Column: Maine moose sightings becoming rarer as climate change boosts tick populations

CENTRAL MAINE • May 2, 2024

From 1999 until 2019, Registered Maine Guide Greg Drummond and I led dozens of moose-watching trips. Between 2015 and 2019, our moose-calling success rate — very high in the early 2000s — plummeted in Maine’s Western mountains. Many weekends produced zero moose. Here’s what I told our disappointed clients: Winter tick populations — the scourge of moose — are soaring. Maine’s winters are shorter and milder. Our longer, warmer falls provide additional weeks for ticks to attach themselves to moose and in greater numbers. Ticks are merely symptoms of a much greater threat: climate change. By the end of this century, if our climate warms further, Maine will likely become inhospitable for its most iconic mammal. ~ Ron Joseph

Alert: Protect Wildlife from Lead Poisoning

MAINE AUDUBON • May 2, 2024

Lead is harmful to wildlife. But a bill working its way through Congress, H.R. 615, would prohibit federal land management agencies from moving away from the use of traditional lead tackle and ammunition on public lands and waters in most cases. The bill has already passed the House. Rep. Golden’s vote in favor of this bill helped tip the scales to allow its passage. Tell Senators Susan Collins and Angus King to oppose this bill.

Feds announce grants for Maine lead pipe replacement to advance safe drinking water

EPA • May 2, 2024

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to help Maine identify and replace lead service lines, preventing exposure to lead in drinking water. The Greater Augusta Utilities District has received $1,000,000 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Lead Service Line Inventories including the purchase of a vacuum truck and trailer. The Stonington Water Company has received $65,000 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for service line inspection and replacement associated with a transmission line replacement. The Presque Isle Utilities District has received $479,596 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Vacuum truck purchasing for Lead Service Line inventory and replacement.

Native plant sale at Midcoast Conservancy May 25

BOOTHBAY REGISTER • May 2, 2024

Organic perennials from Rebel Hill Farm can help create inviting habitat for the natural community on homeowners’ land. Gardeners can come by Midcoast Conservancy, 290 Route 1 in Edgecomb, Saturday, May 25 between 9 a.m. and noon, when Rebel Hill Farm growers will be on hand to help with picking the right plants. Native plant expert Doug Tallamy advises that replacing unnecessary lawn with densely planted woodlots that can serve as habitat for local biodiversity.

State backs lobstermen in urging regulators to reevaluate changes to minimum size

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 2, 2024

The Maine Department of Marine Resources is calling on federal regulators to reevaluate new rules that would increase by one-sixteenth of an inch the minimum size of lobsters fishermen are legally allowed to harvest. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission says it is making the changes to preserve the long-term future of the lobster population in the Gulf of Maine, which federal data show has sharply dropped. Maine lobstermen, however, say that while the increases appear miniscule, they will impact their livelihoods by taking their most popular catch – 1- to 1.25-pound lobsters – out of the running.

Opinion: Voters can’t tell between the arsonist and the fireman

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 2, 2024

U.S. voters face a choice this November when it comes to which presidential candidate will set the climate on fire. But they don’t seem to realize how much of a no-brainer that choice truly is. President Joe Biden may not have a spotless climate record, but he has done much more to ensure a livable environment for future generations than any of his predecessors. Donald Trump, on the other hand, not only has history’s worst climate record, but he has announced, loudly and often, that his second term would be far, far worse. Voters haven’t received the message, according to poll after poll. Most Americans think neither Biden’s second-term policies nor Trump’s would make any difference to the climate. That is dangerous nonsense. We don’t have another four years to waste. ~ Mark Gongloff

Opinion: Maine needs to get serious about addressing food waste

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 2, 2024

Mainers generate more than 230,000 tons of food waste each year. Most of this is sent to landfills where it breaks down to produce methane, a powerful climate-damaging greenhouse gas. Wasting all this food doesn’t make sense, especially when hunger is prevalent across the state and thousands of tons of food scraps could easily be composted to create fertilizer. L.D. 1009 would require large food waste generators — those that produce more than two tons of food waste per week — to divert their food waste from landfills to food banks and food pantries. The rest of their food waste would be sent to be recycled. Unfortunately, the bill has sat on the appropriations desk without any indication of whether it will move. ~ Peter Blair, Just Zero, a fighting the environmental harms created by our existing waste systems

Tips for buying a seasonal camp in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 2, 2024

