First prosecutions issued against illegal rockweed harvesters

MAINE MONITOR • August 12, 2023

The Maine Marine Patrol is bringing charges against four individuals in connection with alleged illegal rockweed harvesting in Washington County, in what a state official said are the first prosecutions for illegally extracting the hotly contested resource in recent memory. Rockweed, a brownish algae found close to shore throughout Maine, forms a veritable underwater forest. It’s “not only a foundational species, but a keystone species, and an ecosystem engineer,” said Dr. Robin Hadlock Seeley of the Maine Rockweed Coalition. It supports biodiversity, with over 100 animals feeding on it or using it as a nursery — including lobsters, scallops, and a host of fish like pollock, cod and herring.

Commentary: Now is the time to clean up our state’s cars and trucks

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 12, 2023

Our state has an opportunity to address the biggest source of climate-damaging pollution: gas-guzzling cars and trucks. It is imperative that Maine adopt the rule known as the Advanced Clean Cars II this year if we are to hit our climate targets. However, the rule currently pending before the state Board of Environmental Protection deviates from all other versions adopted throughout the country: It stops in 2032, when only 80% of new vehicles sold would be required to be electric. Maine should adopt the full Advanced Clean Cars II rule, which would require that all new cars sold in the state be clean by 2035. ~ Ruth Hennig, board vice chair of Defend Our Health, and a member of Conservation Law Foundation’s Maine State Advisory Board, Portland

Letter: Devastated by sale of Unity College campus

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 12, 2023

Unity College campus on Quaker Hill Road is being put on the market. It is a devastating feeling for someone who had the opportunity to truly experience all that Unity College was intended to be. It is clear that the wrong leadership is in place to rescue, rebuild or grow Unity College. When the sale of the Quaker Hill campus happens, Unity College will be wiped off the face of this earth. How fitting for Unity Environmental University to be responsible for the extinction of such a unique institution, which served a student body that was so passionate about the environment and outdoors that they felt no other place than Unity College would help them go out into the world and make a difference. “America’s Environmental College” rest in peace. ~ Wayne Stump, Hazleton, Pa.

A lesser-known winter storm is getting more intense

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 12, 2023

A lesser-known type of winter storm is occurring with greater intensity, threatening Maine’s coast, experts say. Though winter storms known as nor’easters are commonly forecasted and experienced around the Northeast, a sister storm known as southeasters can bring nearly hurricane-level winds and storm surges that have been less common in the winter — until now. The wind from southeasters can be stronger than nor’easters. The best thing Mainers can do is to be prepared.

Major environmental groups are sitting out Maine’s big utility referendum

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 11, 2023

Climate issues are a factor in the debate over a November referendum to put Maine’s electric infrastructure under the control of an elected board, but major environmental groups have stayed out of it so far. The referendum will ask voters to decide whether to buy out Central Maine Power Co. and Versant Power’s infrastructure. Sierra Club and Maine Youth for Climate Justice, are backing Pine Tree Power. Neither the Natural Resources Council of Maine nor the Nature Conservancy have weighed in. Following a lengthy debate process, the board of Maine Conservation Voters and the intertwined Maine Conservation Alliance voted in late May to stay neutral on the referendum. The Natural Resources Council of Maine was not able to comment Thursday.

3 dead minke whales found along Maine’s coast since end of July

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 11, 2023

Three minke whales have been found dead in Maine waters over a six-day period in what marine researchers call an unusual spate of deaths. Marine mammal researchers from Allied Whale at the College of the Atlantic, which tracks whale strandings and deaths in Maine, responded to the three reports of carcasses between July 30 and Aug. 4. That’s more than they’d typically expect in an entire summer, said Rosemary Seton, Allied Whale’s mammal stranding coordinator. The most recent minke whale carcass washed ashore on Tuesday on Flye Point in Brooklin in Hancock County. The whale likely died from being hit by a boat.

