The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 8, 2024
Officials from Norridgewock and the surrounding towns celebrated the grand opening of the Madison Branch of the Kennebec River Rail in a ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday. The new portion of the trail spans from Oakland through Norridgewock to Embden and provides a gravel trail to walk, run, bike, drive an ATV or snowmobile, the latter two of which are the biggest draw for the trail.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 8, 2024
The emerald ash borers, a species of beetle, has been decimating New England’s ash trees for years and is killing hundreds of trees in Portland. Mark Reiland, the city arborist, estimated there are 600 ash trees in the city and most of them are infected. In the next five years, he said about 500 will have to come down. “Unfortunately there are entire streets we’ll have to clear cut,” he said. The city had tried to save some trees last spring by injecting insecticide into their trunks in an effort to kill the beetles, but the treatment wasn’t as successful as they hoped. As the ash trees come down, a variety of new tree species will go up.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 8, 2024
World Oceans Day is today, June 8, and ocean health is something Maine can celebrate every day. The Gulf of Maine is a special place. Named for our state, it stretches from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia with 70,000 square miles of life as deep as the Empire State Building and as cold as the refrigerator in your kitchen. We appreciate the ocean for the fishing industry that brings us dinner and jobs, for the cool summer breezes that bring visitors from hot summer cities. We appreciate the ocean for its variety of glorious animals – from humpback whales to harbor porpoises, from periwinkles to codfish, from osprey to eiders. Our appreciation, though, needs to extend to care because the Gulf of Maine is struggling with the same threats that poison the world’s oceans. ~ Jeffrey McCarthy, professor of environmental humanities, Belfast
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 8, 2024
Highlights of the Moosehead region, the gateway to the North Maine Woods.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 8, 2024
The Wabanaki Alliance has released a new guide aimed at promoting more respectful language and accurate information when reporting on Indigenous peoples in Maine, as well as their history, land, and culture. The online style manual covers the four federally recognized tribes in Maine, known collectively as the Wabanaki Nations. They are the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, Penobscot Nation, and the Passamaquoddy Tribe. The Alliance is a confederation of organizations and individuals supporting the full restoration of federal rights to those tribes.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 8, 2024
Cassidy Blackstone, Carson Cushman and Wyatt Allen, seniors at Mars Hill High School, pose with the trio of Tom turkeys they shot all at the same time on opening day before heading to classes.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 8, 2024
Acadia National Park can be a tricky place to navigate, especially at the height of summer, when thousands of people are moving around the park, slowing down to take in the stunning views, then darting after empty parking spots. But don’t let that intimidate you. The following are a few tips for visiting Acadia during the summer and fall, when traffic is wild but the weather can’t be beat.
• Try visiting early in the morning or in the afternoon.
• Be flexible about where within the park you explore.
• Invest in a weather-resistant, detailed trail map.
• Use the Island Explorer bus system rather than driving a private vehicle.
• If parts of the park are closed, it’s for good reasons.
• Dogs are welcome in most places in the park, but not all places, and only under certain circumstances.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 7, 2024
Alan Emery fell in love with the outdoors, and that’s what kept him in high school, he said. The only one among his seven siblings and cousins to graduate from high school, Emery, 18, said the early morning outdoor ed program is what kept him in school. Research shows that outdoor education programs lead to improved academics, fewer discipline problems and happier students, said Korah Soll, founding director of the Rural Aspirations Project, who has been working with East Grand School for several years. For senior class vice president Emery, activities like harvesting and butchering a moose, camping overnight along the Allagash, taking on white water challenges, canoeing lakes, skiing, fishing, camping and open fire cooking built confidence and taught him lifelong skills, he said.
Z107.3 • June 7, 2024
The tale of a young boy who gets separated from his traveling companions and somehow survives 9 days lost in the Maine woods was a compelling story to read. But now, after years of working on the project, Don Fendler's "Lost On A Mountain In Maine" is set to hit the big screen this summer. “We are premiering Lost on a Mountain in Maine as a special presentation at The Maine International Film Festival this July 13th at 7 pm. The film will get its national release in theaters later this fall. MIFF Festival pass-holders can purchase tickets to the premiere at MIFF.ORG now, or individual tickets will be available for purchase on June 14th." The Maine International Film Festival will show "Lost On A Mountain In Maine" at the Waterville Opera House located at 1 Common Street in Waterville.
MAINE MORNING STAR • June 7, 2024
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine introduced legislation this week designed to aid coastal homeowners amid increasingly frequent storms. Pingree and U.S. Rep Greg Murphy (R-NC) put forward the Prevent Environmental Hazards Act on Wednesday. The bill is meant to provide homeowners covered by the National Flood Insurance Program enhanced flexibility in the face of natural disasters. The bill allows National Flood Insurance Program payouts for buildings that have been condemned because of frequent erosion or flooding, permits advance payments for demolition or relocating of up to 40% of a home’s value or $250,000, caps payouts at 40% if an owner doesn’t act before a building collapses.
