Maine isn’t prepared for a huge threat to its fishing industry

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 1, 2024

Dozens of commercial and public piers along Maine’s coast were damaged in the twin storms on Jan. 10 and 13, delivering a serious blow to a billion dollar fishing industry that depends on such access points for bringing hundreds of millions of pounds of seafood ashore each year. Some pier owners are now scrambling to get repairs done before the approaching summer lobster season. Others aren’t sure they’ll be able to find the money to rebuild, or whether they should even bother. Climate change has forced many working waterfronts to make decisions, balancing the urgent need to reopen against the longer term demand for structures that can withstand rising seas and intensifying storms. State, federal and nonprofit programs are offering some help with the recovery. But as bigger storms become more common, this year has demonstrated that the present resources won’t be enough for struggling fishing operations. Insurance has not covered much of the destruction, and other help has been slow to arrive.

Snowmobile registrations are the lowest in 8 years

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 1, 2024

Late season snow hasn’t bailed out Maine’s beleaguered snowmobile season, as rains and wind melt the state’s white gold. Maine has had a tough winter for snowmobiling. Between the wind and rain storms in December and early 2024 that devastated trails, the warmer-than-normal temperatures and the sporadic snowfall all winter, the number of residents who chose to register their snowmobiles this year decreased nearly 10,000 from last year. Resident registrations in 2023-24 totaled 46,813, while nonresidents purchased 20,765,

Lack of snow takes pressure off Maine’s plowing budgets, workforce

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 31, 2024

State agencies and municipal public works departments saved money allocated for snowstorm response, but diverted some of that to deal with major flooding in December and January.

Mild winter takes a toll on Maine’s outdoor sports, seasonal economy

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 31, 2024

Maine’s increasingly warm and snowless winters have been challenging for winter-reliant businesses and communities. And the 2023-24 season was especially tough for many. Thin ice frustrated pond hockey leagues and ice-fishing derbies, winter rainstorms damaged ski resort infrastructure, and the lack of snow led to the cancellation of Can-Am Crown, New England’s marquee dog sledding race. But it probably hit Maine’s snowmobile industry hardest.

The winter that wasn’t: Climate change is transforming Maine’s coldest season

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 31, 2024

Maine is closing the books on one of the warmest and least snowy winters on record. But it’s increasingly feeling like the new normal. “The long-term trend is clear: The winters are much warmer than they used to be,” said state climatologist Sean Birkel of University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute. “Our winters look and feel different: more rain, less snow, more bare ground, earlier ice outs.”

Column: Spring snowstorm results in rare bird sightings

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 31, 2024

What happens to migrating birds in snowstorms? In the days following the storm there are so many blackbirds and sparrows in the state, and many of these are southern migrants that had been returning in the weeks leading up to the storm. They were happy to turn to readily available food at bird feeders. In the same vein of fox sparrows being forced to bird feeders, it is also interesting to see how detections of rare birds also increase following these storms. It is way too early to try to quantify any of the effects of this past storm on wildlife, and it’s a good reminder that readers should always contribute data. Backyard bird observations can go into databases like Cornell’s eBird and sightings of other wildlife can go into iNaturalist. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox

Frustration reigns as a warm winter melted hopes for outdoor Maine pursuits

SUN JOURNAL • March 31, 2024

Lake Auburn saw ice-out March 12, the earliest ever recorded since 1836. There were about 55 days between ice-in and ice-out this winter, which is also the shortest duration of ice cover since ice-in information started being recorded in 1953. Maine’s overall average daily temperature, December 2023 through February 2024, was 5.8 degrees warmer than normal at 24.2 degrees. It was the warmest winter recorded for the northern region of the state. This warming trend was largely due to three factors: An El Nino weather pattern, the earth’s natural fluctuations in weather patterns, and climate change, according to Ivan Fernandez, professor emeritus and climate research scientist at the University of Maine in Orono. The result was less snow and lake ice, limiting Maine’s traditional outdoor activities including, skiing, snowmobiling and ice fishing.

Nearly 13,000 remain without power after strong winds hammer Maine

CBS 13 • March 30, 2024

Thousands of Central Maine Power customers are still without power Saturday after high winds took out power lines. CMP reports nearly 13,000 outages and told CBS 13 that the outages tied to fresh tree damage, running mostly from the Midcoast north toward the Augusta area. Those are areas that saw rain, saturated ground and strong winds Friday night.

Committee approves mining law changes

MAINE MONITOR • March 30, 2024

An initial group of lawmakers unanimously signed off on changes to the state’s mining act this week that could make it easier to mine for lithium, a highly sought metal used in everything from truck grease to touch screens. The rule changes, which staff at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection have worked on since late last year, will allow the extraction of certain metallic minerals to be exempt from the state’s stringent mining regulations so long as a mining operation can prove that getting them out won’t pollute the nearby environment.

