Volunteers plant wild American chestnuts to create blight-resistant variant

MAINE PUBLIC • June 14, 2024

A dozen volunteers planted 10 wild American chestnut seedlings at a Yarmouth nature preserve in the hopes of helping restore the devastated American chestnut tree. The volunteer group organized by the Maine chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation planted the seedlings at the Cousins River Fields and Marsh Reserve cared after by the Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Chestnut trees in Maine grow sparsely as the state is on the northernmost edge of where the plant grows. Due to that low density, the blight did not devastate the trees as heavily. Eva Butler, vice president of Maine's chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation, said Maine now has one of the highest populations of wild chestnuts in the nation.

Industry, clean power groups breath a sigh of relief as Senate approves energy regulators

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 14, 2024

Three nominees by President Joe Biden to serve on the nation’s top energy regulatory panel, which had risked losing a quorum, were approved this week by the U.S. Senate. The vote to approve the new members — two Democrats and a Republican — for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was cheered by industry, renewable power and environmental groups alike, who said a full a complement of commissioners is essential to the body meeting the challenges posed by an aging electric grid, a fast-shifting generation mix and debates over natural gas infrastructure, among other pressing energy issues.

Pick-your-own strawberry farms open with a promising start

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 14, 2024

This week marks the opening of several pick-your-own strawberry farms in southern Maine. “This year should be terrific compared to last year,” said David Handley, vegetable and small fruit specialist and professor of horticulture at the University of Maine. “It was a rainy year last year, and we had drought for three years before that.” The milder winter was also helpful for growing, he said.

Railroad fined $16,500 for spilling 15,000 gallons of oil into Maine waterways

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 13, 2024

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined CPKC (formerly Canadian Pacific), a freight railroad, around $16,500 for two train derailments in the last two years that caused nearly 15,000 gallons of oil to spill into waterways. In October 2022, a CPKC train carrying 33 cars of hazardous materials derailed near Milo, Maine. Five of those hazardous-materials cars derailed from the tracks. And six months later, on April 15, 2023, another of CPKC’s trains flew off the tracks near Rockwood. Three of its locomotives and six of its freight cars derailed, including two cars carrying hazardous materials. All but the two hazardous-materials cars caught fire, igniting a forest fire. Neither of the derailments resulted in leaks from the cars carrying hazardous materials. But a significant amount of fuel leaked from both trains.

Column: You can see puffins on 5 Maine islands

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 13, 2024

Atlantic puffins are rarely seen from shore. Their only nesting colonies in the United States are on five islands along the Maine coast. Puffins stay close to these islands through nesting season, then wander far out to sea, rarely approaching the mainland. Practically the only way to see a puffin is to get on a boat. Eastern Egg Rock is the southernmost colony, midway between Pemaquid Point and Boothbay Harbor. It’s the smallest colony, with the fewest puffins. But it’s visited by three different boats, making short-notice bookings more available. The northernmost puffin nesting island is Machias Seal Island. It lies nine miles off the Maine coast near Cutler, and it’s claimed by both the United States and Canada. One boat from each country visits, and it’s the only island that allows visitors to land. ~ Bob Duchesne

Rail agency stops operations, halts Downeaster train extension to Rockland

MAINE PUBLIC • June 13, 2024

Any plans to extend Amtrak’s Downeaster train service to Rockland have been derailed for now. Midcoast Railservice announced they were terminating the lease agreement with the Maine Department of Transportation to operate the Rockland Branch railroad. Midcoast had been implementing plans for a passenger service between Rockland and Brunswick. But last fall, Midcoast lost its largest customer in Dragon Cement in Thomaston after the plant announced it would cease cement production. 93% of Midcoast's freight traffic in 2023 came from Dragon Cement. "The passenger service alone without the freight would never be self-sustaining without public subsidization."

Paris moves forward with solar project on former town dump

ADVERTISER DEMOCRAT • June 13, 2024

The Town of Paris Select Board on Monday approved a one-year lease option for the 37.1-acre capped landfill on Kilgore Road. The option will allow the Asheville, North Carolina-based company, Paddle Energy, to ask Central Maine Power Co. to evaluate potential infrastructure upgrades that may be necessary to plug a solar project into the grid.

York County resident dies from rare virus caused by tick bite

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 13, 2024

A resident of York County has died from a rare virus caused by a tick bite, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. It is the first fatal case of Powassan virus infection in Maine since May 2023. Two other Maine residents – one in Kennebec County and the other in Lincoln County – are known to have been infected with the virus so far this year.

Maine to add high-speed EV charging stations at 17 locations

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 12, 2024

Opponents to the government policy that seeks to expand electric vehicle use in Maine have argued, among other points, that too few charging stations are in place, particularly in the state’s vast rural reaches. On Wednesday, Gov. Janet Mills announced that the state will add 52 high-speed electric vehicle charging stations at 17 locations in the next year, with many in rural areas.

