The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
FORECASTER • September 26, 2023
The Yarmouth Town Council voted unanimously last week to support a “trail until rail” from Portland to Auburn and to recommend the Legislature authorize the recreational pathway. The trail is part of a 72-mile loop proposed by the Casco Bay Trail Alliance. The unused rail corridor would be transformed into a walking and biking trail until the state has use for the rail lines.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 26, 2023
Gov. Janet Mills and federal energy officials on Tuesday extolled Maine’s potential floating offshore wind power resources that are still years in the making. Maine’s application for a research lease for offshore wind, known as the Maine Research Array, is expected to be generating energy for the state by the end of the decade. A land-based wind project, the planned Aroostook Renewable Gateway, to bring power from northern Maine to ISO-New England, the region’s grid operator, has been moving ahead of offshore floating wind projects in the regulatory process. A citizens’ initiative passed in 2021 requires that construction of a high-voltage transmission line be approved by the Legislature, which approved the Gateway project in June. The ruling came in the wake of the highly controversial New England Clean Energy Connect Project intended to bring hydropower from Quebec to the New England grid.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 26, 2023
Bar Harbor’s hoteliers, restaurateurs and other tourism-based business owners are holding their collective breath as a potential government shutdown draws near, threatening to close one of the area’s greatest attractions just as the busy fall season is picking up steam. Acadia National Park drew nearly 4 million visitors last year, contributing $479 million to the local economy. It’s a vital economic engine for the state and the surrounding area, especially during leaf-peeping season when tourists arrive to see the vibrant fall foliage, replenishing visitation following the end-of-summer dip. The park is likely to close if Congress cannot reach a budget agreement before Sunday, the first day of the new fiscal year. But Mount Desert Island has plenty to offer and they will remain open for business regardless.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • September 25, 2023
The Biden administration announced Monday that it has awarded more than $1.4 billion to projects that improve railway safety and boost capacity.
NEWS CENTER MAINE • September 25, 2023
The Forest Society of Maine is conserving Scammon Ridge in Greenville. “It affects climate change on a global scale.” FMS is working to conserve a million acres of forestland.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 25, 2023
Maine game wardens rescued a boy who fractured his leg in a fall on Tumbledown Mountain Sunday afternoon, calling in a Maine Forest Service helicopter to get him off the mountain. Kyle Lund, 15, of Dixfield, was hiking off trail with a friend on a steep section of Tumbledown near the Loop Trail when he slipped and fell about 60 feet and sustained a compound fracture of his left leg.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 25, 2023
Acadia National Park is in the midst of testing electric buses on its Island Explorer bus routes. The 32 buses in Acadia's Island Explorer fleet carry as many as 650,000 passengers annually. Since 1999, they've been powered by propane, in an effort to reduce emissions. This month, the National Park Service is taking the first step toward electric buses, testing out models by two different manufacturers in a pilot project supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Transportation. The early results are promising.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 25, 2023
There are not a lot of similarities between Maine and the city of Winter Park, Florida. However, the pros and cons of community-owned power are likely the same. During a voter referendum in Winter Park the investor-owned utility spent $523,750 on a campaign against the purchase filled with strong predictions of failure and potential bankruptcy, but 69% voted in favor of the purchase. Since the purchase, our rates have consistently been lower. We have run over 70% of the system underground and expect to be 100% by 2030. Our reliability numbers are 75% better than when we took over, and the need for drastic tree trimming has been eliminated. Our hurricane response has been some of the best in the region. We recently received an upgrade to AA- from Fitch Ratings. Overall, a huge success. More recently, we have begun investing in renewable energy. Winter Park’s success does not guarantee it is right for Maine but don’t let the investor-owned utility scare tactics be a deciding factor. ~ Randy Knight, city manager, Winter Park, Florida
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 25, 2023
The Katahdin region – packed with rugged mountains, serene woods and wild waterways – is one of our crown jewels. Yet we may be about to risk the health of this ecosystem forever to let a Canadian company try to earn a few dollars in the short term. In Bangor on Oct. 23 and in Millinocket on Oct. 16, 17 and 18, the state’s Land Use Planning Commission is set to hold public hearings about this company’s application to rezone Pickett Mountain (about nine miles from Patten, on land that, at present, is sensibly zoned for small cabins) for an industrial mining operation. There are more riches, metaphorical and literal, to be had in preserving this land than there is in letting some corporation tear it apart. ~ Joshua Jackson, Brunswick
ASSOCIATED PRESS • September 25, 2023
Six Portuguese young adults and children between 11 and 24 years of age are due on Wednesday at the European Court of Human Rights, where they are accusing 32 European governments of violating their human rights for what they say is a failure to adequately address climate change. It's the first climate change case filed with the court and could compel action to significantly slash emissions and build cleaner infrastructure. Victory for them in Strasbourg would be a powerful instance of young people taking a legal route to force their governments to adopt a radical recalibration of their climate measures. The court's rulings are legally binding on member countries, and failure to comply makes authorities liable for hefty fines decided by the court. The courts are increasingly seen by activists as a way of sidestepping politics and holding governments to account. Last month, in a case brought by young environmental activists, a judge in the U.S. state of Montana ruled that state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by allowing fossil fuel development.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 25, 2023
