Column: Exploring Witt Swamp in Norway

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 4, 2024

With wildlife and flowers teeming, a paddle down Pennesseewassee Lake in Norway to Witt Swamp is so worth the trip. Carpets of fragrant water lilies are everywhere. Barn swallows fill the air, dashing here and there for insects. To the northeast, we can see the foothills that are the steppingstones to the great Alpine notches to the north: Evans, Grafton, Pinkham. There are also some nice hiking options. Downtown Norway’s Main Street is on the National Register of Historic Places and is well worth a stroll. ~ Michael Perry

Column: Seeing caterpillars and sawflies?

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 4, 2024

As we enter late summer, there are hundreds of cool insects which should have you on the lookout. In the evenings, I love to hang a bedsheet out with a light on it and see the dozens of unique moths I can attract; the days can be spent checking blooming wildflowers for a variety of pollinators. We are getting the seasonal influx of questions about all the “bugs” that are bugging people. I recommend downloading iNaturalist or Seek, both great apps that can help you identify many of the living things you encounter. Too often, people have a gut reaction to squish or otherwise remove many of the insects we find in our gardens or around our homes. Try learning about these species and the roles they play in our ecosystem. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox

Editorial: It behooves us to pay for wind energy

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 4, 2024

Is Maine willing to pay up for the good of the environment? We should be. Talks are underway about how to price the financing, building and operation of offshore wind power. As envisaged – comprising 10 turbines about 40 miles offshore – would strip as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year as if we took more than 100,000 gas-powered cars off the road. If the carbon benefits aren’t enough to drive a bargain, hopefully the promise of solid jobs in manufacturing, construction and transportation, or an anticipated $1 billion in economic activity for the state of Maine, are persuasive factors. The environmental case alone is screamingly urgent.

Once town centers of agriculture, these public spaces haven’t quite disappeared

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 4, 2024

Originating in the state 150 years ago, Granges met to connect farmers, advocate for them and provide resources. About 90 Granges remain from 600 operating at their peak. In the early 20th century, Maine had more members per capita than any other state, upward of 55,000; membership is less than 3,000 now. Some local Granges are staying active by finding new roles as community centers, often without programs connected to their agricultural roots. They reckon with challenges faced by community groups across rural Maine as former farming areas change: aging membership, adapting to a less locally connected society and difficulty attracting new people.

Moose on the move in Maine’s woods

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 4, 2024

Between pesky flies and the abundant food sources in the summer, moose can be seen on the move in Maine’s woods. The bulls stay in higher elevations where it’s cooler, but the cows — often with calves — can be found in the lower elevations of woods, especially near lakes and ponds where some of their favorite foods grow. The cows that have calves also choose areas where food is more densely concentrated so they spend less time eating and exposing their babies to predators. Moose diets vary from leaves and twigs of woody plants to pond vegetation, which is a natural source of salt for them. A video by BDN contributor Allie Ladd shows some cows and calves, just living their best summer lives, in Maine’s vast woodlands.

Drowning reported in Range Pond State Park in Poland

SUN JOURNAL • August 3, 2024

Androscoggin County Sheriff’s deputies and Poland Fire Rescue Department responded Saturday afternoon to reports of a drowning at Range Pond State Park. First responders located a person in the water, retrieved them and transported them to a local hospital.

Skowhegan River Fest returns as organizers promote future downtown river park

MORNING SENTINEL • August 3, 2024

The Skowhegan River Fest began this year on Wednesday with a glow stick paddle down the Kennebec, followed by a parade on Thursday, a street party on Friday and fireworks Saturday. Organizers said they expected over 2,500 people to attend over three days. Festivities this year were not just meant to get people outdoors and in the river, but also to publicize organizers’ efforts to construct a “river park” in downtown Skowhegan. Main Street Skowhegan, the nonprofit that organizes the event, plans to build a multimillion dollar whitewater rafting park on the Kennebec River beside downtown Skowhegan in the coming years.

