Volunteers hit the water for 41st annual Maine Audubon Loon Count

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 22, 2024

Volunteers set out on lakes and ponds across Maine early Saturday morning to take a snapshot of the status of a bird that is near and dear to Maine’s heart. The Maine Audubon Loon Count has tallied the bird’s population each year since 1983 with the help of more than 1,600 nature enthusiasts. The final results for this year won’t be released for several weeks, but last year’s count estimated 2,892 adult common loons and 411 chicks living south of the 45th parallel, a line that runs from Rangeley to Calais. Though 2022 and 2023 saw decreases in adult loon numbers, estimates have trended upward since the ’80s.

Letter: Gorham Connector – why are we doing this?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 22, 2024

The Maine Turnpike Authority’s Gorham Connector is estimated to cost $230 million-plus to complete; the project is opposed by many local citizens and is projected to have limited impact on future commute times. Why are we doing this? It is a speculative investment that solves a problem that currently does not exist. Does the MTA have a crystal ball showing the future? No for-profit company or group of investors would ever invest in such a venture. ~ Charles Hamblen, Gorham

Column: Maine’s ugliest bird vomits on intruders

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 22, 2024

Normally, I’d rhapsodize about all the beautiful songbirds that have kept us entertained for the last two months. Instead, I offer a 180-degree twist, with an ode to potentially the homeliest bird in Maine — the turkey vulture. Sure, it’s hard to love a bald bird with the dress and demeanor of a mortician. There’s actually a lot to love. Like all scavengers, vultures play an important role in nature, helping to limit the spread of disease. The first nesting turkey vultures in Maine weren’t discovered until 1982. They’ve been proliferating ever since. It’s not uncommon to see vultures standing next to an eagle, feasting over the same roadkill. However, a vulture on a nest might find itself in a vulnerable spot. In such cases, its chief defense is to vomit on the intruder. That’s usually a sufficient deterrent. ~ Bob Duchesne

A historic cleanup of the Penobscot River is finally beginning

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 22, 2024

Left on its own, the Penobscot River could take 80 years or longer to diffuse the estimated 9 metric tons of mercury spilled into it from a chemical plant in Orrington between 1967 and the early 1970s, according to experts studying the river. But a 2022 Maine U.S. District Court consent decree could speed up the river’s return to safe water by decades. The decade-long cleanup will require some of the mercury to be covered and other contaminated sediments to be removed, but scientists must figure out the best areas to do that for the biggest impact. They are getting ready to carry out their plans starting with a pilot project later this year and are seeking input from the public.

More Maine roads may be abandoned as climate change brings worse floods

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 22, 2024

As climate change causes heavier storms in Maine, transportation officials say they’ll more frequently have to answer questions about whether to maintain low-lying roads that are prone to flooding, whether driven by tides and winds along the coast, or by intense rainfall in other parts of the state. In some areas, officials may decide to permanently close low-lying sections of a road, rather than spending money to fix them over and over again, or improve a minor road when alternate routes already exist.

Gorham Connector plan’s public review timeline gets extended

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 21, 2024

The Maine Turnpike Authority will extend its timeline for public comment and permit applications for the increasingly controversial Gorham Connector project, the agency has announced. The goal is to ensure a thorough review and integration of public feedback and accommodate upcoming leadership turnover at the authority, a spokesperson said. The authority has spent at least $4.5 million acquiring land needed to build the 5-mile, four-lane spur, which is expected to cost well over $200 million to complete. The project faces mounting concern from opponents who believe it will worsen suburban sprawl and the commuter traffic congestion it’s meant to tame, as well as people who want to prevent it from cutting through Smiling Hill Farm.

Rip currents are on the rise in Maine, along with swimmers in distress

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 21, 2024

Lifeguards at some of Maine’s most popular swimming beaches are reporting unexpected fallout from the series of high-water storms that battered the state’s shoreline last winter: More swimmers are being pulled into rip currents and need to be rescued. The high winds, high tides and high waves that destroyed fishing docks and coastal roads from Kittery to Cutler also reshaped the surf zone, dumping sand scoured from dunes and beaches out beyond the low-tide mark to create a new system of largely invisible underwater troughs and sandbars. As of Thursday, lifeguards have rescued 39 distressed swimmers from Old Orchard Beach rip currents this summer, and the tourist season has only just begun. Rip currents account for about 80% of the 60,000 rescues conducted each year at U.S. beaches.

