The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 30, 2024
The record-breaking numbers of visits at Acadia National Park on the Oct. 12 holiday weekend tell a story. That story is currently leaning toward an expanding season for a park that typically sees most of its visitation in the summer months. That story is also leaning toward challenges in how to provide a great experience for people visiting the park while protecting its resources.
CENTRAL MAINE • October 30, 2024
This is a cautionary tale, not about heat pumps, but about new technology. We got badly burned on the original heat pump installed in 2009. Then, the mini-split did not heat the house as depicted. Some friends speak highly of their mini-splits; others gripe about the fan and limitations on heat circulation. You just want to make sure how much heat will actually get pushed down from the ceiling, where most people do not spend much time, into the places where you usually live, before you hook up one. Or two. Or three. Battling the human-induced warming of the planet has been a long, strange trip here in Troy. And this is apt to be just part of the first installment of a much longer story. The changing climate and the electric utilities have a lot more in store for us in coming years. ~ Dana Wilde
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 30, 2024
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention urged Mainers in October to be careful of tick bites, saying there are more cases of anaplasmosis, babesiosis and hard tick relapsing fever this year than last October. Maine saw a record-breaking 2,943 Lyme disease reports in 2023. As of Oct. 14, 2,544 cases have been reported this year.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 30, 2024
How old were you when you first watched “Bambi,” the animated Disney classic? Those sweeping landscapes of forests and mountains, those idyllic scenes of flowers, fields and woodland creatures are all inspired by Maine — and in fact, the film is actually set in Maine. That’s thanks almost entirely to Maurice “Jake” Day, a Damariscotta-born artist and animator who by the late 1930s was one of the top talents at Walt Disney Studios. Day — an established outdoors illustrator for magazines and publishing houses — was sought by Disney himself to add a painterly touch to his movies, specifically for his upcoming animated adaptation of the book “Bambi, a Life in the Woods” by Felix Salten.
MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • October 29, 2024
The American Public Health Association’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity recognized Maine Public Health Association with its Excellence in Climate Leadership Award on Tuesday. The award recognizes professionals and organizations for their work to combat climate change and mitigate its effects on health. As this year's award winner, MPHA was honored for its work to advance evidence-based climate policies, train the public health workforce in climate science and strategies, elevate the voices of communities most impacted by climate change, and provide strategic leadership and collaboration on climate resiliency and response in Maine.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 29, 2024
Big Moose Mountain Ski Area in northern Maine was listed for sale Monday for $27 million after a developer’s big plans for it fell through over the summer. The ski area being listed might come as a surprise. For the last few years, the property has seen some notable redevelopment efforts led by Perry Williams, a developer who had a $126.3 million plan to create a year-round ski resort there. In May, Williams revived those efforts, but the property’s listing agent said Tuesday that any deal “went off the table” in July. That deal falling through is the latest chapter in a frustrating story for the Greenville community, which is eager to see something happen with the mountain.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • October 29, 2024
The U.S. government chose winning bids Tuesday to develop wind power off New England in the first commercial sale for floating offshore wind on the Atlantic coast. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management held a lease sale and selected nearly $22 million in winning bids for four lease areas from two firms. The lease areas are in the Gulf of Maine, which is a critical fishing ground for the U.S. lobster industry. Two of the leases went to Avangrid Renewables. The other two leases went to Invenergy NE Offshore Wind. The four areas combined are more than 625 square miles.
TIMES RECORD • October 29, 2024
The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority is asking Gov. Janet Mills’ office for funding to help clean up toxic chemicals in its hangars in the wake of a disastrous firefighting foam spill in August. In a budget request letter dated Oct. 28, the Authority said that it wants to pursue an emergency project that will cost about $21.9 million to remove and replace its fire suppression systems and substances that contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at Brunswick Executive Airport. The Authority said the funding would be used to design, demolish, permit, bid and construct new fire suppression systems, as well as dispose of hazardous PFAS chemicals in Hangars 4, 5 and 6.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 29, 2024
As a former state legislator, I’ve seen what it means when we elect lawmakers who prioritize protecting the environment and addressing the climate crisis, and what happens when we fall short. Electing pro-environment lawmakers is one of the best ways to ensure strong protections for the air, lands and waters that we love. It can mean the difference between phasing out toxic PFAS to protect drinking water or continuing to pollute the resources we rely on; between helping towns all over Maine adapt to increased storm damage or leaving them to fend for themselves; between implementing the will of the voters or disregarding it. When our elections are decided by slim margins, every vote really counts. ~ Cathy Breen, Maine Conservation Voters and former Maine state senator
KENNEBEC JOURNAL • October 29, 2024
Many fire departments suspended burn permits this week after the Maine Forest Service advised fire risk was high across the state. Most of the state is abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and much of the eastern part of the state is in a moderate drought.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 29, 2024
With its most popular hunting season starting Saturday, Maine has expanded a “do not eat” advisory zone for deer and turkey bagged in central Maine due to elevated levels of harmful toxic chemicals detected in recent wildlife testing. The hunting restriction is one of the unexpected consequences of Maine’s forever chemical crisis. Maine has three “Do Not Eat” zones in central Maine. The first was a 25-square-mile area in east Fairfield and south Skowhegan. Last week, Maine added a 5.4-square-mile area near Route 139 in Unity and Unity Township and a 4.3-square-mile area near Route 202 in Unity, Albion, and Freedom.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 29, 2024
Scientists and tribes are racing against time to protect a sacred tree at the heart of the Wabanaki basket-making tradition from an invasive beetle that is eating its way across Maine, pushing the tree species and maybe even the tradition to the edge of functional extinction. “The situation for our cultural heritage and art form is dire indeed,” said Theresa Secord, a basketmaker from the Penobscot Nation and founding director of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance. The Penobscot artist also worries about how she and other master basketmakers can pass this cultural tradition on to the next generation without reliable access to healthy brown ash, the pliant, sturdy wood that Wabanaki weavers have used for generations.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 29, 2024
How to help protect the brown ash tree used in Wabanaki basketry from the invasive emerald ash borer.
