Column: What are Maine’s lakes worth to you?

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 21, 2024

Maine is home to thousands of freshwater lakes and ponds, offering outdoor recreation opportunities for hundreds of thousands of boaters, anglers, birders and swimmers. Maine’s lakes and their surrounding riparian areas support 70% of Maine’s wildlife at different stages in their life cycles, including fish, turtles, bats, minks, amphibians and pollinators, as well as two of Maine’s most iconic species: moose and loons. Maine’s lakes support public health, too, supplying roughly half of all Mainers with drinking water. Researchers from UMaine estimate the total value of Maine’s lakes to be a $14.1 billion – with an additional $3 billion in direct and indirect expenditures for lake-related activities each year. If you love Maine’s lakes and want to help protect them for generations to come, why not join a local, regional or state lake organization? ~ Susan Gallo, executive director, Maine Lakes

Opinion: From skeptical to sold – our electric road trip across New England

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 21, 2024

My wife and I were early adopters of electric vehicles, becoming proud owners of one of the first Chevy Bolts available in Colorado back in 2016. Fast-forward to this past year, a move to Portland, the sale of the Bolt and a trade-in of the SUV for a new electric car, our only vehicle. A looming wedding invitation in New York state sparked a touch of nervousness. Could our new Hyundai Ioniq 6 handle the journey entirely on electric power? Our worries were unfounded. There’s a lot of negativity surrounding electric vehicles, particularly regarding limited charging infrastructure and long waits. However, our experience paints a completely different picture. Compared to our days in Colorado, where vast open spaces often meant limited charging options, New England’s concentrated population centers boast a network of readily available charging stations. ~ Joe Peraino, PhD, Portland

Column: Things you probably don’t know about Maine’s wild blueberries

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 21, 2024

Blueberries like acidic soil, which is fortunate for us, because that’s what Maine has. Over 90 percent of Maine wild blueberries are flash frozen at the peak of flavor within hours of harvest. Wild blueberries contain twice the antioxidants, that much of the flavor is in the skins, and that cultivated blueberries are larger in part because they contain more water. growers have learned how to reduce the use of chemicals, through a system called integrated pest management. Fields are constantly monitored for pests, and many outbreaks are prevented merely by adjusting harvest dates and mowing schedules. Maine blueberries. Yes, in fact, they are the best. ~ Bob Duchesne

This water bird nests in trees

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 21, 2024

The green heron is not as big as some other heron species, such as the great blue seen commonly in Maine’s marshes. This bird is about the size of a crow, mallard duck or herring gull. It lives near lakes, ponds, marshes, swamps and streams, but is most often found near small ponds. It builds its nests — generally a platform of sticks with other material added — in a variety of places including willow thickets, mangroves, dry woods and open marshes, usually from 5 to 30 feet off the ground, often near the water. It generally is a more southern species but has been creeping ever northward as temperatures warm with climate change.

Maine spent decades trying to stop the spread of Japanese beetles. It failed.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 21, 2024

The state may be facing its biggest beetle population yet this summer, but for decades Maine fought them with uniformed inspectors, quarantines, now-banned chemicals and even other insects. It was a war with high economic stakes, fraud cases and airplane stowaways that took on moral dimensions for some at its forefront. The beetles first appeared in the BDN in a 1923 wire report titled “Plant pests that cost billions: Government loses more by predacious bugs and blights than by bootleggers.” Control options are limited even today — most people knock them into soapy water, or attempt to establish nematode populations — and Mainers have struggled to find solutions since the beginning. Maine is resigned to the presence of Japanese beetles, but the war goes on at home.

Two rescues in 2 days in Franklin, Oxford counties

SUN JOURNAL • July 20, 2024

Western Maine first responders were busy Friday and Saturday with a pair of rescues, one an injured hiker in Bigelow Preserve in Franklin County and another suffering from a medical episode on Streaked Mountain in Oxford County.

