Letter: Don’t change the nature of Sears Island

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 12, 2024

I recently visited the Searsport facility of Sprague Energy. My opinion was reinforced by that visit that Mack Point is a far better location for the wind port than is Sears Island. In fact, Sprague is currently handling hundreds of wind generator components, which are being hauled to Washington County for the wind farm in Columbia. Don’t give me the argument that it’s only 100 acres. I think the entire nature of the island and access to it would be ruined. ~ Harold Shaw, Penobscot

Farmers’ Almanac: ‘Brace yourself for a wet winter whirlwind’ in 2025

SUN JOURNAL • August 12, 2024

The latest Farmers' Almanac is expected to hit the shelves this week and, as always, provide a near-endless supply of tips on everything from gardening by the moon to grating cheese and being prepared for the next power outage. But, of course, the Farmers’ Almanac’s bailiwick has always been the weather and, this year, it has plenty to say about what is to come. “Brace yourself for a wet winter whirlwind,” is the thrust of this year’s prognostication. With the help of La Niña, the latter part of January is expected to see the arrival of “a very active storm track that we expect will deliver frequent bouts of heavy precipitation, as well as strong and gusty winds.”

Letter: Fishermen are being wrongly marginalized

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 12, 2024

On July 11, 2024, the Harpswell Select Board adopted a “Right To Fish” policy which codified the rights of fishermen/women to ply their trade. I, for one, was left dumbfounded by this notion that men and women moving to Harpswell were unaware of the fact that the very community they were living in was built on, and continues to thrive off, the labor of our hard-working men and women on and offshore. I will continue to stand up for our longest standing trade, I will fight tooth and nail for our fishermen and women – and so should others. ~ Andrew Piantidosi, Cape Elizabeth

Opinion: When green groups prioritize dollars over sense

TIMES RECORD • August 11, 2024

Arising from humble roots in the 1960s, the American ecology movement has evolved into a big business. It now brings in billions annually to fight against global progress and economic development. It’s been poisoned by its success. Whether it’s the Dakota Access pipeline, Keystone XL, or any number of energy infrastructure projects, environmental groups are putting their own financial needs ahead of what is financially to the benefit of America’s families and communities. When they say they’re trying to save the environment, they mean they’re trying to save their own bottom lines. ~ Peter Roff

Suzie the black bear celebrates 30th birthday at Maine Wildlife Park in Gray

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 11, 2024

A bear-y good day was in store for one of Maine Wildlife Park’s most iconic residents Sunday. Suzie the black bear celebrated her 30th year over the weekend with presents, cake and plenty of snacks. The “Bear Birthday Bash” brought hundreds of visitors to the park, all hoping to get a glimpse of Suzie and her enclosure-mate, 7-year-old Luvey. Suzie came to Maine Wildlife when she was just a cub, when another facility could no longer care for her. She’s lived a pretty long life for a black bear.

Agricultural tradition lives on at Skowhegan State Fair

MORNING SENTINEL • August 11, 2024

Now in its 206th year, the Skowhegan State Fair, which kicked off last Thursday and ends its 10-day run this Saturday, is the oldest consecutively running agricultural fair in the country and draws about 100,000 visitors in a typical year. First organized by the Somerset Central Agricultural Society, the fair in its early days — before Maine became a state in 1820 — became a place where farmers could learn about the latest techniques, find out about new equipment available and work to improve the breeding of livestock.

In Wells, a ghost forest rises

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 11, 2024

Walking the sun-dappled trails of the Wells Reserve on a mild summer day, past stands of swamp maple and quaking aspen, surrounded by birdsong, it is hard to imagine that children who wander these paths today may live to see them become mud flats, or even open ocean. Scientists have been warning about this possibility for years. A 2014 report, produced in part by researchers at the Reserve, predicts that sea level rise will fully submerge the Reserve’s estuarine lands by the end of the century and force marshy areas of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge to migrate inland. “In the shorter term,” researchers wrote, “it is unclear whether Wells’ marshes will have room to migrate upland, and whether they will be able to migrate quickly enough.”

Opinion: Trump back in the White House would be very bad for wildlife

MSNBC • August 11, 2024

We should take seriously much of what the 920-page Heritage Foundation’s infamous Project 2025 plan tells us about a potential second Trump term. For one, if Trump wins in November, he may end federal protections for many endangered species, including grizzly bears and gray wolves. As Andrea Zaccardi, a carnivore conservation legal director for the Center of Biological Diversity, points out, “The proponents of Project 2025 don’t understand that the protection of species is supposed to be a science-based decision and not a political one.” ~ Jonathan Taylor

Sebago Lake properties at center of shoreland zoning ordinance violations begin restoration process

SUN JOURNAL • August 11, 2024

It will be three years this fall that the lakefront on properties on Sebago Lake was transformed from a natural landscape to at least 400 linear feet of riprap lining the shore. That led to a series of shoreland zoning ordinance and unpermitted work violations lodged against the owner of the properties — Auburn businessman Donald Buteau and his real estate holding firm Management Controls LLC, his primary contractor Robert Durant, and Q-Team Tree Service. They are required to remove the majority of the riprap on the shore. A boat ramp will be removed. Plantings must be documented, monitored, and “must be maintained or replaced as necessary to achieve 85% to 90% survival after five full growing seasons.” Some credit the resolution of this shoreland zoning case to the enactment of the bill, signed into law by Gov. Janet Mills in May. “I think this law will make flagrant abuses of Maine’s shoreland zoning less of a ‘cost of doing business’ issue.”

