This may be why Somes Sound looks green right now

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 27, 2024

The recently greenish waters of Somes Sound have inspired many questions and an occasional joke amongst visitors and residents on Mount Desert Island. Kevin Lachapelle, a Maine Department of Marine Resources specialist, says microbiologist Brianna King has “taken a look under the microscope for phytoplankton and she thinks we may have seen evidence of a bloom of coccolithophores along with unsurprising amounts of some of our usual suspects (pseudonitzschia, scripsiella, dinophysis).”

Simultaneous leg injuries tie up rescue workers on MDI

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 27, 2024

Two hikers fell and suffered leg injuries in Acadia National Park at about the same time on Tuesday, requiring separate groups of rescuers to carry each person out of the woods. At around 12:30 p.m., a 71-year-old woman fell and broke her leg on the summit of South Bubble Mountain. Fifteen minutes later, a 60-year-old man fell and injured his knee on Gorham Mountain Trail.

Acadia swimming area closed because of high bacteria levels

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 27, 2024

Swimmers have been advised to avoid Sand Beach Lagoon in Acadia National Park because of unsafe bacteria levels. The water there was tested Tuesday, and the results revealed 404 bacteria colonies per 100 milliliters of water, which exceeds the threshold of 61 colonies per 100 milliliters set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Scientists find another way we’re exposed to ‘forever chemicals’: Through our skin

WASHINGTON POST • June 27, 2024

A first-of-its-kind study has found that “forever chemicals” – toxic compounds found in everyday beauty and personal care items like sunscreen, waterproof mascara and lipstick – can seep through human skin and enter the bloodstream. In early April, the Environmental Protection Agency set its first-ever limit on these “forever chemicals” in drinking water, following mounting evidence that chemicals in contaminated water can pose a health risk to people at even the smallest detectable levels of exposure. Known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS can persist in the environment for centuries.

Maine State Aquarium draws a crowd when it reopens after a 4-year hiatus

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 27, 2024

As sunny skies and blue ocean waters made for a picturesque Maine day in the village of West Boothbay Harbor, bubbling fish tanks, rare blue lobsters and interactive exhibits brought visitors of all ages to the Maine State Aquarium, which reopened Wednesday for the first time since it closed in 2020. Maine’s only aquarium reopened during Boothbay Harbor’s Windjammer Days Festival after the four-year closure that began because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and was extended after officials discovered damage to walls, floors and electrical systems. It has seen just over $1 million in renovations in that time, which included adding new displays, repairing walls and floors and improving pumps and filters in the tanks.

People are being warned of an aggressive bird in Bangor

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 27, 2024

A protective songbird has people ducking for cover at the courtyard of a Bangor business. Bangor Savings Bank put signs outside its building on Hamlin Way to warn employees and visitors of the bird, which made a nest in a tree at a nearby entrance. This is the first year bank employees reported seeing the bird. The bird is believed to be a northern mockingbird that’s protecting a nearby nest, according to Bob Duchesne, who pens a weekly bird column.

Maine’s tiny coastal cottages are turning into million-dollar properties

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 27, 2024

Marcus Groff bought his cozy Ogunquit cottage 10 years ago for $315,000. Earlier this month, Groff listed the property for $825,000. That trend has rendered the neighborhood largely unrecognizable in just a decade, he said. The value of a typical Ogunquit home soared by nearly 132 percent from 2014 to 2024, which was among the largest increases in the area. In May, that typical value sat at $915,000. It’s a similar situation in Saco. An 870-square-foot home on Ferry Beach is on the market for $829,000, even though it can only be used for three seasons. It was built in 1951 and last sold in 1994 for only $113,000.

10 monsters that dwell in Maine’s waterways

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 27, 2024

Many strange freshwater creatures in Maine often go overlooked. Whether hiding in the shadows or darting across the water’s surface, these real life monsters are more fascinating than dangerous. Their survival tactics and adaptations make them uniquely suited for a watery world, from rivers to swimming holes. Here are just a few of these amazing creatures: Moss animals (bryozoan), water scorpions, bloodsuckers, water striders, green sponges, water snakes, bladderwort, whirligigs, snapping turtles, fishing spiders.

Auburn committee recommending changes to recycling program

SUN JOURNAL • June 26, 2024

A city committee is recommending a series of changes to Auburn’s solid waste and recycling programs, and will present the report during a public hearing Thursday. The report from the Sustainability and Natural Resources board gives an outline of several changes that should be considered, including a program that accepts all recycling commodities as well as provides wheeled and lidded containers.

Harpswell removes dead humpback whale from water

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 26, 2024

Officials removed the humpback whale carcass found off Harpswell from the water on Wednesday afternoon, after it had potentially been floating along the Maine coast for more than a week and a half. This is the second humpback whale carcass found in Maine this month. The other was found June 6 off Cape Elizabeth entangled in fishing gear. A necropsy determined that one likely drowned.

