10,000 full-time students. The school must still determine what is to become of its campus in Unity. Many options are being considered, including selling the property or leasing it. But what has received the most attention this summer is a plan to house up to 600 asylum seekers at the Unity campus.

Parent companies of two Maine utilities funnel huge sums to oppose ballot initiative

MAINE PUBLIC • July 20, 2023

lions of dollars are flowing into this November's referendum campaign over who should operate Maine's electric grid. But all of that political fundraising and spending is heavily tilted toward one side. During the first six months of the year, the Our Power campaign that is asking voters to approve a seismic shift in the way electricity is distributed in Maine received roughly $236,000 in contributions. But the parent companies of Maine's two big electric utilities, Central Maine Power and Versant, contributed more than $15 million — or 65 times as much money — to groups on the opposite side of the issue, according to the latest campaign finance reports.

How Maine plans to keep struggling redemption centers afloat

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 20, 2023

Since the end of 2019, some 53 redemption centers have closed across the state. Two legislative bills, one raising handling fees and the other bringing efficiency measures to the redemption process, could help the remaining businesses.

Scientists worry climate change could worsen infectious diseases

ASSOCIATED PRESS • July 19, 2023

People around the world are living longer, healthier lives than they were just half a century ago. Climate change threatens to undo that progress. Across the planet, animals — and the diseases they carry — are shifting to accommodate a globe on the fritz. And they’re not alone: Ticks, mosquitos, bacteria, algae, even fungi are on the move, shifting or expanding their historical ranges to adapt to climatic conditions that are evolving at an unprecedented pace. Deforestation, mining, agriculture, and urban sprawl are taking bites out of the globe’s remaining wild areas, contributing to biodiversity loss that’s occurring at a rate unprecedented in human history. All of these factors create conditions ripe for human illness.

Safety roadmap: New manual for Maine road crossings impacted by climate change

MAINEBIZ • July 19, 2023

Ninety percent of bridges and culverts on the roads in Maine that cross salt marshes and tidal waterways are not equipped to handle the ebb and flow of the tides. That leads to higher road maintenance costs, a shortened lifespan for culverts and bridges, unplanned road closures that can put public well-being and safety at risk, and harm to commercial fisheries and important habitat. That’s why the Department of Marine Resources' Maine Coastal Program, along with 30 other organizations, published a 100-page manual offering technical guidance on how to increase the safety of road crossings over Maine’s coastal wetlands and waterways.

Central Maine farmers protest proposed power line

MAINE PUBLIC • July 19, 2023

A plan for a power line that would send electricity to central Maine from a large wind farm that's proposed for Aroostook County is meeting resistance along the route. Two dozen farmers gathered in Albion on Wednesday, some arriving by tractor, to protest the power line outside a meeting that project developer LS Power was holding to discuss the project. Jesse Haskell says either of two proposed routes runs through land his family has been farming for generations, in Palermo and China. He said the power line would place another burden on the region's already struggling dairy farms. "We've lost some farms recently to PFAS contamination, so that's bearing down on farmers," he says. "Milk prices are horrible, and now this." But a spokesperson for LS Power says the proposed power line routes are not yet finalized, and public meetings are being held to gather feedback.

Elm trees to be planted around Aroostook courthouse after Houlton man’s crusade

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 19, 2023

After a nearly three-year saga of the courthouse trees, a retired Houlton attorney won his bid to restore the exterior of the Aroostook County Superior Courthouse to what he calls its historic majesty with elm trees. In a complete turn around, the Aroostook County Commissioners approved Dick Rhoda’s offer to purchase 10 Princeton Elm trees instead of the County purchasing red and sugar maples recommended by staff. Elms are an American native tree and in the 1890s Houlton lined the streets with them to improve the aesthetic value of the downtown, Rhoda said. With such an iconic courthouse, he wanted to see the elms restored after the originals were lost to disease. On Earth Day this year, the county cut down all the other species of trees in front of the courthouse, creating a barren landscape.

