This family hike has a story walk and unique surprises

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 13, 2023

Law Farm Nature Trails in Dover-Foxcroft has a pollinator garden, a plantation of young chestnut trees and a story walk that disappears into the woods. Steven and Elaine Law purchased the property in 1945, and deeded it to the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District in 2009. They wanted to place it in the hands of an organization that could manage the forest and teach others about the importance of our natural resources. Since then, PCSWCD has transformed the land into an outdoor learning space.

Refrigeration chemicals are a nightmare for the climate. Experts say alternatives must spread fast

ASSOCIATED PRESS • October 13, 2023

Refrigerants leaking out of an air conditioning system, they are highly destructive to the Earth’s sensitive atmosphere. They’re “the most potent greenhouse gases known to modern science,” as one research paper put it and they’re growing fast. One of the most common ones, with the unfriendly name R-410A, is 2,088 times more damaging to the climate than carbon dioxide, which comes from burning coal and gasoline. So an essential way that people are staying cool is making the world hotter and more unstable. The need to minimize refrigerant leaks has spurred a reuse and reclamation industry. Refrigerants can be used many times over and can last for 30 years. Refrigerant that cannot be reused goes through a very high-temperature process called pyrolysis so the gases are destroyed. Business is booming.

Sunny skies for Saturday’s partial solar eclipse in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 13, 2023

Maine may just luck out this weekend, with fair conditions expected for viewing the partial solar eclipse that will cross over the state on Saturday. You will need eclipse glasses to see the partial eclipse. [It starts at 12:18 pm and ends at 2:31 pm.]

Here's how a Saco startup is making single-use food containers from wood fiber

MAINE PUBLIC • October 13, 2023

A new sustainable packaging manufacturer began production in Maine this week. Tanbark's molded fiber material — which uses ingredients taken from pulp mills — could offer the restaurant industry an alternative to single-use packaging. Tanbark's newly opened facility in Saco currently has two machines producing its molded fiber packaging material. Chief Operating Officer Ben Fogg says the material is made from tree fibers and is far more eco-friendly than plastic.

A $30M expansion at an East Boothbay lab aims to help ‘heal the planet’

SPECTRUM NEWS • October 13, 2023

The expansion of a lab in East Boothbay will help scientists find ways to address the damage done by climate change, the president of the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences said Thursday. “This work has never been more important,” said Deborah Bronk, president and CEO. “When it comes to looking at the ocean and climate change it is all about the microbes. They will determine how the ocean responds to a changing climate and they are our greatest tool at trying to address the damage that’s been done to the ocean and to try to heal the planet.” Bronk’s remarks came at the official groundbreaking for a new 25,000-square-foot Center for Ocean Education and Innovation that’s supported by a $12 million federal grant, $9 million from donors and $8 million from the Harold Alfond Foundation.

Humans may be the ultimate invasive. This Maine scientist sees a better path ahead

MAINE PUBLIC • October 13, 2023

Some scientists say that the most destructive invasive species are humans. Wildlife populations have plunged over the past few decades, with experts pointing to human-caused climate change, pollution, and natural resource exploitation as the drivers of much of that trend. In a 2021 study, University of Maine Associate Professor Jacquelyn Gill, and several other researchers, found that humans have reshaped nearly every corner of the globe for at least 12,000 years. But Gill told Maine Public's Robbie Feinberg that while human activity has caused substantial environmental damage, she sees a path forward — if we change how we interact with nature. “We should be really focusing on changing how we think about our own role in nature, and move towards relationships based on reciprocity, kinship and stewardship relationships, rather than extractive ones.“

Factory fishing in Antarctica for krill targets the cornerstone of a fragile ecosystem

ASSOCIATED PRESS • October 13, 2023

While krill fishing is banned in U.S. waters due to concerns it could impact whales, seals and other animals that feed on the shrimp-like creatures, it’s been taking place for decades in Antarctica, where krill are most abundant. Scientists warn the fishery is at a critical juncture and in urgent need of stricter controls. But action is mired in geopolitical wrangling as Russia and China look to quickly expand the catch. Dominating the global supply chain is a Norwegian company responsible for about 70% of the global krill catch by volume. The bulk of the harvest ends up in tiny pellets used in fish pens around the world. Capt. Peter Hammarstedt of Sea Shepherd Global says, “Most people know sustainability when they see it, and it does not look like a fleet of ships traveling thousands of miles, to the bottom of the world, to take out the very building block of life in the Antarctic ecosystem for products we simply do not need.”

Opinion: For our coastal counties, Maine’s working waterfront is crucial to our economic prosperity

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • October 13, 2023

Washington County needs more than just lobster to have a thriving economy. Industries like rockweed harvesting can play a big role. Among its many commercial uses, rockweed can be a key ingredient in eco-friendly garden fertilizers and used to make crops more resistant to climate change and less reliant on petroleum-based fertilizers. It is also a nutritional additive in food for pets and livestock, which improves animal gut health. Rockweed can be sustainably harvested and provide a solid income. Opposition from some environmental groups is ironic given the proven environmental benefits of rockweed when used commercially. It’s also not based on the science. ~ Sen. Marianne Moore (R), Calais

Commentary: Question 3 aims to fix what’s wrong with CMP, Versant

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 13, 2023

The core issue of Question 3 is not what’s wrong with a company that doesn’t yet exist, but what’s wrong with Central Maine Power and Versant Power – so wrong that they need to be replaced for the good of Maine people. Two big things are wrong with them. Their rates are too high and their reliability is too low. And they’ve had plenty of time to fix both and haven’t. Question 3 starts a process, one with many fail-safes along the way to the final transfer. CMP and Versant want to kill any hope of lower rates and better service. Pine Tree Power offers a chance of at last bringing Maine up to national standards. ~ Gordon L. Weil was Maine’s first Public Advocate and headed the state energy office

