The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 2, 2024
Anand Sreedharan, 50, of Princeton, New Jersey, was driving south near T2 R9, a township near Baxter State Park, around 7 p.m. Monday when a moose walked into his lane. He was unable to avoid the moose and was ejected from his motorcycle by the collision. Sreedharan died from his injuries. The moose also died.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 2, 2024
Federal officials confirmed Wednesday that an endangered North Atlantic right whale found dead near Martha’s Vineyard in January died from “chronic entanglement” in fishing gear that belonged to a Maine lobsterman. It’s the first time a member of Maine’s iconic industry has been directly connected to a whale death, and it could have major implications for how lobstermen fish in the future.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 2, 2024
The Scarborough Town Council voted 6-1 Wednesday night to formally withdraw its support for the contentious Gorham Connector project. The vote follows increasing opposition among town residents to the controversial $331 million, 5-mile highway, which would affect 35 property owners in town. The resolution rescinds the council’s support for the connector, citing the failure of the Maine Turnpike Authority to fulfill the terms of its agreement with Scarborough and three other communities, as well as town residents’ widespread opposition to the project.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 2, 2024
Despite objections from neighbors and environmental groups, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection concluded Wednesday that expanding the state’s largest landfill, Juniper Ridge, would substantially benefit the public. The department’s decision allows the state to apply to add 61 acres to the state-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill, which takes in 52% of the state’s waste. The state claims this expansion would extend the facility’s operating life by 11 years.
KENNEBEC JOURNAL • October 2, 2024
The Vaughan Woods & Historic Homestead’s Corniche Trailhead is closed temporarily as a 16-space gravel parking lot is under construction near intersection of Middle Street and Litchfield Road. The primary goals of the project are to improve safety to both pedestrians and motorists, reduce the impact of overflow parking on trailhead neighbors, and address stormwater management and parking capacity issues, according to a news release from Kate Tremblay, executive director of Vaughan Woods & Historic Homestead. The Vaughan Woods trail system features stone bridges and waterfalls. 40,000-plus visits to Vaughan Woods are made each year, often overflowing the primary trailhead’s small parking lot into the surrounding residential neighborhood.
MAINE PUBLIC • October 2, 2024
In September, the Maine Climate Council took its 2024 draft plan on the road to Presque Isle, Bangor, Ellsworth, Portland, Biddeford and Lewiston. People came to hear, and give input on, the state's new draft climate plan. So far, about 3,000 people, including more than 350 Mainers who attended the meetings in person, have weighed in. Some feedback the council received was universal: people wanted to reduce vehicle miles traveled, and more focus on resiliency efforts, especially in the wake of last winter's devastating storms. One of the main differences between the 2020 and 2024 plans is better planning for future climate emergencies. The new proposal will be available for public comment from October 9 through the 21.
MAINE MORNING STAR • October 2, 2024
Gov. Janet Mills is teaming up with other heads of state across the country to carve out career pathways in the climate and clean energy fields. Mills is part of a bipartisan coalition of 24 governors that make up the U.S. Climate Alliance. Late last month, the group launched the Governors’ Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative with the goal to train one million new apprentices by 2035 across the two dozen states and territories.
TIMES RECORD • October 1, 2024
The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority has rejected the Town Council’s call to shut down the foaming fire suppression system in Hangar 6, saying that they are not legally allowed to do so. The Town Council voted in early September to push for the shutdown of a fire suppression system in Hangar 6, which uses a PFAS-containing firefighting foam, by the end of the month. The concern to shut the fire suppression system down and adopt a method of defueling planes before storing stemmed from concerns of another spill risk. MRRA-owned Hangar 4 spilled 1,450 gallons of toxic foam concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons of water in August.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 1, 2024
By 2050, 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, or propane that comes from oil and natural gas refining. Bonny Eagle MSAD 6 is the first district east of the Rocky Mountains to use renewable propane. Propane also saves our district about 50% in fuel costs and its clean-operating properties reduce our maintenance expenses. ~ Sarah Marean, Director of Transportation, Bonny Eagle MSAD 6, Buxton
TIMES RECORD • September 30, 2024
The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority has submitted a plan of action to address a code violation at Brunswick Executive Airport Hangers 5 and 6. MRRA Executive Director Kristine Logan said the quasi-state entity, which manages property at the former Naval Air Station known as Brunswick Landing, contracted Eastern Fire, a fire protection service company, to correct any deficiencies and perform annual testing of the fire suppression systems by Oct. 30. It also contracted Poole Fire Protection to conduct risk assessment of Hangars 4, 5 and 6, and find alternative options for suppression systems that do not use firefighting foams containing PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals.”
