Experts disagree on how much pesticide is OK in your potatoes

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 9, 2024

A potato industry conference in Presque Isle was the latest battleground in the ongoing war between pesticide proponents and those who say they taint the food supply. Around 225 growers, vendors and agricultural specialists attended the annual Potato Summit on Jan. 3 and 4, held at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle. Proponents say the Environmental Protection Agency delivers stringent testing to render the food supply safe, while those opposed to pesticide use say even a small amount of residue found on a food sample is too detrimental to people’s health to accept.

Column: Stocking Haymock Lake with lake trout flies in face of preserving wild native fish

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 9, 2024

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife recently published a proposal to stock lake trout in Haymock Lake in the Allagash Region. The goal is to increase lake trout numbers to try to reduce nonnative smelt abundance through predation to protect the lake whitefish population. Lake whitefish are in trouble in Maine with around 50 native populations now listed as extirpated. But lake whitefish are not native to Haymock Lake. MDIF&W acknowledges some number of lake trout stocked in Haymock Lake will find their way into Eagle Lake. In addition to the possibility of genetic swamping, stocking has the risk of introducing hatchery-borne diseases, parasites and viruses, as well as non-target species. Removing from consideration a high quality wild native brook trout water that is just 5 years away from State Heritage Fish designation so we can stock lake trout over wild native lake trout to protect introduced whitefish flies in the face of what our top priority should be, the preservation of wild native fish. ~ Bob Mallard

Why downtown Bangor is teeming with crows

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 9, 2024

Another murder of crows has taken up residence in downtown Bangor this winter — and it’s seemingly bigger than last year’s. While crows have gathered downtown on winter nights for years to stay safe, warm and well-fed, there may be more crows around this year. This could be because the species is seeing a population boom after a virus wiped out many crows in recent years, according to Bob Duchesne, vice president of Maine Audubon’s Penobscot Valley Chapter and creator of the Maine Birding Trail.

Moose crashes are rarer than ever in the midcoast — but not impossible

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 8, 2024

In South Thomaston early Thursday evening, a man driving his truck along Spruce Head Road crashed into a roughly 600-pound moose. The man avoided any serious injuries; the moose is on its way to someone’s freezer.

Opinion: We should keep an open mind about the Pickett Mountain mine project

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 8, 2024

Pickett Mountain contains more than a billion dollars worth zinc, copper, silver and gold, according to an Ontario-based mining company. Wolfden Resources Corporation wants to mine for 10-15 years, which it claims would generate $1.4 billion in cash flow. An offshoot would be, according to Wolfden, from 270 to 300 high-paying jobs. The mining firm is petitioning Maine’s Land Use Planning Commission for a rezoning. On Feb 24, LUPC will vote on the rezoning. If Wolfden clears that hurdle, it will face the second regulatory gauntlet, a mining permit from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Various environmental organizations and two Wabanaki Nation tribes have launched a preemptive strike. There are compelling reasons to at least keep an open mind. If they can operate a mine within Maine’s mining law, they should not be denied simply on the bad environmental record of mining operations in other states. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

Pickup truck breaks through ice on Aroostook lake

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 8, 2024

Two vehicles broke through the ice at Long Lake in Aroostook County on Saturday. Both were removed. Chris Perkins of Fort Fairfield, who witnessed the incident, said he had drilled a hole near where the truck went in and the ice was 2½ inches thick. “I was standing there screaming at him to stop when he headed out,” Perkins said Monday. The driver escaped but within a short time, another pickup and a tractor arrived and attempted to haul the sunken pickup back to shore. Perkins said they “wound up putting the tractor through the ice as well.”

