The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 27, 2024
Why are some lobsters brightly colored instead of the more common mottled brown? Are their colors influenced by water temperature or diet? And what does this mean for the future of the species? Those are the questions Dr. Markus Frederich, a professor of marine sciences at the University of New England, and a team of student researchers will try to answer by decoding these lobsters’ DNA.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 27, 2024
South Portland has a new, revised tree ordinance but it is weak and took two years from start to finish, which gave developers and uncaring neighbors plenty of time to hysterically cut down many trees. There seems to be no way to encourage some people to care about the environment, climate change, trees, or the known fact that our beloved lawns are another defilement of the Earth. After successive major weather disasters that have forever altered the coastline of Maine, people should stop doubting climate change and start taking action to prevent an environmental catastrophe. Let’s start by leaving the trees alone. ~ Barbara Dee, South Portland, ardent tree hugger
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 27, 2024
The 2016 Louisiana floods devastated my hometown. I live in Saco now. I am on the city’s conservation commission and personally witnessed Camp Ellis after the recent storm. I know and understand the push for development, but lax planning and kowtowing to cranky developers who don’t get their way, doesn’t solve these very real issues. If anything, it leads to more flooded homes and traumatized families. I know the property owners don’t want to leave. They would prefer to stay and rebuild. But they must understand — this will not stop. ~ Justin C. Hill, Saco
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 27, 2024
Denyse and Alan Michaud of St. Agatha were bedazzled by the unexpected appearance of five beautiful Canada lynx. (2023 video)
SUN JOURNAL • January 27, 2024
the unelected Board of Environmental Protection is set to incrementally take away our ability to choose what vehicle we are able to purchase. When we brought this to light, Gov. Janet Mills came out against this rule. Later, though, her board moved to adopt that mandate, even though she indicated she was opposed to the motion. Since that statement in August, we have not heard from the governor on this matter. ~ Rep. Sheila Lyman, Livermore Falls
LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS • January 26, 2024
This morning, the Biden-Harris administration announced it will be issuing a pause on considering permits for liquefied methane gas (LNG) export projects. LCV President Gene Karpinski said, “This is huge. The Biden-Harris administration’s decision to take a deeper look at all the impacts of LNG exports is a major step forward towards protecting our families, our communities, and our climate. This decision sends a clear signal that the administration is taking the global commitment reached in December to transition away from fossil fuels seriously. No president has done more on climate.
MAINE WIRE (Maine Policy Institute) • January 26, 2024
Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife released a statement yesterday encouraging people to sign up for its “Traps+Trails LGBTQAI+ Winter Outdoor Extravaganza.” “Folks of all identities, abilities, and experience levels are welcome to join us for a day of fun and learning in the Maine outdoors! Whether you are a part of the queer community or an outdoor ally, you’re invited,” said the DIFW in its posting for the event. It represents the state government explicitly partnering with far-left activist groups. The LGBTQIA+ Outdoor Extravaganza is not the first time the state has tried to push far-left ideology using its outdoor programs.
WMTW-TV8 • January 26, 2024
A 51-year-old man from Carmel has died after falling through the ice on Etna Pond on Friday. Kevin Howell was walking with his four-year-0ld son at around 6:30 a.m. when both he and his son fell through. Howell was able to get his son back onto the ice, who ran roughly one-third of a mile back to their home to tell his mother to call 911. His mother grabbed an anchor and rope and ran back down to the water while the boy stayed at home. She secured the rope to the shore and but broke through the ice as well while trying to reach her husband. A detective with the Penobscot County Sheriff's Office managed to reach her by crawling across the ice. Divers from state police and the warden service found Howell's body in the early afternoon.
MAINE PUBLIC • January 26, 2024
There were fewer visits to Acadia National Park again last year, according to preliminary numbers from the National Park Service. The park saw 3.8 million visitors in 2023, with all but 300,000 going to the Mount Desert Island area of the park and the rest to the Schoodic Peninsula. The numbers are down about 100,000 from 2022, which was already less than the peak four million visitors in 2021. But visitors are still up compared to pre-pandemic levels.