Foreign electioneering ban could go to Maine ballot after Janet Mills’ veto

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 19, 2023

Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill on Wednesday that seeks to ban foreign governments from spending money to influence Maine elections and referendums. The bill comes from a citizen-led effort to place a foreign electioneering ban on the November ballot. The bill came in response to a 2021 referendum that tried to halt Central Maine Power’s controversial transmission corridor through western Maine. The measure will still go to the ballot if lawmakers fail to get the two-thirds majorities in both chambers to override the veto. Mills, a Democrat, said “while I strongly support and share the desire to find ways to prevent foreign influence in our elections, the language of this bill is too broad and would likely result in the unintended consequences of effectively silencing legitimate voices, including Maine-based businesses, in debates that would impact their interests.”

Janet Mills vetoes bill to cover farmworkers under Maine’s minimum wage

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 19, 2023

Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill on Wednesday that would put farmworkers under Maine’s minimum wage laws, prompting a stern rebuke from another top Democrat. The bill from House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, would cover farmworkers under Maine’s annually indexed minimum wage of $13.80 per hour. The Legislature is returning Tuesday to vote on whether to override vetoes from Mills. At least two-thirds of lawmakers must vote to override a veto. Mills wrote in her veto letter she supports a minimum wage for farmworkers but is concerned about “a series of questions from members of the agricultural community about the true scope of the language.”

Blog: Stepping Back in Time in Maine’s North Woods, Part 1

NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • July 19, 2023

Blueback trout were discovered in Big Reed Pond in the 1950s. Biologists realized they were actually distinct populations of landlocked Arctic charr that had likely been isolated since the glaciers of the last Ice Age retreated. Unfortunately, the bluebacks in Big Reed Pond were soon to face a threat that almost wiped them out: smelt. In 2008 intensive fishing efforts to catch all of the remaining blueback and brook trout began. Any caught in Big Reed were transferred to a special hatchery and used to create a breeding stock to repopulate the pond. Over the course of 3 years, only 12 blueback trout were caught, revealing just how close to being wiped out they were. To make sure the smelt were eradicated, the decision to kill all remaining fish in the lake was made. In 2010, Rotenone was applied to the pond. Then it was time to reintroduce the native fish. The blueback trout numbers had increased to more than 1,000 fish. After a few years of anxious waiting, young blueback were discovered in 2017. The largest pond reclamation project in the state of Maine was deemed a success. ~ Nathaniel Child

These animals evolved to live with fire. But can they outrun today’s megafires?

WASHINGTON POST • July 19, 2023

Animals have long learned to live alongside wildfires, but those coping skills are being tested as Earth enters the Pyrocene, a new era of unprecedented conflagrations like those this summer in Canada that have stained the skies orange and sent suffocating plumes of smoke over American cities. Larger and longer-lasting fires are wiping through wildlife populations, morphing habitats and pushing the evolution of animals’ bodies and behaviors to survive in this new, scorched world. The big question hanging over biologists is whether wildlife can evolve fast enough to keep up with today’s fiercer fires.

Column: These rocks were made for skippin’ — a fun activity exploring ocean geology

TIMES RECORD • July 19, 2023

I’ve tried to get my head around both physical oceanography and geology many times and it never seems to stick. But skipping rocks with my daughter recently brought a new kind of understanding. If mastering the basics isn’t enough, you can vary the challenge to include things like furthest total distance, highest number of skips, greatest height of a single skip or who can skip the biggest, wackiest, misshapen rock. Whatever rock you try, conditions you test or challenge you attempt, each toss offers a way to learn something unexpected about some of the physical aspects of Maine’s seashore. ~ Susan Olcott

Letter: Address permitting delays to support green energy projects

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 19, 2023

If we do not have permitting reform for green energy projects and for new transmission capacity then only 20 percent of the potential greenhouse gas reductions embedded in the Inflation Reduction will be realized. This is important not only to prevent the catastrophic heating of our planet but also to save lives. The Inflation Reduction Act can save 180,000 lives by 2030 because of avoided air pollution, according to research by Drew Shindell. His research also indicated that reduced air pollution resulting from full implementation of the IRA could lead to significant increases in wheat, corn and soy production and fewer incidents of dementia. ~ David Dietrich, Blue Hill