Traditional canoe camping skills and gear I didn’t know I lacked

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 3, 2024

Years ago, I purchased a used canoe for a few hundred dollars. I’ve paddled it around lakes and down streams. I tossed a tent into it once and camped on the edge of a remote pond, deep in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness. The trip involved minimal planning. I’ve a lot to learn about traveling by canoe, a watercraft that has such a rich history in Maine. Nowadays, canoes are usually constructed out of materials like fiberglass, Kevlar and heavier plastics. Yet some people stick to the old ways. Mahoosuc Guide Service out of western Maine leads multi-day canoe trips in wood and canvas canoes that co-founder Kevin Slater designed. I recently attended one of their trips — a women-only canoe expedition in the Grand Lake Stream area. The amount I learned in just five days blew me away. ~ Aislinn Sarnacki

State denies initial request of Bucksport-area owner to give up dams

MAINE MONITOR • August 3, 2024

State environmental officials on July 30 denied petitions from corporate owners of three Bucksport-area dams to forfeit ownership. It was the second time within a week that the state Department of Environmental Protection identified deficiencies in the applications from dam owners Bucksport Mill, LLC and parent company AIM Demolition USA LLC, which filed in early July to forfeit their dams on Alamoosook Lake, Silver Lake and Toddy Pond. Residents and local officials were shocked when the dam owners announced their forfeiture intentions.

Storm damage, climate change take toll on Portland hiking trails

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 3, 2024

Portland Trails is in the middle of a $100,000 emergency fundraising campaign to repair widespread damage to its regional trail system caused by last winter’s storms and prepare it for a more unpredictable climate-driven future. The damage caused by back-to-back-to-back storms shocked trails manager Jamie Parker, a veteran of hundreds of storms during his nearly 20-year career with the nonprofit. Eighteen trails were damaged. A thousand feet of bridges had to be replaced. River banks were washed away. “We’re doing our best to restore the trails, but I’ll be honest, it’s a lot to keep up with,” Parker said. The nonprofit organization estimated that the cost of materials for basic storm damage repairs totaled $750,000, three times what it usually spends to repair and maintain its trails.

UMaine receives $10 million to research turning wood products into jet fuel … and fish food

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 3, 2024

The University of Maine’s forest bioproducts and aquaculture research institutes have been awarded $10 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue studying the effectiveness of turning low-value wood into jet fuel and fish food. It’s the latest effort to find sustainable uses for the state’s abundant forest products. In forestry, the most valuable wood is used for lumber, some is used for pulp and paper manufacturing, but smaller-diameter trees are “often removed in order to enhance growth.” Those trees are typically chipped up for biomass or left on the forest floor. “There are alternative jet fuels, but not necessarily all of them are renewable or sustainable,” said Clayton Wheeler, director of the UMaine forest bioproducts research institute. “(Aviation) is the one transportation sector that cannot be satisfied using renewable electricity.”

Clearing the air: Figuring out the costs of owning an electric vehicle

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 3, 2024

With transportation a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, environmentalists and policymakers are pushing to replace gas-powered vehicles with EVs. Key to accomplishing that is to spell out the long-term costs of owning EVs that are relatively new and unfamiliar to consumers compared with gas-powered cars that have been around for more than a century. The clean air benefits of electric vehicles are easy enough to understand, but figuring out the costs to buy and operate the relatively new technology is not as easy.

Opinion: The big-tent trend descends on my home beach

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 3, 2024

On a recent day, I grabbed my beach chair and off I went. The beach was filled with tents that took up much of the sand. In past years, I had noticed one or two of these pitched tents. On this day, the beach looked like a city of Bedouins. The first tent I came to was a large white canvas covering held to the sand by long white ropes. Underneath, was a group of people fully dressed. The next tent was even more elaborate. Underneath was a group of middle-aged people sitting around a table stacked with food and beverages. It looked like they had set up their own little café. Why would anyone go to the beach to stay out of the sun? Maybe my beach has changed over the years. Whatever, I still call it home. ~ Jim Fabiano, York

Wells officials monitoring deceased humpback whale

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 2, 2024

The Wells Harbor Master and Wells police are monitoring a deceased humpback whale that is floating about 2 miles off the Wells coast. The whale is currently drifting northwest and has a GPS tracker on it, Wells police said. It is the third deceased humpback whale found in Maine waters since June, including one in Harpswell and another that was spotted off the coast of Cape Elizabeth tangled in fishing gear. That whale was later found deceased in the Fore River in Portland and hauled into Portland Harbor. The deceased Harpswell whale was transported to Benson Farm in Gorham, a composting business.

