This is one rock every Mainer should visit

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 10, 2025

There’s a particular rock in the Katahdin Region that holds special meaning for outdoor fanatics. Pockwockamus Rock is surrounded by wilderness and within view of majestic Katahdin, but you don’t need a canoe or even a pair of hiking boots to reach it. Situated on the access road into Baxter State Park’s south entrance, it is a massive boulder, which has a primitive folk-art-style depiction of a Maine woods scene with an inscription: “Keep Maine Beautiful.” The rock had become a target for vandals who coated it with profanities and other unsavory content. In 1979, a teenage girl and her Youth Conservation Corps buddies came up with a scheme to paint the rock with an inspiring scene and a simple yet compelling invitation. They did. Nearly a half century later, Pockwockamus Rock stands as a beacon and a landmark in Maine. Its message has stood the test of time.

A family oyster farm is caught in a bitter fight over Maine’s waters

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 10, 2025

Mere Point Oyster Co. in Brunswick has become a shining example of what Maine’s aquaculture industry says it can do for the state. But the operation has been controversial, taking fire from neighboring landowners and wild seafood harvesters who have expressed concern about its impact on the environment and the ability of vessels to navigate through its growing areas, as well as what they characterize as the industrialization of the ocean. Supporters of the aquaculture industry assert that scientific studies haven’t shown negative environmental impacts from aquaculture, that oysters can clean the water and that projects must go through a strict state regulatory process. The ongoing success of Mere Point has highlighted both the promise of the state’s aquaculture industry and the bitter debates that farmed seafood has spurred about the responsible use of Maine’s waters.

Scientists will try to deacidify a tiny patch of the Gulf of Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 10, 2025

Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will test a strategy this summer to combat climate change by manually raising the alkalinity of ocean water in a small area of the Gulf of Maine. In the largest field test to date, Woods Hole researchers plan to release 16,000 gallons of a liquid sodium hydroxide solution, commonly known as lye or caustic soda, into a 0.2-square-mile (128-acre) area of ocean southeast of Portland called Wilkinson Basin. The high-alkaline solution will dilute quickly but is expected to slightly increase the pH in a tiny area of a global water system that has been gradually becoming more acidic over the last two centuries as a result of human activity. Friends of the Earth US and the Hands Off Mother Earth Alliance continue to oppose the project and “geoengineering” of the oceans on grounds that adding a large amount of a highly caustic solution into the marine environment will be harmful to sea life.

More Mainers are raising and selling peacocks

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 9, 2025

Hermon poultry breeder DJ McClung prepared for the spring hatching season like he usually does, offering fertilized eggs and chicks from numerous varieties of chickens, ducks, a few quail and some geese. But this year, he’s also offering something more unusual: young peacocks and peahens, known together as peafowl, that he raises in a converted ice fishing. Though peacocks may be associated with tropical climates, the birds can thrive in Maine — even enjoying the snow. They’re raised mostly as companion birds or guardians, and despite their tendency to wander, peafowl are becoming sought-after pets.

Maine is getting a new energy code, and it’s a stretch

MAINE MONITOR • March 9, 2025

Starting in April, builders statewide are being asked to stretch — to R60. That’s an unprecedented mandate in Maine and could require up to 20 inches of insulation, depending on the material. It’s happening after the volunteer board that oversees the Maine Uniform Building Energy Code (MUBEC) voted last December to adopt the 2021 version of International Energy Conservation Code. The IECC is a model code used by many states and municipalities to set minimum energy standards for new construction. The 2021 edition is sometimes called the “stretch code” because insulation levels and other specs go beyond the previous levels from 2015.

As Trump shakes up economy, winners and losers will emerge. Maine could be on the wrong side.

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 9, 2025

President Donald Trump, with lockstep support from Republicans who control Congress, has wasted little time trying to overhaul the nation’s economy. There are invariably winners and losers. Maine is literally stuck in the middle of a trade fight between Trump and the Canadian government that could have immediate and secondary impacts. On top of all this, Trump might seek to make an example of Maine and follow through on threats to withhold federal funding, which would have ripple effects through the economy. The most important thing for business leaders is predictability,” said Quincy Hentzel, president and CEO of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce. “It feels like it’s all very much out of our control.”

