Deadline nears to comment on relicensing 4 Kennebec River dams

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 9, 2024

The existence of hydroelectric dams on Maine’s waterways has been a hot-button issue between the businesses that own them and environmentalists for decades. Hydropower operations harness the water’s energy to produce electricity. Environmental groups say the dams do more harm than good and are killing some of the state’s native species, such as Atlantic salmon. The owners of four dams on the Kennebec River are proposing changes they say will make it easier for fish to reach their spawning grounds. But the Natural Resources Council of Maine says those measures are not enough. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released an environmental impact statement at the end of March and the public may comment until the June 4 deadline.

Use this duct tape trick to protect yourself from tick bites

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 8, 2024

With ticks on the rise in Maine, intrepid outdoorsy folks are getting creative with methods for keeping ticks at bay. Among the methods circulating via popular social media sites is to wrap duct tape with the sticky side out around pants ankles to catch ticks while they try to crawl up legs. It looks silly. But does it work? Griffin Dill, who manages the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab, said that it’s not a terrible idea, as long as the tape is snug enough that the ticks can’t get underneath it. The method isn’t perfect. Durability of the tape, for instance, can be an issue. If you’re looking for a more effective way to keep ticks away, try gaiters for your ankles and legs.

Portland closes community garden due to contaminated soil

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 8, 2024

The city, along with an organization administering 11 city-owned gardens, has closed the Libbytown community garden due to soil contamination. Both arsenic and benzo(a)pyrene, a type of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon commonly known as BaP, were found at the site in levels exceeding state safety standards. The city also intends to test the soil at all of its other community gardens in the coming weeks.

South Portland unveils new maps that detail what future flooding will look like in coming decades

MAINE PUBLIC • May 8, 2024

The city of South Portland is among the first communities in southern Maine to create detailed maps that show what flooding due to sea level rise will look like in the coming decades. The maps use state sea level rise data, but reveal in more detail down to individual streets and properties, what will be impacted with a projected 3.9 feet of sea level rise. They show that seven neighborhoods will be particularly vulnerable to flooding during three broad scenarios — daily high tides, the occasional astronomical, or "king" tide, and major storms — within the next 25 to 75 years.

Column: The music of the winter wren

CENTRAL MAINE • May 8, 2024

When you’re unsure of the implications of what’s going on in your woods, it almost always pays to check with Thoreau. In July 1859 he notes: “Begin to hear the sharp, brisk dittle-ittle-ittle of the wren amid the grass and reeds, generally invisible.” “Invisible” is a striking word, for me, because my winter wrens exist as unseen song. But he seems to be talking about a marsh wren. The winter wren, bravely singing with every ounce of energy in its little body, channels the sound of the cosmos gripping down and beginning to awaken. The astronomical beauty of spring right there in the woods, in the music of the winter wrens. ~ Dana Wilde

You can forage dinner near a parking lot

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 8, 2024

After work yesterday, I went out to the parking lot to find dinner. I live on the top floor of an office building, and my access to land is limited to a patch of grass, rose bushes and trees at the edge of the asphalt. I wasn’t optimistic about the foraging prospects there, but in minutes, the patch yielded enough edible greens and flowers in the grass to make a salad. Investing some time in learning basic plant identification and common species in Maine is worth the time. Here are a few common edibles: dandelion, broadleaf plantain, curly leaf dock shoots, purple dead nettle, forsythia flowers, wood sorrel, purslane, lamb’s quarter and garlic mustard.

Subsidized heat pump installation is driving growth of clean energy jobs in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 8, 2024

Heat pump installation, benefiting from government subsidie.s, is fueling the growth of clean energy jobs in Maine, according to a state report released Wednesday. The study commissioned by the Governor’s Energy Office shows that Maine’s “clean energy economy” accounted for 15,000 jobs at the end of 2022. Subsidies of up to $10,600 for heat pump installation include rebates of as much as $8,000 by the Efficiency Maine Trust. Gov. Janet Mills had set a goal of installing 100,000 heat pumps in Maine homes by 2025, which has been surpassed. Last summer, the governor updated her goal to include an additional 175,000 heat pump installations by 2027.

Dozens of bills left in limbo now have chance to be enacted this session

MAINE MORNING STAR • May 8, 2024

Of the more than 200 bills stuck in limbo between passage and funding when the Maine Legislature wrapped much of its work last month, 80 now have a chance to still be enacted this session. Among the measures are a bill to provide Indigenous people free access to state parks.

Tips to limit exposure to browntail moth hairs

LIVERMORE FALLS ADVERTISER • May 8, 2024

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Maine Forest Service remind Maine residents and visitors to take precautions to reduce exposure to browntail moth caterpillars, as they become more active this spring. Browntail moth caterpillars shed tiny toxic hairs that can cause a skin rash similar to poison ivy or, if inhaled, trouble breathing. The greatest risk for exposure to the hairs is between April and July. Activities such as mowing, raking, and sweeping can stir up the hairs. Take steps to protect yourself from browntail moth hairs. Avoid infested places. Aim for damp days. Cover face with respirator and goggles. Tightly secure clothing. Take cool showers and change clothes after outdoor activities. Dry laundry inside.

Elm trees were a symbol of urban pastoralism — until most of them disappeared

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 8, 2024

There’s a reason why most towns have an Elm Street — because towering, elegant elm trees were the pride of cities nationwide, treasured as far back as Colonial times. Houses and other buildings were built around native elms, which were nurtured as assets to the community. New ones were planted along streets like natural monuments. Elm trees were ubiquitous and beloved. By the 1980s, 75 percent of the country’s elm trees were gone. A bark beetle that arrived on a ship in New York in 1928 spread a fungus that infected elm trees, causing them to die off from inside and slowly rot away.