Letter: Pine Tree Power is a radical and costly experiment

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 13, 2023

Question 3 (Pine Tree Power) in the upcoming election is a shaky proposition that raises more questions than it answers. Nobody knows exactly how much it will cost. Most agree it will take billions of dollars to buy out the electric utilities. If adopted, it will likely take between five and 10 years of litigation to sort out legal issues, according to Maine’s Office of Public Advocate. What happens in the meantime? I am voting “no” on Question 3. ~ Bill Roche, Portland

Be careful doing fall yard work to avoid this rash

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 13, 2023

It’s the time of year when Mainers are cleaning up yard debris before the first snows come, but homeowners should be cautious. Those toxic little hairs from browntail moth caterpillars could be hiding in the leaves and grass. Raking and mowing could stir them up and the hairs could get on skin and cause a rash similar to poison ivy.

Letter: Mainers face major question about electricity supply net

SUN JOURNAL • October 13, 2023

In November we are facing a major question about who controls and operates our electricity supply net. The point is raised by our governor that the proposed board to oversee the electricity net operators would be another layer of control, a burden on the consumers. This is a short-sighted view. The point of this whole exercise is to put the profits in the hands of Maine residents, who are also the customers, instead of the overseas conglomerate. The Public Utilities Commission has not shown that it is truly representing Maine residents’ interests. Electricity supply nets are a very profitable business. Why do people think Central Maine Power’s front PR company has spent over $15 million, so far, fighting this proposal? ~ Peter van Oosten, Greene

Letter: Pine Tree Power is ‘politically initiated endeavor’

SUN JOURNAL • October 13, 2023

Pine Tree Power is a political ploy. It is to become a platform for Southern New England’s quest for “clean energy.” This, along with the billion-dollar-plus Aroostook Wind/Transmission project would be the bankruptcy of Maine’s electricity consumers. ~ Clayton McKay, Dixfield

Letter: Youth hunting days offer ‘a great opportunity’

SUN JOURNAL • October 13, 2023

I am an avid deer hunter and the House Republican lead on the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. I am pleased that we were able to pass a law to expand Youth Hunting Day into two days on Oct. 20 and 21. This is a great opportunity for young people to get introduced to deer hunting. A youth hunter will be allowed to get a buck or a doe. ~ Rep. Rick Mason, Lisbon

Forty percent of Antarctica’s ice shelves are shrinking, worrying scientists

WASHINGTON POST • October 12, 2023

More than 40% of Antarctica’s ice shelves have dwindled in the past 25 years, potentially accelerating sea-level rise by allowing more land ice to flow into the ocean, according to new research released Thursday. The extent of ice shelves thinning is more widespread than previously thought, the results show, providing increasing evidence that the continent is feeling the effects of higher global temperatures. The Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are responsible for more than one-third of the total sea-level rise in recent decades.

Planning Board OKs public hearings on Lake Auburn watershed changes

SUN JOURNAL • October 12, 2023

A series of recommended changes to Lake Auburn watershed rules, including a new septic system ordinance and recognizing a new watershed boundary, will receive public hearings next month. It’s unclear what impact the proposed changes, and work produced by the ad hoc committee, will have on the ongoing litigation between the city of Lewiston and the Auburn Water District.

Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust voted best farmers market in Maine

TIMES RECORD • October 12, 2023

The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust Saturday farmers market at Crystal Spring Farm was voted the “Best Farmers Market in Maine” in this year’s National Farmers Market Celebration hosted by the American Farmland Trust and the Farmers Market Coalition. Established in 1999 to advance the land trust’s mission of supporting local agriculture, the market hosts over 30 local vendors and is one of the largest of the 115 summer farmers markets in the state. The location of the farmers market, Crystal Spring Farm, is a 331-acre example of successful mixed-use land with public-access trails, working farmland, valuable habitat for countless wildlife and plant species, a thriving community garden, and more, all conserved forever.

Column: Sustainable home energy strategies

TIMES RECORD • October 12, 2023

Heat pumps are often much less powerful; they
can keep you very comfortable all winter if all they have to do is keep indoor air at the right temperature. But if your house lets outdoor cold air come right through, replacing your oil boiler with electric heat pumps might leave you feeling a little chilly. A sustainable home energy strategy is not to waste energy by installing more powerful heat pumps but rather solve the problem of cold air blowing through your home. Mainers are switching from heating oil to electric heating much faster than anticipated. If done well, this home energy transition can save us money, improve our comfort, and protect our health and well-being. ~ Fred Horch

Scientists count huge melts in many protective Antarctic ice shelves. Trillions of tons of ice lost.

ASSOCIATED PRESS • October 12, 2023

Four dozen Antarctic ice shelves have shrunk by at least 30% since 1997 and 28 of those have lost more than half of their ice in that time, reports a new study that surveyed these crucial “gatekeepers’’ between the frozen continent’s massive glaciers and open ocean. Scientists worry that climate change-triggered melt from Antarctica and Greenland will cause dangerous and significant sea rise over many decades and centuries.

Maine Calling: Phytoplankton and Ocean Health

MAINE PUBLIC • October 12, 2023

Phytoplankton are tiny, microscopic marine organisms, but they loom large in the health of our ocean ecosystems. They provide food to many of the sea's creatures, and they also consume carbon dioxide. But when their growth gets out of control, it leads to dangerous algal blooms. Learn how researchers study phytoplankton to learn about ocean health.