The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
CBS 13 • September 24, 2024
World-famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has accepted the invitation to speak at Unity Environmental University’s spring commencement ceremony. University leaders said Tyson’s commitment to bridging a gap between science and the public aligns with their mission. Unity is set to graduate more than 1,000 students for the first time ever during the commencement on May 23 at Merrill Auditorium in Portland.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 24, 2024
A New Hampshire man who was critically injured Sept. 9 when he crashed his bicycle in Acadia National Park has died. John Bennett “JB” Parrett, 70, passed away from his injuries two days after his foot came loose from a clip-in pedal as he was biking on the Park Loop Road near the Cadillac North Ridge Trail crossing. Parrett was an experienced road cyclist who, though wearing a helmet, suffered significant head injuries when he fell from his bike.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 24, 2024
Maine’s offshore fishing grounds have provided for the people of this state for generations. In 2021, Maine’s commercial fishing value for all species was more than $890 million. The state’s population was 1.37 million people, equating to $649.18 in generated wealth for every resident. Beyond the value of our lucrative fisheries, the pristine environment and rich offshore ecosystems draw people to our state for many reasons. Maine is a gem that was once governed by families who resided here for hundreds of years. Today offshore farms are displacing fishermen from traditional fishing grounds, so much for economic growth and reducing economic inequality. ~ Dale Witham, Bremen
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 24, 2024
For decades, a well that was first drilled in the 1970s provided water to residents of the Merritt House condo complex in Harpswell. But that changed about seven years ago, when saltwater from nearby Casco Bay started entering the supply. Residents found that the water coming out of their taps had a funny taste, and minerals built up in their dishwashers and other appliances. Now, Merritt House residents must collectively pay around $500 per week to get water delivered. Once dense ocean water enters the fractures in the bedrock that provides drinking water for many residents of peninsulas and islands along Maine’s coast, it’s almost impossible to remove. Seasonal residents who are moving in may not understand the unique stress that they can place on the groundwater, when they may come from bigger communities with seemingly endless water supplies.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 24, 2024
The Brunswick Executive Airport chemical spill sent thousands of gallons of toxic firefighting foam down the sewer drains bound for the Androscoggin River, which has only recently begun to rewrite its century-long history of industrial pollution. The pipes carried the spill under the 3,100-acre former naval air station to the sewer plant, where it was treated for some of its nastier contaminants but not the forever chemicals that make aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, so dangerous. Its next stop? The Androscoggin. Ed Friedman, chairman of Friends of Merrymeeting Bay, said, “It’s added an almost unfathomable longevity to the river’s pollution problems. We will be dealing with the fallout of this for generations to come.”
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 23, 2024
Hundreds of hunters hit Maine’s woods on opening day of the regular 2024 moose season. Erik Francis, 28, harvested his bull moose at 7 a.m. on Passamaquoddy tribal land. It was Francis’ third moose this year, and it weighed 814 pounds and had a 9-point rack. Francis shot it from 30 feet away with a compound bow. “The personal goal of killing a big moose with a sharp stick always drew me,” he said. This week was for bulls only. There will be another bull week Oct. 14-19 and an antlerless moose week Oct. 28-Nov. 2. Adaptive hunts will be held in the last half of October until Nov. 2.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 23, 2024
Parts of the warming Gulf of Maine have become inhospitable for kelp forests, according to new research from the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay. Between 2001 and 2018, a team led by senior research scientist Doug Rasher combined dive surveys of kelp population and data on ocean temperature to compile the first detailed census of Maine's kelp forests in nearly 20 years. The results were startling, Rasher said. Maine's kelp forests were devoured by a green urchin overpopulation in the 1980s and 1990s, but rebounded around the turn of the century. Kelp forests persisted off Maine's northern coast but south of Casco Bay they had almost disappeared.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 23, 2024
Two families suing each other over the right to beachfront property in a Phippsburg neighborhood now await the judge’s decision in the more than two-year legal battle. The Hill and Tappen families met in Lincoln County Superior Court for what was expected to be a three to four-day bench trial last week, making their case in front of Superior Court Justice Thomas McKeon over who should be allowed to access the sandy shore in front of their cottages at Popham Beach. The Hill family argues the beachfront has always been considered a common area. But the Tappens said they bought the rights to the land between their properties. The Hill family said their case may have bigger implications about beach access in Maine.
LAND TRUST ALLIANCE • September 23, 2024
This week, the Land Trust Alliance is hosting the nation’s largest gathering of land conservation leaders and practitioners — the 37th Rally: National Land Conservation Conference. This year’s event is at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island. More than 2,300 people from throughout the United States and beyond will attend Rally 2024, which begins Sept. 25 and concludes Sept. 28 and projects to generate a direct economic impact for the city of Providence of more than $2.6 million, on top of additional revenue from shopping, dining, transportation and more generated by Rally attendees.
TIMES RECORD • September 23, 2024
Brunswick Landing’s Aug. 19 spill of toxic firefighting foam was one of the worst in decades, renewing concerns about how the former Brunswick Naval Air Station could be cleaned — or if it could be at all. Maine scientists say that eradicating the “forever chemicals” is complex. Without some form of human intervention, PFAS cannot break down naturally in the environment. Currently, the chemical family can only be disposed of by incinerating it at high temperatures. The best solution to PFAS contamination is prevention.
