Public hearings on Kennebec River dam relicensing set for this week in Waterville, Augusta

MORNING SENTINEL • May 20, 2024

Members of the public will have opportunity this week to ask questions and comment on the relicensing of four dams on the Kennebec River, between Waterville and Skowhegan, at public hearings scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. The hearings, part of the federal regulatory process, are to be held in Waterville on Tuesday and in Augusta on Wednesday. The public can also comment online until June 4 at ferc.gov/how-file-comment. The four dams are owned by Brookfield Renewable Partners, which filed plans with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission it says will protect threatened or endangered Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon. The Natural Resources Council of Maine says the plans contain inadequate measures to protect wildlife.

8 Maine communities will share $22 million in federal cleanup grants

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 20, 2024

Maine will receive $33 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess and clean up sites that have been polluted or contaminated by industrial use. The money is part of the Biden administration’s initiative to transform once-polluted and now abandoned properties into community assets. Eight communities in Maine will share $22 million in grants through the EPA’s Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup program that targets so-called brownfield sites that cannot be redeveloped because of contamination. Another $11 million will be distributed to four already existing programs in Maine that support brownfield cleanup.

Letter: Restoring Megunticook River would be good for Camden and watershed

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 20, 2024

In her May 14 letter in the Bangor Daily News about the Megunticook River, Jo Ann Simon decries the potential destruction of a man-made dam as part of the restoration of the river. She states that “there is no demonstrated history of the Megunticook ever being a river used by migratory fish because of the granite ledge at its foot inhibiting the passage of fish,” and her letter links to a feasibility report. The study actually says the opposite of what she claims. The report cited indicates that the river was diverted from its historic path — now buried beneath parts of Harbor Park. The report points out “the natural channel would have flowed down the more gently sloped approaches to the harbor that surround the bed rock outcrop.” It continues: “there are lines of evidence which suggest that the river conditions supported sea‐run fish.” ~ John Morrison, Hope

In wake of damaging storms, Bath oyster farmer still seeking recovery help

TIMES RECORD • May 20, 2024

Sadia Crosby is still looking for a way to repair damage to her family’s wharf months after devastating January storms. Crosby owns Oysthers Sea Farm in Georgetown and Oysthers Raw Bar & Bubbly on the Bath riverfront with her sister and business partner, Lauren Crosby. After the January storms cleared, there was significant damage to Crosby’s wharf, rendering it useless. She applied for FEMA assistance but was denied because the grant wouldn’t cover damage to structures over the water like wharfs. She doesn’t qualify for the recent $25 million in funding from the Working Waterfront Resilience Grant Program because she doesn’t have 10 or more people working at her wharf. Business Resilience Storm Response Grants totaling $250,000 were applied to 52 other waterfront businesses. Crosby wasn’t able to get any funding. Her flood insurance does not cover her wharf either.

York voters reject regulations for short-term rentals

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 20, 2024

York residents on Saturday narrowly rejected a proposal to regulate short-term rentals. The proposed ordinance would have for the first time required the owners of all short-term rentals — including those listed through online platforms like Airbnb and VRBO — to register with the town and undergo safety inspections. It also would have put limits on occupancy and require properties to have off-street parking. The vote was 2,029 to 1,788 against the proposal.

York becomes first Maine town to ban single-use plastic utensils

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 20, 2024

York has become the first town in Maine to ban single-use plastic utensils, straws and stir sticks. Voters on Saturday approved the new restrictions in a 2,192 to 1,556 vote. The ordinance prohibits plastic straws, stir sticks and utensils at stores, restaurants, coffee shops, caterers, cafeterias, food delivery services and at town-sponsored events. Health care facilities are exempt but are encouraged to comply. The regulations will go into effect in May 2025.

A first in northernmost Maine: Utility ran on 100% solar power for a few hours in early May

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 20, 2024

Solar energy provided all the electricity needed to power a service area of more than 11,000 customers in northern Maine for a few hours in early May, marking a first in the large, sparsely populated region that relies on a Canadian grid for its electricity. Unlike other regions in the state that are linked to the New England electricity grid, the Fort Kent area in northernmost Maine is connected to New Brunswick Power Corp. Versant Power, the region’s transmission and distribution utility, said that since 2020, it has worked with developers to connect more than 140 megawatts of solar energy to the grid.

As ‘glamping’ becomes more popular, Sanford may hit pause on new campgrounds

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 20, 2024

The City Council is considering a moratorium to give the city time to ensure its rules for campgrounds reflect modern camping. But the pause is putting one couple's plans to open a 'glampground' along Sand Pond at risk. Proposals for new “glampgrounds” often generate controversy and concerns from residents about safety, noise and traffic. Municipal officials have also had to grapple with whether these resorts should fall under the same category as traditional campgrounds. And residents in several other Maine towns have risen up to oppose similar projects.

Camden Snow Bowl prepares for a less snowy future

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 20, 2024

The Camden Snow Bowl has faced a number of issues in recent years, including deteriorating buildings, aging equipment that’s needed to be replaced and Underlying all of those challenges, though, is a more existential one for the town-owned Snow Bowl on Ragged Mountain. Winters are getting warmer in Maine, and during recent seasons that has left the little ski area with a shortage of its most essential component. That was painfully evident this winter, when warm, wet weather rapidly melted its snow and forced it to close for the season in early March, almost a month before it normally would.

Maine’s trail system is still a mess from storm devastation as ATV season opens

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 20, 2024

A new $60,000 bridge on an ATV trail near Strong was destroyed, and needs to be rebuilt. A trail washout in Bemis that left a 40-foot hole will cost $160,000 to fix. And it will cost more than $1 million to repair the 19 bridges damaged or washed out in the state’s motorized sports trail system. Maine’s ATV club volunteers are scrambling to repair and open trails for the season, and some won’t open at all this year. The 100-year storms, primarily in December and January, followed by more rain,  left unspeakable damage to trailbeds and downed trees in their wake. Although snowmobile clubs patched a system together for the low-snow season, many of those repairs were temporary. The price tag to fix the storm damage is estimated between $6 million and $7 million.

Norway Savings contributes $1K for Lovell accessible trail project

SUN JOURNAL • May 19, 2024

Norway Savings Bank has contributed $1,000 to the Greater Lovell Land Trust for an accessible trail project. Established in 1985, GLLT is a nonprofit land conservation organization that aims to protect the ecosystems of the Kezar Lake, Kezar River, Cold River, and Sweden watersheds. GLLT is planning to convert its quarter-mile Storybook Trail at the Kezar River Reserve into a six-foot-wide, level and gravel-surfaced path.

Yarmouth moves closer to dam removals on the Royal River

MAINE MONITOR • May 19, 2024

Federal officials have proposed a path to remove two historic dams on the Royal River in Yarmouth, the result of more than a decade of studies and discussions. A federal proposal offers a process toward rewilding a span of the river, fully removing the Bridge Street Dam and nearly half of the East Elm Street Dam. Officials presented the plans to the town council last week. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined that removing the dams has the greatest potential to improve river habitat and restore fish access toward the headwaters of the Royal River, historic spawning grounds for sea-going fish like alewives that have largely disappeared upstream of the dams.

Fishermen’s association to host ‘Hidden Working Waterfronts’ panel

TIMES RECORD • May 19, 2024

Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering sustainable fisheries in the Gulf of Maine and supporting Maine’s fishing businesses, has co-hosted panels to discuss the variety of issues facing Maine’s working waterfronts. The next in the series, titled “Hidden Working Waterfronts,” will be from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, May 23, at the Maine Oyster Company’s basecamp in Phippsburg. This will be a discussion of the small working waterfronts that often go unnoticed along the coast of Maine, particularly those in Phippsburg and Georgetown, and their significance to the waterfront economy and heritage of this area.