LS Power wanted to minimize the risk of their multi-billion-dollar bid for a 160-mile transmission line that would bring wind power through Aroostook County and onto the New England grid. So they asked the Maine Legislature in March to approve the project, and by June they received it. The approval was required under provisions of the citizen initiative passed by voters in 2021 that also had aimed, unsuccessfully, to derail another large project — a Central Maine Power Co. affiliate’s hydropower line through western Maine. Some Republican lawmakers questioned whether more information, including the final route for the project, should be submitted first. The companies behind the Aroostook Renewable Gateway project are LS Power of New York, which intends to build the 345 kilovolt transmission line, and Longroad Energy’s King Pine Wind of Massachusetts, which is responsible for the 170 wind turbine array that would be able to generate 1,000 kilowatts of energy to run through the transmission line. Both companies still must get various local, state and municipal permits. The project is being billed as the largest of its kind on the east coast. Longroad is owned by two New Zealand companies.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 25, 2023
A dispute over the labeling of products made from dairy versus nuts and other alternatives keeps churning, and two big-name Maine politicians are in the fight. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King joined six colleagues in signing a letter sent to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf urging him to prevent “dairy imitation products” from using terms like milk, cheese and yogurt on labels. This labeling dispute has played out at the federal level for years, with dairy farmers and producers arguing plant-based or cell-based products cloud the meaning of “milk.” King and Collins have previously called out alternative milk producers in the past for using that term. It is an example of how dairy farms continue to hold cultural sway in states including Maine, where the struggling industry has gone from nearly 4,600 farms in 1954 to well under 200 now. At the same time, the alternative milk industry is on the rise, with one estimate saying the market is expected to more than double globally through 2030.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 25, 2023
Katahdin, Maine’s tallest peak, has long been a source of awe and adoration. With its rocky peaks, sharp ridges and boulder-filled slides, it towers over the forest, a granite giant at the heart of Maine. I have hiked the mountain many times, and the experience never gets old. Nor does it get any easier. I’ve learned some interesting things about the mountain’s history and habitats. 1. Katahdin rises 5,267 feet above sea level, just 13 feet shy of a mile. Near the summit of the mountain, a giant rock pile is said to reach that mile-high mark. 2. The alpine area on top of Katahdin is home to the Katahdin arctic butterfly that’s found nowhere else on Earth. 3. The name “Katahdin” is an Abenaki word that roughly translates to “greatest mountain.” 4. More than 60 people have died on Katahdin since the first known death in Baxter State Park was recorded in 1933. 5. Katahdin was purchased by former Maine Gov. Percival Baxter in 1930. A year later, he donated it to the state of Maine with the condition that it remain “forever wild.” 6. Black bears have been spotted near the top of Katahdin, feasting on wild blueberries, crowberries, cranberries and bilberries. 7. In July of 1939, 12-year-old Donn Fendler became lost while hiking with his family on Katahdin. He wandered alone for nine days before he stumbled upon a remote camp about 35 miles from where he’d gone missing. 8. There are several ways to hike Katahdin. 9. A Penobscot Indian entity called Pamola dwells on Katahdin. It has the head of a moose, large wings and the feet of a bird. 10. The top of Katahdin is the northern terminus of the National Scenic Appalachian Trail, a 2,190-mile footpath that spans from Georgia to Maine.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 25, 2023
The Maine woods are a treasure, world-famous and locally beloved. In the Katahdin region alone, we have a paradise for hunters, anglers, hikers, birders, cyclists, paddlers, mountain bikers, ATV and snowmobile enthusiasts, backcountry skiers, snowshoers and anybody who knows the simple joy of taking a breath in a quiet forest for a minute. It’s disheartening that there is a serious proposal on the table to allow a Canadian company to develop a mine here. After Wolfden Resources already submitted an application once and withdrew it because of errors and inconsistencies, it’s once again asking the state’s Land Use Planning Commission to allow it to rezone Pickett Mountain for mining. The LUPC will hold public hearings — in Bangor on Oct. 23 and Millinocket on Oct. 16-18. Mainers who are able should attend, and all of us who love the Maine wilderness should write WolfdenRezoning.LUPC@Maine.gov to let our opinions be known. ~ Joshua W. Jackson, Brunswick
WASHINGTON POST • September 24, 2023
In March 2022, temperatures near the eastern coast of Antarctica spiked 70 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) above normal – making it the most intense recorded heat wave to occur anywhere on Earth, according to a recent study. At the time, researchers on-site were wearing shorts and some even removed their shirts to bask in the (relative) warmth. Scientists elsewhere said such a high in that region of the world was unthinkable. “It’s possible that climate change influenced the atmospheric dynamics like the tropical convection anomalies that led to the heat wave, but this is very difficult to quantify these things,” Meteorologist Jonathan Wille said. Edward Blanchard-Wrigglesworth, an atmospheric scientist, said more heat waves like this in Antarctica in a warmer world could have dire effects on the ice sheet.