Resignation of York head lifeguard sparks controversy on drinking at the beach

MAINE PUBLIC • August 2, 2024

Around 30,000 people visit York Beach each summer. The eleven crew members of the York Beach Ocean Rescue are responsible for three beaches: the most popular is Long Sands Beach. Jeffrey Patten has served as the head lifeguard for over 30 years. But last month, Patten submitted a letter of resignation to the town stating he will not return next year unless changes are made regarding public drinking enforcement. He said the reason he's speaking out is to protect his lifeguards. Last year his lieutenant guard was almost knocked off her rescue board by a person who was drunk. "You're waiting for drowning, you're waiting for someone passed out on the beach, or you're waiting for a fight. Those things put my lifeguards at risk. And that should be the focus of this issue."

Column: The wonders of the Androscoggin River in Canton

SUN JOURNAL • August 2, 2024

For over 35 years I have watched the Androscoggin River from a car, a bridge, a rock or an embankment but never from on it, until recently. It brings a whole different view when you are in a row boat. ~ Donna M. Perry

DEP says Sandy River dredging violated Maine laws

MAINE PUBLIC • August 2, 2024

State environmental regulators say the Town of Phillips violated state laws and damaged habitat for endangered Atlantic salmon when it dredged the South Branch of the Sandy River in December. While the Maine Department of Environmental Protection did grant the town permission to remove three debris piles to alleviate winter flooding, regulators say the town and its contractors went too far, dredging a channel nearly a mile long, erecting berms next to the river, and dewatering channels used by brook trout and Atlantic salmon. Phillips town manager Maureen Haley said the town is willing to work with state and federal agencies to restore the river, but asked for financial assistance for the work.

Conservation groups urge support for federal old growth forests

MAINE PUBLIC • August 2, 2024

Conservation advocates are urging support for a federal plan to protect old growth trees in national forests including across thousands of acres in Maine. The proposal from the U.S. National Forest Service would curb logging of old trees lays out a process to encourage mature forests to become old growth over time. Matt Cannon, conservation and energy director for the Sierra Club’s Maine chapter said protecting the few old trees that remain is critical to meeting the state’s climate change goals. The group wants its members to support the federal plan and make sure it extends the most protections possible by commenting on the rule before a September deadline. About 46,000 acres of the White Mountain National Forest is in Maine.

It’s going to rain rabies vaccines over the Maine woods

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 2, 2024

The forecast calls for showers of rabies vaccines over the Maine woods. About 50,400 oral rabies vaccines will be spread over Franklin and Somerset counties between Aug. 6-11, according to Jackie Farwell, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Another 384,000 rabies vaccines will be dropped across Aroostook and Penobscot counties between Aug. 11-16, Farwell said Friday. Humans and pets can’t get rabies from the vaccines, but Farwell advised people to not touch or move them. As of July 25, there have been 30 confirmed cases across nine Maine counties in bats, foxes, raccoons, skunks and woodchucks.

Acadia is looking for hikers who climbed trail closed to protect baby peregrine falcons

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 2, 2024

Acadia National Park is looking for three hikers who recently violated a closure order meant to protect nesting peregrine falcons. Two men and a woman hiked the Precipice Trail on July 24 while it was closed to protect vulnerable peregrine falcons raising their young, according to Amanda Pollock, a spokesperson for Acadia National Park. Those suspects face charges. Human activity near a nesting area can lead peregrine falcons to temporarily or permanently abandon a nesting area, leaving their chicks vulnerable to hypothermia, starvation or predation.