Maine based start-up getting federal grant support to scale up fish friendly packaging

MAINE PUBLIC • June 24, 2024

A Maine based start-up is getting a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to scale up its packaging that is fish friendly. Paramount Planet Product uses cellulose to create materials that can be molded into take-out food containers. Founder Adriadne Dimoula said many plastics are made with chemicals that can't be recycled, but cellulose will naturally break down in the environment. "That natural ability to dissolve, to biodegrade, and to not have toxic materials in it is one of the principles that we utilize in the design in our products. Nature can process it or digest it because it's never gone through a synthetic process," Dimoula said. She said her products can be recycled in paper streams, are ocean compostable, and don't harm fish.

Maine State Aquarium to reopen after 4 years

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 24, 2024

After a four-year closure and substantial renovations, the Maine State Aquarium will reopen to the public Wednesday during Boothbay Harbor’s Windjammer Days Festival. It will remain open through Labor Day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. The state-run aquarium closed in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained shuttered while undergoing nearly $1.1 million in renovations. Renovations include two new 1,300-gallon ecosystem tanks that are designed to look like the rocky coasts of Boothbay and Burnt Island and interactive exhibits that highlight the state’s efforts to protect and manage resources in the Gulf of Maine.

Sebago Lake Loon Count coming up next month

LAKES REGION WEEKLY • June 24, 2021

About 50 people are expected to take to Sebago Lake for a half hour on July 20 from 7 to 7:30 a.m. for Maine Audubon’s 41st Annual Loon Count on Sebago Lake. In 2022, the counters reported 32 adult loons and a single chick. Last year they counted 44 adult loons. About 1,600 volunteers are expected to participate in the July 20 Loon Count on ponds and lakes statewide.

Catch-and-release purists are using flawed logic

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 24, 2024

Preserving a fishery for the next generations is not as simple as catch and release. That practice can have the opposite effect, causing an imbalance between food and population that results in skinny, unhealthy fish or allowing the non-native species — however they got there — to thrive over the natives in a body of water. Catch and release practices were part of Sebago’s problems, but in other lakes and ponds, that method saves the fishery. That’s true especially where there are native species like Maine’s iconic brook trout or Arctic charr. Educating ourselves about our favorite fishing holes and choosing to do the best thing for that place is really a better approach than all or nothing. Catch and release may or may not be the right choice.

Birds and farmers struggle to share the same hayfields

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 24, 2024

Grassland birds likely became widespread in Maine when people cleared forests into fields during the 19th century. Bird habitat is shrinking as fields fall out of farm use, become woods again or turn into developments. Fifty years ago, Maine hay was typically cut once or twice; it is now harvested two or three times a season if weather allows. For some farmers, even incentive payments can’t make delayed mowing work, although most want to help the birds. Grassland birds have lost more habitat in the United States since 1970 than any other type. Different management approaches work for different farmers. In an ideal world, said Noah Perlut, a professor and bird researcher at the University of New England, all of the farmer incentive programs would work this way — a kickstart to find bird-friendly practices that work financially.

The transformation of a toxic site into stores and homes

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 24, 2024

Brownfield redevelopment is occurring throughout Maine and the United States on sites with likely environmental contamination that can be cleaned up with federal and private funding. As brownfields are remediated, the cleaned site can breathe new life into a town by adding much-needed housing and retail space. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has identified more than 525 brownfields in the state in various stages of remediation. But there likely are more sites that could qualify. Every $1 it spends to remediate brownfields yields up to $20 in economic benefits.

On Peaks Island’s back shore, residents and tourists are divided over rock sculptures

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 23, 2024

On the rocky back shore of Peaks Island lies a small beach where, for at least a decade, likely longer, people have stacked the shore’s flat, shale rocks into towers that teeter over the landscape. The structures are knocked down often, either by high tides or by other people, and are quickly replaced. They have become so ubiquitous that at some point, the area became known as Cairn Beach. But for years, islanders have debated whether the cairns should exist. Some said the cairns disrupt the back shore’s ecosystem and pristine beauty, while others contended that building cairns is a fun and relatively sustainable activity. 