MAINE PUBLIC • January 26, 2024
Federal officials say they have a plan to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales amid increasing interest in potential offshore wind development. The Gulf of Maine is being eyed as a possible development ground. A new plan from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management suggests that offshore wind projects should not be leased in places where major impacts to right whales might occur. Potential wind energy areas for the Gulf of Maine haven't been finalized. But the federal agencies say that if development does move ahead in the Gulf, it would occur in an area that's a critical habitat for right whales.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 26, 2024
A scavenging bird that spends most of its time in warmer climates was rescued in Bar Harbor on Thursday and will likely spend the next few months recovering before getting released back into the wild. The black vulture was taken to Acadia Wildlife Center, a local rescue organization, where it’s being nursed back to health. Doug Hitchcox, staff naturalist for Maine Audubon, said Maine is seeing more and more black vultures as the climate warms.
NEWS CENTER MAINE • January 26, 2024
A new study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology found certain textiles used in the protective clothing, tend to release more of the compounds because of everyday wear and tear. Turnout gear is the protective clothing designed to save firefighters' lives but also contains cancer-causing chemicals. Fighting fires in the protective equipment is fueling a cancer epidemic among first responders.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 26, 2024
Maine’s PFAS in product’s law is being challenged by some companies, many of them from out-of-state, that use the forever chemicals in their products. I believe the Legislature should strengthen the law to clean up our environment and protect everything that makes Maine such a special place. I live in a community with PFAS contaminated farms, and I can see the impacts of the contamination everytime I drive to the store. We need to protect our clean environment for the sake of our health, our hunting and fishing traditions and for the sake of our state’s economy. Tell your legislators that you support Maine’s PFAS in products law. ~ Nancy Zane, Unity, sea kayak guide and instructor for SOLO School of Wilderness Medicine
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 26, 2024
Here are six species found right here in Maine that might not be cute but are certainly interesting.
• Monkfish (Lophius americanus)
• Sea squirt (Didemnum vexillum)
• Sunfish (Mola mola)
• Hagfish and lamprey (Myxine glutinosa and Petromyzon marinus)
• Moss animals (Bryozoans)
TIMES RECORD • January 26, 2024
Recent research shows that wind turbines do not affect the bird population but oil and gas drilling do (“The Economist,” Jan. 13. Birders take note! Christmas Bird Count data shows that bird counts did not decrease between 2000 and 2020 in areas with increased wind turbines. However, bird populations near new gas wells dropped 15% and in some sensitive areas up to 25%. ~ Nancy Hasenfus, Brunswick
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 25, 2024
Maine lawmakers from both parties want to set up an emergency relief fund for small businesses that were damaged by three historic storms that pummeled the state in a matter of weeks. A proposed bill, sponsored by Sen. Craig Hickman, D-Kennebec, would establish the $50 million Small Business Weather Emergency Relief Program. It was not immediately clear which or how many businesses might qualify for assistance.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 25, 2024
AR (ArmaLite Rifle) semi-automatic guns are gaining popularity among Maine hunters, and there are several practical reasons for it. For example, using a .223-caliber AR is very effective for hunting coyotes because it does little damage to the animal and the hunter may use its pelt. What’s the appeal of AR guns for hunters if there are other semi-automatic options available? One of the biggest attractions is that ARs are lightweight. Hunters like the gun’s accuracy.
MAINE MONITOR • January 25, 2024
State environmental regulators have proposed a $148,836 fine for Tower Solar Partners, a Delaware-based solar company, after concluding that the company failed to control erosion on a project along the Kennebec River in the Somerset County town of Embden. In documents released this week, Maine Department of Environmental Protection officials outlined a string of violations, including inadequately installed and maintained erosion controls that allowed sediment to flow into the nearby Kennebec River and Alder Brook. At one point, 30 acres of the 35-acre site were disturbed and unstable, three times the amount allowed under department rule.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • January 25, 2024
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released final plans to protect endangered North American right whales, of which there are only about 360 left in the world. The agencies said they are trying to find ways to better protect the whales amid a surge of offshore wind farm projects. They plan to look for ways to mitigate any potential adverse impacts of offshore wind projects on the whales and their habitat. The news came about an hour before the companies Equinor and energy giant BP announced they were swapping leases for offshore wind projects on the U.S. East Coast.
MORNING SENTINEL • January 25, 2024
The Clinton Parks & Recreation Ice Skating Rink at Old Mill Park opened to the public on Sunday, after a crew of about 15 "rink warriors" put it together earlier this month.
