The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
KENNEBEC JOURNAL • September 22, 2023
The arboretum, on the east side of the state's capital city, used money from the Bureau of Parks and Lands as well as other fundraising to pay for a 520-foot-long boardwalk that allows easy access to the wetland area along the north edge of its 224-acre facility.
NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • September 22, 2023
Maine’s Ecological Reserves, as their name implies, were created to protect a representative sample of Maine’s natural habitats with minimal interference from human activity, particularly timber harvesting. Some, like Nahmakanta, protect swathes of northern forest and wilderness ponds, while others, like Great Heath and Number Five Bog preserve pristine wetland and bog habitats. Still others, like the Bigelow Preserve and Big Spencer Mountain, encompass mountain ranges with a wide range of elevation-based plant communities, including gnarled and twisted subalpine fir and birch. Many of the Reserves don’t have rare plants or animals, but instead are meant to be refuges for species that require vulnerable habitats like old forests or alpine meadows. As of 2018, the Ecological Reserve System is made up of 50 locations with a total area of approximately 175,000 acres. The State of Maine owns 27 of these, and the other 23 are owned by The Nature Conservancy.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 22, 2023
Learn about the different kinds of turtles in Maine, from the more common painted or snapping turtles, to the more threatened Blanding's and Eastern Box turtles. What research and conservation efforts are underway for these unique creatures, and how can people get involved? This program is part of Maine Public’s new, multi-media outdoors show Borealis, which highlights the nature of Maine. Panelists: Matthew Chatfield, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine; Derek Yorks, Reptile and Amphibian Biologist, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; VIP Caller: Linsday Ware, Founder, trainer and handler, Science Dogs of New England.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 22, 2023
State environmental regulators are seeking to further limit coastal development to protect sand dunes from rising sea levels. The new rule would require that planning be based on new dune maps created by Maine Geological Survey. At the Board of Environmental Protection's hearing Thursday Maine Audubon Wildlife Biologist Laura Minich Zitske spoke in support of the rule change. "Sea level is rising. Things are changing. It is imperative that we respond and can proactively protect our coastal communities and use the best available geology," Minich Zitske said. But land use attorney Sandra Guay warned that the rule change will affect buyers, realtors, and code officers that have relied on older maps to make decisions.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 22, 2023
Maine's first dairy digester is up and running in Clinton, capturing the methane gas that's normally released into the atmosphere from manure. "The manure goes into the facility," said Angus King, president of Peaks Renewables under Summit Utilities which operates the plant. "It then gets processed for 20 to 25 days. The gas gets extracted and then what's left is a liquid that goes back to the farms. And the farms are able to use that to fertilize their fields just they do using manure today."
MAINE PUBLIC • September 22, 2023
Four non-commercial farm animals in Maine have died from Eastern Equine Encephalitis. The animals were located in Piscataquis County, and are the first animals to test positive for EEE since 2019. Livestock owners should talk to their veterinarians about vaccinations and other precautions. EEE is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes and can also cause illness, and even death, in humans. The Maine CDC announced earlier this week that mosquitoes in York County tested positive for the virus.
MORNING SENTINEL • September 22, 2023
Nokomis Regional High School has a philosophy of 'doing high school differently,' and it's doing that with a new English elective in which students learn the art of fly-fishing. “Fly-fishing is interdisciplinary,” English teacher Nick Miller, said. “There’s the kinesthetics of learning a new physical skill, but then there’s so much learning about your environment. There’s all kinds of ecology to learn, we study the natural history of the area, and then, of course, the writing goes along with it.”