Summer is getting closer, meaning now’s the time to strike if you’re thinking about buying a seasonal camp in Maine. It’s not going to be an easy market to navigate. Though Redfin has housing inventory in Maine up 23 percent since this time last year, supply remains very low. About 4,100 homes are on the market now compared to nearly 10,000 just five years ago. Here are some tips from real estate agents on how to search for a seasonal camp and stay competitive in today’s inflated market.
• Get your finances in order ahead of time
• Know your non-negotiables, but cast a wide net
• Put in a competitive offer

What it takes to be a Maine game warden

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 2, 2024

The road to becoming a game warden takes far longer and is more difficult than most people realize. There is a common misperception that a simple love of hunting, fishing and the outdoors, coupled with a desire to work in those arenas, is sufficient. Becoming a Maine game warden includes passing the Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s physical fitness test at the 50th percentile, a written exam specific to hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation, an oral board, an in-depth and extensive background investigation, a swim test, a comprehensive medical examination, a psychological examination, a polygraph examination, an interview with a colonel, a rigorous 12-week Advanced Warden School, the basic 18-week law enforcement training program at the Criminal Justice Academy and several months of field training.

Maine growers likely face a hot and stormy summer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 2, 2024

Overall temperatures and the number of strong storms is expected to be above average in Maine this growing season, but it’s too early to say exactly how that will affect crops. Temperatures across the state are predicted to run 40 to 50 percent above average in May, June and July, according to the National Weather Service. In southern Maine, temperatures will average from 50 to 60 percent higher than a typical year.

Angus King makes renewed push to expand access to Maine’s national monument

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 1, 2024

U.S. Sen. Angus King is making a renewed effort to expand access to the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument through a proposal backed by Maine conservationists and the Penobscot Nation. King reintroduced legislation Tuesday that would give the National Park Service permission to acquire land from willing donors or sellers in order to better connect the monument to the Millinocket region and major roads. King, who chairs the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, first put forward a bill in 2022 that would have authorized the acquisition of about 42,000 acres. That legislation received a hearing in 2022 and did not advance, but King used feedback from various groups to return with this year’s proposal that would only allow the government to acquire 2,465 acres. The Trust for Public Land, which owns the majority of the potential addition, requested the significant reduction in acquired land. The trust is separately working to transfer adjacent land to the Penobscot Nation as a working forest.

Gold and diamonds may be hidden in these remote corners of Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 1, 2024

Rumors have persisted of buried treasures out in the wilds of Maine, involving gold, diamonds and straight up cash. For instance, in 1807, Timothy Barrett moved to True’s Pond in Liberty. He would come into town to buy essentials, but with no means of income, people wondered where he got his money. Supposedly, Barrett had gold coins squirreled away, with local legends claiming the cache was worth anywhere from a few thousand dollars to up to $70,000 — about $2 million in 2024 dollars. About 200 miles north there’s another story of a hidden treasure. According to Portage Lake historian Corrine Routhier, there’s a local legend that sometime in the 1850s, a smuggler known as Buffalo trekked across the border with Canada. He supposedly buried a bag of diamonds and other gemstones with plans to come back to retrieve them, but he eventually died and the gems remained buried somewhere in the area. There are likely many more stories about legendary caches of untold wealth, hidden somewhere in the wilds of Maine. You just never know.

USDA to continue classifying potato as a vegetable, not a grain

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 1, 2024

The United States Department of Agriculture will keep the potato classified as a vegetable rather than a grain following a bipartisan effort from Maine’s congressional delegation to retain the potato’s current vegetable classification. In response to fears that an independent committee reviewing the dietary guidelines might move potatoes from the vegetable to the grain category, congressional leaders from around the country, including Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Angus King, Rep. Chellie Pingree and Rep. Jared Golden, sent letters to Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra voicing their opposition to the potential reclassification.

U.S. regulators maintain fishing quota for valuable baby eels, even as Canada struggles with poaching

ASSOCIATED PRESS • May 1, 2024

U.S. regulators decided Wednesday to allow American fishermen to harvest a little less than 10,000 pounds per year through at least 2027 of valuable baby eels, even as authorities have shuttered the industry in Canada while they grapple with poaching. Baby eels, also called elvers, are harvested from rivers and streams by fishermen every spring. The tiny fish are sometimes worth more than $2,000 per pound because of their high value to Asian aquaculture companies.