Maine moose are in trouble

BANGOR METRO • January 8, 2024

Maine has the highest population of moose in the lower 48 states, perhaps too high. Nature has a way of correcting over populations, and it’s often not pretty. Predation, disease, and starvation are some of nature’s tools. For moose, the winter tick is today’s main culprit. The balance has swung wildly. A century ago, only about 2,000 moose were left in Maine, due mostly to overhunting. Improved conservation over the ensuing decades allowed populations to rebound. By 2012, the population had exploded to 76,000. As moose and tick populations increased simultaneously, moose began to suffer. Maine’s population remains stable, but the warning signs have become obvious. Calves are dying.

Devastated trails threaten Maine’s snowmobile season

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 8, 2024

With not enough volunteers and very little money, Maine snowmobile clubs are scrambling to reopen or reroute sections of the International Trail System damaged by the fierce wind and rain storm on Dec. 18. It is the fourth major storm in less than a year that has left snowmobile trails with what likely is millions of dollars in damage.

Letter: Time to enforce homeless camp bans

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 8, 2024

Portland is tired of this never-ending homeless drama. Plenty of empty beds are now available at the homeless center. The remaining homeless campers should be ousted and reminded that any new camping site will be immediately broken up by law enforcement. Portlanders want their parks, trails, public spaces and safe city life back without the derelict campers. If campers don’t want to be swept out anymore, they should move to the Great North Woods. ~ Peter Ferrante, Portland

Maine’s first giant battery project set for construction in Gorham

MAINE MONITOR • January 7, 2024

Construction is set to begin this spring in Gorham on one of New England’s largest battery storage projects, a preview of similar ventures that are seen as a missing link for optimizing the region’s growing fleet of solar and wind power plants. Big batteries are considered essential to realizing Maine’s climate goals. Solar and wind are intermittent sources of power. When the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow, other sources are needed to make up shortfalls and to balance supply and demand. Today, those holes are largely filled by ramping up natural gas-fired plants. To replace them, the region will need a robust network of electric sponges to soak up renewable energy when it’s available, then discharge it when and where it’s needed.

Maine’s sea stars: Down but not out

MAINE MONITOR • January 7, 2024

What is killing sea stars (starfish)? Besides waters that are warming and becoming more acidic, possible stressors include low oxygen levels (due to increases in bacteria in the water using up the oxygen), and perhaps a virus. Maine’s sea stars are considered keystone species, meaning “they have a disproportionately large effect on their community,” said Melina Giakoumis, associate director of the Institute for Comparative Genomics at the American Museum of Natural History. “It’s important to protect them because they help keep other species in check, which increases stability and resilience in the entire ecosystem.”

Flooding’s on the rise in Maine, but just 1% of homeowners have insurance

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 7, 2024

Maine has a startlingly low rate of flood insurance – less than 1% by some estimates. Nationally, the rate is about 4%, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Experts say that as climate change progresses, there are likely to be more extreme weather events like last month’s that left thousands of Mainers stranded. A medium-sized snowstorm this weekend, which is expected to be followed by heavy rain midweek, could increase flooding risks in some areas. Yet even as flooding has become a bigger concern across the state, officials say the number of people purchasing flood insurance has fallen in the last decade.

Column: He knew about the shoreland zoning laws in theory

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 7, 2024

In the 20 years or so I’ve been writing a gardening column, I’ve written about shoreland zoning many times. This year, I dealt with the laws on a personal level. Members of my family own a camp on the West Branch of the Pleasant River in Mason Township. Someone suggested we remove some trees to prevent disastrous blowdowns. Because I have contacts in Maine’s landscape community, the task fell to me. The Land Use Planning Commission emailed us approval to remove all six trees, and said that we didn’t need a building permit. We would not be allowed to remove the stumps, however, because the tree roots would prevent erosion. That was fine with us. The commission stipulated that in addition to letting seedlings sprout beneath the cut trees (in other words, no mowing) we must plant six native, non-invasive trees. If the state wants us to do even more, we happily will. Buying plants is always fun. ~ Tom Atwell

