The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 27, 2024
Irving Gilbert “Gib” Wescott- passed away peacefully on Aug. 21, 2024 at age 87. He was proud to donate almost 40 acres of those woods to the Freeport Conservation Trust so that others could enjoy them as he did as a boy.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 27, 2024
Jennifer Delano let her orange tabby cat, Max, outside around 6 a.m. on Friday. Roughly two hours later, a neighbor posted that the body of a cat matching Max’s description was found. At least 21 cats have gone missing in the Fairmount neighborhood since June and only one has returned home. Some residents were certain that wildlife known to be in the area, including coyotes, foxes and fishers, were killing the cats. A police detective assigned to this matter is leading the investigation.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 27, 2024
Orland voters adopted a moratorium Thursday that will temporarily prevent the owner of two local dams — one on Alamoosook Lake and another on Toddy Pond — from disposing of the properties. The temporary measure is similar to another adopted by Bucksport last month, which aims to ensure that a third dam on Silver Lake is not abandoned, removed, transferred to a new owner, or opened up to release all the water held behind it. All three of the dams are owned by subsidiaries of AIM Demolition USA, which bought the former Verso Paper mill in Bucksport in 2015 before dismantling the facility.
SUN JOURNAL • September 27, 2024
Breanna Wing, an Auburn-raised filmmaker, is working on a film about lumberjills, women involved in the timber sports industry. “A lot of the lumberjills are redefining society, with how they have navigated societal perceptions, their physical power, identity and family responsibilities,” Wing said. “They challenge gender norms. We want the kids to get excited, to get outdoors, get active, and get healthy,” she said. “A lot of timber sports do that.”
WASHINGTON POST • September 27, 2024
In theory, a carbon credit is a certificate representing a one-ton drop in greenhouse gas emissions tied to projects such as a wind farm or a tree-planting scheme. They’re bought by companies to compensate for the pollution they produce somewhere else in the world. But, when it comes to the laws that underpin financial markets, the answer to that question isn’t yet clear. Until it’s solved, banks and investors are unlikely to allocate anywhere near the billions of dollars that proponents expect to flow to carbon credits.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 27, 2024
Drinking water at more than 30 properties in Brunswick has been tested in the wake of last month's spill of firefighting foam at the former naval airbase. State regulators say all the samples fall below Maine's interim drinking water standards for PFAS. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection said the drinking water will be tested once every three months for the next year. The next tests are scheduled for December. Most PFAS concentrations continue to decline in the watershed near the spill, but the DEP said they have not returned to pre-spill levels.
FORECASTER • September 27, 2024
The legal fight over a proposed 332-unit mixed residential development in Saco, the Lincoln Village development, will continue up to Maine’s highest court. In mid-September, the developer filed a notice of appeal after a Maine Superior Court justice ruled for the city of Saco in August. In October 2023, the Saco Planning Board rejected the development on final approval, finding that it did not meet requirements on five criteria: traffic; sewage disposal; aesthetic, cultural and natural values; conformity with local ordinances and plans; and impact on adjoining municipality.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 27, 2024
Supporting locally-sourced food helps keep food accessible and affordable and protect our local and global environment. Creating more Maine markets for Maine producers and increasing access to Maine food is one of our “Maine Won’t Wait” climate action goals. As your state senator, I am committed to continuing our efforts to support Maine’s farmers and build a food system that benefits all Mainers. ~ Sen. Henry Ingwersen
NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • September 26, 2024
Maine’s natural beauty is defined by its forests, coastlines, rivers, and wildlife, all of which play an important role in the state’s ecological health and economy. However, many species that call Maine home are facing significant threats from habitat loss, pollution, and climate change. The Endangered Species Act (ESA), passed in 1973, is one of the most effective legal tools we have to protect threatened and endangered species across the United States. In Maine, the ESA is especially important for several species, such as the Atlantic salmon, Canada lynx, Furbish lousewort, and Piping Plover. If we value these amazing plant and animal species, we need to defend the ESA against attempts to weaken these common-sense protections and push for opportunities to strengthen this bedrock environmental law for future generations.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 26, 2024
The American Floating Offshore Wind Technical Summit (Afloat) is taking place in Portland this week. Stakeholders, investors and developers from all over the world are discussing the future of floating wind power in the U.S. and, specifically, the Gulf of Maine. Former President Trump has said on the campaign trail he'd like to put a stop to any offshore wind projects on his first day in office, if elected. Whether he'd be able to do that, either through executive order, as he claims, or through the federal court system, as some experts warn, is uncertain. But several attendees at the summit on Tuesday said they're not worried about having to slow down nascent projects.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 26, 2024