Column: 5 options for backcountry camping

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 11, 2024

Here’s a look at out-of-the-way places that beckon you and your backpacking buddies to spend some quality time this summer.
• Myron Avery Campsite at Bigelow Col along the crest of the Bigelow Range
• Speck Pond between Old Speck Mountain and Mahoosuc Arm in the Mahoosuc Range
• Coastal Trail in the Cutler Coast Public Land, 5 tent sites in the maritime spruce woods
• Sidney Tappan Campsite in a col between Gulf Hagas Mountain and West Peak in the White Cap Range
• Davis Pond Campsite in Katahdin’s Northwest Basin in Baxter State Park

Column: It’s one environment, where a variety of species all come to their senses

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 11, 2024

In some ways, birds perceive their environment in ways we cannot sense or comprehend. Many birds sing, so it is no surprise that the sense of hearing in birds is pretty good. Our hearing acuity is similar. Our ears can hear some low frequencies birds can’t hear, and birds can hear some frequencies that are higher than we can detect. However, birds are better at us in hearing the detail in a sound. Among mammals, our vision is well developed. Birds outdo us. In general, birds have a more poorly developed sense of smell than us. Touch acuity is similar in birds and humans. Birds have one sense we lack. Birds can detect the earth’s magnetic field. This sense is particularly important in orientation and navigation for migrating birds. ~ Herb Wilson

Letter: The most important election issue, by far, is climate change

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 11, 2024

But one reason is more important than any other Trump plan because of its long-range effect. Trump’s plan to reverse all of Biden’s efforts to fight global warming will be catastrophic. With a Trump victory, there is a very good chance that worldwide momentum will falter, and the warming trend will spiral out of control, making this year’s hot spells seem like a cold shower. The planet would be too hot to support human life and civilization as we know it would not recover. For this reason alone, Trump should not be elected president. If we don’t fix global warming, nothing else matters. ~ Peter Konieczko, Scarborough

Letter: Climate change requires immediate investment in clean energy

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 11, 2024

I’ve spent about a third of my life with my grandparents in Old Orchard Beach. Their house is separated from the ocean by a narrow wooden boardwalk and a few yards of dune grass. This winter, during the big storm, water rushed past the boardwalk, decimated the dunes and flowed into the street. Their house would’ve been flooded if it wasn’t on stilts. I used to tell my grandparents to move away from the ocean. They would joke that they were going down with the house. This joke is less funny lately. I hope that Mainers will join together to keep advocating for policies in Augusta that benefit us all. For the sake of our property, utility costs, green jobs and our families, it’s time to invest in clean energy. ~ James Foleno, Old Orchard Beach

Rip tide warning issued for Popham Beach State Park

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 10, 2024

People are warned to stay out of the water at Popham Beach State Park on Saturday due to dangerous rip tides. If caught in a rip tide, officials say you should avoid swimming against the current and instead try to swim parallel to shore, if possible. Otherwise, relax, float, and wave to shore for help.

A Summer Evening Paddle

DAILY BULLDOG • August 10, 2024

The time is early evening, the final hour before the setting of the sun. I am in my kayak, solo-paddling pond waters that the wind had whipped up during the day, but now have settled, and become calm. The sun hangs in the northwest sky, just above the treetops of high balsam fir, red spruce, and the occasional white pine. Our Western Mountains of Maine hold many a quiet water, well-suited for an evening paddle. Back home, I pull out my “Maine Atlas and Gazetteer” from time to time, looking for ponds –and for corners of our big lakes – where the map shows a basic boat launch, often a carry-in launch. Sometimes with members of my family, or with one or two friends, but quite often solo, I make the transition from summer day to night with a short, easing, paddle. ~ Doug Dunlap

Healthy Lakes: Conservation from Bambi to 2030

CENTRAL MAINE • August 10, 2024

Through the 30×30 initiative, by 2030 we hope to achieve effective protection and management of 30% of the world’s land, fresh waters, and oceans. The dual goals of reversing both climate change and mass extinctions are in service of the belief that nature and people can thrive together. One way to care is to take action, individual action. Celebrate your individuality. Pick up litter, be careful with fires, and support your local conservation group. ~ Doug “Woody” Woodsum, 7 Lakes Alliance

Opinion: The public must be notified about recall of Maine shellfish

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 10, 2024

When a flat is closed to wild shellfish harvesting due to the possibility that the shellfish may be contaminated, the Maine Department of Marine Resources notifies the public immediately using three methods. When confirmed contaminated aquaculture products become available to the public, DMR is silent. This lack of transparency is unacceptable. When the department becomes aware of contaminated shellfish, wild or aquacultured, being sold, the public must be notified immediately. If you agree, please contact your local legislator. ~ Bailey Bowden, a ninth-generation resident of Penobscot

Letter: NIMBY thinking endangers Yard South

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 10, 2024

I looked at the 30-acre site map of Yard South in South Portland; it fits perfectly on a site largely vacant for decades except for boat trailer parking. It is for housing we need badly, but the usual NIMBY people are balking for the usual reasons: traffic, parking, too many people for area, etc. The 1,200 housing units, with retail, office space and other amenities, is just what South Portland needs. ~ Peter Ferrante, Portland