Column: Want to converse with hunters? Know their language

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • November 19, 2023

This installment is intended mainly for non-hunters who wish to communicate more effectively with hunters, or new deer hunters who don’t want to make their status too obvious. Let’s start with the basics. One does not catch a deer, or a duck or a turkey.. Acceptable terms include: get, shoot, kill, bag or harvest. A male deer is a buck, a female, a doe. A young deer, less than 1, is a fawn. Only bucks (note: the plural for both sexes includes an “s”) sport antlers, which hunters sometimes refer to as horns. Technically, they’re not horns; let it go. Don’t ask, “Did you get your deer yet?” That’s a bit of an inside joke among deer hunters and a sure tip-off you are not one. ~ Bob Humphrey

Column: Island hopping from Kittery to Acadia

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • November 19, 2023

Among the Maine coast are 2,400 islands. Here’s a look at seven of those island gems that are easily accessible year-round and feature nice hiking trails and lots of scenic, salty beauty.
• Kittery - The Cutts Island Trail meanders for nearly 2 miles through the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge.
• Biddeford - Timber Island is accessible by a gravel bar at low tide from Timber Point. Follow the universal trail 1.4 miles to an observation platform at the point’s end.
• Falmouth - A “sanctuary for wild beasts and birds,” a popular 1.5-mile trail loops around Mackworth Island.
• Georgetown - The Billie Todd Loop and Lichen Loop wind for 1.2 miles over the pretty peak of Higgins Mountain.
• Harpswell - The Devil’s Back Trails on Orr’s Island have a 2.5-mile system that threads a scenic route along Long Cove to the west and Gun Point Cove to the east.
• Verona - A 1-mile loop leads through fields and woods to lovely water views at the 25-acre Joost Family Preserve.
• Mount Desert Island - Maine’s largest island is home to a 31,000-acre chunk of Acadia National Park, 150 miles of trails, and some of the most spectacular coastal scenery anywhere on the planet.

New wastewater plan makes a splash in Lewiston and Auburn

SUN JOURNAL • November 19, 2023

When heavy rainfall overwhelms Lewiston-Auburn’s wastewater system, there’s only one place to relieve the pressure: the Androscoggin River. Last year, 52 million gallons of untreated, diluted sewage went into the river. Despite years of trying to separate the Twin Cities’ stormwater and sewerage systems to address the issue, in some places the systems remain combined. For that reason, heavy rain events — which are expected to be more frequent with climate change — can add millions of gallons of unintended rainwater to the treatment plant’s load, overwhelming the cities’ wastewater facilities. The Lewiston-Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority has determined the site of a large holding tank that will collect sewage and stormwater overflow during heavy rainfall to help prevent it from going into the Androscoggin River.

Ecomaine gets $2 million grant to promote recycling among residents of multifamily homes

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 18, 2023

Ecomaine, a Portland recycling and waste-to-energy facility that serves 74 communities, has received a $2 million federal grant to promote recycling among apartment dwellers and residents of other multifamily homes in Maine. The grant from the Environmental Protection Agency will support Ecomaine’s “effort to increase Maine’s recycling rate through outreach to residents of multifamily dwelling units.”

Low water levels at upper portion of Lewiston Falls due to vandalism

SUN JOURNAL • November 18, 2023

Rubber bladders designed to alter water levels at the Lewiston Falls dam were vandalized in early October. Brookfield White Pine Hydro is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the vandals. Brookfield has since increased security by adding razor wire, metal mesh, additional cameras and additional security patrols. A temporary flashboard system has since been installed which will keep levels at about 6 inches lower than normal.

Unity adopts moratorium on high-voltage power lines as it codifies opposition to power corridor

MORNING SENTINEL • November 17, 2023

Residents voted at a special town meeting Thursday to adopt a 180-day moratorium on high-voltage power lines in town, making Unity the latest to codify its opposition to a proposed transmission corridor expected to cost in excess of $1 billion. The vote was unanimous among the roughly 45 residents at the meeting. Ten other towns have taken similar steps. LS Power, a Missouri-based utility, plans to connect energy generated by wind farms in Aroostook County with consumers in southern Maine and Massachusetts. The project would require a transmission corridor extending approximately 150 miles into central Maine. Residents are concerned that the power lines would decrease property values and fracture areas by cutting through farmland and forests.

At talks on cutting plastics pollution, plastic credits are on the table. What are they?

ASSOCIATED PRESS • November 17, 2023

Two groups that want reduced plastics production published a report Friday highly critical of plastic credits, calling them a flawed tool that won’t help with worldwide pollution from the material. The groups – Break Free From Plastic and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives – said the credits often amount to corporate greenwashing.

USDA plant hardiness map shows a warming Maine

MAINE PUBLIC • November 17, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday issued its new plant hardiness map for farmers and gardeners, and it reflects a warming climate. It had not been updated for 11 years. State horticulturist Gary Fish says the map confirms the warming trends that growers have observed, and will allow some plants to thrive in new areas. "There's a lot of things that you can grow in some parts of Maine, like peaches and cherries and even paw paws, and those will be more easily grown and not winter-killed as often further inland in Maine," he says. But Fish says the warmer temperatures are also allowing invasive species, such as the hemlock wooly adelgid, to expand their ranges.