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 20, 2024
When a small Maine nutrition bar company found itself at the crossroads of scaling up or shutting down, the owners instead forged a different path – they donated it to the University of New England. The Portland company, SeaMade Seaweed Company, manufactures a snack bar made with cranberries, honey, almonds and, of course, the main ingredient: seaweed. After eight years at the helm, co-owners Tara Treichel and Mark Dvorosniak handed the company over to the Biddeford university this summer. SeaMade’s next CEOs will be college students.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 30, 2024
Solar companies are competing with farmers for land. And developers are reportedly willing to pay annual leases of $1,000 per acre. "To give up farmland of any kind seems crazy in that situation, and prime farmland is just so rare," said Nate Clark of Reed Farm, a dairy in Windsor. New regulations proposed by the state are supposed to balance competing land uses. Developers of solar arrays bigger than five acres would need soil tests, and a permit and would also pay fees based on the land's agricultural value. Funds would be used for future land conservation. The aim is to create a disincentive for solar developers to target farmland.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 30, 2024
Solar companies are competing with farmers for land. And developers are reportedly willing to pay annual leases of $1,000 per acre. New regulations proposed by the Department of Agriculture Conservation and Forestry are supposed to balance competing land uses. Developers of solar arrays bigger than five acres would need soil tests, and a permit and would also pay fees based on the land's agricultural value. Funds would be used for future land conservation. Craig Lapine, Bureau of Agriculture, Food & Rural Resources director said the aim is to create a disincentive for solar developers to target farmland.
FORECASTER • September 30, 2024
Over the summer, Portland Trails modified intersections it deemed unsafe for pedestrians on three streets in Portland. Working with neighborhood associations and the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, Portland Trails painted curbs and placed flexible posts along the road intended to get distracted drivers to focus and speeding drivers to slow down. While these traffic-slowing demonstrations are temporary, neighbors say they have been effective in slowing traffic.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 30, 2024
Whether you want to explore Maine’s mountains, rivers, coast or rolling farmland, there’s a foliage route for you. Many are just a couple hours from Portland, with quaint towns and places to get picnic provisions along the way. It’s a good chance to see different landscapes and explore Maine’s scenic byways, including the ones that are officially designated as such. Here are some suggestions for routes that’ll teach you about Maine’s geography. And there will be a quiz. If you don’t usually do a foliage drive, be advised this is the year for it. Foliage experts say the combination of sunshine and rainfall we’ve had is likely to create a blazing display of reds, yellows and oranges this fall.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 30, 2024
A new business incubator in Portland is trying to help small technology startups take on a big problem: climate change. Northeastern University’s Roux Institute launched its ClimateTech Incubator this month, a shared space for environmentally-focused startups to collaborate and grow their businesses. Terra Dunham, senior program director for the incubator, said the goal is for these small companies “to become huge companies,” outgrow the incubator, add highly skilled jobs in Maine and ultimately boost the economy. The incubator currently houses 12 startups that deal with many facets of climate change.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 30, 2024
The Vector-borne Disease Laboratory at MaineHealth Institute for Research in Portland sends scientists to key big game registration stations in the state to take blood and tick samples from the moose and deer brought in by hunters. The lab has been doing this for several years now, but it has done more of it since 2010. With the increase in dangerous viruses such as eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile across the state, it’s become imperative for those in charge of public health to know what regions hold the biggest threats for infections, which can be fatal.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 29, 2024
Maine State Forester Patty Cormier has been elected president of the National Association of State Foresters, a significant milestone at a critical time for agencies overseeing forest resources across the United States. Cormier has worked with the Maine Forest Service for over 20 years, serving as Maine’s top forester since 2019, the service said in a statement Friday. She is the first Maine State Forester to be elected to the national post since Austin Wilkins 59 years ago.
MAINE MONITOR • September 29, 2024
Just nine years after it was introduced, the Caribou Russet, an oblong, reddish-brown potato with white flesh developed by the University of Maine, has overtaken the state’s potato market, edging out breeds that dominated the market for over a century.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • September 29, 2024
Maine alone can’t stop climate change. But a critical mass of us must understand that mitigating it is a necessarily collective effort. The appointment of a green schools director sends an important message to the broader public; the work of that director will set the tone for a new generation of school buildings, bus routes, conscientious public servants and people. By the same token, the Maine Climate Council’s time-intensive consultation work is being done so that we can all work thoughtfully together. Starting small is fine. It’s starting at all that matters. Any forces that try to detract from these efforts – or, indeed, to deny or discredit them altogether – set us back.
