The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
TIMES RECORD • July 25, 2024
Harpswell Neck Physical Education Association President David Chipman organized a group of volunteers to create a solar demonstration. Last week, the camp’s new fridge was up and running, powered by two solar panels and a battery to keep treats comfortably cool even at night. The improvements cost nothing and will continue to be paid for by an endlessly renewable source: the sun.
MAINE PUBLIC • July 25, 2024
A new national study concludes that PFAS chemicals are getting into pesticides in a variety of ways, as active and inert ingredients, but also leaching from containers and other unknown sources. The study, published this week in Environmental Health Perspectives, found a variety of PFAS present in pesticides, including PFOA and PFOS, two of the most toxic PFAS. Sarah Woodbury with Defend Our Health said the findings are disappointing, given that pesticides are not just used in agriculture, but also in forests and gardens. The paper also found that PFAS chemicals make up 14% of active ingredients in U.S. pesticides, and nearly 30% of all active ingredients approved by the Environmental Protection Agency in the last ten years.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • July 25, 2024
While wind power can contribute millions per year to rural communities, an independent Associated Press analysis found, these economic arguments have at times been drowned out by health and safety concerns, as well as accusations that wind is taking away from a local economy in other ways. Local laws effectively blocking wind or solar projects are increasingly common. Many anti-wind coalitions cite declines in local property values, but those values rebounded after construction finished. Other debunked claims include: Studies have found no significant impact of turbines on bird life. And there is no established link between low-frequency noise from wind turbines and human health.
TIMES RECORD • July 25, 2024
In 2012, local fishermen, tournament directors and scientists teamed up to pursue a common goal: data collection. Now, commercial tuna stocks, once depleted by overfishing, are on the rebound thanks to new management proposals informed by data from the University of Maine at Orono’s Pelagic Fisheries Lab. Blaise Jenner, a team member and scientist at the Maine Department of Marine Resources, is studying bluefin foraging ecology. He said that stomach samples from local tournaments play a key role in identifying the species’ diet, informing a management framework to better protect predator and prey.
WASHINGTON POST • July 25, 2024
Major utilities are relocating substations to escape rising waters and wildfires. Manufacturers are establishing redundant production lines to guard against storms that could idle their plants. And a top investment bank is stress-testing portfolios to see if they would survive a warming climate’s wrath. The moves illustrate how companies are changing the way they do business to cope with increasingly frequent episodes of extreme weather.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 25, 2024
I was thankful to see that $20 million for beneficial environmental projects has been awarded to several local municipalities, the Penobscot Nation and nongovernmental organizations to help clean up and restore the Penobscot estuary from mercury, which was part of the waste from plants discharging into the Penobscot estuary. This money comes from the 2022 multi-hundred million dollar cleanup and restoration settlement of the lawsuit brought by the Maine People’s Alliance and Natural Resources Defense Council to clean up and restore the estuary. Thank you, MPA and NRDC, for your decades-long lawsuit. ~ Pam Person, Orland
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 25, 2024
Runaround Pond in Durham is a secret paddling gem. I found it by accident a couple of years ago and have returned about a dozen times since. For me, the narrow 2.7-mile body of water has multiple attractions. Sheltered on all sides, a pleasant paddle can be enjoyed even on a windy day. The winding shoreline is largely undeveloped leaving the impression of a wilderness environment. Wildlife is plentiful, including beavers, otters, deer and turtles. The pond is a bird watcher’s paradise. The aquatic vegetation produces a variety of radiant flora. The launch area is located in secluded Runaround Pond Park. ~ Ron Chase
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 25, 2024
When I take the bus to Portland at the beginning of the workday, I feel refreshed by walking to the bus stop. I’m happy to leave the driving to someone else. I often feel reflective and mellow. It’s hard to feel too self-important riding the bus. These are not experiences I have when I drive myself into work. When I ride the bus, I walk more, get more sunshine and contribute to the betterment of the planet. I enjoy being part of a diverse community and having more time to myself. A pretty good deal for four bucks each way. ~ Justin Whitlock, Yarmouth
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 25, 2024
Facebook or Instagram advertisements promoting conversions to solar power with costs covered by the state of Maine use official photos and formal-sounding program names to attract customers to solar incentives. One features a portrait of Gov. Janet Mills and mentions Maine’s “solar for all” program. Another says the state will cover the cost of installation and that people who sign up can “say bye” to their power bills. But these ads are misleading. There are many solar incentives available to Maine homeowners, including a federal solar tax credit program and a controversial net energy billing program, but they are not this generous. The state also has no role in producing the ads. When asked whether the Maine government is behind their program, a sales representative admitted that it’s “actually a federally backed program.” The financial incentives are not yet available for Maine residents.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 25, 2024
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visits Orono on Thursday and Brunswick on Friday to announce agricultural funding for forestry and clean energy in Maine. He also plans to promote the work of the current Biden-Harris administration and the Inflation Reduction Act, which will fund the new programs. On Thursday, Vilsack plans to reveal funding for forest landowners to “adapt to climate change impacts, improve carbon storage and keep working forests working.”
WMTW-TV8 • July 24, 2024
With over 6,000 lakes and ponds across Maine, lake conservation is critical for the future of our natural resources. Last month, Gov. Janet Mills signed a proclamation to create more diverse support for lakes around the state by making July Lake Appreciation Month in Maine. They are vital to both residents and visitors, providing access for 380,000 licensed freshwater fishermen and over 112,000 boaters. Maine lakes also provide more than half of Mainers with drinking water and act as vital habitats for more than 70 percent of our wildlife species. Susan Gallo, the executive director for Maine Lakes, shared that there are many ways for Mainers to get involved, and she said residents can volunteer to inspect boats.