2 more midcoast towns will restrict a company’s mining plans

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 13, 2024

The midcoast towns of Warren and Union have joined neighboring Hope in passing stricter limits on industrial-scale metal mining. The vote comes after the towns temporarily banned mining for months in response to efforts by Canadian mining company Exiro to extract cobalt, nickel and copper near Crawford Pond, a body of water that touches all three towns.

Opinion: Even tourism’s tensions can be good for Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 13, 2024

Maine is beautiful and quaint, but a large reason why people from away return to our state is the hospitable character of the people here. The camaraderie that Mainers share for each other is palpable, and tourists want to experience it. Tourist season in Maine brings other people closer to Maine. In that way, it brings Mainers closer together. We all sweat, complain and laugh our way through the traffic and long working hours as we uphold this tourist industry, occasionally wishing September would come sooner. But in a backwards sort of way, tourists remind us of who we are and why we love our home state. ~ Charlie Hunter, Yarmouth, senior studying English at Whitman College

Letter: Clean the bay and protect whales

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 13, 2024

Days ago, another whale was found killed as a result of attempting to swim through the tangled mess of fishing gear that sits just beneath the surface waters of Casco Bay. Our congressional and state political leaders effectively nullified any opportunity we had to act with urgency to research solutions for the coexistence of fisheries in Maine waters and the health and survival of whale species therein, they therefore must now support NOAA and its efforts to finalize the vessel speed rule as soon as possible. Maine’s congressional delegation must support and defend the rule against those in Congress who wish to undercut it. All other roads lead to extinction for the right whale, and a catastrophically dangerous existence for the other whale species fighting for survival. ~ Sarah Perry, Falmouth

This bird is a historical helper in Maine apple orchards

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 13, 2024

As trees begin to bear fruit throughout the summer, growers start thinking about how to protect their crops from critters, pests and birds. But there is one species those with apple trees welcome: the Eastern bluebird. For decades, bluebirds in particular were a rare sight here, but populations are on the rebound. Once “so common in dooryards that it served as the New England symbol of spring — the common bird of late March and April that everyone knew.” As more aggressive house sparrows and Eurasian starlings were introduced in Maine, they crowded out bluebird populations. Habitat loss and other factors also contributed. The Audubon Society recommends placing bluebird boxes in open areas separate from other birdhouses and near a supply of insects for them to eat — like near fruit trees.

Look out for snapping turtles in Maine right now

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 13, 2024

I don’t hunt turtles, although it is legal in Maine to harvest up to two snapping turtles and their eggs for personal consumption. I am looking for them these days, much like I watch for deer that could leap out from the sides of the roads — defensively. Snapping turtles are emerging from every muddy swamp, pond or river in Maine right now, seeking sandy or gravelly soil to dig nests and lay eggs. I’ve never seen so many of them in such a short period of time. Not a lot of the young turtles that hatch in early fall survive predation from animals such as foxes, minks, raccoons and skunks, but some do. The species Chelydra serpentina has changed little in more than 40 million years, and it’s still thriving.

How you can help turtles crossing Maine roads this summer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 13, 2024

Now that spring is truly underway, you’ll be seeing more of Maine’s turtles on the roadways. The slow-moving animals tend to seek out the sandy shoulders of roads located near rivers and streams to lay their eggs, and in their journey to find a nesting spot, they often cross busy roadways. There are six types of turtles in Maine that are susceptible to becoming roadkill: the Blanding’s turtle, the spotted turtle, the painted turtle, the common snapping turtle, the wood turtle and the musk turtle. Turtles tend to seek out mates throughout May, and will typically lay their eggs in late May and early June. This is when they are typically seen on roadways. If you spot one of these reptiles crossing a roadway this summer, here are some ways you can help them out.

Opinion: Why Sears Island is the best spot for Maine’s offshore wind port

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 13, 2024

In March 2020, Gov. Janet Mills directed the Maine Department of Transportation to study the Port of Searsport to assess needs to support Maine’s offshore wind industry. The state has objectively and thoroughly considered proposals for Mack Point and found its physical and logistical constraints, need for significant dredging, and increased costs to taxpayers for land leasing and port construction would result in an expensive and inferior port for Maine compared to a versatile, purpose-built port on Sears Island. Sears Island is the best site for Maine to build an offshore wind port that can realize the considerable economic, environmental, and energy opportunities before us. ~ Matthew Burns, Maine Port Authority

These are Acadia National Park’s 5 best-kept secrets

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 12, 2024

With nearly 4 million visitors per year, you’d think people today know everything there is to know about Acadia National Park. Here are five little-known facts about Acadia.
• Somes Sound isn’t a true fjord
• There’s a hidden sea cave you can visit
• Cadillac Mountain is named for French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac
• Acadia National Park was once part of France
• The origin of the name “Acadia” is unknown

Commuter bus service between Portland, Lewiston-Auburn to start in July

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 12, 2024

The Maine Department of Transportation has awarded a $2.8 million contract to a Utah company, RTW Management Inc., to operate the 2-year pilot program. The announcement comes a month after the private bus company Concord Coach Lines announced it would end service between Portland and the Twin Cities in June.