Editorial: Sea Grant scuffle a sorry exercise in what’s to come

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 9, 2025

The U-turn on the abrupt decision to pull NOAA funding — announced to considerable shock and disgust last Saturday — was welcomed last week by the lobstermen, fishers, aquaculture researchers and most everyone with a relationship to Maine’s singular working waterfront. We can’t express our sincere thanks to Sen. Collins, though, or join in the collective sigh of relief at the news of renegotiation without stating the obvious, concerning and very irritating: It simply should not have come to this. Sen. Collins could be worked to the bone if this babyish style of governing keeps up. Sadly, we see no evidence at all to suggest it won’t.

Opinion: We must commit to protecting our national wildlife refuges

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 9, 2025

The National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the world’s largest network of protected conservation areas. Maine is fortunate to be home to six national wildlife refuges. They protect wildlife habitat and important animal species, many of them endangered or threatened. The Department of the Interior just terminated 370 Fish and Wildlife Service employees. These are some of the hardest working, most dedicated public servants in the nation. DOI said the eliminated roles “are not in the public interest.” With fewer employees to manage the refuge system, habitats will degrade, endangered species will go unprotected, walking trails will fall into disrepair and visitors will lose valuable recreation opportunities. In Maine visitors to our refuges contribute as much as $45 million to the local communities. ~ Bill Durkin, Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge

Opinion: Rail versus trail is not the debate for Maine

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 9, 2025

The state Legislature is about to hear a series of bills focused on transportation options for the people of Maine. Unfortunately, these bills are working at cross purposes. The ongoing “rail versus trail” debate — whether to develop existing rail infrastructure for passenger and freight trains or to tear it up and build trails instead — is tragically shortsighted. It’s a waste of time and resources that undermines the medium- and long-term viability of both projects. The coexistence of active rail corridors and trails running alongside is a safe and viable model practiced nationwide, expanding people’s options for recreational runs, walks and rides and commutes of necessity. Rail and trail options are not competitors; they serve very different functions, both of which are important. ~ Aaron R. Hanlon, Waterville

Reward offered for information on deer illegally shot in Swanville

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 8, 2025

A private organization working with the Maine Warden Service is offering a $3,000 reward for information on the illegal shooting and wounding of a deer in Swanville. The injured deer ultimately had to be euthanized after it was found and reported to the Maine Warden Service on Tuesday, March 4. It had been shot once through the back legs and a second time through the bottom of its chest, then left to die. Operation Game Thief can be reached at 1-800-ALERT-US. Information can also be shared by submitting a tip online using the Maine OGT app “Tip 411” or through the website at  www.maineogt.org. 

Manchester family donates almost 100 acres to Kennebec Land Trust

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • March 8, 2025

Matt Sinclair explored the 100-acre woods behind his house almost daily as a kid. He was the fifth generation of his family to explore the land. Before him, it was his grandfather, Robert Hopkins — and before Hopkins, it was his father and his father. But Sinclair and Hopkins, 93, weren’t quite satisfied with the two centuries of family history on the land. They wanted to preserve it. Hopkins and Sinclair, over a cup of coffee, decided they would donate the land to the Kennebec Land Trust, a nonprofit that manages about 8,000 acres of permanently conserved land. That donation was finalized last month, with the land officially named the Hopkins-Sinclair Conservation Area. The Kennebec Land Trust will preserve the land for public access and wildlife in perpetuity.

Fly Fishing Film Tour, Waldobbo, March 28

PENOBSCOT BAY PILOT • March 8, 2025

The Fly Fishing Film Tour shares the best fishing stories on the big screen. At The Waldo Theatre, Waldoboro, March 28, 6 pm. $10 in advance, $15 day of the event, youth $5. Sponsored by Georges River Trout Unlimited and Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust.

Talk about "Rosalie Edge, 1877-1962: Hellcat of Conservation"

Friends of Merrymeeting Bay’s sixth presentation of its 28th annual Winter Speaker Series, “Rosalie Edge, 1877-1962: Hellcat of Conservation,” features author and journalist Dyana Furmansky. March 12, 7 pm, Zoom, accessible at fomb.org. Edge is considered a godmother of the modern environmental movement. She campaigned to preserve 8,000 acres of sugar pines on the southern edge of Yosemite National Park, campaigned for the creation of Olympic and Kings Canyon National Parks, and created a wildlife sanctuary at Hawk Mountain in eastern Pennsylvania.

