Opinion: We can electrify the economy without leaving workers behind

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 16, 2023

The U.S. economy is in the early stages of an once-in-a-lifetime shift from an economy powered by fossil fuels. To prevent catastrophic climate change, we have to switch quickly to electric vehicles and appliances fueled by renewable energy. But it shouldn’t come at the expense of good-paying jobs – and it doesn’t have to. Workers have legitimate reasons to worry that as automakers shift to EVs they will shut down internal combustion engine and transmission plants and replace them with low-wage battery factory jobs. But an agreement with GM shows that is a choice, and that tackling climate change by shifting to a zero-emission economy does not have to mean leaving workers behind. ~ LA Times Editorial

Do you think you’ve seen a wolf or a mountain lion in Maine?

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 16, 2023

Debate rages about whether or not wolves are in Maine. Do you think you’ve seen a wolf in Maine? And, even more controversially, do you think you’ve seen a mountain lion — another apex predator, extirpated from the state close to a century ago? Send an email to BDN outdoors editor jharris@bangordailynews.com with your experiences having possibly spotted a wolf or a mountain lion in Maine.

A new land purchase will protect nearly 29,000 acres in Maine's 100-Mile Wilderness

MAINE PUBLIC • October 15, 2023

After a new land purchase, the Appalachian Mountain Club is permanently protecting nearly 130,000 contiguous acres of forestland in Maine's 100-Mile Wilderness. On Thursday, the group announced the purchase -- with the Conservation Fund -- of the nearly 29,000-acre Barnard Forest, which is adjacent to more than 100,000 acres it already holds. The AMC purchased the northern half of the Barnard Forest outright. The Conservation Fund purchased the southern half with the Malone Family Land Preservation Foundation, and the two groups plan to raise funds to eventually grant the AMC full ownership.

Cancer survivors paddle in Norway for therapy and increased awareness

SUN JOURNAL • October 15, 2023

The Lakeside Norway boat dock at 61 Lake Road is where the vessel of the Maine Dragon Boat Club calls home. The club held its final paddle of the season Saturday while teaming up with Cancer Resource Center of Western Maine to promote breast cancer awareness. Roughly a dozen women donning pink scarves, boas, leis, fleeces and other flourishes signaling breast cancer awareness attended the event. For her rehabilitation from cancer surgery and treatment, Sarah Cummings has spent most of her time in the water rather than on it, she said. Swimming has been therapeutic, she said, but added that she’s also a fan of paddling now. “I can see how this would be good too.”

As Maine warms, scientists search for tree species that will keep its forests growing

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 15, 2023

Through natural seed dispersal, forests can travel about a tenth of a mile every year. But the wind, water and animals that help them on their way cannot carry the seeds far enough to keep up with today’s rapidly warming climate, which is shifting 4 to 6 miles north each year. That gap has severe implications for Maine, the most heavily forested state in the nation, conservation biologist Aleta McKeage said. Our forests are not only essential to wildlife and water quality, they absorb 60% of our carbon emissions and support an industry. “We need to start planting these [heat-tolerant] trees now, or we’re going to have a barren landscape within decades.”

Leave the crowds behind this fall at The Quiet Side of Acadia National Park

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 15, 2023

If you’re looking to hike to some vistas in Acadia in fall and want to avoid crowds at the popular trails and peaks, consider heading to the part of the park known to locals as The Quiet Side. Technically, it’s the area west of Somes Sound, but the mountains just east of the sound tend to be less crowded, as well.

Betting on broccoli to boost Maine’s farming economy and food availability

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 15, 2023

In the summer of 2020, Harvesting Good, a fledgling, wholly owned subsidiary of Good Shepherd, had a multimillion-dollar plan to fortify Maine’s agricultural economy. It would help farmers grow more food and establish a midsize processing facility – the only one in New England – to handle their harvests. All profits from the public benefit corporation would support 600 local food pantries served by the nonprofit food bank. Harvesting Good is an extension of the Mainers Feeding Mainers program, which contracts with 95 Maine farms to provide 2 million pounds of fresh produce to food pantries. Harvesting Good’s goal is to break even within five years and eventually generate $20 million to $25 million in sales annually.

Column: Keep your hummingbird feeder

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 15, 2023

The tide is turning and activity at bird feeders is picking up again. As dropping temperatures kill off the late flying insects, and fruit-bearing shrubs get picked over, birds will return to supplementing their diet with food from feeders. If you are still in a feeder bird drought, be patient! Take the opportunity to clean your feeders, especially your hummingbird feeder, and keep it up for a few more weeks. A common misconception about keeping hummingbird feeders up is that “it keeps them from migrating” but almost the exact opposite is true: it may be the last bit of fuel they need. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox

Column: Cha-ching! The Steller’s sea eagle made a tangible economic impact on Maine

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 15, 2023

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that birdwatching adds $96 billion to the U.S economy each year and provides 782,000 jobs. I think most Maine birders would agree that the Steller’s sea eagle that spent parts of the last two winters here is the bird of the century so far. The eagle was first confirmed in Maine at Five Islands on Dec. 30, 2021. The bird stayed in the Georgetown/Boothbay region until early March 2022. The eagle appeared again in Maine last winter on Feb. 4, and remained until early March, attracting lots of birders. Researchers estimate birders who traveled to Maine in the winter of 2021-22 to see the rare bird contributed $380,604 and $476,626 to the economies of Maine and Massachusetts. This value is a low estimate for Maine since it does not include the winter of 2023 or February and March 2022. ~ Herb Wilson

Column: Whatever you call it, the ruffed grouse makes for a popular hunt

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 15, 2023

Most Maine outdoor folks know the difference between a grouse and a partridge. Taxonomically they are one and the same, but if a bird flushes wildly it’s called a grouse; and if it stays on the ground and wanders off on foot it’s a partridge. The ruffed grouse was the king of Maine game birds until the re-introduction of wild turkeys. ~ Bob Humphrey

Opinion: Calls for aggressive housing development miss bigger picture

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 15, 2023

This newspaper, under the guise of objective journalism, recently published two pieces that I believe leave it in lockstep with every developer, real estate agent and speculative investor. The first (“Maine needs 84,000 new homes in the next 7 years, report finds,” Oct. 4) is a summary of a report by HR&A Advisors, a New York City-based real estate and economic development firm. To HR&A, the answer to every problem is more development. Why are Maine agencies commissioning a New York City consulting firm to guide our development? Do we want southern Maine to be more like suburban Long Island? The second piece, the editorial board’s position of last Sunday (“Our View: Communities must step up on housing – or step aside,” Oct. 8), was even more brazen. Rampant, unguided development will attract more and more out-of-staters, drive up taxes, crowd out schools, congest roadways and further degrade the Maine way of life. ~ Jeremy Doxsee, South Portland, holds a master’s of community planning and development

Letter: Work remains, but U.S. freight rail leads the way

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 15, 2023

Re: “Freight railroads police themselves and inspect their own tracks. Some say a disaster is inevitable.” (Oct. 8): Mainers should be confident in freight railroads to safely move goods. The industry must further reduce incidents and upgrade infrastructure, but the U.S. maintains the top freight rail network in the world, made possible by billions in private capital annually. Ultimately, railroads take freight off highways, are environmentally efficient and serve vital industries. ~ Ian Jefferies, Association of American Railroads

Could these be wolf pups in northern Maine?

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 15, 2023

There has long been debate about whether Maine has any resident wolves. People have reported a few sightings over the last few decades, but the state remains skeptical. The Maine Wolf Coalition has submitted photographic evidence of individual animals that could be wolves, but biologists consistently say there are no breeding wolf populations in the state. John Glowa of the Maine Wolf Coalition sent this video on Friday of what he describes as a possible adult male and four of his offspring at an undisclosed location in northern Maine. Enjoy the short video, and decide for yourself.

Frustrations overflow after lake group tries to keep Tripp Pond water levels high

SUN JOURNAL • October 15, 2023

For more than two years high water levels in Tripp Pond, also known as Tripp Lake, have flooded and damaged properties, leaving docks underwater, eroding and washing away beaches and opening the possibility of septic systems leaching untreated sewage into the lake. Some residents say they are considering lawsuits to help pay for the damage. Despite a second consecutive summer of high water and flooding, members of the Tripp Lake Improvement Association insisted the water levels were “dangerously low” and took extreme measures to ensure water levels remained elevated. The disagreement between those who view the water as too high and those who see it as too low has erupted into a fight over the lake’s health, erosion of long-standing beaches and whether the lake’s improvement association overstepped its bounds by installing bladders to dam the water without landowner permission. State environmental officials were forced to step in.

What to do about pesky beavers at Tripp Pond?

SUN JOURNAL • October 15, 2023

Beavers started the initial high-water problems on Tripp Pond, and wildlife officials say they are very likely to return. In anticipation of that, the Tripp Lake Improvement Association has advocated for the use of a “beaver deceiver” at the outlet of the lake. Scott Lindsay, a biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, explained why the device is not a workable solution for Tripp Pond. “I would say your best bet is to have some active beaver management in there,” he said. “That includes trapping. It doesn’t mean there’s a goal to eliminate them, but you can always know that they’re there and what they’re doing.”

Opinion: Technological fixes or stopping the use of fossil fuels?

SUN JOURNAL • October 15, 2023

What role should technology play in ending the climate crisis? The world needs to move away from oil and gas and use instead renewable fuels like solar, geothermal and wind. At the same time, technologies do exist to help mitigate climate change which the fossil fuel industry says is the solution to climate change. Technology enhances our capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. The answer to the question is to use both technologies and to stop the burning of fossil fuels. ~ Rev. Richard Killmer is a retired Presbyterian minister; Anders Corey, Killmer’s grandson, is a senior at Bates College

Editorial: Pine Tree Power not the answer to Maine’s utility challenges

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 13, 2023

The documented failures of the utilities are not enough by themselves to warrant a “yes” vote on Question 3. A “yes” vote demands more assurances that no unforeseen problems would take the place of the problems we want to be rid of. If not Pine Tree Power, then what? Gov. Mills and the Legislature must prove themselves capable of putting new pressure on CMP and Versant, with real penalties applying when they fall short as they have in the past. There’s not enough evidence that Pine Tree Power would be an improvement on what we have now. For that reason, we endorse a “no” on Question 3. It is the latest instance of a large private owner restricting access to land that has traditionally been open to public use for recreation.

Column: Blood trackers provide best shot at recovering injured animals

SUN JOURNAL • October 14, 2023

In many cases, recovering wounded game — whether deer, bear or moose — is no easy thing. As a hunter, do you have a contingency plan? There is professional help available. The Maine chapter of the United Blood Trackers (UBT) comprises seasoned, licensed trackers who, with the help of their trained tracking dogs, will help you find your critter. All they ask for their services is a thank you and perhaps a tip to help defray the cost of gas. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

Logging company bars hunters from driving through Katahdin Iron Works

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 14, 2023

Moose hunters were surprised this week to find several new gates blocking vehicle access to Katahdin Iron Works land. Logging company Pine State Timber is closing 95 percent of its 30,000 acres to vehicle traffic because of thefts, damage to equipment and destruction of roads, according to Seth Roope, forester and land manager for the company. The company has not restricted foot traffic or hunting at this point, although the property likely will be leased to one entity for bear hunting, he said. Public hunting will be restricted to the high bridge area with foot traffic only. 

Why you should be lazy and leave the leaves in your yard

WASHINGTON POST • October 14, 2023

As leaves begin to blanket yards across the country this fall, many might be tempted to clear away the crunchy foliage. Not so fast, experts say. “The fallen leaf layer is actually really important wildlife habitat,” said David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation, a nonprofit conservation organization. “All sorts of creatures rely on that for their survival as a place where they can find food and cover, and in many cases even complete their life cycle.” But experts say you don’t have to let a thick layer of leaves carpet your entire yard to help support the environment.