PFAS contamination found on more than 100 Maine farms

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 15, 2025

With their multiyear investigation not yet halfway complete, Maine state inspectors have identified more than 100 Maine farms and 500 residential properties contaminated by the harmful forever chemicals left behind by sludge-based fertilizer use. Maine has had to order fewer than a half dozen farms to stop selling their milk or food, Hennessey said. Some farmers who had positive soil or water tests were able to prove through additional tests that their food products were safe to eat. Others voluntarily pulled their food products from the shelves. The state has installed 500 water filtration systems. Maine DEP estimates it could install the additional 165 water filtration sites likely to be needed and stay within the program’s $28.8 million budget.

Nearly 500 acres of forest to be preserved in Somerset County

MAINE PUBLIC • January 15, 2025

Land for Maine's Future approved the last piece of funding for the purchase of nearly 500 acres of forest in Western Maine yesterday, including land along the Carrabassett River. Dubbed ‘Whitten Woods’ for the family that owns and manages the forest, the new land conservation area is over 455 acres in Somerset County. Somerset Woods Trustees executive director Jennifer Brockway said the additional funds from Land for Maine’s Future should make acquisition of the land possible by April 2025. The organization has been raising funds to purchase the land for over two years. It will be the first public land conservation area in New Portland.

Biden administration drops slowdown rule for ship speed limits aimed at saving right whales

MAINE PUBLIC • January 15, 2025

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will drop proposed ship speed limits that were aimed at reducing collisions with North Atlantic right whales. Regulatory officials said there wasn't enough time to review the 90,000 comments they received and finalize new ship speed rules before the Trump administration takes office next week. Ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are the two leading causes of death and injury to right whales. The population has roughly 370 individuals remaining.

At least 70 right whales have grouped off Jeffreys Ledge

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 15, 2025

Dozens of North Atlantic right whales — more than 15% of the estimated global population — are gathered off Jeffreys Ledge, east of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, triggering a slow zone for boaters. Surveyors at the New England Aquarium spotted at least 70 individual whales grouped in a small area on Sunday. Whales were observed in close proximity to “large amount” of fixed fishing gear,” which presents a high risk of entanglement,” the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries said. Mariners are asked to slow to a maximum speed of 10 knots. Following that guidance is voluntary, but knowingly approaching a right whale is illegal. “Boaters are also reminded that approaching a right whale closer than 500 yards is a violation of federal law.”

Maine gets $22M to boost development of new wood products

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 15, 2025

Maine has received $22 million in federal funding to scale up commercial development of new wood-based technology, such as environmentally friendly building and packaging materials. The funding is earmarked for the state’s Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub, which is led by the Maine Technology Institute. Federal money will pay to stand up the hub with management and staff and provide grants for innovative technology proposed by companies. The other half of the funding will be earmarked to the University of Maine to commercialize business ideas. From 2000 to 2020, average employment in pulp and paper mills dropped by 72% in Maine.

Maine receives federal grant to boost innovation of forest-based products

MAINE MORNING STAR • January 15, 2025

Maine is receiving an additional $22 million from the federal government to support forest-based biomaterial production and manufacturing. The funding announcement from the Biden administration adds to approximately $1 million in other federal grants the state has received for its forest-based biomaterial consortium. The new funds will support two projects to strengthen innovation by leveraging manufacturing and workforce resources, and bring the hub’s products to the global market.

Maine’s lighthouses added to global list of endangered heritage sites

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 15, 2025

Maine’s lighthouses have been added to a global list of monuments and cultural sites facing major challenges or threats, including from the effects of climate change. World Monuments Watch released its annual list of heritage sites that are threatened by a variety of forces, ranging from neglect to wars to flooding and extreme weather driven by climate change. The historic lighthouses of Maine made the 2025 list along with 24 other sites. “A changing climate presents mounting challenges for the state’s lighthouses,” the organization says.