Add these 5 hikes to your list of places where hunting isn’t allowed

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 17, 2023

Throughout November and into December, I make sure to wear plenty of bright colors while sharing the outdoors with the state’s many hunters. I also understand the peace of mind that comes with hiking on properties that are off-limits to hunting during this time of year. Here are some hiking locations that are closed to hunting, scattered throughout Maine:

• Acadia National Park
• Holbrook Island Sanctuary State Park in Brooksville
• Rolland F. Perry City Forest in Bangor
• a good portion of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument near Patten
• Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport
• Cobscook Bay State Park
• Ferry Beach State Park
• Shackford Head State Park
• Reid State Park
• state historic sites or memorials
• Hirundo Wildlife Refuge in Old Town and Alton
• Carter Nature Preserve
• Furth Wildlife and Talalay Nature Sanctuary in Surry
• 6 Coastal Mountains Land Trust preserves: Hodson preserve, Fernalds Neck, Harkness, McPheters, Beauchamp Point and Youngs Neck
• Maine Audubon’s wildlife sanctuaries

Judge dismisses Old Town lawsuits over rats and rooster

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 17, 2023

Two separate lawsuits have been dismissed against Old Town residents accused of keeping a loud rooster and, in the other case, having a nuisance property that allegedly provided food for rats. The city of Old Town sued Joann and Alan Gilbert because they were violating a city ordinance related to nuisance properties, in part by keeping a barrel of corn to feed deer. The city also sued Mona Dougherty because she was keeping a rooster and hens, violating an ordinance that prohibits livestock and poultry in single-family and general residence zoned areas. Both property owners took care of the issues, so Code Enforcement Office Dave Russell requested the lawsuits be dismissed.

King Urges Federal Government to Use Maine Mass Timber for Federal Construction Projects

U.S. SENATOR ANGUS KING • November 17, 2023

U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), co-chair of the Senate Working Forest Caucus, is calling for the utilization of mass timber in federal building projects. In a letter to the Government Services Agency, King and a number of his colleagues questioned the agency about its process on integrating mass timber into the federal procurement process and using low-carbon building materials in the construction and renovation of federal buildings.

Coyote trapping in Cape Elizabeth raises ethical questions among residents

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 17, 2023

A series of coyote traps set up near the popular Greenbelt trails in Cape Elizabeth has alarmed some residents who question whether the practice is necessary and humane. A local farmer says something had to be done to control a large group of coyotes, saying the pack is becoming increasingly brazen and poses a safety threat to animals and young children on her farm. The Eastern coyote expanded its range into Maine in the 1930s and now occupies almost every habitat type. Biologists estimate there are around 15,000 coyotes living in Maine. Each year, 1,200 to 1,500 are killed by trappers. The state does not track the number of coyotes that are hunted because there is an open season and no permit is required.

Skowhegan, Waterville to benefit from new regional tourism strategy

MORNING SENTINEL • November 16, 2023

Efforts to increase tourism in central Maine, and specifically in Skowhegan and Waterville, received a boost Thursday with an announcement that the Maine Office of Tourism is awarding a $484,500 grant. The grant was awarded to the nonprofit organization Main Street Skowhegan, which is to work with other business groups on tourism development strategies. Main Street Skowhegan, along with the Central Maine Growth Council and the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, is expected to develop a unified vision and brand for the Skowhegan and Waterville areas. The groups intend to launch a regional marketing effort.

State is selling more antlerless deer permits today

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 16, 2023

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will open the online portal at 9:30 a.m. today for licensed hunters to purchase another antlerless deer permit. This will be the third opportunity for hunters to get extra any-deer permits in Wildlife Management Districts 22, 23, 24, 25 and 29, which is essentially central and midcoast Maine. Hunters who bought a lottery permit will be able to have four permits total — three extra and one lottery permit — plus a regular license that allows a buck or a doe.

Presumpscot Regional Land Trust director leaves widespread legacy

AMERICAN JOURNAL • November 15, 2023

Under Rachelle Curran Apse’s decade of leadership, the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust has grown exponentially. It has “tripled the acres we’ve conserved, tripled the number of trails that are open to the public across the five towns that we serve, and tripled the number of people who are engaged with the land trust,” Apse said. The trust has conserved nearly 3,000 acres and over 30 miles of trails. After 10 years as the land trust’s executive director, Apse is stepping down next month. Moving into that role will be William Sedlack, most recently with Maine Conservation Voters.

Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust’s new director puts much weight on ‘think globally, act locally’

COASTAL JOURNAL • November 15, 2023

Preserving land and fueling the local food economy are vital missions to ensure the future well-being of Midcoast communities and the entire state, according to the incoming executive director of the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust. “What we do now will shape the towns for the next generations. It’s going to require all hands on deck,” Steve Walker said. “Never has ‘think globally, act locally’ carried more weight than in these times of uncertainty and change.”

Despite pushback from some residents, Phippsburg solar project inches to next step

TIMES RECORD • November 15, 2023

Phippsburg officials have scheduled for next month their first look of the site of a proposed solar array to power a local resort that recently changed hands. The project has met resistance from some locals because it involves clearing about 10 acres of woods along West Point Road. Many questioned whether a solar project in this location would be a net positive for the environment. Ralph Keyes, a former high school science teacher, said he worried that Giri Hotels, a Massachusetts-based hospitality management firm that bought the Harbor Resort in May 2022, was underestimating the value of old-growth forest soils to store carbon.

Letter: Maine is foolish to think investor-owned utilities are a better deal

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 15, 2023

The defeat of Question 3 — which would have replaced investor-owned Central Maine Power and Versant Power with Pine Tree Power, owned by the people it would serve — proves that, if you spend enough money and shout loud enough and often enough, you can fool enough of the people enough of the time. Maine voters, who presently enjoy among the highest electric rates in the country, were persuaded that the investor-owned companies that provide our power today are a better deal for us than a company owned by us. ~ Mark L. Humphrey, Milbridge