Your air conditioner isn't built for this heat. 5 tips can boost performance

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • July 19, 2023

There are some things you can do to maximize your air conditioner's effectiveness even as it struggles to keep things cool.
• Don't fool with the thermostat
• Clean filters and the coils
• Turn off heat-producing appliances
• Run a ceiling fan
• Cool down at night and shade the windows

A top CMP critic joins company’s side of utility takeover campaign

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 19, 2023

Former state Sen. Tom Saviello was celebrating after Maine voted to oppose the Central Maine Power Co. corridor. Now, he is being paid to work on CMP’s side of a referendum on Maine’s electricity future. Saviello was among the most visible corridor opponents during the yearslong political and legal struggle over the project. He was hired in April for $5,000 per month by Versant Power’s political group opposing a utility takeover, according to campaign finance disclosures filed this week. Saviello said he dove into the details of the takeover and decided there were too many risks involved. He joins an army of public figures and lobbyists working for the utilities. They are part of a massive multi-front campaign between CMP and Versant that has spent more than $17.1 million against just $733,000 from Our Power.

Katahdin Cedar Log Homes making comeback after nearly closing

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 19, 2023

In an eleventh hour belt-tightening move, Katahdin Cedar Log Homes in Oakfield averted closing in June as it predicted it would, and the company is back to making log homes at a slower pace. The biggest factor was consolidating resources, said Gabe Gordon, vice president of sales and marketing. The company reduced staff from 80 to 48, shut down its Ashland mill, although it still uses the property as a log yard, and consolidated wood stockpiles from Ashland to Oakfield. Katahdin Forest Products, parent company of Katahdin Cedar Log Homes, was founded 50 years ago and was one of the largest log home and cedar fence manufacturers in the nation. Following a 2022 banner sales year, things changed in January when the company was forced to close its Ashland mill because cedar stocks were depleted.

Column: Proposed bass management changes in northern Maine are right move

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 19, 2023

Nonnative bass are one of the biggest threats to Maine’s wild native salmonids. Bass introductions have compromised all four native landlocked salmon waters, and imperiled endangered Atlantic salmon in the Penobscot watershed and Down East Maine. They have infested the Kennebec system, including Moosehead Lake and many tributaries. With bass now in the Rapid River, they are on the doorstep of the fabled Rangeley Lakes region and Kennebago watershed. For years, nonnative bass were managed as a game species, afforded as much protection as the most protected wild native brook trout. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is now refusing to protect illegally introduced bass, and everyone who cares about Maine’s natural resources and outdoor heritage should support it. ~ Bob Mallard

Bath officers rescue bald eagle

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 19, 2023

Two officers in Bath rescued a young bald eagle Tuesday afternoon. Officer Brett McIntire and Animal Control Officer James McKnight responded to a call about a sick or injured bald eagle in north Bath, according to the Bath Police Department. McIntire found the bird on Bayshore Road, and it was transported to Avian Haven for care and rehabilitation.

Explore Merrymeeting Bay Bike Tour set for July 23

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • July 19, 2023

Bike riders of all experience levels can take part in the Explore Merrymeeting Bay Bike Tour, set for Sunday, July 23. This free program provides riders with the option to take part in a guided 12- or 25-mile ride through open farms and art studios during Bowdoinham’s Open Farm & Studio Day. The rides are sponsored by Merrymeeting Trailblazers and supported by Merrymeeting Wheelers and Kennebec Estuary Land Trust.

Environmentalists want Maine to get gas vehicles off the road

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 19, 2023

While Maine has joined other states in the past in adopting vehicle emissions standards that originated in California, Gov. Janet Mills said last year she was not in favor of “blindly” following California’s 2035 mandate. Environmentalists are now trying to force the state’s hand through the rulemaking process. The Natural Resources Council of Maine collected the required 150 signatures from registered voters earlier this year to petition the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to adopt California’s zero- and low-emission vehicle regulations. Another California regulation proposed for Maine would aim to encourage the sale of more electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Groups opposed to the proposed rules include the Maine Better Transportation Association and Associated General Contractors of Maine. About half of Maine’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector.