Dead humpback whale tangled in fishing gear pulled from Casco Bay

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 6, 2024

A dead humpback whale with fishing gear wrapped around its tail was hauled from Casco Bay into Portland Harbor on Thursday. Known as “Chunk” in the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback whale catalogs, the 40-foot female was alive when she was first spotted Wednesday off Cape Elizabeth, according to NOAA, which is investigating this incident. Concern over Chunk’s fate comes as regulators try to protect a dwindling right whale population from entanglements in lobster fishing gear.

Browntail moth caterpillar population in Maine has decreased, but some areas still see high numbers

MAINE PUBLIC • June 6, 2024

The browntail moth caterpillar population in Maine is down from its peak, but some areas are still seeing high numbers. Allison Kanoti, the director of forest health and monitoring with the Maine Forest Service, said the population has declined in Androscoggin County, but grown in Penobscot, Knox, Waldo, and Hancock Counties, and in the area around Casco Bay. The population peaked two years ago, when the state recorded 250,000 acres of defoliation. Last year it dropped to 47,000 acres, but the true number was likely higher because aerial surveys were hampered by rain. Hairs from the browntail moth caterpillar are toxic to humans and can cause sever skin rash and breathing difficulties.

Maine hazmat teams simulate mass decontamination in training at SMCC

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 6, 2024

The Maine Army National Guard’s Civil Support Team and the Maine Emergency Management Agency led a full-scale disaster training exercise at Southern Maine Community College on Thursday, which helps first responders prepare for hazards such as weapons of mass destruction, terrorist attacks, chemical releases and other disasters. They’re hosting a series of similar training sessions across the state this week.

Winthrop schools may have to pay if district doesn’t use electric buses that came riddled with problems

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 6, 2024

Winthrop Public Schools may be required to pay for faulty electric buses obtained through a federal program if the district decides not to put the buses back in service. The buses came to the district through the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program but almost immediately began showing problems before they were taken off the road, at the urging of the state Department of Education, in Winthrop and two other Maine school districts. EPA staff could not provide a clear answer on the problem buses, other than that the district may be obligated through its contractual agreement to pay for not using the buses.

State will post signs about quicksand at Popham Beach after woman sinks in up to her hips

MAINE PUBLIC • June 6, 2024

The state said it will post signs at Popham Beach warning the public about saturated sand, or quicksand. A woman from the town of Poland reported on social media that during a walk on the beach Saturday she suddenly fell into the sand up to her hips and had to be pulled out by her husband. Jim Britt, spokesperson, for the Maine's Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, said saturated sand is actually quite common. "Anywhere in Maine, up and down river banks, near favorite and fishing holes, etcetera, where you're going to find this unstable sand, you will sink and easily be able to relax, lean back, and wiggle yourself out," he said. Contrary to depiction in movies and TV, Britt said people who step into quicksand are not completely swallowed by it. He said the saturated sand at Popham is due to severe storms that caused erosion along the Morse River, changing its course.

Officials warn of quicksand conditions on Maine beach

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 6, 2024

Maine officials are warning of quicksand-like sinkholes that could form at Popham Beach State Park, after a handful of people have gotten their legs stuck in them. Sean Vaillencourt, who manages Popham Beach for the state Bureau of Parks and Land, told the station that the conditions were caused by a river heading into the coastal park changing course last fall, so that it now flows through the beach rather than around it. That has destabilized its sand enough that people can sink a couple feet into it.

Maine isn’t buying this sales pitch for a new offshore wind port site

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 6, 2024

Sprague Energy is throwing more weight behind a campaign to get the state to reconsider its preferred site for a $760 million offshore wind port, but Gov. Janet Mills’ administration is continuing to shoot down the idea. In February, the state selected the undeveloped Sears Island in Searsport as the best site for the 100-acre port that would be operational by 2029. It beat out the neighboring Mack Point, which is owned by Sprague. Those fighting the selection of Sears Island run the gamut from offshore wind opponents such as Republican lawmakers to conservationists who want that site protected. The Maine Coast Heritage Trust holds roughly 600 acres of the island under a 2007 conservation easement.

Debate heating up over the site of Maine's future wind port

MAINE PUBLIC • June 6, 2024

The debate over where the state of Maine should site a Midcoast port facility to serve a floating offshore wind project is expected to ramp up this summer. Maine officials are preparing permit applications for a wind port on Sears Island. But Sprague Energy, which owns the nearby Mack Point terminal in Searsport, is making its own major push. Sprague developed a new plan last spring that it believes shows how the Mack Point terminal could be repurposed to accommodate the port facility — and addresses the concerns that the state had previously flagged with the site.

Energy company wants Maine to use its port instead of Sears Island for offshore wind hub

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 6, 2024

An energy and port services company is pitching its Mack Point industrial site for an offshore wind port as an alternative to nearby Sears Island preferred by the state and opposed by local residents. Sprague Operating Resources LLC on Thursday released details of its plan for Maine’s offshore wind project in Searsport. It says its site will be less costly than the Sears Island location and spare that area the disruption caused by port construction, a key issue that locals have criticized. Mack Point has already been dredged to accommodate ship traffic and the plan proposes a launching dock, assembly area for wind turbines before they’re dispatched to the Gulf of Maine and a recently updated rail yard.

Climate records keep getting shattered. Here is what you need to know.

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 6, 2024

Month after month, global temperatures are setting new records. Meanwhile, scientists and climate policymakers warn of the growing likelihood that the planet will soon exceed the warming target set at the landmark Paris 2015 climate talks. Climate scientists are steadfast that fossil fuel use must be phased out to stave off the worst consequences of climate change. Making sense of the run of climate extremes may be challenging for some. Here’s a look at what scientists are saying.