• Cut, buy, or burn only local firewood.
• Monitor for telltale signs of infestation.
• If you own land, know if you have brown ash.
• If your ash is healthy, contact a forester or Maine Forest Service about how to keep them alive.
• Collect seed pods from healthy brown ash for replanting.
• Consider offering Wabanaki artists access to your brown ash.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 29, 2024
On Nov. 5, Scarborough will vote on a $6 million land bond. It is being pitched as a solution to runaway growth. It is unrealistic to think that taxpayers can outbid developers on enough land to protect the quality of our land and water. A more practical solution would be to control growth and protect our natural environment. Creating effective zoning and growth ordinances would be the obvious place to start. Our leaders also need to learn how to say no to developers. Plus, the land bond may be used for purposes other than conservation, including “to support recreation.” We support local conservation. But we believe the land bond is impractical, ineffective and unfair. ~ Steve Hanly, SMARTaxes (Scarborough Maine Advocates for Reasonable Taxes)
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 29, 2024
In response to the Oct. 15 letter by Jake Patryn, Acadian Seaplants’ director of operations in Maine, who argued that rockweed harvesting is sustainable, as scientists who have reviewed published studies of the ecological effects of rockweed harvesting, we disagree. We agree that stronger regulations are needed to protect this ecologically and commercially important seaweed habitat. ~ David Porter, Ph.D., and Allison Snow, Ph.D., Co-founders of the Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 29, 2024
Donn Fendler was a 12-year-old boy who became famous for surviving a harrowing nine-day ordeal in 1939 when he got lost on Katahdin. His story of survival captivated the nation. After all of these years, there is a soon-to-be-released motion picture about Fendler, his family and his amazing and inspiring survival story. Ryan Cook, the producer, is emphatic that this movie is more than a story about a desperate youngster with remarkable resilience and determination, but is also about family love and the role that it, as well as spiritual faith, played in young Fendler’s survival. “Lost On a Mountain in Maine” will be released in theaters Friday.
WASHINGTON POST • October 28, 2024
Planet-warming pollution in Earth’s atmosphere last year hit the highest levels in human history, scientists announced Monday – a worrying indicator of the world’s failure to curb climate change as global temperatures are on track to hit yet another record high. Concentrations of carbon dioxide – the most important driver of global warming – are now growing faster than at any time since our species evolved.
MAINE AUDUBON • October 28, 2024
Hear from biologists, ecologists, and activists as they each share personal stories to help us relate and reconnect to the ways wildlife prepare for winter, including the amazing phenomenon of hibernation. Sponsored by Maine Audubon at Gilsland Farm and online, Nov 14, 2024, 7-8:30 pm. In-person (21+ only): $15/member, $20/nonmember; online: $5/person.
MAINE (ORONO) CAMPUS • October 28, 2024
A 2022 census states that there were 1,385,340 people living in the state. However, in that same year, 15.3 million people visited Maine. That is just over 11 times as many people that visited than those who reside here. This is a huge ratio, and it’s causing problems for the residents of Maine. One of the biggest issues with tourism in Maine is the effect it has on climate change. Climate change is already greatly affecting Maine’s ecosystems and coastal areas, and tourism can contribute to climate change both through air and car travel. Maine is working to promote ecotourism, which focuses primarily on minimizing the impact of tourism on the environment within the state. These efforts will in no way undo the damage that’s already been done, nor will they be able to prevent much more damage without the overall number of tourists decreasing. ~ Logan Thomas
MAINE PUBLIC • October 28, 2024
Conservation groups in Maine are getting a $25 million infusion from the federal government to continue stream restoration work to boost fish passage, work they say will have ecological and economic benefits. The funding will help pay for improving stream passage under roadways on private land in Maine, by replacing culverts with bridges or other structures that allow for improved waterflow and fish passage. Christian Fox, watershed restoration specialist with The Nature Conservancy in Maine, said that helps migratory fish species, including endangered Atlantic Salmon. The program has already restored about 260 miles of streams across the state.
