Whitefield Farm First Maine Recipient of New England Conservation Award

LINCOLN COUNTY NEWS • October 25, 2024

Surrounded by dozens of friends and conservation-minded confidantes, Bambi Jones and David “Tracy” Moskovitz, of Whitefield’s Hidden Valley Farm, were awarded the New England Leopold Conservation Award on Saturday, Oct. 19. Jones and Moskovitz are the first Mainers to win the prize and are among over 200 farmers across the country to receive a Leopold Conservation Award since its establishment in 2003. The pair said they were grateful to be recognized for their work, but surprised to learn they were the first from Maine to receive the award.

State warns people not to eat PFAS-contaminated wildlife in 2 more areas

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 24, 2024

The state issued a do-not-eat wildlife advisory Thursday warning people not to eat deer or turkeys from two new areas of Maine because of PFAS contamination. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday warned people not to eat deer or wild turkey harvested in portions of Unity, Unity Township, Albion and Freedom. There was already an advisory against eating wildlife harvested in Fairfield and parts of Skowhegan issued in 2021.

How is the world doing on climate change? Not great

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • October 24, 2024

Each year, the United Nations takes stock of whether countries are on track to cut carbon emissions and limit global warming. The grade this year: needs more improvement than ever. Global greenhouse gas emissions rose to a new record in 2023, and if countries do not change course, the world will see warming of more than 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit (3.1 degrees Celsius) by the end of the century. That would blow past the targets set in the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

Without fast EV adoption, Maine must get creative to meet emissions goals

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 24, 2024

The Maine Climate Council is wrestling with how Maine can meet its ambitious long-term emission reduction goals despite slow electric vehicle adoption rates and the high cost of making climate programs accessible to its most vulnerable residents. In 1990, Maine produced 31.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents. By state law, Maine must reduce that by 45% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. As of 2021, the last data available, Maine had achieved a 30% reduction from its 1990 emissions. The easiest way for Maine to do this is to ensure that 53% of new passenger cars and 17.5% of new heavy-duty vehicles sold in Maine are electric by 2030. But the Board of Environmental Protection rejected a mandate to boost electric and hybrid car sales last year after critics claimed Maine lacked the charging infrastructure to support it, prompting state lawmakers to assume jurisdiction over Maine’s tailpipe emission regulations.

Letter: Plastics forum article missed the point

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 24, 2024

The Oct. 1 Press Herald article “Artificial turf questions surface at Falmouth plastics forum” misrepresented the purpose of the event. The focus was not about artificial turf. We’ve known about the harm of plastic manufacturing and disposal, and particularly our dependance on single-use plastics, for decades now. Even though we have this knowledge base (scientifically and anecdotally) we have seen the proliferation of plastics on our supermarkets’ shelves and in our homes, etc., and it’s very concerning. The Press Herald’s focus on turf misrepresented why most of us gathered that evening. ~ Linda Stimpson, Portland

5 Maine hikes to tackle before fall foliage disappears

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 24, 2024

The following are a few hiking trails that are especially beautiful during the fall:
• Dodge Point Public Reserved Land in Newcastle
• Blue Hill Mountain in Blue Hill
• Eagle Bluff in Clifton
• Mount Blue in Weld
• Precipice Trail in Acadia National Park

Column: Maine snowbirds may want this new Florida bird identification book

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 24, 2024

I was asked to review a recently published guidebook, Kristen Hine’s “Birds of Florida.” The guide works, for a couple of easily overlooked reasons. Foremost, it emphasizes habitat. The best way to find birds is to know where to look. Secondly, the book is concise. It covers the basics of identifying each bird, while resisting the temptation to over-describe it. It’s the kind of guide that a Mainer might find useful during a Florida vacation this winter. ~ Bob Duchesne

Aroostook wildlife refuge receives $12K from contractor that released pollutants

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 23, 2024

Trombley Industries, a Limestone-based contractor, has paid $12,000 to the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge for causing silt contamination within the refuge’s wetlands. The Maine DEP received a complaint from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Sept. 2022 about high silt levels in Greenlaw Brook, which runs for six miles on land abutting the refuge and the Mi’kmaq Nation land trust. Trombley uses a ditch system for its gravel washing operations. A portion of that ditching system had eroded. The $12,000 will pay for signage, gates and other infrastructure for a trail that volunteers from the Friends group are constructing with the USFWS and Mi’kmaq Nation. The trail will connect Greenlaw Brook with East Loring and include signage that explains Mi’kmaq culture and history and environmental clean-up efforts at the former Loring base.

Maine to receive $40.5 million to respond to climate change effects

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 23, 2024

Maine will receive $40.5 million in federal funds for two projects aimed at responding to the effects of climate change on wildlife habitat and agricultural lands. Nearly $25 million will support a project led by the Nature Conservancy to upgrade road-stream crossings and preserve wildlife habitats in order to allow Atlantic salmon, brook trout, turtles and other wildlife to migrate more easily. Another $15.5 million will support the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine’s effort to protect the state’s wild blueberry industry from threats related to climate change.

Discover a new book amid autumn leaves on Harpswell Cliff Trail

TIMES RECORD • October 23, 2024

There’s a new book open for families to enjoy while spending time outdoors along Harpswell Cliff Trail. “Room on a Broom” is featured on signs along a half-mile stretch, serving as a reminder of and advertisement for the wonders of nature. According to Gina Caldwell, Harpswell’s recreation director, the clever, rhyming story teaches how friends can support one another in trying times. The main Cliff Trail loop is 2.3 miles, marked with white blazes. It offers summit views. The shorter Cut-off Trail is marked with yellow blazes and features a path suitable for strollers and people using mobility devices. It runs along Strawberry Creek and offers cascade views. 