Jay approves settlement agreement with paper mill owners over tax abatement request

SUN JOURNAL • August 11, 2023

The Select Board voted unanimously Friday to accept a settlement agreement with Pixelle Specialty Solutions for a tax abatement of $12.2 million in valuation and $250,100 in tax dollars. The paper mill and associated properties were valued at $108.5 million in 2022-23. The abatement agreement reduces the valuation to $96.3 million.

Maine expanding ‘Rail Trail’ network near New Hampshire border

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 11, 2023

Maine is converting an inactive set of rail tracks into a new recreational trail that will run from the southern part of the state to close to the New Hampshire border. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has signed a bill to create the new walking and biking trail, which will stretch 40 miles from Standish to Fryeburg along the Mountain Division Rail Line. The new trail is designed to eventually connect with Portland at its eastern edge and New Hampshire in the west.

Hallowell man who died kayaking remembered for his kindness, faith and love of the outdoors

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • August 11, 2023

Martin Spahn died doing what he loved — being in the outdoors on one of his adventures. His final challenge was an attempt to kayak from Lubec to Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick — a roughly 11-mile trip — but he did not make it. Spahn, who was 57, lived in Hallowell and was a prominent member of the community. Following the news of his death, tributes poured in.

Hungry seals blamed for loss of salmon at Down East fish farms

MAINE PUBLIC • August 11, 2023

A seal attack is being blamed for the loss of 50,000 juvenile Atlantic salmon at two fish farming sites near Cutler. Cooke Aquaculture spokesperson Joel Richardson said that divers discovered on Aug. 7 that seals had chewed through two cage nets near Cross Island. Each normally holds about 25,000 juvenile salmon, but were empty when workers found them. "DMR concluded that it is highly likely that one or more seals were able to get past the predator netting and create a hole in the net pen, allowing fish to escape. DMR staff also witnessed as many as 100 seals on a half tide haul out near the lease site. Others have indicated there are 300 to 400 seals in the area," Nichols said.

Hiker hospitalized after rescue from Falmouth trail

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 11, 2023

A hiker was hospitalized after being rescued from a section of trail nearly 2 miles into the system at Blackstrap Hill Preserve on Friday. After hiking into where the injured hiker was located, the patient had to be carried to a waiting utility terrain vehicle that was unable to travel through the flood conditions. Despite multiple challenges, including an overflowing stream, the emergency team was able to get the patient to an ambulance.

Ferry ridership between Maine, Nova Scotia still ahead of last year

MAINE PUBLIC • August 11, 2023

Bay Ferries reports ticket sales for the CAT high-speed ferry linking Bar Harbor and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia continue to be higher than last year. The company says, through Aug. 10 it has sold 34,542 tickets, 2,864 more than last year at the same time. But the current, Progressive Conservative government of Nova Scotia continues to move toward an economic study of the service. The province paid Bay Ferries nearly $18 million (Canadian) in subsidy last year. The economic study is meant to determine if the province is getting value for that subsidy.

Opinion: Aroostook Renewable Gateway will be bad for people and the planet

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 11, 2023

The proposed LS Power Grid power lines would go through Unity, about 70% of which has been designated an area of special ecological importance. As currently planned, the route also runs through 0.6 miles of protected aquifer district; 1.4 miles of conserved land at the Unity Agricultural Center, where at-risk youth learn biodynamic farming skills; the hills of Overland Farm, where Highland cattle spend their lives before feeding locals in the form of beef; almost half a mile of endangered and threatened species habitat within the Sandy Stream watershed, and 2.3 miles of deer wintering area. What are the environmental implications of carving 150-foot easements through ecologically sensitive places? Of maintaining corridors by spraying herbicides that leach into the ground, poisoning the soil and threatening farmers’ livelihoods? Of core-drilling 10 feet to 20 feet through ledge, creating pathways for PFAS to enter aquifers and contaminate more wells? ~ Joshua Abram Kercsmar teaches at Unity Environmental University

Commentary: What does climate change have to do with migration? More than you think