MAINE PUBLIC • July 24, 2024
The University of Maine is moving ahead with plans for a new aquaculture workforce and innovation center. The 14,200 square foot facility will house large fish tanks and classroom spaces, serving as a hub for aquaculture research at the university system's flagship campus in Orono. The university said the new facility will boost existing aquaculture research and workforce training programs. The Maine Aquaculture Association estimates that the industry will need more than 1,300 new workers over the next 15 years. UMaine received $7 million in federal funding and an additional $3.3 million in state funding to support the project. Construction is expected to begin this fall, and the facility could open next year or early 2026.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 24, 2024
Officials from six separate island communities—Frenchboro, Matinicus, North Haven, Swan’s Island and Vinalhaven—are asking Gov. Janet Mills to intervene in a workforce crisis that has disrupted ferry service to and from the mainland. Throughout the year, cancellations due to staff shortages have plagued the Maine State Ferry Service that operates daily service to several Midcoast and Down East islands, affecting both residents and visitors.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 24, 2024
Wabanaki tribes may soon have the ability to gather sweetgrass in Acadia National Park for traditional uses after more than a century of not being able to do so. The National Park Service announced Wednesday that Acadia can enter individual agreements with the federally recognized tribes with historical and cultural ties to the land there. The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Mi’kmaq Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribes at Pleasant Point and at Indian Township and the Penobscot Nation, collectively called the Wabanaki Nations, have a cultural heritage of using the grass medicinally, ceremonially and in basket making.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC • July 24, 2024
Since the early 1980s, Maine lobstermen have experienced a climate-driven lobster boom. That’s because climate change has been warming the Gulf of Maine more than three times faster than 99 percent of the ocean. Warmer waters initially meant more lobster, but by 2050 conditions may become challenging for lobsters to survive in. Since a 2012 marine heatwave, the deep-water temperatures have been about 3°F warmer than average, but this year, temperatures are back to levels not seen since before 2011. But it’s still hard to say if this year’s cooler waters will benefit Maine’s lobsters, particularly if the warming trend continues in future years.
PETA PIXEL • July 24,2024
National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry has spent decades diving around the globe, telling the stories of the world’s oceans. For his latest projects, years in the making, he has been much closer to home, documenting the unprecedented — and deadly — changes happening in the Gulf of Maine. Unfortunately, the Gulf of Maine is imperiled. The gulf’s waters are warming faster than 97% of the global ocean, offering a startling preview of a looming disaster and destroying ocean life and habitats with terrifying rapidity. As part of a cover story in National Geographic last month and a three-part documentary NOVA series premiering on PBS this week, Skerry investigates what’s happening in the Gulf of Maine, how it’s affecting animals and people alike, and what can still be done to curb the destruction.
MAINE PUBLIC • July 24, 2024
the Gulf of Maine is 7,500 miles long and as much as a thousand feet deep, a marine treasure of some 36,000 square miles. From the tip of Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, it courses with cold, nutrient-rich, deep-sea water, artfully mixed by the world’s biggest tides. This rich environment feeds a web of 3,000 species ranging from microscopic plankton to seals and massive right whales. Millions of people have lived along its rising edge, drawing their sustenance, fame, and fortune from its plentiful depths. For all its storied bounty, and because of it, the Gulf is also in peril. The first episode of Sea Change (July 24) explains how the bounty in the Gulf was forever affected by European settlers and how wildlife and people adapted to its changes. In the second (July 31), scientists investigate how the Gulf came to be and how its cold waters, unique tides, and even geologic shape powers a web of thousands of species. The last episode (August 7) explores the future of the Gulf. Maine Pubic TV, July 24-August 7, 9 pm.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 24, 2024
A road project that started this week in Blue Hill will limit access to a popular set of local hiking trails, although there are alternative ways to reach them. The town of Blue Hill says that Mountain Road will be closed for eight to 10 weeks as it is totally rebuilt. During that time, hikers won’t be able to access the main parking area to reach the trails up Blue Hill Mountain. Blue Hill Heritage Trust, the group that manages the mountain, says there are two routes that hikers can still use to summit it. They can use street parking downtown and climb the Post Office Trail, which is about a mile long and connects with other trails up the rest of the mountain. Alternatively, they can park along Turkey Farm Road, which provides access to the 2-mile Becton Trail up the backside of the mountain.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 23, 2024
Two fishermen had to leap from their boat Tuesday afternoon when a whale breached and fell on top of the vessel, flipping it onto its side. Two brothers from Maine, Colin, 16, and Wyatt Yager, 19, shot the video on Tuesday and then rescued the fishermen who fell from the overturned boat.
CENTRAL MAINE • July 24, 2024
We’re well into spider season in Maine now, which runs from July to about mid-September. By “spider season” I just mean this is the time when most of them are the most active, so you’re apt to notice them. Most spiders live outdoors, but some seem to prefer being indoors with people. The ones who have adapted whole lifestyles to human presence are referred to as “synanthropic,” such as house spiders, who are usually the ones who build the cobwebs on your doorframes, lights and cellar ceiling. House spiders are shy and run away long before they’d ever try to bite a human. Like almost all spiders, they’re dangerous to bugs, not us. ~ Dana Wilde