Maine hunter harvests intersex moose

WGME-TV13 • October 23, 2024

Wayne Martell, 79, of Limington shot a moose in zone 5 on Wednesday during the state’s second week of bull moose hunting. Both male and female sex organs were visible. Lee Kantar, the state’s chief moose biologist, who was not in Ashland to see the moose, said it sounds like the moose was intersex, which is a scientific label that means it had both male and female reproductive parts.

Winthrop hiker injures ankle, rescuers walk with him down the trail on Tumbledown Mountain

SUN JOURNAL • October 22, 2024

Wesley Huckey, 35, of Winthrop was supposed to go hiking with a friend at on Tumbledown Mountain near Weld on Monday. His friend could not make it but he went anyway. He lost the trail, hurt his ankle, and called for help. Rescuers walked with Huckey down the trail. Weld Fire Chief Corey Hutchinson said hikers should pack food and water, hike midday or early afternoon to avoid being on the trail in the dark, and bring flashlights and cold-weather gear.

New Roundup weedkiller 45 times more toxic to human health

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH • October 22, 2024

On the fiftieth anniversary of the controversial weedkiller’s release, a Friends of the Earth analysis  – New Roundup, New Risks – finds that residential Roundup products are more toxic to consumers and the environment than ever before. Not only has manufacturer Bayer failed to remove glyphosate from all Roundup products, as promised, but new formulations of Roundup are 45 times more toxic to human health, on average, following long-term, chronic exposure. They also pose greater risks to the environment.

Right whale population grows 4% but extinction remains a threat

ASSOCIATED PRESS • October 22, 2024

The North Atlantic right whale, which can weigh up to 150,000 pounds (68,039 kilograms) and lives off the East Coast, plummeted in population in the 2010s. The critically endangered whales, which are stressed by global warming and vulnerable to ship collisions and entanglement in fishing gear, fell to fewer than 360 individuals by the early 2020s. A group of researchers that studies the whales said Tuesday that the population increased to an estimated 372 in 2023. That’s an increase of about 4% from 2020, and “heartening news” after the whale’s population fell by about 25% from 2010 to 2020, researchers said.

Working waterfronts discuss storm recovery progress with Maine state legislators

NEWS CENTER MAINE • October 22, 2024

Nine months after damaging storms in January heavily impacted Maine's coastal communities, recovery is still top of mind. The issue is being put back at the forefront for state legislators. In Bremen on Tuesday, the Island Institute hosted a roundtable between leaders from Maine's working waterfronts, Sen. Angus King, and Rep. Chellie Pingree. Kimberly Hamilton, president of the Island Institute, hopes hosting the discussion will put these issues back on the center stage for legislators. "We want to make sure folks who can help influence the direction of policies and resources are really hearing from the folks who are most affected." 

PFAS-free firefighting foam coming to Portland International Jetport

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 22, 2024

The Portland Fire Department will soon replace the firefighting foam used in its trucks at the Portland International Jetport with a new solution free of toxic “forever chemicals.” There are  two fire trucks at the jetport that currently carry AFFF, a firefighting foam that – while highly effective – contains perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl, also known as PFAS, which are toxic even in small doses. The use of AFFF has garnered increased scrutiny in Maine since more than 50,000 gallons of toxic foam were discharged at the Brunswick Executive Airport in August.

Critically endangered right whale numbers up slightly last year

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 22, 2024

Scientists announced a rare bit of good news Tuesday for North Atlantic right whales, the most critically endangered large whale species on the planet. An annual population estimate found the whales numbers increased slightly last year to 372, up from 358 in 2020. The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, a collaboration among scientists, government agencies and the shipping and fishing industries, celebrated the news but warned that the whale remains critically endangered as a result of human activity. Boat strikes and entanglements with fishing gear are leading causes of death among the whales.

Maine attorney general warns consumers of misleading solar power ads

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 22, 2024

State officials have received a few dozen consumer complaints about misleading solar ads, prompting the Office of the Maine Attorney General to issue an advisory about possible scams. The office advised consumers that Maine does not require homeowners to convert to solar; that the state does not offer incentives, grants, rebates or tax credits to install home solar panels; and that the state has not approved or selected a particular county, city, town or neighborhood for conversion to solar. The attorney general cautioned consumers to be aware that although companies may advertise no upfront costs, similar to other consumer financing agreements, the product is not free.

Towns across the state hit record temperatures

MAINE PUBLIC • October 22, 2024

If you thought Monday and Tuesday of this week felt like beach days, you weren't wrong. Temperatures across the state soared well into the 70s and beyond, and several records were broken. Temperatures in the city of Portland reached 78 degrees, breaking the previous record of 75 set on the same day back in 1979, according to the National Weather Service. And if that seems like a warm October day in Maine, the town of Fryeburg was even hotter. The high temperature there was 80 degrees at the regional airport, surpassing the previous record of 75 degrees.

More states ban PFAS, or ‘forever chemicals,’ in more products

MAINE MORNING STAR • October 22, 2024

Legislative momentum against PFAS has surged this year, as at least 11 states enacted laws to restrict the use of “forever chemicals” in everyday consumer products or professional firefighting foam. Meanwhile, lawmakers in some states also passed measures that require industries to pay for testing or cleanup; order companies to disclose the use of PFAS in their products; and mandate or encourage the development of PFAS alternatives, according to Safer States, an alliance of environmental health groups focused on toxic chemicals. While more states enact laws focused on specific products, Maine is preparing to implement the world’s first PFAS ban covering all consumer goods. The Maine law, which is scheduled to take effect in 2030, will include exceptions for “essential” products for which PFAS-free alternatives do not exist.