Can Maine’s coastal restaurants survive climate change?

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 21, 2024

Seasonal seafood restaurants dot Maine’s coastline from York to Eastport. They date back about a century. Like lighthouses, rocky beaches and lobster (which they inevitably prepare), they are practically synonymous with Maine. From lobster shacks (with decks, walk-up windows and picnic tables) to their plusher siblings (with roofs and dining rooms), these scenic, quintessential eateries are imprinted on the memories of generations of Mainers and visitors. But as the string of storms that pummeled the state’s coastline last winter demonstrated, such cherished summertime destinations are at grave risk from climate change. And not just the physical structures, either; the fast-warming waters in the Gulf of Maine threaten their menus of local fish and seafood.

Farms in central and western Maine at or near peak for summer growing season

SUN JOURNAL • July 21, 2024

It’s been hotter and more humid than usual in Maine so far this summer, after a cool start. The combination is having a mostly positive effect on the region’s agriculture sector with larger fruit and produce and bigger yields. “From a weather perspective, this year is almost as good as we could have it,” said Jason Lilley, assistant extension professor of sustainable agriculture and maple industry educator with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. The heat and humidity are having some negative impacts as well — stressing animals, trees, plants and humans working in the fields.

In Cape Elizabeth, art is the key to preserving open spaces

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 21, 2024

Dozens of juried painters from across Maine and well beyond set up their easels in scenic spots across Cape Elizabeth one weekend each June. On Sunday afternoon, when the paintings are barely dry, each piece is auctioned at the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust’s Paint for Preservation fundraiser. Four hundred people attended the 17th annual auction June 23 and bid on the work of 31 artists to raise over $100,000 for land conservation, stewardship and environmental education. Cape Elizabeth Land Trust has preserved 844 acres on 32 parcels, with the goals of protecting wildlife habitat, saving spaces for recreation and farming, and contributing to climate resiliency.

New commuter bus service between Portland, Lewiston-Auburn starts Monday

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 21, 2024

The LAP, a new commuter bus service between Lewiston-Auburn and Portland, will begin operating Monday, the Maine Department of Transportation announced. The pilot bus service will include several runs daily from 4:30 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday and from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekends. The pilot bus service will operate for at least two years and serve as an indicator of the latent demand and potential market for enhanced public transportation between Portland and Lewiston-Auburn. The new service is expected to attract some of the hundreds of workers who are traveling that route daily.

Column: Digital photography allows for closer study of rare birds

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 21, 2024

One of the coolest trends with modern birding, which has really come thanks to advances in digital photography, is the ability to match photos of known individuals between locations. When a rare bird is seen in two different areas, historically we would have only been able to guess that it was one individual, or would have assumed they were two different birds. Our detection rate of rare birds must be incredibly low, well below 1% of all the vagrants that occur. Now, with really good digital cameras becoming more prevalent, we often end up with hundreds of photos of a single rare bird, capturing all angles and many feather details. ~ Doug Hitchcox, Maine Audubon

Column: Plenty of outdoor adventure available at Burnt Meadow Pond

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 21, 2024

If you have ever wanted to experience a triathlon, we have an “unofficial” one for you centering on, in, and above 69-acre Burnt Meadow Pond in Brownfield. Paddle one loop, or five, on the pond, swim as long as you want in the refreshing water, and cap it off with a 1.2-mile hike up to the top of 1,575-foot Burnt Meadow Mountain via the North Peak Trail. This small pond features impressive views straight up the northeastern flanks of Burnt Meadow Mountain. In October 1947, the year when Maine burned, Brownfield was one of the epicenters of devastation, with 21,000 acres burned in town. Years later, to bolster an economy that had been devastated by the fire, Brownfield investors built a ski area on the north slope of Burnt Meadow Mountain. It operated intermittently from 1972 to 1982. The forest has covered up most of the traces of the operation. ~ Michael Perry

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.”