Letter: The case to pause natural gas expansion in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 30, 2024

The state Legislature is currently considering LD 2077, a bill that would determine the future of natural gas. A crucial question is: should we put a pause on natural gas expansion? Here’s a case for why we should. First, the unnecessary cost burdens associated with natural gas expansion. Second, consider the climate and human health consequences associated with natural gas expansion. As a young Mainer, it is crucial to me that my state holds itself to its climate goals with integrity. Given that natural gas heating may not align with our climate goals, it is only sensible to pause its expansion and instead expand alternative heating sources. ~ Boston Cochrane, senior, Thornton Academy

Column: Getting dates in order during the slow season

SUN JOURNAL • March 30, 2024

Open water fishing season starts April 1. Spring wild turkey hunting begins April 29 and goes until June 1. Bear season starts with a youth day on Aug. 24 and the general bear season starts the following Monday, Aug. 26. For bow hunters, the deer season kicks off in the expanded zone on Sept. 7. The firearms season for deer begins Nov. 4 this year and extends until Nov. 30, with a statewide muzzle loader option on its heels Dec. 2. The 2024 grouse season will open on Sept. 28 and run until Dec. 31. That Saturday of the grouse opener is also the last day of Maine’s first moose hunting week. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

Committee endorses $30 million bond to support Maine trails

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 29, 2024

A legislative committee unanimously endorsed a proposed $30 million bond Friday that would provide grants to organizations and communities for motorized, non-motorized and multi-use trail projects. The Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee voted in support of L.D. 1156, which now heads to votes in the House and Senate. Two-thirds approval is needed in each chamber for the bond request to be sent to voters in November.

Making home energy upgrades part of disaster recovery

MAINE MONITOR • March 29, 2024

Maine’s winter weather disasters this past season had major effects on the power grid, road infrastructure and working waterfronts, all of which were in focus at the Climate Council’s special meeting and in the advice from Vermont. But what about the vulnerable infrastructure inside our homes and businesses? Just as Vermont saw better outcomes last summer for roads and bridges it upgraded after Irene, communities that had adopted rules to keep critical energy infrastructure out of home basements saw less of that damage, officials said.

$30 million trails bond advances with unanimous committee support

MAINE PUBLIC • March 29, 2024

A bill supporting a $30 million trails bond in Maine has received unanimous support from the Legislature's Appropriations Committee. That means it now heads to the full Legislature for consideration. More than 500 organizations, businesses and towns have endorsed the bill. Supporters say the money would bolster the state's $3 billion outdoor recreation economy by providing grants to organizations and towns for motorized, nonmotorized and multiuse trail projects. The funds would be managed by the Bureau of Parks and Lands. The bill, which has support from Democrats and Republicans, requires a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate along with the governor's approval to place it before Maine voters on the November ballot.

Column: Unusual visitors told me Maine’s winter is done

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 29, 2024

Last weekend’s snowstorm was annoying in every way except one. The snow provided proof that winter was over, and summer had begun. How do I know? A little bird told me. Since January, there has been a steady number of birds flitting into my yard, scavenging on and under my bird feeders. They are especially easy to see and tally on a white blanket of fresh slush. This week, a fox sparrow joined them — a sure sign that the early wave of spring migrants was underway. Spring is here. Please, no more snow. ~ Bob Duchesne

Opinion: Offshore wind is a vital investment in Maine’s future

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 29, 2024

We know that there’s little we can do to control the weather, but we also recognize that there is a lot that we must do to prevent the worst consequences of climate change. One of our top priorities must be to transition away from fossil fuels. In Maine, one of our greatest opportunities is in the development of floating offshore wind. The Searsport Selectboard passed a thoughtful resolution supporting the process to develop offshore wind. This new floating offshore wind port will directly employ about the same amount of people as were lost when the Bucksport paper mill closed, and the Offshore Wind Roadmap identified that as many as 60,000 jobs will be created in Maine if we move offshore wind forward. ~ James Gillway (R), Searsport town manager and Sen. Chip Curry (D), Belfast

Environment committee approves open-pit mining exemption submitted past deadline

MAINE MORNING STAR • March 29, 2024

As the final act of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee this session, members approved a change to mining law, paving the way to extract the 11 million ton lithium deposit in western Maine. The committee did not approve the rule exactly as it was submitted by the Department of Environmental Protection, however. The DEP’s rule would allow developers to apply for an exemption for open-pit mining by undergoing pre-application testing and submitting proof that the proposed operation wouldn’t violate environmental standards for water and other factors. The version advanced out of committee includes a handful of changes, including requiring more pre-application testing and decreasing the size an excavation pit can be at any one time.

Letter: Maine Trails Bond deserves Legislature’s support

SUN JOURNAL • March 29, 2024

Mainers are counting on legislators’ support of the Maine Trails Bond, L.D. 1156, a bill to support the development and maintenance of recreational trails. I cannot begin to describe the impact this bond would have on our local communities. Maine trails help preserve the landscapes that Mainers and our predecessors have utilized and appreciated for generations. It is critical that we ensure the next generation have the kind of outdoor recreational opportunities we grew up with, whether its hiking, biking, skiing, hunting, fishing, boating or off-roading. Outdoor recreation and environmental protection begins and ends with our trails. ~ Conner Tremblay, Buckfield

Maine’s high court rules Sunday hunting ban is constitutional

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 28, 2024

Virginia and Joel Parker of Readfield sued the commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in April 2022. They argued that the Sunday hunting ban runs afoul of the amendment now enshrined in the Maine Constitution that states “all individuals have a natural, inherent and unalienable right” to harvest and consume the food of their own choosing, so long as they aren’t trespassing, stealing or violating other laws. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court disagreed. “We hold that the right to hunt for food created by the amendment does not extend to illegal hunting, and therefore Maine’s long-standing Sunday hunting ban does not conflict with the Maine Constitution,” the justices wrote.

The state of Maine is under a flood watch

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 28, 2024

As heavy rain persists throughout the evening and into Friday, much of Maine is under a flood watch following an intense spring storm that dumped more than a foot of snow across the state. The melting snowpack, along with 2 to 3 inches of rainfall, will likely overwhelm many of Maine’s waterways, as well as areas with weakened infrastructure due to December and January’s storms.