Letter: Pine Tree Power would not have stopped storm damage

MORNING SENTINEL • January 7, 2024

Do Pine Tree Power backers really think that things would have been different with a consumer-owned utility? How would Pine Tree Power have prevented all the trees from falling and snapping power lines during a hurricane force wind and rain storm? I think I have figured out how they would have accomplished this. Prior to the storm at their headquarters, they would have pushed a button and an invisible shield would have sprung up and covered the whole state of Maine until the storm passed over, thus preventing the massive power outages that occurred. We live in a state covered by trees. Trees are going to fall. Power is going to go out. Think about the people right now in the Middle East and Ukraine and what they are going through. Three to five days without power? Not a big deal. ~ Donald Fournier, Waterville

Letter: Transmission lines must consider farmland

MORNING SENTINEL • January 7, 2024

Since I, too, want to see a decrease in fossil fuel use, I followed Longroad Energy’s process of meetings in Aroostook County. It seemed the company held many meetings with residents to discuss the least-impactful location to site the wind installation. However, Longroad Energy failed to be as considerate when deciding how best to transmit the power from the source to the grid. None of its meetings considered the loss of farmland associated with massive cutting to transmit that power downstate. Given the increase in population that Marks mentions, farmland needs to be protected. Hopefully the PUC’s decision to terminate Longroad Energy’s original proposal will allow time to evaluate the many ramifications of this important renewable energy project. ~ Linda Woods, Waterville

Maine lumber company fined after employee hurt in fall

MAINE MONITOR • January 6, 2024

Stratton Lumber, a family-owned business in the northern Franklin County town of Stratton, was fined more than $71,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after an employee working in the chipper room fell 13 feet and was hospitalized in June.

New head of breeding program wants to save Maine potatoes from climate change

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 6, 2024

DNA science is gaining ground in agriculture, and researchers are using it to develop potatoes that will thrive in Maine’s changing climate. It’s all part of the University of Maine’s potato breeding program headed by Mario Andrade, assistant professor of potato breeding and genetics. Andrade recently took over running the program from Gregory Porter, who retired at the end of 2023 after 38 years at UMaine.

Opinion: Hydrogen isn’t clean if it adds to climate pollution. Biden’s rules are a good start.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 5, 2024

The Inflation Reduction Act is a game-changing law that invests hundreds of billions of dollars to fight climate change and boost renewable energy. It includes lucrative tax credits aimed at making it cheaper to produce clean hydrogen, which are expected to funnel more than $100 billion in taxpayer funds toward this nascent technology. As a fuel that releases only water vapor when burned, hydrogen is a promising tool to slash emissions from industries that will be harder to clean up through electrification, such as steel, cement, aviation and long-distance trucking. But the climate benefits of hydrogen evaporate if they are made with fossil fuels. That’s why it’s important that federal officials ensure the most valuable incentives only support truly “green” hydrogen projects.

Land for Maine's Future Program Calls for Conservation and Recreation Proposals

MAINE GOVERNMENT NEWS • January 4, 2024

The Land for Maine's Future Program (LMF) announced its next call for Conservation and Recreation proposals. The latest requests are for Projects of Statewide Significance and Community Conservation Projects. Inquiry Forms are due by January 19, 2024, 5:00 p.m. Final Proposals are due by March 22, 2024, 5:00 p.m.

Opinion: This year, take care of yourself – and the Earth

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 4, 2024

I am not a climate expert, but my memory is sharp and my eyes don’t lie. Weather has become different and too often, extreme. Though we are quick to judge big industry, it is a hot climatological bed that we continue to make for ourselves, myself included, for we are dependent upon, and support said industry in myriad ways. I am no longer a blind and naïve child who is ignorant of his role in climatic impact. Though smaller now, my carbon footprint is still formidable – I use electricity, consume goods, create garbage, bring it to the transfer station and burn gas delivering it there. So, I try to think hard before I get in my car for an unnecessary errand, or a long-distance trip taken alone. Make 2024 a thoughtful, purposeful, empathic and healing year for yourself, those whom you love, and the only world that so selflessly sustains our unique species. ~ Tony Everett, Otisfield