The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 14, 2024
The 124th Christmas Bird Count (CBC), sponsored by the National Audubon Society, ran between Dec. 15 and Jan. 6, with plenty of highlights worth exploring. The Waterville CBC produced a fine total of 60 species. The Bunker Hill CBC, near Jefferson, yielded 62 species. The Thomaston-Rockland CBC produced 79 species. the Blue Hill CBC produced a list of 65 species. The Mount Desert Island CBC had 60 species. ~ Herb Wilson
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 14, 2024
What have you been doing for the last two years? Briana DeSanctis, a 40-year-old native of Farmington, has been backpacking across the United States from coast to coast. Since Jan. 1, 2022, DeSanctis has been hiking the American Discovery Trail. The ADT stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in Delaware to Point Reyes National Seashore on the Pacific Coast of California, an extraordinary 6,800 miles across 15 states and the District of Columbia. All this on top of an Appalachian Trail hike from Georgia to Maine eight years ago. What’s next? “An easier hike. Something that doesn’t cause pain and scars. Maybe a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.” ~ Carey Kish
CENTRAL MAINE • January 14, 2024
My family and I oppose any mandates regarding electric vehicles (“Maine board wants to hand decision on electric vehicle mandate to Legislature,” Dec. 27). Options are great; mandates are not. It’s a terrible plan. ~ Angela Corbin, Hallowell
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 14, 2024
For centuries, people from North America to Russia have proclaimed the health benefits of chaga, a parasitic fungus that grows primarily on birch trees. Found in northern climates around the world, including Maine, people collect the antioxidant-rich fungus for their own personal use to make tea. Like any forged wild edible, chaga needs to be processed and stored correctly or it will spoil.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 14, 2024
Coyotes are territorial and aggressive to interlopers, limiting how many coyotes live in an area. They eat small animals,such as mice, rats, squirrels, frogs, fish and carrion among others. They also will eat grass, fruits and berries. The coyote’s coats can range from black to strawberry blond but usually are a mixture of black, gray and tan. In this video by BDN contributor Allie Ladd, a coyote looks like it’s hunting for something, or checking the air for scent. If you stay until the end, you will see another one running through the woods in the foreground while it looks like the first one is lurking in the background.
MAINE MONITOR • January 14, 2024
Between 2018 and 2022, the amount of municipal solid waste landfilled in Maine shot up 47 percent, from 388,629 to 569,911 tons, according to a report by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The total amount of waste going to Maine landfills (including sludge, construction demolition debris, bulky waste and municipal solid waste) increased by 34 percent. There are more disposable products, fewer opportunities for recycling and more people in Maine than ever, and all are contributing to the increase. So are the sludge and sludge-derived products now being sent to landfills after laws banning spreading it on land went into effect. Debris from more intense storms will also add to the pile. The amount of trash generated in the state is growing at a faster rate than the population. Vanessa Berry, sustainable outreach coordinator with the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said, “It’s very much like an overflowing bathtub. We really need to focus on turning off the tap.”
MAINE MONITOR • January 14, 2024
Salt has been found to significantly reduce winter car crashes. But the amount of it we’re using, coupled with leaking old septic systems and an increased use of fertilizers and pesticides to kill ticks and mosquitoes and manage invasive plants, are among the greatest threats to the state’s future water supply, said Ryan Gordon, a hydrogeologist with the Maine Geological Survey.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 13, 2024
A winter storm brought heavy rain, flooding, huge waves and wind gusts of up to 60 mph along the Maine coast Saturday, battering areas of the state still struggling to recover from another wind and rainstorm that caused widespread damage just three days earlier. Waves slammed into homes and flooded roads in many York County coastal communities, low-lying streets, piers and waterfront businesses in Portland were swamped, the town pier in Harpswell was tipped over sideways into the sea, and two iconic fishing shacks in South Portland that had stood near Willard Beach for more than a century were washed away.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 13, 2024
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Bureau of Parks and Lands announces Rex Turner as the director of planning and acquisitions, responsible for land acquisition, land management planning, policy/program development, and conservation easement monitoring. He has served as BPL’s outdoor recreation planner since 2008.
SUN JOURNAL • January 13, 2024
While western Maine took enough snow and rain to slow traffic down, it was nothing compared to the thrashing southern and coastal Maine took between winds, rain and extreme tides. Many coastal towns saw the destruction of waterfront homes and structures, several water rescues, flooded roads and motor vehicle accidents.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • January 13, 2024
John Kerry, the U.S. special envoy on climate, is stepping down from the Biden administration in the coming weeks. Kerry was one of the leading drafters of the 2015 Paris climate accords and came into the role with significant experience abroad, as secretary of state during the Obama administration and from nearly three decades as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. President Biden’s decision to tap Kerry for the post was seen as one way he was making good on his campaign pledge to battle climate change more forcefully.