SUN JOURNAL • September 24, 2023
Walking audits are planned for several Auburn neighborhoods Tuesday and Wednesday to identify projects to improve walkability and pedestrian and traffic safety. The Auburn Age-Friendly Community Committee received an AARP Foundation grant for areas qualifying for assessment: The downtown/Great Falls Plaza area and the Washburn neighborhood at the intersection of Turner and Dennison streets. Senior and youth safety are the priorities.
MAINE MONITOR • September 24, 2023
It was an audacious plan. Build a major marine terminal in Casco Bay for supertankers to unload crude oil into a pipeline running underground from Portland to a 250,000 gallon-a-day oil refinery in Sanford, 36 miles away. Petroleum products would then be piped to southern New England. The idea may sound unbelievable in 2023. But the need for an oil refinery in Maine seemed obvious to many in 1973, and was reinforced 50 years ago when the state received a startling wakeup call. An attack on Israel started the Yom Kippur War. President Richard Nixon’s decision to give Israel emergency financial aid prompted OPEC to retaliate by cutting off oil exports to the U.S. and Europe. Suddenly, Mainers discovered their way of life threatened by their dependence on energy from unfriendly countries, as the carefree era of cheap petroleum came to a screeching halt. And few parts of the country were as vulnerable as Maine.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • September 24, 2023
Experience two seasons at once on Kingsbury Pond – late summer warmth combined with the soft golden light of early autumn. The northern shoreline has cottages along it, but for the most part the southern shoreline is undeveloped, featuring an unbroken line of evergreens and birch. Once you get out into the open water from the Kingsbury boat launch – located about 30 miles south of Moosehead Lake and 9 miles east of Bingham – you will notice the massive white turbines of the Bingham Wind Farm along the ridgelines to the north. With 56 turbines this is currently the largest wind farm in New England. ~ Michael Perry
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • September 24, 2023
If you need to buy a waterfowl stamp or a permit don’t complain; you’re doing your part to support wildlife conservation. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “For every dollar you spend on Federal Duck Stamps, ninety-eight cents goes directly to purchase vital habitat or acquire conservation easements for protection in the National Wildlife Refuge System.” Like the duck stamps, in Maine some of the money from antlerless deer permits goes toward conservation, specifically, acquisition and management of deer wintering areas, which are a critical and often lacking habitat component in northern and eastern Maine. With a few limited exceptions, hunters and anglers fund the bulk of wildlife conservation. ~ Bob Humphrey
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • September 24, 2023
Maine’s mandatory 45% cut in greenhouse-gas emissions looms, and the Advanced Clean Trucks program is necessary for the state to hit this target. Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, while only comprising around 5% of the vehicles on our roads, contribute more than a quarter of climate-damaging transportation emissions. The Advanced Clean Trucks rule will never force a Maine business to purchase a particular vehicle. Instead, it sets a standard for manufacturers. Under the rule, Maine would gradually transition to clean vehicles over the next decade – only 15% of trucks on the road in 2035 would be zero-emission. This means that our loggers and long-haulers can continue using the trucks they trust for years to come, while proven electric vehicles like delivery vans, school buses and refuse trucks can be on a faster track to clean air and cost savings. ~ Emily Green, Conservation Law Foundation