Possible shark sightings reported off Cape Elizabeth beach

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 20, 2024

Possible shark sightings were reported off Crescent Beach State Park in Cape Elizabeth on Thursday and Friday. A commercial fisherman reported seeing a shark Thursday by the breakwater near Richmond Island. On Friday morning, two paddleboarders reported seeing a shark near the mooring field in Seal Cove. “Following protocol, Crescent Beach lifeguards cleared the swim area for one hour after the reported sighting.”

L/A RiverFest 2024 wraps up with a regatta on the Androscoggin River

SUN JOURNAL • July 20, 2024

The L/A RiverFest wrapped up its two-day celebration of the Androscoggin River with a regatta Saturday at Simard-Payne Memorial Park. Seventeen teams took to the Androscoggin as drums were heard by the docks. Thuds reached all the way to the John T. Jenkins Memorial Bridge that links the Twin Cities together above the river. In the afternoon, folks with different types of vessels were able to hop on the water and cruise the Androscoggin. Festival organizers said that the L/A RiverFest is set to return next summer with even more water fun.

How to get the most out of hiking Maine’s Monhegan Island

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 20, 2024

Many people visit Monhegan to hike and enjoy nature. In fact, the majority of the island is wilderness, explorable by a network of well-kept trails. Nearly 400 acres are owned by Monhegan Associated Inc., which is one of the first land trusts on the East Coast. Established in 1954, it manages about nine miles of hiking trails that fan out from the village and thread through the woods to visit towering ocean cliffs on the island’s eastern side. Monhegan is an excellent place for birding. The island attracts birding groups from all over in the spring and fall to spot a variety of species as they migrate. If interested to learn more, the book “The Birds of Monhegan” by Brett M. Ewald records 336 species of birds that have been seen on Monhegan.

Here’s what Maine Audubon learned from decades of loon counts

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 20, 2024

The No. 1 killer of Maine’s most iconic summer bird is boat strikes for the first time ever, pushing lead fishing tackle down to No. 2. Waves from the wakes of boats, which are more numerous than ever on lakes and ponds, can flood out nests, and development and the effects of climate change continue to pose challenges. But in spite of the human-made dangers they navigate, the state’s common loon population has nearly doubled in the last 40 years in southern Maine, said Hannah Young, the Maine Audubon Society’s loon count coordinator.

Why the Bubbles are among Acadia’s most iconic mountains

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 20, 2024

The Bubbles — North Bubble and South Bubble — are popular hiking destinations because they feature open granite ledges that offer amazing views of the park. In addition, South Bubble is home to Bubble Rock, a large, round boulder that’s perched on the edge of a ledge. It looks as if it might tumble down the slope at any moment. Yet it has sat there for thousands of years.

L/A RiverFest 2024: Celebrating the Androscoggin River

SUN JOURNAL • July 19, 2024

This year’s Lewiston Auburn RiverFest kicked into high gear Friday morning at the start of the two-day event. Many were glad to see the Androscoggin River back in its full glory. Jim Boulet, a lifelong Lewiston resident, said he was excited that the festival was advocating for recreation with a clean Androscoggin.

State will decide on Juniper Ridge public benefit by August

MAINE MONITOR • July 19, 2024

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection will decide by August 23 whether a proposed expansion of the state’s largest landfill would provide a substantial benefit to the public, a required step before the landfill’s manager, the state’s Bureau of General Services, can apply to increase the capacity of the facility. If approved, the expansion will add 11 years to the operating capacity of Juniper Ridge, which takes in roughly half of the state’s waste, and add 61 acres to its footprint. Without the expansion, Juniper Ridge will run out of room by early 2028. Expanding the landfill, said Old Town resident Ed Spencer, “might partially benefit most Mainers, but it certainly will have negative environmental quality impacts for local humans. This is a sacrifice.”