MAINE MONITOR • June 7, 2024
Close to half – 40 percent – of the solid waste stream in Maine is made up of organics, according to a study released by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in late May. Every year, we waste around 361,000 tons of food, the equivalent of more than 9,000 fully loaded semi-trailer trucks. Households are the worst offenders, accounting for around 35 percent of all the food waste in the state. Agriculture is next, at 25 percent, followed by food manufacturers, grocery stores and restaurants.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 7, 2024
The total global volume of fish, shrimp, clams and other aquatic animals that are harvested by farming has topped the amount fished in the wild from the world’s waters for the first time ever, the United Nations reported Friday. The U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, in its latest report on fisheries and aquaculture — or farming in water — says the global catch and harvest brought in more than 185 million tons of aquatic animals in 2022, the most recent year for which statistics are available.
TIMES RECORD • June 7, 2024
Word Oceans Day has Midcoast communities and industries that rely on the sea are weighing the future amid surging storms and warming waters. World Oceans Day on June 8 isn’t just about enjoying beaches, argued Harpswell Town Administrator, Kristi Eiane. “It’s about respecting marine resources and acknowledging how our choices make an impact,” she said. When the United Nations first announced the holiday in 2016, its main priority was to reach the “30 by 30” goal; to protect 30% of the earth’s land, water and seas by 2030. While that may seem like a lofty goal, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA) Director of Community Programs Monique Coombs hinted the key could be within reach.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 7, 2024
Wayne Clukey of West Enfield couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw these three babies tagging along with their Mom near Baxter State Park on Wednesday. Triplet moose calves are very rare, at one in 105,000, according to National Geographic, and these three seem to be thriving. Calves stay with their mom for a year.
NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • June 7, 2024
At the end of May we were lucky enough to join our colleagues on a field trip to the Benton Falls Dam on the Sebasticook River to see the alewife (river herring) run. Alewives spend the majority of their lives in the ocean and only follow freshwater routes to spawn in interior lakes and ponds in the spring. The massive alewife run in the Sebasticook, a tributary of the Kennebec River, is the result of decades of dedicated work by the staff at Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) who came before us and made an impact in the real world.
SIERRA CLUB • June 7, 2024
Active participation in primary elections is a critical way to influence the political process, to ensure the health of our democracy, and to make your voice heard by determining who will shape the future of your community and our state. By endorsing candidates running in primary elections, Sierra Club is working to maximize opportunities to elect a pro-climate, pro-environmental majority in the state legislature. State primary elections are Tuesday, June 11th. Sierra Club Maine is proud to announce initial 2024 endorsements in state legislative primary races:
Denise Tepler - Senate District 24 (Sagadahoc County: Arrowsic; Bath; Bowdoin; Bowdoinham; Georgetown; Perkins; Phippsburg; Richmond; Topsham; West Bath; and Woolwich)
Seven Siegel - House District 109 (Part of Gorham)
CENTRAL MAINE • June 7, 2024
Hallowell’s public drinking water is contaminated with more than three times the federal safe level of toxic chemicals for human consumption. Despite the devastating impact of PFAS on human health, and despite that the Hallowell Water District has been aware of this problem, effective mitigation systems have not been implemented to deliver safe drinking water to Hallowell homes, its public elementary school, businesses, and restaurants. Hallowell must make it a priority to remove PFAS from its public water supply and commit to regular testing with transparency and accountability to the public. Anything less continues to put public health at risk. ~ Kristin Aiello, Hallowell
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 7, 2024
Last week, the House Agriculture Committee voted to approve a Farm Bill that attacks state protections for farm animals, puts dogs in puppy mills at even greater risk, and fails to address the horse slaughter crisis. The House version of the bill includes language which would override existing state and local animal welfare laws and prevent new commonsense animal protection efforts. The House’s Farm Bill will subject millions of animals across the country to immense suffering. Join me in urging our representative, Rep. Pingree, to reject any Farm Bill that contains a version of the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act. ~ Kim Schwickrath, Old Orchard Beach
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 7, 2024
A bear on the porch is where I draw the line. I’m willing to share the yard with the bear that has been marauding my neighborhood all spring. But when she came up onto the deck, I had to ask her to leave. She agreed. Bears aren’t the problem. Bears have lived in my neighborhood for 10,000 years. I’ve only been in this spot for a quarter century. Relocating bears is seldom necessary, and rarely done. It’s best if we all just get along. So far, my furry little friend seems OK with that. Maine has a lot of wildlife — I dare say, more than any other eastern state. Accordingly, we have many more interactions with wildlife. Wild animals are part of our lives, and we’re also part of theirs. Sometimes we must manage their behavior. Most times, we must manage ours. ~ Bob Duchesne
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 7, 2024
A Belfast company that builds highly energy efficient homes is getting ready to open a new 16,000-square-foot facility that will use an assembly line process to manufacture the walls, floors and roofs needed to construct them. GO Logic says the facility will ultimately be able to make 25-50 of its environmentally friendly prefabricated homes a year, reducing the energy that’s required for building them and helping the region to cut its reliance on fossil fuels that contribute to climate change.