U.S. Senate panel divided over climate as cause of rising insurance premiums

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 6, 2024

The U.S. Senate Budget Committee debated the cause of the insurance crisis plaguing homeowners around the country at a Wednesday hearing, with Democrats identifying climate change as the ultimate driving force of rising premiums and Republicans pointing to high government spending and inflation. Homeowners insurance premiums have skyrocketed in recent years, following billions in damages, which has led many insurance companies to drop coverage.

The secret to Norway’s economic success? Historic preservation.

ADVERTISER DEMOCRAT • June x, 2024

For more than 50 years Andrea Burns has impacted numerous citizens and local institutions. She spent the first 25 teaching first-grade children. After retiring she committed the next 25 plus to rescuing local treasures. Through her work, she has established that economic progress does not require bulldozers and fresh concrete, but can be achieved by embracing the foundations already in place. Burns was recently honored, again, for her vision and determination. This time she was chosen to receive a 2024 Maine Preservation Honor. “A preservation-based economy is economic development,” she said.

Quicksand startles woman who suddenly sinks hip deep at Popham Beach

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 6, 2024

Jamie Acord was with her husband, Patrick, at Popham Beach on Saturday, when she sank up to her knees in a pocket of supersaturated sand, or quicksand. It was a frightening experience, but scientists say it’s not possible for a person to fully sink in quicksand. While state officials say these pockets of super wet sand are more startling than life-threatening, park rangers were set to install warning signs Wednesday that will tell beachgoers what to do if they step in one.

A fast-warming Gulf of Maine is rising faster than ever

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 5, 2024

The fast-warming Gulf of Maine is rising faster than ever, with average monthly sea levels in Portland, Bar Harbor and Eastport breaking record after record over the last two years and driving storm surges and king-tide flooding higher and farther inland. “The rate of sea level rise is increasing,” said Maine State Geologist Steve Dickson. “It’s no longer an inch per decade. It’s more. The tides now are about 7 to 8 inches above what they were when my grandfather was a kid playing on the shores of Jonesport.” On Wednesday, during a Maine Climate Council briefing, Dickson said that future generations will be dealing with a few more feet, not inches.

UN chief wants a tax on profits of fossil fuel companies, calling them ‘godfathers of climate chaos’

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 5, 2024

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called Wednesday for a “windfall” tax on profits of fossil fuel companies to help pay for the fight against global warming, calling them the “godfathers of climate chaos.” Guterres spoke in a bid to revive the world’s focus on climate change at a time when elections, inflation and conflict in places like Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan have seized the spotlight. In a speech timed for World Environment Day, the U.N. chief drew on new data and projections to make a case against Big Oil.

How vulnerable is Maine's coast to sea level rise and climate change?

MAINE PUBLIC • June 5, 2024

Many coastal communities were impacted by several major storms during the winter of 2024. That’s put a spotlight on a major question facing the state: just how vulnerable is Maine’s coast to a warming world, and what steps do we need to take to prepare? That’s what we dive into in this episode of Maine Explained. Experts say flood hazard maps are one of the best ways of assessing the risk of damage from coastal events. Here's what the labels and numbers on the maps mean, in an area of Higgins Beach in Scarborough. Here is a link to the flood maps for some of Maine.

Appalachian Mountain Club cuts jobs as ‘glamping’ popularity hits lodging revenue

BOSTON GLOBE • June 5, 2024

Amenity-laden glamour campgrounds, tiny houses, and high-end RVs are luring more Americans than ever to the greatoutdoors, exposing them to the beauty and fragility of the environment. That’s good: Mother Nature needs all the friendsshe can get. But the cushy competition is proving problematic for Boston-based Appalachian Mountain Club, the nearly 150-year-oldconservation and recreation organization whose expensive but rustic lodging isn’t necessarily what many postpandemic nature newbies want to pay for. AMC recently laid off six employees and eliminated seven open jobs as it seeks to close a $2.5million deficit in its $35 million operating budget.

Carriage trails ready for walking in Cape Elizabeth

FORECASTER • June 5, 2024

The Cape Elizabeth Land Trust on Sunday will hold the grand opening of its trails on 15 acres of newly acquired land off Spurwink Avenue. The land trust has had its eye on the Davis Parcel for a long time because it is a “trifecta of conservation,” according to Executive Director David Briman. “It’s part of a significant habitat block, it’s got amazing recreational opportunities and it provides undeveloped protection for a portion of water that goes out into Casco Bay; it’s part of the Casco Bay watershed,” Briman said.

Details emerge on how new Roux Institute campus will alleviate traffic as neighbors express concern

MAINE PUBLIC • June 5, 2024

The latest plans for a permanent Roux Institute campus on the site of the former Baked Bean factory in Portland call for new traffic signals, crosswalks and other changes to alleviate what residents fear will be a dramatic increase in neighborhood traffic. Traffic engineers presented new data from city and state planners and private consultants to community members on Tuesday night.

This biodegradable material could be leaking PFAS into your garden

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 5, 2024

One of the most readily available options for mulching and creating weed barriers around the home garden is cardboard. Placed at the bottom of a raised bed or lining a pathway, it can prevent unwanted plant growth and be the base of a new soil layer. But if you use treated cardboard packaging, it may contain per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. The glossy layer that makes boxes resistant to water, grease and food is created with these “forever chemicals,” so called because they are difficult to break down in the environment and the human body.