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 22, 2023
The lovely trails at Hart Farm in Holden are a fairly recent development. In 2016, Holden Land Trust purchased the 157-acre property to protect it from being subdivided and developed. Working with Maine Farmland Trust, HLT established an easement that required the land be used for agriculture. In 2018, it officially became a “Forever Farm.” In 2020, a young couple purchased the farm from the Holden Land Trust and got to work on renovations, planting produce and raising livestock. As part of the deal, HLT retained an easement that allowed for a trail network on the property. The network comprises about three miles of trails and a connector leads to the neighboring Fields Pond Audubon Center, with just under four miles of trails.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 22, 2023
With less than two months before Election Day, it looks like many Mainers are undecided on the utility takeover referendum that is the most sweeping one of the eight questions on the ballot. There have been no public or independent polls released so far on these questions. On Thursday, we got the first survey, although it was paid for by a political group run by Versant Power, one of the two utilities along with Central Maine Power Co. that is fighting Question 3. The main lesson is that Democrats are the key battleground here, which is one reason why you see both sides focusing on them.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2023
Maine is one of the first states to consider the carbon storage potential of seaweed in its carbon budget, a biennial accounting of the balance between locally produced greenhouse gas emissions and the amount of carbon being safely stored in the environment. The carbon budget already considers the storage capacity of Maine forests and traditional blue carbon sources like salt marshes and eelgrass beds. The impact of blue carbon could grow, however, if the board that oversees rule changes at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection grants the agency’s request to add seaweed.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2023
Decisions about developing renewable energy in Maine require accurate information. The Alliance for Sears Island, a coalition of individuals and organizations, supports developing an offshore wind port at Mack Point and opposes doing so on Sears Island, if any such facility is to be built in Penobscot Bay. Port construction costs are essentially equal, but statutorily required mitigation costs to construct the port on Sears Island are expected to be enormous. Mack Point, an industrial port for more than 100 years, is not a pristine natural place that will incur even slightly comparable mitigation costs. The 2007 Sears Island Planning Initiative agreement clearly stipulated that “Mack Point shall be given preference as an alternative to port development on Sears Island.” ~ Rolf Olsen, Steve Miller, and Scott Dickerson, Alliance for Sears Island
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2023
The ads flooding the airwaves about the November referendum question on Pine Tree Power make it sound like there are two choices: Vote “yes” to take over Central Maine Power and Versant and form Pine Tree Power, or vote “no” and keep the status quo. Proponents claim that replacing CMP and Versant with Pine Tree Power will result in lower rates and higher reliability. Opponents of the referendum say that maintaining the status quo is the low-cost option for ratepayers of the future. Neither argument squares with reality. Many of our climate action goals involve our electric utilities. If the referendum passes, Maine faces years of uncertainty, which would delay grid modernization. If Pine Tree Power becomes operational, we would be worse off than we are now. I urge voters to reject the referendum, give regulation time to work and let your legislators know you are counting on them to continue to modernize our grid and better regulate our utilities. ~ Rep. Gerry Runte, D-York, member of the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee and the Maine Climate Council; he worked in the electric utility and clean energy sectors for 45 years
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2023
The newly formed Cruise Portland organization, which has budgeted $170,000 to mitigate the negative effects of cruise passengers, is going to create more pollution in our city by supplying free buses to take them around. Limiting the ships does not limit the number of passengers. Cruise ships are a massive source of air, water, noise and solid waste pollution, as well as marine animal deaths. Who bears the negative costs of these cruise ships? ~ JoAnn Locktov, Portland
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 25, 2023
There is no small irony in the federal government spending $1.13 billion to plant trees in an effort to mitigate extreme heat (as recently reported in the Bangor Daily News) while simultaneously subsidizing “green energy” projects such as wind and solar farms that could result in the destruction of thousands of acres of forest and wildlife habitat. It would appear the only thing “green” here is the money flowing out of the taxpayer’s pockets. ~ Larry Balchen, Jonesport
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 21, 2023
Fort Fairfield could see a new potato chip processing company set up shop. Interim Town Manager Dan Foster and newly hired Town Manager Tim Goff have been working with Bruce Sargent of Presque Isle, who wants to build the plant, Foster told town councilors Wednesday. A new industry would be good for the town’s morale and bottom line, Foster said.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 21, 2023
A hiker was airlifted off Katahdin on Wednesday afternoon after she broke her ankle on the Knife Edge trail, according to the Maine Army National Guard. The 43-year-old woman was able to move, with help, to an area below the cloud cover, near the intersection of the Helon Taylor and Knife Edge trails.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 21, 2023
There is nothing pretty about what’s going on with some fruit trees in Maine right now. Pears are cracking and drying out to the point that they are looking more like an alligator than a tasty fruit. The cracking skin is a symptom of russeting, a condition common to pears and apples. Fruit experts say it’s perfectly natural and is the latest growers’ headache that can be traced directly to the frost that hit the state in May.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 21, 2023
Summer may be coming to a close, but it’s not the end of tick season. In fact, things are starting to ramp up as the summer’s deer tick nymphs are turning into this fall’s adults. Numbers of the Lyme disease-carrying deer ticks will continue to rise, peaking in October.
TIMES RECORD • September 21, 2023
The Brunswick Link, the town’s public bus system, will be free to all riders for six months starting Oct. 2. Mid Coast Hospital and the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine contributed $17,500 to make the Brunswick Link free for six months. Town Councilor Abby King said, “It will be a little bit of an experiment to see how it goes and how it works but I think it will really benefit people in town and also help with connecting the two sides of our town.”
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 21, 2023
Having taken steps to reduce cruise ship traffic and limit weekly vacation rentals, Bar Harbor now has another part of the tourism sector in its sights. Town councilors are considering whether to temporarily ban lodging development while it gets a handle on how tourism is affecting the town. As Bar Harbor’s tourism industry has grown over the past few decades, other nearby towns such as Tremont and Lamoine have adopted similar temporary development bans in recent years to keep increased tourist traffic at bay. They are not tourism centers like Bar Harbor. Such a ban would target a legacy industry in a way that no other major Maine town has tried.