Biden administration withdraws rules to save endangered whales from collisions

ASSOCIATED PRESS • January 15, 2025

The federal government is withdrawing a proposal that would require more ships to slow down in East Coast waters to try to save a vanishing species of whale, officials said Wednesday. The move in the waning days of the Biden administration will leave the endangered North Atlantic right whale vulnerable to extinction as the Trump administration is signaling a shift from environmental conservation to support for marine industries, conservation groups said.

Livermore to hold special town meeting for new solar project

FRANKLIN JOURNAL • January 15, 2025

The Livermore Select Board announced Tuesday that there will be a special town meeting Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. at the Town Office regarding a new solar 19-acre project on Route 4. Vice Chairperson Brett Deyling said the project caught them off-guard. He said they need to put an ordinance in place.

Farmington names new director of parks and rec department

LIVERMORE FALLS ADVERTISER • January 15, 2025

he Parks and Recreation Department has a new director, Jennifer “Jenn” Savage, of Chesterville, according to Town Manager Erica LaCroix. Previously the assistant director, she succeeds Matthew “Matt” Foster who resigned in October to take a position with state Bureau of Parks and Lands. At the selectmen meeting Tuesday evening, LaCroix also announced Michelle Dowd of Farmington was hired as the assistant director for the Parks and Recreation Department.

Auburn manufacturer makes bowling lanes out of paper

SUN JOURNAL • January 15, 2025

If you’ve been bowling since the 1980s in this country, chances are the lanes you rolled the ball down were made in central Maine. And they were made from layers of paper, not strips of wood. Tucked away in the woods sits Panolam Surface Systems, known for many years locally as Pioneer Plastics. The name has changed but it remains the sole supplier of high pressure laminate, or HPL, synthetic bowling lanes to the top three manufacturers of bowling products — Brunswick, AMF and US Bowling. It’s the same plant where laminate countertops and other laminate products have been competing with brands like Formica for decades. The products today are more varied and have become much more advanced.

Residents react to largest subdivision ever proposed for Monmouth

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • January 15, 2025

A proposed development would bring 62 identical single-family homes on 33 undeveloped acres over the next 3 1/2 years, making it the biggest such project in Monmouth’s history. Not only would the proposed neighborhood — to be named Hilltop View Estates — disrupt the rural character of 4,000-person Monmouth, but half-million dollar houses do not reflect the type of development the town should promote says neighbor Kathy Perless. Ashley Woodbury’s property is bordered on two sides by the proposed development. She said during the public hearing that she was most concerned about the safety impacts of the stormwater filtration pond planned for directly west of her house and the neighborhood road entrance planned for directly to the north.

Maine environmental advocates unveil priorities for new session

MAINE MORNING STAR • January 15, 2025

A coalition of 40 conservation, climate and public health organizations unveiled its policy priorities for the new legislative session, which they said would help the state address the climate crisis, cultivate healthy communities and protect land, water and wildlife. The Environmental Priorities Coalition highlighted nine priority areas along with corresponding legislation or proposals to achieve those goals.

Opinion: How a community garden plot taught me to dig beneath the surface

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 15, 2025

My aunt has a garden plot that I took care of over the summer. She was in town one day and we went to the garden. While everything seemed perfect in the neighboring plots, I learned that it wasn’t. She taught me that the nutrient value of vegetables depends on the soil. One of the best soil ecosystems is a forest floor, which is spongy, with trees and leaves covering the soil, shielding it from direct sunlight so it doesn’t dry out. The soil has the capacity to absorb and hold water because it has holes for air and water to get in and out. The plant’s roots in the forest floor are able to function properly and the whole ecosystem can work together to thrive. I realized that my aunt’s garden, for all its chaos, held a deeper kind of order, emulating the forest floor. It taught me that the real value often isn’t obvious from the surface. Like in the garden, life’s real purpose often lies just out of sight, where you can’t see it until you’re willing to get your hands dirty and uncover the meaning. ~ Grace Alexander, Portland