Project 2025 calls for the repeal of the Antiquities Act

STATES NEWSROOM • July 19, 2024

The “conservative” Project 2025 initiative calls for the repeal of the Antiquities Act, established to safeguard some of America’s most iconic public lands. Published by the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 is a manifesto describing the policies that a new Republican administration could enact. National parks like the Grand Canyon, Grand Teton and four of Utah’s Big Five — Arches, Capitol Reef, Zion and Bryce Canyon — all started as national monuments, designated by a president who used the Antiquities Act. Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument in Maine was also created by use of the the Antiquities Act. Since 1906, the act has been used over 300 times to set aside millions of acres of land for all Americans. Regardless of political affiliation, public lands have broad support even among voters in the West. 

Grants available for wilderness projects

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • July 19, 2024

Through its Wildlands Partnership, Northeast Wilderness Trust is joining forces with local land trusts to protect more wilderness across the Northeast. Eligible land trusts can apply for financial support from the Wilderness Trust to help cover associated project costs. Partners may also apply to enroll in NEWT’s Wildlands Carbon program and earn additional revenue. Since its inception in 2020, five partner land trusts across three states have participated in the Wildlands Partnership to safeguard almost 9,000 forever-wild acres. The Partnership’s second phase, launched in 2023, was a resounding success: seven partner land trusts are working with NEWT to protect additional acres of wildlands this year. Building on Phase II’s momentum, the Wilderness Trust is pleased to open applications for Phase III of the Partnership.

Letter: EVs aren’t right for Maine

SUN JOURNAL • July 19, 2024

Electric vehicles are not right for Maine. True, they are smooth and powerful, but good luck in the charging arena. There is not a single public charger of any kind in all of New Auburn. I have to wonder why the state is investing in anything other than supercharges at this time. Ten percent to 80% in as little as 30 minutes. ~ Michael Lemay, Auburn

Column: Dying baby birds are becoming an epidemic

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 19, 2024

May marked the 12th consecutive month of record-breaking temperatures globally. June will be the 13th. July is on pace to smash that record again. Readers are asking if hot weather kills nestlings. It does. In fact, it’s an epidemic. It’s been abnormally hot in Maine, and the rest of the country has been even hotter. Three billion birds have disappeared from the planet since 1970. The biggest factors contributing to the decline have been habitat loss, outdoor cats and collisions with man-made structures. At least the birds die one at a time and avoid a mass loss. Excessive heat can kill off an entire brood at once. Losses mount exponentially. As heat bakes the Pine Tree State, mountain birds can move upslope. Eventually, they run out of mountain. As sea level rises, Maine’s salt marshes flood more often, jeopardizing birds that nest there. Soon, they run out of marsh. When their habitat changes too quickly, few animals can adapt fast enough. ~ Bob Duchesne

Summer residents try blocking workforce housing project on MDI

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 18, 2024

A group of property owners in Northeast Harbor, all of whom are seasonal residents who own property near the planned development site, has filed a court appeal to try to overturn local approval of a workforce housing development. The project, proposed by the local nonprofit organization Mount Desert 365, would create six housing units reserved for income-qualified year-round residents at the corner of Neighborhood and Manchester roads in the Mount Desert village of Northeast Harbor. The group of seven property owners challenged the town’s approval in the state’s Business and Consumer Court, but Justice Thomas McKeon ruled last month in favor of the town and upheld the town’s approval of the proposed development.

Letter: Reagan Paul right about offshore wind

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 18, 2024

I state Rep. Reagan Paul and particularly with regard to her stand on offshore wind power. Paul is supporting fishermen in opposition to offshore wind power where it could hurt the fishing industry, and at the same time she is considering environmental impacts. I have been up close to wind turbines. They are much more noisy than I expected and I wonder how they will impact various kinds of sea wildlife. ~ Terry D. Atwood, Prospect

A New York company will be paid $310K to clean and patrol downtown Bangor

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 18, 2024

Downtown Bangor Partnership is finalizing an agreement with Streetplus, a Brooklyn-based urban safety, cleaning and hospitality service. The company will hire five local personnel who will be tasked with a series of responsibilities, including to clean up litter and report vandalism to the appropriate city department, patrol downtown and can walk people to their vehicles if they feel unsafe, and approach people who are homeless downtown and direct them to local services that can meet their needs.