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY • September 23, 2024
Join TNC Maine for a conversation with women working to conserve Maine’s iconic forests. Panelists: Dr. Suzanne Greenlaw, a citizen of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and Post-Doctoral Scientist for the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park; Abby King, TNC Maine Land Conservation Project Manager; and Karin Tilberg, President/CEO of the Forest Society of Maine. The discussion will be moderated by TNC Maine State Director Kate Dempsey. Free, preregister, at Hannaford Hall, Abromson Community Education Center, Portland, 7 pm.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 23, 2024
Human hunter-gatherers “knew” that animals were conscious and had rituals of apology when they killed them. But the reassuring doctrine of human exceptionalism triumphed everywhere in the “civilized” world — and the scientists, people of their time, just went along with the idea that nonhuman animals are not conscious. The crisis in biodiversity, linked to the climate crisis and almost as grave, is going to impose its own priorities on the present system of food production. In order to preserve the minimum biodiversity necessary for the long-term health of the biosphere, the human race must restore at least half the land currently used for growing crops to its original ecosystem functions over the next several generations. Fortunately, a new technology is making that a realistic possibility. In the long run, we might not even have to kill so many conscious entities. ~ Gwynne Dyer
HARPSWELL ANCHOR • September 23, 2024
Experts have a good understanding of Harpswell’s potable water sources and extraction methods, but data limitations make it impossible to predict how many more residents the town’s groundwater can support. That was one of the key messages a state hydrogeologist conveyed during a presentation at Harpswell Community School. She issued a call to action for residents to start participating in the data-gathering process so the state can make better predictions.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 23, 2024
The largest undeveloped tract on the Maine side of the Salmon Falls estuary with the largest continuous habitat along the coastline in southern Maine will now be forever protected. The Great Works Regional Land Trust secured enough grant funding and donations to buy the 79-acre area. The land trust also purchased 75 acres in North Berwick known as Bauneg Beg Mountain Recreation Area as part of its Woods to Water Campaign, which raised $3 million.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 23, 2024
Efficiency Maine has become bullheaded about only giving rebates for whole house heat pumps, without any backup. We received no rebate from Efficiency Maine last year when we had our heat pumps installed because we still had a working furnace. Do these people even live in Maine? Between the up-front costs and the already exorbitant CMP bills (which will only keep going up), the state of Maine has now set an impossible goal. ~ Beth Anne King, Durham
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 23, 2024
Farmers expect a stronger cranberry crop this fall compared with last. Although cultivated in Maine since the 1800s, cranberries are lesser known than the state’s prolific wild blueberries. While this year is promising a bumper crop, Maine growers are not always so lucky. In addition to increased competition from other states, cranberry growers have had to adapt to heavier rainfalls and additional days of extreme heat as the climate changes. The past four years ranked among the 10 warmest on record in the state, according to the Maine Climate Council. What’s more, Maine is getting one to two additional days per year with 2 or more inches of precipitation, and winters are now two weeks shorter than in the last century. All of these changes can be detrimental to cranberry growing.
WMTW-TV8 • September 22, 2024
Plans to remove part of Sawyer Road are moving forward due to flooding and environmental concerns. The Cape Elizabeth Town Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the town of Scarborough that approved a grant to remove part of Sawyer Road. Sawyer Road, in Cape Elizabeth, and Sawyer Street, in Scarborough, cuts through Spurwink Marsh and often floods. The Maine Natural Resources Conservation Program awarded the town of Cape Elizabeth with a $1.59 million grant that would remove a ¼ mile portion of the road. Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth also agreed to provide $185,000 to fund the project costs. Removal of the road is scheduled to start in December 2026.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • September 22, 2024
“How old do you think this deer is?” It’s a common question. By following some basic guidelines it is possible to at least come close with a certain degree of confidence. The age of a buck is discernible by its antlers and size, but it's much more difficult to know the age of a doe with just a glance. ~ Bob Humphrey
SUN JOURNAL • September 22, 2024
The National Grange of the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry was founded in the 19th century as an advocacy group for farmers looking for a fair shake. Today, it offers rural communities support such as information and activities, and better internet and health care access, according to Maine State Grange Master/President Sherry Harriman. But it remains true to its roots, she said. “We are still advocating for fair agricultural trade practices, benefits, laws and support.” The first Maine Granges opened in 1874. By the end of 1874, there were 64 Granges and approximately 2,000 members. Membership reached about 55,000 among 419 orders by around 1900. Maine’s per-capita membership was the largest in the nation at that time. However, membership has dwindled since the 1960s. Maine now has 80 Granges, with about 2,200 members ages 14 to 114.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • September 22, 2024
Avery Yale Kamila knows a thing or two about plant-based eating. A vegan since 1991, she writes the Vegan Kitchen column for the Maine Sunday Telegram and has been the Press Herald’s plant-based food columnist for 15 years. In 2020, she created the Maine Vegetarian History Project. This month, the Maine Historical Society Museum debuted “Maine’s Untold Vegetarian History,” an exhibit that Kamila co-curated. It spotlights the groundbreaking ideas and work of vegetarian Mainers throughout history, from Father Sébastian Rale in the early 18th century, to 19th-century proponents like Seventh-day Adventist prophet Ellen G. White and Portland journalist Jeremiah Hacker, to the back-to-the-land teachings of Helen and Scott Nearing in the later 20th century.