Maine’s plant disease testing lab is no longer free

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 7, 2024

Using the state’s center for identifying and managing plant diseases will require fees from Maine residents beginning this month. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s plant disease diagnostic lab in Orono has announced that due to rising test costs it will charge $18 for general tests to identify disease on in-state plant samples and $38 for out-of-state samples. In addition to general diagnostics, the lab tests for nematodes, fungus, bacteria, viruses and water mold.

Students to help Casco Bay communities plan for a warmer, wetter future

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 7, 2024

Teams of science and design students from prestigious schools like Harvard, Yale and Cornell will be coming to the Casco Bay region this fall to help these coastal communities find ways to adapt to the impacts of climate change. The students – including a team of architecture undergrads from the University of Maine in Augusta – will participate in the Envision Resiliency Challenge. The students from the eight participating universities will be asked to research and design novel ways of living and working in Portland, South Portland and the Casco Bay islands under hotter, wetter conditions next to a fast-warming and fast-rising Gulf of Maine.

Pushing back on veto, farmworker advocates say Mills’ proposal scaled back labor rights

MAINE MORNING STAR • May 7, 2024

Supporters of a bill vetoed by Gov. Janet Mills that would have established a minimum wage for farmworkers say changes the governor wanted would have significantly scaled back existing labor rights and reduced farmworkers’ ability to recoup unpaid wages. Legislators will vote on whether or not to override that veto on Friday. Proponents of the bill were deeply frustrated after the governor’s veto late last month, saying it was “absolutely ridiculous” for Mills to reject a measure she herself proposed. However, Mills said while she supports a minimum wage for agricultural workers, changes made to her bill by the Legislature left her with no choice but to oppose the measure. 

Maine’s high court upholds conviction of man who illegally killed 2nd deer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 7, 2024

Maine’s highest court on Tuesday upheld the conviction of a man who illegally killed a second deer in 2019 and then claimed he faced a mistrial over evidence related to boot tracks in the snow. The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the $1,500 fine and three-day jail sentence given to Richard Peters after a Penobscot County jury found him guilty last year of violating several state laws, such as hunting a deer after having already killed one during the open season.

UMaine researchers developing wood-based alternative to PFAS

MAINE PUBLIC • May 7, 2024

Researchers at the University of Maine are developing a highly refined cellulose coating made from wood that could replace coatings of "forever chemicals" in commercial production. The process refines the wood product, which can come from a variety of sources, to create an effective barrier to oil and grease in products like food containers. UMaine’s Dr. Colleen Walker said the product is currently a white paste, similar in consistency to mashed potato, and one of the challenges is how to apply the coating to consumer products on a commercial scale.

Plan for bio-based heating, power system advances at Millinocket's One North

OUR KATAHDIN • May 7, 2024

Plans have advanced to install a first-in-the-world heating and power system at the One North industrial campus being developed in Millinocket. Fueled by the wood waste of Maine forests and cycled through a “super-critical carbon dioxide” energy conversion turbine, the system is touted as an energy-saving breakthrough. Peregrine Turbine Technologies in Wiscasset said it is collaborating on the project with KMW Energy Group, an Ontario manufacturer of biomass combustion systems, and Our Katahdin, the nonprofit that owns One North, which is a former Great Northern Paper mill site.

Bangor wants to be Maine’s 1st ‘Bee City’

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 6, 2024

Bangor could become Maine’s first Bee City — a national designation that recognizes a city’s commitment to protecting native bee species that have declined in recent decades. The title is awarded through Bee City USA, an initiative by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit that aims to protect invertebrates and their habitats. There are nearly 400 Bee Cities and Bee Campuses across 47 states.

Source to the Sea: Kayakers showcase the Crooked River’s natural filtration system

SUN JOURNAL • May 6, 2024

Crooked River is one of the major tributaries for Sebago Lake watershed, which is one of the cleanest sources for drinking water in the United States. Believing the area may be reaching a tipping point due to more development, Jenny O’Connell wants to showcase the unique connection between the water, forest and even the wildlife in producing what O’Connell claims is “one of the top 50 cleanest water drinking supplies in the country.” O’Connell and three colleagues, including photographer Andy Gagne of Norway, are in the midst of a six-day source-to-the-sea kayak trip to bring attention to the watershed during National Drinking Water Week.

Despite vetoes, labor rights for some Maine farmworkers will increase under new federal rule

MAINE MORNING STAR • May 6, 2024

Despite Gov. Janet Mills vetoing two bills that would have increased labor protections for Maine farmworkers, some agricultural workers will soon benefit from new federal regulations. At the end of April, the U.S. Department of Labor finalized the Farmworker Protection Rule to protect the self-advocacy and safety of farmworkers, while enhancing employer accountability. According to a news release from the DOL, the rule targets temporary workers who are part of the H-2A Visa Program, which helps fill gaps when domestic workers are in short supply. The new rule takes effect June 28. The rule ensures farmworkers employed through the H-2A program are treated fairly.

Long Creek watershed violations cost landlord $650,000

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 6, 2024

A commercial landlord with a checkered environmental record has had to shell out more than $650,000 for clean water violations in the fragile Long Creek watershed on properties he owns near the Maine Mall in South Portland. On Monday, Attorney General Aaron Frey announced that Cornerbrook LLC and CPSP LLC, both owned by Portland real estate giant Joseph Soley, had paid $400,000 in overdue fees to the Long Creek Watershed Management District and $250,000 in civil penalties to the State of Maine.