800-acre hunting compound in rural Hancock County is selling for millions

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 14, 2024

An 800-acre hunting estate and lodge in eastern Hancock County is on the market for $4.5 million. The property, known as Fox Pond Estate, overlooks Fox Pond on Route 182 about 20 miles east of Ellsworth. It is surrounded on three sides by the state-owned Donnell Pond Public Land, which includes hiking trails and access to roughly a half-dozen ponds, Tunk and Spring River lakes, and to the mountains of Tunk and Schoodic, among others. “Get ready to immerse yourself in the Great Outdoors,” the listing webpage says. Vehicle access to the property is restricted by a secure gate. The property is located in Township 10, part of the state’s Unorganized Territory.

Maine is still building homes for seniors away from public transit

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 13, 2024

Even senior developments considered walkable by the state are set away from transit lines, prompting a nuanced debate in Maine’s housing policy realm between those who want the state to pay to make bus lines more flexible and those who want cities and towns to pay more attention to the locations of new developments. Even when housing projects are on a bus route, that doesn’t mean residents have around-the-clock access to transportation. To overcome that, Maine would need to send more funds to transit operators. More money for fuel, insurance, wages and benefits would allow routes to extend farther, more drivers to be hired and more buses to be purchased. This would be a short-term solution, leading critics to ask why Maine is still building housing developments away from transit routes and amenities.

Brewer park will get an amphitheater for outdoor performances

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 13, 2024

A 4-acre hillside park in Brewer is going to get an amphitheater to host outdoor performances. Brewer city councilors on Tuesday approved a $265,000 contract with a Veazie-based construction company to build amphitheater-style seating at Indian Trail Park. Ten Buck Theatre Company, for example, has used the park for various Shakespeare productions for years, but the space lacked formal seating for audiences. The area has its own parking and also connects to a trail system that overlooks the Penobscot River.

Resurrected ship a reminder of Maine’s once-thriving sardine industry

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 13, 2024

An 83-foot motor boat that was one of the first refrigerated sardine carriers during the heyday of Maine’s sardine industry is going to be scrapped after a recovery operation to retrieve the sunken vessel. The Jacob Pike fell victim to a storm last winter. The 21-year-old great-great-grandson of the vessel’s namesake wants the historic wooden vessel to be preserved and formed a nonprofit that would use it as an educational platform. But the U.S. Coast Guard doesn’t have the authority to transfer ownership of the vessel. And any new owner could become responsible for repaying up to $300,000 for environmental remediation.

There’s a whole lot of shaking going on at Lost Valley Ski & Snowboard area

SUN JOURNAL • August 13, 2024

Contractors and employees have been digging, blasting and felling trees this summer at the Lost Valley Ski & Snowboarding Area, which is making a huge investment in its infrastructure. The investment by owners Scott and April Shanaman — between $750,000 to $1 million — is a testament to the determination of the couple, who bought Lost Valley in 2015, as it faced closure and a dismal start to the 2016 season due to a lack of snow. John Herrick and his team know that they have to make adjustments because climate change, he says, is the new norm. That’s why it’s critical to expand snowmaking — which produces more durable snow but is very expensive.

Maine land continues to be put up for sale without owners' knowledge

WGME-TV13 • August 13, 2024

The FBI recently warned that fraudsters are selling your land right from under you up and down the East Coast and attempts are continuing to happen in Maine. "It's beautiful," York landowner John Campbell said while looking at the plot of land where he plans to build his retirement home. Campbell and his wife, Peg, bought the property two and a half years ago with big dreams. But, they never planned for what came next. "Sunday I came up, and there was a for-sale sign on the land. So, I pulled the sign," Campbell recalled. Someone had been posing as Campbell with a fake license and reached out to unsuspecting realtors, hoping to sell the property from under his feet and make off with the cash. It’s part of a larger trend that the FBI recently warned about.

Opinion: The case for expanding the Juniper Ridge Landfill

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 13, 2024

We are as wasteful as ever. Mainers create about 1,375 pounds of waste on a per capita basis each year. Juniper Ridge is the only state-owned landfill operating. The DEP projects that waste generated in Maine will reach 2 million tons by 2034, long after Juniper Ridge is expected to close. And with only two of the state’s three trash-to-energy plants currently operating, we’re not even hitting our waste reduction goals. Four years is not much time to come up with an alternative; and expanding its current capacity is really the only option we have. The DEP is expected to issue its decision Aug. 23 regarding the public benefit of the proposed expansion. It should find that it is beneficial and Maine should grant the expansion. It buys us time. ~ Sen. Peter Lyford

Maine needs more technicians to install and repair electric heat pumps

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 13, 2024

Maine’s ambitious efforts to expand heat pump use to reduce carbon emissions from buildings are outpacing the supply of technicians needed to install and fix the equipment. Citing the state's aging workforce, employers and schools say they can't train enough workers to keep pace with the expanding demand, resulting in customers waiting weeks or even months to get an appointment.

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.