Seasonal home sales grow in Maine

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 23, 2024

Maine, which has the highest percentage of second homes in the country. More than one-fifth of the state’s homes are unoccupied at a given time, according to federal data, and almost 75% of those are empty because of vacation or recreational use, rather than abandonment. Home watching is a job that is increasing in popularity in Maine as the luxury second-home real estate market has taken off and waterfront homeowners are growing concerned about the impacts of worsening storms.

Column: Pleasant Lake in Stetson puts the perfect in a June day

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 23, 2024

East of Newport lies the town of Stetson – home of Pleasant Lake and in the early 1900s the home of the largest oxen team in the world. We recently enjoyed a four-hour exploration of the western half of the 3-mile long lake. A winding mile-long channel leads out from the outlet dam into the open lake. On the southern side of the channel sits a 100-acre wooded peninsula known as the Cape. The Hewitt family graciously gifted the land in 2010 to create the Pleasant Lake Preserve. ~ Michael Perry

Editorial: Maine’s PFAS crisis demands change of approach

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 23, 2024

The state of Maine has a duty to mitigate PFAS in the drinking water of the households affected by sludge contamination. Maine has invested about $100 million in its response to PFAS in the past two years. State assistance to people affected has involved providing bottled water to drink; covering payments for new connections to alternative water sources; and the installation and maintenance of often-costly water filtration systems. But far, far more is going to have to be poured into this crisis.

Letter: Wind power key to fighting climate change

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 23, 2024

Our climate is heating up. It’s not just the heat taxing our health and infrastructure; with changing temperatures come extreme storms. I recently watched FEMA make their way up and down my road on the coast, taking stock of the damage from the January storms. A warming climate threatens us all. It drives sea life to new waters, hurts our elders and children, and causes economic damage. Now’s the time to mitigate the damage. Transition to clean, sustainable, offshore wind power – electrical generation by Mainers, for Mainers. Wind power on Sears Island will provide good union jobs to our hard-hit Midcoast while acting as a tool in the fight to control the climate disaster created by fossil fuels. ~ Jennifer Reynolds, Jonesport

As Worcester Holdings sprays pines with pesticide, Addison residents call for moratorium

MAINE MONITOR • June 22, 2024

On June 10, the Columbia Falls-based Worcester Holdings notified nearby Addison residents the company would spray imidacloprid over 190 acres of its forest this summer to control balsam gall midge and woolly adelgid. Residents were alarmed about the threat to wildlife, humans and the environment. Many of the 11,000+ pesticides registered for use in Maine are potentially harmful. Despite Worcester Holdings’ record of violations, the company appears to be following protocol. So are five of the state’s leading conservation organizations. The Nature Conservancy, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Friends of Acadia, Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve, and Kennebec Estuary Land Trust have licensed pesticide applicators on staff. “It would be irresponsible if we called ourselves conservation landowners to let invasive plants spread unchecked over the lands we’ve conserved because they greatly diminish ecological value,” said Amanda Devine, director of stewardship for MCHT.

Heat wave gives Maine a sneak peek at summers of the future

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 22, 2024

Maine summers are indeed getting hotter. And the state, which has more experience dealing with extreme cold than extreme heat, finds itself unprepared. Portland summers are 2.4 degrees warmer than in 1970, with two additional weeks of abnormally hot weather. Last week’s record-setting heat wave offers a sneak peek at future summers in Maine if we don’t cut the global emissions that are changing the climate. Average summer temperatures would be up to 4 degrees hotter by 2050 and almost 9 degrees hotter by 2100.