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • August 11, 2023

Climate change will leave more people vulnerable to natural disasters, droughts, extreme temperatures, and other disruptions to their way of life, motivating many to migrate north to cooler parts of the planet. How will leaders respond to this migration? Many politicians and public officials frame climate migration as one simple story: a threat to national security. Migration is a much more complex issue. It’s better to use a polycentric approach, meaning one that employs multiple decision-making bodies that operate independently of each other. We’ll find the right responses to climate migrants like Francis if we create opportunities for responses at every level instead of relying on a one-size-fits-all national response. ~ Nathan Goodman, Mercatus Center, and Justus Enninga, King’s College London

Letter: Congress should keep working on permitting reform

SUN JOURNAL • August 11, 2023

Our nation’s permitting process has become far too inefficient, leading to massive delays that threaten the viability of critical infrastructure projects. While Congress has made some progress to reform the permitting process this year, there is still more work to do. This includes updating the National Environmental Policy Act permitting process by requiring the agency to complete a given project’s permitting process within two years. ~ Former State Rep. Dale Crafts, Lisbon

Letter: We must end the culture war on climate change

SUN JOURNAL • August 11, 2023

For many years taxpayers have spent tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars to repair damage from storms made worse by human activity. Countless lives have been lost. We do not stand alone in the world. Our actions affect all of human life and the biodiversity of our planet. It is short-sighted and selfish to not make our decisions with our planet in mind. We must end the culture war on climate change and make decisions based on facts. ~ Stan Tetenman, Poland

Column: The many wonders of birding at Head Harbor Passage

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 10, 2023

Head Harbor Passage is a world-class adventure. Tides here are double the height of those reached in Bar Harbor, only 70 miles southwest. In the pre-COVID era, I liked to take my tiny inflatable boat into the channel to look for rare birds. The tubes on my inflatable are about the same shape, length and color of gray seals. I started to wonder if the sharks could tell the difference. I also wondered if the minke whales surfacing all around me would even notice, if they came up directly under me. I stopped doing it. Nowadays, I happily pay for Head Harbor boat tours. Minke whales are easy to see all summer. Fin and humpback whales are less common, but visit regularly. Gray seals and harbor seals are frequent sightings, and you can’t miss the roaming pods of harbor porpoises. But I go for the birds. Bonaparte’s gulls, Little gulls, Black-headed gulls, Atlantic puffins, razorbills, common murres. ~ Bob Duchesne

New aquatic invasives law tightens restrictions on boaters in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 10, 2023

The state this year passed a tougher law to reduce the chance of introducing potentially damaging plant species into Maine waters. The emergency legislation, which went into effect immediately after receiving the governor’s signature, makes it illegal for boaters to “drain or release water held on or within a watercraft, allowing that water to enter any inland water body of the state.” The intention is to prevent boaters from introducing water, plants or other pollutants into a lake or pond. There are 11 invasive aquatic species that have been identified under Maine law as illegal to import, sell or transport. Those can disrupt or displace native plants and animals and cause irreparable harm to water bodies.

Campus of former Unity College going up for sale

MORNING SENTINEL • August 10, 2023

The Waldo County campus of Unity Environmental University is up for sale after years of consideration. A&G Real Estate Partners announced Wednesday that the school, formerly known as Unity College, was accepting offers for the 225-acre property. Unity Environmental University’s board of trustees has been weighing options for the largely vacant campus for years. In the most recent development, nonprofits and immigrant groups were hoping to create housing for asylum seekers in the empty dormitories – but money and concerns from townspeople posed a barrier. The school shifted its headquarters to a new campus for environmental professions programs at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester in 2021.

Jay will not be reimbursed for reduced state revenue-sharing funds related to mill explosion

SUN JOURNAL • August 10, 2023

Legislation that would have reimbursed the town $600,000 for lost state revenue-sharing funds as a result of the Androscoggin Mill explosion in 2020 has died in the Senate. The bill passed through the Taxation Committee and was approved by the House and Senate last spring. It went to the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee in June for funding but died after it went back to the Senate. One of two wood pulp digesters in the mill exploded April 15, 2020, leading Pixelle Specialty Solutions to permanently idle one paper machine, lay off workers and cease making wood pulp. Pixelle had continued to operate two specialty paper machines using purchased pulp until March, when it shut down permanently.