Lewiston to receive grant and volunteer help to restore Veterans Memorial Park

SUN JOURNAL • May 1, 2024

The L&A Veterans Council will receive a grant and volunteer help this month to kickstart renovations to Veterans Memorial Park, which sustained heavy damage in a December flood. The park, which lies along the Androscoggin River, has sat mostly untouched since the winter storm took out several of its monuments, washed away benches and damaged the grounds. On May 14, the council will receive a $20,000 grant from the American Rental Association Foundation and the Toro Company Foundation, which will also donate volunteers and equipment to work on the park in collaboration with the council and Lewiston Public Works.

A busy spring of improvements is planned for Skowhegan area’s Lake George Regional Park

MORNING SENTINEL • May 1, 2024

A slew of improvements planned for Lake George Regional Park on the Skowhegan-Canaan line is expected to help with efforts to sustainably expand the park’s use. The work this spring is expected to include building a road on the west side of the park, turning a former social hall into an event venue and outdoor recreation base camp and renovating five aging cabins on the lake. The goal: Bring in new sources of revenue to support the park’s operations, while maintaining its natural resources and recreational opportunities for local residents. The state bought the 320-acre park in 1992. The state leases it to the towns of Skowhegan and Canaan, which rely on the Lake George Corp. to manage the park for public use.About 20,000 people visit the park each year.

Column: Tributaries

MIDCOAST BEACON • May 2024

Another excellent book, in a long parade of Maine- based books, has been pub- lished by Islandport Press in Yarmouth. “Tributaries” by Ryan Brod, filmmaker, writer and fishing guide, is a collection of fishing essays that, as the dust cover pro- claims, “explores the lines between passion and obses- sion.” I had not heard of Ryan Brod, a Smithfield Maine native, who teaches creative writ- ing at the University of New England and has been published in several national magazines. I liked his book a lot! One of the deeper themes in this book is father/son relationships. In his chapter,” Before Dark,” he laments the aging and imminent passing of his favorite fishing buddy, his father. Like many a younger son, he had always figured that he would lose his father quickly, from a heart attack, while cutting firewood or on a deer hunt. “Instead, I have witnessed his slow progression toward old age, the gradients of which...have been painful to witness.” The father “is losing his mind’s archives as his illness progressed – a lifetime of fish, tides, names, faces – gone.” ~ V. Paul Reynolds

Column: Help collect important data by monitoring plankton

TIMES RECORD • May 1, 2024

While plankton might not be bright like the bursting forsythia or fragrant like the soon-to-come lilacs, they are perhaps the most beautiful and diverse set of living things on the planet. They can be round and spiky, long chains, glowing or transparent, and some are even toxic. But most people have never seen a single one. One local organization is giving people that opportunity and also getting something in return. The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust has several community science programs, including a plankton-monitoring program. Volunteers take a water sample and utilize microscopes to look at and categorize plankton types. They are still looking for additional volunteers for this summer. ~ Susan Olcott

Column: Pinnacle moments — good feeling local

TIMES RECORD • May 1, 2024

It’s the day before Earth Day 2024. From a late-morning meet-up at Brunswick Town Hall, five of us drive 15 minutes to the parking area beneath the high point in town. Cox Pinnacle hovers. We are here as part of an Earth Day trail cleanup, joining town staff from Parks and Rec with a group of six Bowdoin College students and four of us from the town’s Conservation Commission. We trim overhanging branches, employ the bucksaw to some tilted or fallen medium trees, comb leaves and muck from a few more waterbars. Meanwhile, a nine-person crew at the pine-rich Kate Furbish preserve is finding fuller work. Branches litter the trail and a number of full-sized trees block the way. We’re all here for various experiential reasons and itches, hoping that our little work helps others to take the hundreds of little steps that get them into local wild places. ~ Sandy Stott

Golden votes to kill BLM rule, delist gray wolf, end Boundary Waters mining limits

MAINE MORNING STAR • May 1, 2024

The U.S. House approved four bills focused on natural resources and land management Tuesday, promoting a Republican message of dissatisfaction with the Biden administration’s approach to conservation. The four bills would force the withdrawal of a recent Bureau of Land Management rule that would allow leases for conservation, remove mining restrictions near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters, delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act, and block federal bans on lead ammunition. Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden joined the Republican majority in each vote against conservation rules.