Penobscot Nation and towns get mercury pollution settlement funds

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 26, 2024

Various entities, including the Penobscot Nation and three eastern Maine towns, are set to receive funds through a legal settlement with the onetime owner of an Orrington chemical plant over mercury it dumped into the Penobscot River between 1967 and 2000. Those funds, which will help the groups to perform watershed restoration and improvement projects, are part of a much larger settlement that Mallinckrodt U.S. LLC, one of the former owners of the former HoltraChem Manufacturing plant, reached in 2021. It will pay at least $187 million as part of the settlement. While much of that funding will go to remediating the mercury contamination, $20 million of it has been reserved for projects in communities affected by the pollution.

Merrymeeting Bay Bird Walk, Dresden, July 6

FRIENDS OF MERRYMEETING BAY • June 26, 2024

Ornithologist Will Broussard will lead a bird walk along Merrymeeting Bay at Green Point Wildlife Management Area, Dresden, July 6, 7-9 a.m. Hosted by Friends of Merrymeeting Bay.

Video of man smashing turtles at Portland cemetery triggers outrage, police investigation

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 26, 2024

A video of a man picking up and smashing wild snapping turtles near Portland’s Evergreen Cemetery ponds on Saturday sparked outrage on social media. Both Portland police and the Maine Warden Service are investigating the incident.

Letter: Support BEACH Act

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 26, 2024

An alarming rates of bacteria at local beaches can make our swimmers sick. Fortunately, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree is on the committee that has the power to decide how much money to allocate to the BEACH Act (HR 7203). This act will enable communities to continue beach testing, allowing us to know when there is bacteria in the water. Urge your representatives to support this act. We must fully fund the BEACH Act to ensure communities have all the resources they need. Find more information in the Safe for Swimming? report on Environment Maine’s website. ~ Carly Cohen, Environment Maine, Portland

Letter: Dig holes safely at the beach

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 26, 2024

On a beautiful day at Pine Point Beach, I couldn’t help but notice another family digging a large, deep hole in the sand. When they finished, the hole was nearly 6 feet deep. My concern grew as I wondered whether they would fill it in before leaving. This incident brought to mind a tragic event earlier this year in Florida, where a child lost her life due to a smaller hole. While it’s common for beachgoers to dig holes, these seemingly innocent activities can pose serious hazards. Let’s work together to enjoy our beaches and ensure every visit is safe and enjoyable for everyone. ~ Katherine Ghantous, Gorham

A $50,000 state grant would bring trees to Lewiston’s Tree Streets neighborhood

SUN JOURNAL • June 25, 2024

The city has conditional approval for a proposal to plant more trees in its Tree Streets neighborhood over the next two years. “This grant opportunity comes from the Governor’s Office of Policy, Innovation, and the Future,” said Jacqueline Crucet, a neighborhood development planner with Lewiston’s Department of Economic and Community Development. The project could start later this summer.

You can pledge to help monarch butterflies with local towns

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 25, 2024

As with many pollinators, monarch butterfly populations have been declining in recent years due to a number of factors. But local towns like Trenton and Lamoine have been stepping up to help the butterflies by signing the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. Towns that sign the pledge commit to taking certain steps during the year to make their towns more pollinator-friendly, such as growing pollinator gardens, hosting butterfly festivals and changing mowing practices in public areas.

Protecting 1.2% of Earth would prevent most extinctions, study says

REUTERS • June 25, 2024

Setting aside an additional 1.2% of the world's land as nature preserves would prevent the majority of predicted plant and animal extinctions and cost about $263 billion, according to a study published on Tuesday. The world is racing to meet a goal to protect 30% of the world by 2030 to protect wildlife that is being decimated by climate change, pollution and habitat destruction.

Whale found dead off Harpswell was a humpback

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 25, 2024

A whale carcass spotted floating in the water off Harpswell on Monday was a humpback, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration determined. It is the second humpback whale found dead in Maine waters this month. The cause of the whale’s death is and the carcass is too decomposed to conduct a full necropsy. Local officials plan to remove the carcass from the water Wednesday.

After decades-long legal fight, Penobscot River rehabilitation to begin

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 25, 2024

More than a dozen projects have been given the green light to start efforts to address long standing mercury contamination in the Penobscot River Estuary. These projects, chosen by the court-appointed Trustee, will be funded with settlement money paid by the former owners of an Orrington chemical plant that from roughly 1967 to 2000 released mercury into the water. That settlement was reached in 2022 and requires Mallinckrodt, formerly Holtrachem, to pay at least $187 million to restore the river after it was sued by Maine People’s Alliance and the Natural Resources Defense Council in 2000.