The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
SUN JOURNAL • March 6, 2024
As a mother, soon-to-be-grandmother, daughter, caretaker, neighbor, landlord, dog walker, member of a faith community and active citizen, I stand in strong support of adopting the Advanced Clean Car II standard. I strongly urge the Board of Environmental Protection to adopt the proposed ACCII standards, which would save Mainers money, reduce harmful air pollution, and aid in Maine’s efforts to address climate change. ~ Kerry Read, South Paris
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 5, 2024
Maine Warden Nick Bartholomew told his story Tuesday for the first time after he went through the ice on his snowmobile last week while searching for an overdue snowmobiler on Moosehead Lake. “I immediately recognized the feeling of my snowmobile going through the ice and into the water. Before I knew it, I was in the water, swimming as my snowmobile sank below me,” Bartholomew said. He was wearing a float coat and a helmet when he went into the water. He got his arms up on the good ice, kicked his legs and pulled himself out of the water onto the ice. Social media is teeming with mentions of snowmobiles having broken through the unsafe ice this winter. One man died this season. The State does not have an actual count because people don’t report them as they should.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • March 5, 2024
The first confirmed baby right whale of the year has been found dead from a collision with a ship, a devastating blow for the vanishing species. North Atlantic right whales number less than 360 and they are vulnerable to ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. Federal authorities were notified of a dead right whale stranded off Georgia on Sunday. Right whales migrate from their calving grounds off Florida and Georgia to feeding grounds off New England and Canada. The federal government has been working on new ship speed rules designed to protect the whales from injuries and deaths.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • March 5, 2024
Scientists have confirmed the presence of a whale off New England that went extinct in the Atlantic Ocean two centuries ago – an exciting discovery, but one they said that illustrates the impact of climate change on sea life. Researchers with the New England Aquarium in Boston found the gray whale while the crew was flying 30 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, on March 1. Gray whales typically live in the northern Pacific Ocean.
WMTW-TV8 • March 5, 2024
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is studying golden eagles in Maine, and they are asking for help. The department launched a study of the eagles, which are endangered in Maine, in January. Officials say information has been reported about golden eagle observations at seven new locations, six of which are in towns where golden eagles have not been documented in the last 10 years. Golden eagles are a species of concern throughout their eastern range due to the small population, vulnerability to human-related threats, and considerable gaps in knowledge about habitat use and movement. The last known pair of breeding golden eagles disappeared from the state in 1997.
FORECASTER • March 5, 2024
North Yarmouth held its first Climate Action Plan forum last month, joining neighboring towns of Cumberland, Yarmouth and Falmouth in preparing for climate change. The year-long planning process is led by the Greater Portland Council of Government and a Climate Action Planning subcommittee. The purpose of the plan is to develop strategies that will reduce town-wide emissions, build resilience, and prepare for a changing climate.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 5, 2024
The Maine Trails Bond would provide $30 million in funding for trails, which is greatly needed after the devastating wind and rain storms this winter. Maine’s hiking and recreation draw so many people from around the country to our state. To make sure Maine’s outdoor recreation economy and tourism continue to grow, we need to repair storm damage and invest in the creation of more trail systems. The Maine Trails Bond would also help ensure that all Mainers have an equal opportunity to use trails. This investment would help to build the necessary infrastructure, such as ramps, so that trails are accessible to more people. Call and email your legislators to talk about why these trails are important to you. ~ Deb Smith, Executive director, Maine Recreation and Park Association
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 4, 2024
The Maine Warden Service retrieved a snowmobile from Moosehead Lake Saturday that went through the ice last week while Warden Nick Bartholomew was searching for a man who was reported missing. The warden was crossing an area during the search that had solid ice just two days before when Bartholomew’s sled suddenly broke through the ice. Bartholomew was able to get out by himself but he suffered frostbite on his ears. The department removed the sled from Moosehead Saturday. Mark Latti, communications director for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, stressed that people need to be really careful and check ice thickness every few feet.
TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND • March 4, 2024
A new 446-acre Community Forest within five minutes of downtown Rumford has been permanently protected by Trust for Public Land, the Town of Rumford, Inland Woods + Trails, and the Northern Forest Center, with funding from the State of Maine’s Land for Maine’s Future and the U.S. Forest Service Community Forest and Open Space Program. The Rumford Community Forest includes 437 acres of hardwood and mixed-wood forest and 22 acres of wetlands and streams. This supports a broad array of wildlife, maintains the water quality of nearby public wells, and absorbs floodwater to help minimize local flooding. The land was formerly permitted for 257 residential and condominium lots, which would have significantly impacted the adjoining Black Mountain viewshed, local water supplies, wildlife habitat, and would have intensified future flood events in Rumford and Mexico.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 4, 2024
Tim Kirner’s Feb. 9 op-ed, “Any Mainer can buy an electric vehicle. No one should have to,” is misleading. The program would actually require all new vehicles sold in Maine to be electric or plug-in hybrid by 2035. Buyers wanting the flexibility of gasoline can buy a hybrid. The used vehicle market, where two-thirds of Mainers buy their cars, would be unaffected. ~ Allen Armstrong, Portland
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 3, 2024
Q: “Something has been chipping away at the entrance to my bluebird nesting box, almost as if (it) is trying to widen the opening. What is going on?” A: A fairly diverse group of birds will use cavities, but other animals— particularly mice, chipmunks, and squirrels—are very fond of cavities and all the protections they provide. An easy homemade option: make a guard by adding an additional board around the birdhouse entrance, with a hole the same size as the one in the birdhouse. Just adding this extra half inch or more of material that a predator would need to gnaw through will likely be enough to deter them. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 3, 2024
Maine has made licenses 16 available – the most up for grabs since the first iteration of the license lottery in the competitive 2013 market. Even so, the chances are slim. Fewer than 0.5% of applicants have been successful in each previous lottery. The window to apply closes Monday.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 3, 2024
Maine maple syrup producers are saying warm winters, little snowfall and a changing climate are contributing to increasingly intermittent and unpredictable sugaring seasons. But while many industries that rely on winter weather are reeling from the effects of climate change, many maple syrup farmers say they are finding ways to adapt and even thrive.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 3, 2024
Witherle Woods Preserve occupies a commanding location at the tip of the Castine Peninsula that rewards visitors with outstanding views over Penobscot Bay. The 193-acre property, owned and managed by the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, features a wonderful network of trails for hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. ~ Carey Kish
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 3, 2024
The creation of the Maine Trails Bond, L.D. 1156, deserves to be approved. A landmark investment in our trails can boost economic activity statewide (and in rural areas where it is particularly needed), attracting residents and tourists alike; supporting environmental and climate goals by protecting valuable swaths of our coasts, mountains and woodlands and promoting transit by many means other than car or truck; and making a meaningful contribution to public health by inviting people to get out in the air and get moving – year-round.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 3, 2024
Recently at a meeting when two people spoke against the adoption of the Climate Action Team’s proposed greenhouse gas reduction goals because of tire dust from electric vehicles. The weight of EV batteries and EVs’ ability to briskly accelerate means that tiny particulates shed from these vehicles’ tires are greater than those shed from lighter vehicles. But it’s the weight of vehicles and the aggressiveness with which they are driven that cause greater tire dust pollution. Nine out of the 10 best selling cars in the U.S. last year were trucks or SUVs. The solution to tire dust pollution lies in promoting more reasonably sized vehicles, calming traffic with safer road design, enforcing speed limits more consistently and developing tires made from fewer dangerous materials. ~ Sam Saltonstall, Brunswick
MAINE MONITOR • March 3, 2024
As I’ve grown up and my career has honed in [sic] on environmental issues, I’m often asked about my education and how I got here. I have no formal science training; I studied classics and journalism in college. It’s this foundation of outdoor education that gave me my connection to the natural world — a sense of my place in it, and an awareness that human actions can and do change the planet. Teachers in Maine are increasingly pushing for more resources to expose their students to this kind of “place-based” climate and environmental learning. They gathered in Augusta this week to celebrate that effort and look to expand it.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 2, 2024
On a cold winter night, having the means and knowledge to build a small campfire just might save your life. it’s crucial that you carry a fire-starting tool. Examples of fire starters include waterproof matches, a pocket lighter and a spark-producing device made of flint and steel, of which there are many varieties. Gather plenty of materials before you even think about striking a match. Collect wood of all sizes, from tiny twigs to big branches. The dryer, the better. Last but not least, you’ll need tinder, which is a bundle of dry, loose material that’s highly flammable. This is where you’ll aim your spark or first flame. By far, the best tinder I’ve found is natural, and it’s all over Maine: birch bark.
MAINE MONITOR • March 2, 2024
Beneath the surface, western Maine and California’s Imperial Valley share something in common — nationally significant deposits of lithium. It’s a strategic metal considered essential for batteries that power electric vehicles and the storage systems needed to support a global, renewable energy revolution. The Maine discovery is said to be one of the world’s largest deposits of lithium, locked in rock crystals on the side of Plumbago Mountain in Newry. Meanwhile, lithium found thousands of feet underground in the superheated, salty water called geothermal brines is making global headlines. There’s enough lithium contained in the brines around the Salton Sea for 375 million batteries for electric vehicles, according to a recent federal analysis. It’s enough to help the U.S. meet global demand for decades.
MAINE MONITOR • March 2, 2024
Kingfish Maine, the company behind a proposed aquaculture facility in Jonesport, received $4 million from the state last month while appeals challenging the project continue to wind their way through the courts. Though a number of aquaculture projects across the state have stalled in recent years because of pushback from conservation groups, fishermen and coastal landowners, Kingfish Maine remains optimistic it will break ground on a $110 million land-based fish farm next year. For now, construction on the recirculating aquaculture facility, which the company says will eventually produce 8,000 metric tons of yellowtail kingfish a year and provide between 70 and 100 jobs, is on hold as the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and Maine Business and Consumer Court consider challenges to the group’s permits.