Never forget, all roads are private in the North Maine Woods

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 19, 2024

With countless lakes, ponds and rivers, miles of hiking trails and scores of campsites, the North Maine Woods is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise with more than 100,000 people visiting the region every year. The 3.5 million acres also is a privately owned working forest with thousands of miles of dirt roads, visitors need to know the rules of those roads for safety’s sake. The North Maine Woods road rules include the following:
• Obey all posted speed limits and the maximum speed of 45 mph
• Lights on for safety
• In areas of limited visibility, always drive on the right side of the road and reduce speed
• All vehicles yield the right of way to loaded trucks
• All traffic must yield to equipment working in the road and pass only after operator’s acknowledgement
• Drivers need to be aware of the trucks at all times

Column: Maine’s wolf history is still a hot topic

PISCATAQUIS OBSERVER • May 19, 2024

Wolves were commonplace when settlers first came to Maine. When these wolves were killed off around the turn of the century a “predator void” was left. In time, our present day coyote migrated eastward and filled the niche. A wolf introduction initiative in Maine just wouldn’t work, even if it were desirable. John Glowa, spokesmen for the Maine Wolf Coalition, has, along with his group, lobbied intensely for a wolf reintroduction program for Maine. He says, “The main issue is that wolves were here before and deserve to be here again.” ~ V. Paul Reynolds

The next generation of Roopers redemption is well underway

SUN JOURNAL • May 19, 2024

Maine’s beverage container redemption program, known as the “bottle bill,” took effect in 1978 and has catapulted Maine to fame as the top in recycling in the country, at between 67% to 74% of waste. Maine also recycles the most per resident with an average of 285 pounds of waste recycled per capita. Roopers says it is the largest Maine-owned redemption operation in the state, started in 1992 by founder Steve Roop, who built a small redemption station on Sabattus Street by himself. In 2023, Roopers processed 35 million units of recyclable material — cans, plastic and glass bottles and containers. Across Maine redemption centers have been closing in recent years. But Roopers volume has increased between 5% to 10% a year for the last four years due to two important moves. They invested in TOMRA sorting machines and they started the “Drink Up Drop Off” campaign, eliminating the need to stand in line.

Column: Remote trails and scenic campsites abound in North Maine Woods

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 19, 2024

Norway Bluff rises north of Munsungan Lake astride the boundary of the unorganized townships of T9 R9 WELS and T8 R9 WELS in the northeastern corner of Piscataquis County, just west of Aroostook County. Off the radar for all but the most dogged hikers, the 2,284-foot peak is described for the first time in the 12th edition of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Maine Mountain Guide. The remote hiking, natural beauty, wild character, sublime camping and dark night skies make the North Maine Woods a remarkable place to explore. ~ Carey Kish

Column: Celebrate spring in Maine and the alewives’ annual run

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 19, 2024

Spring is in full swing here in Maine, which means alewives are on their way from the ocean into our rivers, lakes and streams. From mid-May to mid-June, millions of these small, silver forage fish navigate rivers throughout the state as they make their seasonal migrations to their freshwater spawning grounds. Along the way, they serve as prey for a wide range of species – from osprey, eagles and herons to striped bass, trout, otters, minks and more. In areas where there are sustainable runs, alewives are also commercially harvested as a favored bait for the spring lobster fishery. ~ Charlie Foster, Downeast Salmon Federation

Column: Does global warming cause migratory birds to arrive earlier in the spring?

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 19, 2024

We know that average temperatures have been steadily rising since the start of the Industrial Revolution in 1850. The warming leads to springs with earlier appearances of leaves, caterpillars, frogs calling, and hundreds of other biological phenomena. One would expect that migratory birds accelerate their arrivals onto their breeding grounds to keep pace with the changing ecology. Over the past 20 years, several studies have appeared that used archival bird records over decades to see if arrival dates are getting earlier. Data for Maine show relatively few examples of accelerated arrival dates. ~ Herb Wilson

A trust fund for Portland’s climate progress

MAINE MONITOR • May 17, 2024

Many states and cities — Maine and Portland included — are now in the third or fourth year of ambitious climate action plans. These roadmaps pledge steep cuts in emissions, large expansions of renewable energy, bold adaptations to guard against the effects of extreme weather and more. But climate action is easier said than done. As communities hit the adolescence of their decarbonization and adaptation efforts, the challenges of sustained action — and the funds needed to support it — are coming into focus. Portland wants to create a “climate trust fund,” putting proceeds from the sale of renewable energy credits from city-owned solar farms (among other funding sources) toward consulting work and other up-front costs to accelerate climate progress.