Letter: America has become an embarrassment

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 8, 2025

I am so sorry, embarrassed and angry about what Donald Trump is doing to our world. The U.S. had made progress recently. We were working (albeit slowly) toward dealing with climate change. Someday we may wake up in time to save ourselves, but until then, we are now a pathetic country and I am ashamed. ~ David Pope, Wiscasset

Letter: EPA can’t accomplish critical goals with massive budget cut

SUN JOURNAL • March 8, 2025

When I was a child I lived next to the Androscoggin River. Toxic industrial waste flowed past my home and out to sea. Fish died by the millions. Between 1971 and 1978, the Environmental Protection Agency documented the environmental pollution caused by the paper industry’s chemical discharge and provided assistance to develop pollution controls. It provided financial assistance to states to monitor water quality. Today Maine residents can boat and fish the Androscoggin River. The EPA protects our health. Protecting our environment so we can all safely enjoy swimming, boating, fishing and hunting should be a priority for every Mainer. The EPA can’t accomplish these critical goals, to protect our health and safety, with a 65% budget cut. ~ Bonnie Brown, Industry

Opinion: Sea Grant funding whiplash a warning to us all

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 8, 2025

The vast majority of Maine’s commercial fishermen supported President Donald Trump. Yet he has determined that programs supporting their communities and businesses are “no longer relevant to the administration’s priorities.” Elon Musk has fired more than 100 workers at NOAA’s National Weather Service, which provides the forecasts integral to mariners’ safety at sea. They terminated scientists, including those who assess fish populations. Less science means more uncertainty, tighter catch limits and fewer fish coming across the dock. Then Maine Sea Grant found itself on the front lines of a “ready, fire, aim” offensive. This decision had nothing to do with legitimate policymaking or government efficiency. It didn’t even have to do with fishing. It had everything to do with sending a message that dissent will not be tolerated. ~ Michael Conathan, former Republican U.S. Senate staffer and managing director of an ocean policy consulting firm in Portland

Letter: All of Maine’s land is prime

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 8, 2025

Maine Monitor Editor Kate Cough wrote an informative piece last month about the need for “compensation rules for solar on farmland.” Questions were raised about amounts of compensation to farmers, as well as the potential for “’dual use’ panels that allow for some agricultural activity to continue, like growing blueberries or grazing sheep.” I learned that “about 10% of the state’s nearly 22 million acres are considered ‘soils of statewide importance.’ Of those soils, 800,000 acres are considered ‘prime,’ or land that is ‘of major importance in meeting the nation’s short- and long-range needs for food and fiber. I beg to differ. As one of nearly 22,500 Brunswick residents exposed to the sixth largest PFAS spill in the United States, I offer this paradigm shift: Every inch of our Maine soil is prime. Every inch of our soil on this planet is prime, whether for agriculture, forest, solar or housing. ~ Abbie Sewall, Brunswick

I never dreamed I would decorate my house with dead animals

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 8, 2025

I don’t remember my first piece of taxidermy. It might have been my first bear, taken in 2014. The bear now lies in the form of a rug along the back of the couch in my office. I have had the antlers from my first buck mounted along with the first crotch-horn, 6-point and 10-point bucks that I have taken. A cabinet that once held china dishes now holds 19 different skulls from 14 different types of animals. On top of the cabinet is a fawn. Six different furs hang along one wall. My moose is a fantastic square; 4 feet wide and 4 feet high. My traveling taxidermy show is a chance to educate non-hunters while highlighting my hunts and the animals that fill my freezer. ~ Erin Merrill

Maine’s ‘energy economy’ grows as Trump cuts loom over zero-carbon power

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 7, 2025

Maine’s “clean energy economy,” which encompasses jobs and business activities advancing carbon-free energy, expanded faster in 2023 than the state’s economy overall, benefiting from Biden administration funding that’s now in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs. A broad array of economic enterprises such as solar, wind and hydropower; geothermal generation; smart grid technology to manage electricity; lithium and other batteries; energy efficiency and electric vehicles comprise the clean energy economy, which grew to nearly $2.9 billion in 2023, or 3.2% of the state’s economy. It’s up from 2.7% the previous year, according to the 2024 Maine Clean Energy Report, commissioned by the Governor’s Energy Office.

Effort to replenish Maine’s depleted EV incentive program could also reduce electricity costs

MAINE MORNING STAR • March 7, 2025

Despite wanting 150,000 light-duty electric vehicles on Maine roads by the start of the next decade, the state ran out of funding for a key incentive program last year. However, a bill introduced Thursday could help fill that gap. The Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology held a public hearing for LD 585, which would amend language in the Efficiency Maine Trust Act to allow more flexibility in using certain program funds that are currently only used for subsidizing heat pumps. The bill would remove those limitations so certain revenue could be used for electric vehicles as well. This change could, in turn, reduce electricity costs for ratepayers.