Opinion: MainePERS continues to bet on fossil fuels

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 15, 2025

Oil and gas companies spent over a trillion dollars on new wells, pipelines, refineries and ports in 2023 alone. To pay off these investments, these facilities must operate for 30 years. CO2 emissions reached a record high of 37.4 billion tons in 2023. If the status quo continues, life as we know it could be over before this century ends. At a recent board meeting a Maine Public Employees Retirement System analyst declared, “We don’t make bets.” But continued investment in fossil fuels is betting that 66,000 peer-reviewed studies are wrong that carbon emissions are causing serious damage. Nor was there mention of risks, not just risks to human health and life on the planet. Also, the risk to fossil fuel companies caused by the growing number of lawsuits against them — now at 86 and counting. A law requires that MainePERS divest from fossil fuels by 2026. No one expected it to pull the plug all at once. But with no plan in place, that may end up being its only option. ~ Sue Inches, MainePERS member, North Yarmouth

Global warming is not a hoax — act now

TIMES RECORD • January 15, 2025

Climate activists are struggling with finding a persuasive message that will convince citizens that it is time to take climate action at the national and global levels. For years, activists have followed the science. Climate models proved time and again that scientists’ forecasts were accurate. We were told by naysayers and fossil fuel allies, “the science was uncertain” and “people don’t respond to doom and gloom.” Working in a group with like-minded, concerned neighbors is an antidote for despair. Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL), a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address the national and global climate crisis. CCLers call, write and lobby our members of Congress to work across the aisle to pass federal climate legislation that will promote the transition to renewable energy. ~ Dorothy Jones, Brunswick

Letter: Drawing inspiration from nature

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 15, 2025

A friend sent me an Edward Abbey poem that speaks to deep longings I think we all feel. It triggered my wide-awake allegiance to the Earth, a jolt of recognizing my deep belonging to it.
“The love of wilderness is more than a hunger
for what is always beyond reach;
it is also an expression of loyalty
to the earth –
the only home we shall every know,
the only paradise we ever need –
if only we had eyes to see.”
from Edward Abbey’s “Desert Solitaire”
~ Rosalie Paul, Brunswick

2 men survive when snowmobile goes through ice in Dexter

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 14, 2025

No one heard them yelling for help, but two men survived Tuesday when their snowmobile broke through the ice on Wassookeag Lake in Dexter. The father, who was in his mid-50s, and his son, who was in his early 20s, entered the lake at the boat ramp and were heading across the middle to go ice fishing when their snowmobile suddenly went through the ice around 11:30 a.m. The son managed to give his father a boost to help him get onto the ice. The father grabbed their pack basket and rolled back toward the hole, offering his son the basket. His son grabbed it and the two men were able to get him out of the water too. The son had no boots or coat on by the time he got out of the water. Eventually, EMTs from the local ambulance service checked them out.

State-funded University of Maine System research and development generates record rate of return

DAILY BULLDOG • January 14, 2025

State-funded University of Maine System (UMS) research is delivering its highest-ever rate of return. Led by the University of Maine, the state’s public research university, UMS directly generated $6.45 for every $1 the State invested through the Maine Economic Improvement Fund in Fiscal Year 2024. In FY24, the $21.85 million appropriated by the State for MEIF generated $141 million in external R&D grants and contracts just in the seven sectors and mostly at UMaine to support laboratories and researchers, including students, who collaborate with Maine companies. In total, Maine’s public universities secured more than $260 million in R&D grants and contracts in FY24. Maine invests just 1.1% of its GDP in R&D, far below the national average of 3.6% and 5.7% by other New England states.

Maine’s Great Fire raged in 1825 and destroyed almost a million acres

SUN JOURNAL • January 14, 2025

(First posted June 14, 2020) In 1825, disconnected fires burned through some 3 million acres in Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, fed by a hot, dry summer that left the Atlantic Maritime region vulnerable. The Great Fire, as some in Maine called it, was the biggest and most destructive forest fire ever seen east of the Mississippi River. At least 832,000 acres burned in Maine, destroying large swaths of forest. An 1894 report to Maine’s forest commissioner said the fire likely began in the Piscataquis River valley before spreading north and east for many miles until it reached, and crossed, the Penobscot River. Miles and miles of timberland burned.