Opinion: Please, don’t sell South Portland out

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 13, 2024

The decision about Yard South will soon be in the hands of South Portland City Council, a responsibility that must weigh heavily on the shoulders of all involved. They’ve heard the arguments for and against the project. I’m confident the vast majority of residents do not want Yard South. The few who do are misinformed. Many think this is going to be affordable housing. This is not the case. And the need for new roads, new schools and upgraded public and private town resources will require the raising of taxes, as will the cost to the city for cleanup and repairs from rising sea levels. Those of us who live in Ferry Village love the ease of life here. Please, don’t sell us out. ~ Nancy Wallerstein, South Portland

Storm resiliency grant to fund critical Norridgewock water main project

MORNING SENTINEL • August 12, 2024

A crucial part of Norridgewock’s water infrastructure is set to be upgraded to improve its resiliency to flooding, thanks to a $1.05 million state grant. The grant, intended to fund improvements to the Norridgewock Water District’s water main on Upper Main Street, is part of $25.2 million in grants awarded to 39 communities from the Maine Infrastructure Adaptation Fund. The existing water main — about 3,400 feet of pipe underneath Upper Main Street, along the Kennebec River — is at risk if the embankment fails due to flooding and severe storms.

Coast Guard rescues 6 people who abandoned flaming trawler

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 12, 2024

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued six people Sunday night after a fire forced them to abandon ship more than 100 nautical miles off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, officials said Monday. The survivors – the vessel’s captain, four crew members, and an observer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – were brought to a pier in South Portland on Monday morning, the Coast Guard said in a statement. There were “no major injuries” reported.

Fishermen’s Association introduces a new era for working waterfront resilience

TIMES RECORD • August 12, 2024

Back-to-back storms on Jan. 10 and 13 caused extensive damage and flooding along the Midcoast. Now, seven months later, thousands of businesses that reported losses have begun to receive federal disaster relief aid. The looming question: Is it enough? According to Chris Hole, owner of Henry Allen’s Seafood, “it’s not.” Despite being one of the six waterfront owners in Harpswell to receive a state grant, without flood insurance, he described himself as stuck between a rock and a hard place. Anecdotal reports from the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association indicate that 60% of the state’s working waterfront was destroyed. Harpswell and Georgetown were hit especially hard.

Hidden Valley Farm among finalists for New England Leopold Conservation Award

 MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • August 12, 2024

Hidden Valley Farm of Whitefield, Maine, is one of four finalists for the 2024 New England Leopold Conservation Award. The award honors farmers and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land. David Moskovitz and Bambi Jones have made their land more productive while enhancing biodiversity and wildlife habitat with exemplary forestry practices. They have replaced stream crossings to enhance aquatic passage, protected small wetlands, and created the Hidden Valley Nature Center, which offers nature and forestry programs for thousands of participants. Named in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others with their dedication to environmental improvement. In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold called for “a land ethic,” an ethical relationship between people and the land.

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