Denmark considers tightening regulations on water extraction despite Poland Spring opposition

MAINE MONITOR • June 22, 2024

After years of work, Denmark is on the cusp of major changes to its ordinance that would curtail large-scale water extraction in the town — an industry largely occupied by the bottled water behemoth Poland Spring. The changes, which will be presented at a June 26 town forum, would block future Denmark officials from loosening restrictions on water sources and require more rigorous monitoring from extraction entities on the sources they draw from. They also acknowledge the influence of climate change on drought and groundwater reserves as a reason for protecting local water through regulation.  Denmark, an Oxford County town about 41 miles northwest of Portland, has been a Maine leader in local water extraction regulations, establishing its landmark ordinance in 2005.

Column: The solar farm paradox

SUN JOURNAL • June 22, 2024

So far there are a reported 3,185 solar panel farms in Maine, with a lot more on the way. A new law is supposed to require new solar developers to either provide “compensatory land” equal to the size of the developed solar field or contribute money to a state compensation fund for habitat preservation. The rush to solar farms and renewable energy poses a paradox as we destroy habitat and wildlife in our earnest effort to manage our carbon footprint. This debate is not over. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

Opinion: Misguided rate increases ignore Maine ratepayers, clean energy developers

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 22, 2024

This week, the Maine Public Utilities Commission announced new rate hikes to subsidize Gov. Janet Mills’ green energy transition. The new rates will have consumers paying an extra $15.50 a month to keep the lights on. With many Mainers already stocking up on winter heating oil and interest rates reaching the highest levels in a decade, the rate hikes could not have come at a worse time. Maine’s climate action plan earmarks billions of dollars for clean transportation, clean energy, climate resilience and other schemes like developing “climate-friendly building materials.” This most recent rate increase will go directly to pay the $179.3 million owed to solar developers – a 47% increase from the previous year. Instead of subsidizing solar power and burying ratepayers under crushing costs, Maine needs cheap, reliable sources of energy. ~ Roy Mathews

Letter: Clear the blockage on Presumpscot River

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 22, 2024

Over 20 big trees are interlocked tightly blocking the entire Presumpscot River; there is no clearing even at the shores. Anyone getting too close can become pinned against the strainer by the current and drown. This river blockage should be cleared right away before someone is hurt, or worse. ~ John Picone, South Portland

Maine town needs $2M to remove a giant mound of toxic carpets

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 22, 2024

For nearly three decades, more than 25,000 tons of carpet waste has sat on the site of an abandoned rifle range in Warren. The town wants to get rid of the carpets so it can finally develop there, but without financial help, town officials have their hands tied. It’s a carpet wasteland. And the town’s only financial hope of cleaning it up — an application for $2 million in federal Brownfields cleanup funds — was denied in May.

Petition for a recount of the Dresden mineral extraction moratorium vote falls short

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 21, 2024

The temporary ban, which was approved by a one-vote margin at Dresden's municipal election earlier this month, prompted gravel pit owner Heather Beasley to challenge the results and seek a recount. The ordinance limits expansion of mining and quarrying and halts any new gravel or quarry pit applications for 180 days so the town can create a new ordinance to manage quarrying and gravel pits. “This is my business, my livelihood, I’m the fourth generation of women that has owned this gravel pit,” Beasley said. “This has been our business since 1915.” Beasley said she will continue to fight the moratorium.

Fly-fishing is largely safe despite recent Kennebec River fatality, says expert

MORNING SENTINEL • June 21, 2024

The death of a fly fisherman on Father’s Day on the Kennebec River in Embden was an uncommon incident for a generally safe sport, according to officials and experts.The death of a fly fisherman on Father’s Day on the Kennebec River in Embden was an uncommon incident for a generally safe sport, according to officials and experts. James Wescott, 56, of Fremont, New Hampshire, was fly-fishing on the Kennebec River on Sunday when he lost his footing while trying to walk to a gravel bar in the river. He fell into the river and died after being swept downstream. It is important to wear a wader your size and a wading belt that is properly tightened around the waist to slow water from entering the legs of waders.