Maine should do a better job engaging low income and disadvantaged people in planning for climate change, according to a new University of Maine study. Poverty concerns should be at the heart of the state's climate strategies, said researchers from the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions. Many Maine residents struggle with getting basic needs such as food, shelter and jobs, according to the report. Those necessities "are not being met, and the connection between energy/climate solutions and meeting basic needs is not clear," study authors said in a report delivered to the Maine Climate Council.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 26, 2024
The Island Explorer bus service at Acadia National Park hit a new milestone yesterday with its 10 millionth passenger. Beth Gearhart, from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania was the 10 millionth passenger. An Acadia first-timer, she took the bus from her hotel to Sand Beach to go hiking, and on her return trip was informed she was the notable rider. This is the Island Explorer's 25th operating season, and in that time, it's estimated that the service has eliminated more than 3.6 million private vehicle trips in the park and has prevented the release over 33,000 tons of greenhouse gases and 51 tons of smog-causing pollutants.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 26, 2024
The city of South Portland is launching an intervention plan against the invasive emerald ash borer. The beetle, which has killed millions of ash trees across the country, established in Maine in 2018. Officials say they're using $30,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the project. The city will replace any removed trees with another, native species of tree.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 26, 2024
Maine Agriculture Commissioner Amanda Beal was elected vice president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture for the coming year at its annual meeting this week in Indianapolis. She’s on track to become president of the association for 2026, when Maine will host the organization’s annual meeting in Portland.
CENTRAL MAINE • September 26, 2024
By 2040, the World LP Gas Association predicts that renewable propane could meet half of the world’s demand for propane. Renewable propane is made from feedstock like plant and vegetable oils, animal fats and used cooking oils. Conventional propane comes from oil and natural gas refining. In conjunction with O’Connor Bus Sales, Bonny Eagle MSAD 6 is the first district east of the Rocky Mountains to use renewable propane. Of the 38 buses we run on a daily basis, 30 of them are powered by propane. The fuel is dispensed by the largest propane fueling station in the state, and fueling is easy, taking just minutes. ~ Sarah Marean, Director of Transportation, Bonny Eagle, School Administrative District 6, Buxton
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 26, 2024
It brought Drake Henderson, 11, of Corinna one animal closer to his goal of a grand slam when he shot a nearly 800-pound bull moose Tuesday. A grand slam consists of harvesting a turkey, a bear, a moose and a deer in the same year. Drake already had his turkey and bear before he went moose hunting.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 25, 2024
Cynthia Tomah of Princeton shot the biggest bull moose she or Tobey Brook Guide Services has ever killed. But it wasn’t her first time with black powder. She has shot all of her large game animals with a muzzleloader, her husband and guide service co-owner Toby Tomah said Tuesday.
TIMES RECORD • September 25, 2024
The removal of the Edwards Dam in 1999 is what Pete Didisheim, advocacy director for the National Resources Council of Maine, calls “the start of the modern dam removal movement.” It paved the way for similar efforts nationwide. This year, four additional dams up for relicensing under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s purview interrupt the Kennebec River’s natural movement of wildlife, which has many wondering if the river could ever flow freely.
TIMES RECORD • September 25, 2024
The Wabanaki Alliance has hired Penobscot Nation Ambassador Maulian Bryant as the next executive director of the organization. She succeeds John Dieffenbacher-Krall, who will retire at the end of this year. Established in June 2020, the Wabanaki Alliance comprises the four Wabanaki Nations living in five distinct communities in Maine — Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe with reservations at Motahkomikuk and Sipayik, and Penobscot Nation. It was created to educate people about the need for securing the inherent sovereignty of the tribes in Maine.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 25, 2024
Jeff McCabe is the new director of Maine’s Office of Outdoor Recreation, the state announced Wednesday. The outdoor recreation office is a part of Maine’s tourism office in the Department of Economic and Community Development. McCabe, a former Democratic majority leader in the Maine House, had served as deputy director of outdoor recreation since November. About 32,000 people work in the outdoor recreation industry in Maine, which contributes about $3.3 billion annually.