SUN JOURNAL • January 13, 2024
When wild turkeys were transplanted in Maine from Vermont stocks in the 1970s, not even our wildlife biologists thought these large birds could establish themselves so pervasively, or prove so tough when it came to winter survival. Maine’s current turkey population is estimated to be an incredible 70,000. For hunting purposes, the wild turkey is considered to be big game, and our spring and fall turkey hunt has provided exciting and challenging hunting opportunities. But, from a public image standpoint, turkeys have been blamed for the worrisome proliferation of the winter tick that has been ravaging Maine’s adult and calf moose. The science vindicates the turkey. ~ V. Paul Reynolds
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 13, 2024
A massive Saturday storm brought record flooding and high winds to coastal Maine, destroying iconic fishing shacks along a South Portland beach and forcing rescues farther down the coast. Damage was heavy in the Portland area around the highest tide of the season around noon. Some of the biggest casualties were three fishing shacks that sat on Fisherman’s Point and had interior timbers that are more than 200 years old. They were washed away as the high tide came in around noon Saturday.
MAINE PUBLIC • January 13, 2024
Just days after a powerful storm ravaged the Maine coast, another round of heavy winds and rain landed a second blow to the state Saturday. The winds, with gusts up to 60 mph, combined with rain and an astronomical high tide caused significant flooding, inundating low-lying areas that are still trying to recover from damage caused earlier in the week. In Portland, the high tide broke a record set back in 1978. Meteorologist Michael Cempa at the National Weather Service in Gray says around noon it reached 14.57 feet, above the record 14.17 feet set more than four decades ago and slightly higher than expected.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 13, 2024
The second storm of its kind this week is bearing down on coastal Maine Saturday, threatening to bring record flooding and high winds that spell even more danger for oceanfront property. Flooding should peak around noontime up and down the coast. Things look like they will be worse Down East and in coastal Hancock County, where the strongest gusts are expected. But the entire coastline is under a coastal flood warning, and areas that took damage during Wednesday’s powerful storm are more vulnerable this time. Here’s what you need to know about the storm and how to prepare.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 13, 2024
A winter storm that could bring serious flooding to coastal Maine already had closed several roads and brought wind gusts upwards of 60 mph in some places Saturday as residents braced for impacts ahead of the noon high tide. Forecasters have warned that the storm could bring unprecedented flooding as it coincides with the monthly astronomical high tide. It also comes on the heels of another wind and rain storm that caused damage in many parts of the state earlier this week.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 13, 2024
Warmer, wetter winters have disrupted outdoor activities in Maine and businesses that depend on snow, ice and consistently cold temperatures. Indeed, it’s getting harder for many winter operations to be profitable, including snowplowing services, logging companies and farms that maintain cross-country skiing trails. And that also means lost revenue for gas stations, convenience stores, hotels, short-term rentals, restaurants and other businesses that benefit from cold-weather activities.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 13, 2024
Recent letters raise questions about electric vehicle use and can be easily answered. The grid has untapped capacity. The life of EV batteries in my Ford and new Tesla is 8-years, not 5-7. Our electricity is not “primarily created by burning fossil fuels.” In 2022, 64% of Maine generation was from renewables. It’s also crucial to understand that the proposed mandate is not a requirement for consumers to purchase an EV — it’s a mandate on manufacturers and dealers to sell EVs. ~ Daniel Smith, Yarmouth
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 13, 2024
Waterfalls are magical, especially when you aren’t expecting them. I stumbled across a waterfall that I’d never heard of while hiking along the famous Appalachian Trail in Monson this week. Goodell Brook Falls is an enchanting landmark that’s easy to visit. Ice makes a surprise waterfall even more majestic. During hikes I’ve run into a number of small waterfalls I didn’t expect. Peters Brook Falls in Blue Hill is among my favorites. And nearby, Patten Stream Preserve in Surry has some lovely step falls and rapids. Recently, I discovered a few waterfalls at Amherst Mountains Community Forest. If you have a favorite mini waterfall, one that doesn’t make the guidebooks, I’d love to hear about it. Or keep it to yourself.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 12, 2024
A bill that will be heard on Jan. 22 would expand the number of free moose permits issued by the state annually to five and allocate three of them to critically ill Maine kids who want to hunt. Current law allows for two such permits. The three additional permits would be given to Maine kids through a new limited liability company called Moose Maine Kids Dream Hunts.
