The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
Thank you for reading Maine Environmental News. Each year, we post thousands of news summaries, notices, and links related to important environmental issues from across the state (and beyond). If you find this service useful, you can help us continue to provide it by making a donation. Just click on the button below and contribute whatever you can afford. Thanks again for your generous support!
Sincerely,
Jym St. Pierre
Editor, Maine Environmental News
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 20, 2025
Chester and Aaron Barrett, the father-and-son fishermen from Addison who went missing over the weekend, had planned to drag for scallops close to home on Monday. But they needed to get Chester’s boat, Sudden Impact, from Edmunds back to South Addison, their friend Chris Beal said Monday. When they set out on Saturday morning, they ran into foul weather. They headed for Cutler. But the Barretts and their scallop dragger did not make it to Cutler and were reported overdue that evening. After a Coast Guard search late Saturday and on Sunday, the boat is believed to have sunk en route.
MAINE PUBLIC • January 20, 2025
In its latest report to the legislature, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection said it does not expect to be able to complete its investigation into PFAS contamination by the end of the year. In the report, the Department said it doesn't have enough time to gather its findings by December, because since it began the investigation, it has identified 366 additional sites that require testing. The department is also asking for guidance from the legislature on how to implement new lower federal PFAS standards for drinking water, and on what to do about the costs of long-term monitoring and maintenance of sites with filtration systems.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 20, 2025
Wolfden Resources Corp., the company trying to develop a metallic mineral mine in northern Penobscot County, has agreed to sell 3,770 acres, just over half of its 6,826 acres, to Altius Royalty Corp. in a $1.5 million cash deal expected to close on Jan. 31, according to Wolfden. Altius, a Newfoundland-based mining and mineral royalty company, already holds a percentage of the royalty rights to the zinc, lead, copper and silver allegedly located in the northern Penobscot County site. Wolfden will retain another 3,082 acres around Pickett Mountain — located about eight miles north of Patten — that are not included in the sale. For five years, it will also retain the right to explore and buy-back the mineral rights of the land it’s selling.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 20, 2025
The firestorms ravaging our country’s second-largest city are just the latest of extreme weather that is growing more furious as well as more unpredictable. Wildfires are burning hotter and moving faster. Storms are getting bigger and carrying more moisture. And soaring temperatures worldwide are leading to heat waves and drought, which can be devastating on their own. The question remains: When are we going to stop killing our planet from burning fossil fuels to power our homes, cars and industries? ~ Ron Sadler, Rangeley
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 20, 2025
Regarding the Jan. 9 article “South Portland debates natural vs. artificial grass at planned athletic facility,” the School Board and the public should understand that athletic fields are not nature preserves, parks or grassed lawns. They are not “natural.” Athletic fields are engineered systems that require significant resources (mowing, watering, fertilizer and maintenance) to maximize their use and longevity. The presentation from Portland’s nonprofit Defend Our Health was not applicable to the turf/infill products proposed in South Portland. Opponents spoke about microplastics. Microplastics are an emerging contaminant and most studies focus on drinking water originating from surface water sources. This is not applicable to the proposed turf. ~ Aaron Martin, South Portland
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 20, 2025
Maine has yet to ban coyote killing contests, despite the cruel and malicious nature of this masquerading “sport.” I implore voters to contact their state representatives and encourage them to support an upcoming bill: “An Act to Prohibit Coyote Killing Contests.” Coyotes are a vital part of Maine’s ecosystem. They have as much of a right to live here as the rest of us, and there is no credible science to support that their extermination would effectively manage Maine’s wildlife. In fact, the killing of coyotes further complicates wildlife restoration efforts, as it damages the delicate predator-prey relationship that is essential as humans encroach on natural spaces. ~ Madison Ellingsworth, Portland
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 19, 2025
The Maine Marine Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and other rescue agencies are searching for two missing fishermen and their 34-foot scallop boat off the coast near Lubec and South Addison. The fishermen — Chester Barrett and his son Aaron Barrett — were reported missing Saturday night by a family member when they didn’t return as expected. Barrett’s boat left Cobscook Bay State Park at approximately 5 a.m. Saturday. After encountering rough seas, the crew planned to seek refuge in Cutler but never arrived.
MAINE PUBLIC • January 19, 2025
With the help of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other partners, the Nature Conservancy in Maine has added nearly 3,000 acres to the Narraguagus Forest Preserve north of Tunk Mountain. The parcel includes a variety of habitats as well as permanent protection of almost five miles of the West Branch of the Narraguagus River. TNC’s forest program director Mark Berry said the heavily forested addition is now part of 46,000 contiguous acres of conservation lands in eastern Hancock County.
CENTRAL MAINE • January 19, 2025
The impact of PFAS (also known as forever chemicals) is the focus of a free community forum set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, at Hallowell City Hall, 1 Winthrop St. PFAS are man-made substances that have been measured at elevated levels in Hallowell drinking water. The forum will cover local drinking water safety, ongoing efforts to address it, and practical steps that residents can take to protect themselves. The panel of experts discussing various aspects of PFAS contamination.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 19, 2025
For nearly 40 years, Land for Maine’s Future — a statewide, bipartisan land conservation program — has helped to conserve over 660,000 acres of land across the state for hiking, hunting, snowmobiling and other public recreation. Roughly half of this is also working land used for timber harvesting, farming and commercial fishing. One of the secrets to the program’s success over the years has been the partnership between Maine land trusts and sporting groups. While short-term funding is essential, we are also looking at long-term funding strategies, which will be key to sustaining this program well into the future. ~ Jeff Romano, Maine Coast Heritage Trust; Kaitlyn Nuzzo, The Nature Conservancy in Maine; David Trahan, Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine
SUN JOURNAL • January 19, 2025
The new Trump administration will not only endorse the “drill baby drill” slogan, but will also support the “cut baby cut” approach. There should be a ban on cutting old growth and mature forest on all public lands, effective immediately. All forestry operations should be based on maximizing carbon intake. We are all aware how much the forests do for us as carbon sinks and in terms of clean water, clean air, temperature and weather modifiers, and in supporting biological diversity. Now more than ever, forests are central in terms of saving the planet from the catastrophic outcomes of a rapidly warming planet. We must move away from exploitation and fully endorse a new relationship with the natural world. ~ Jonathan Carter, Forest Ecology Network
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 19, 2025
It’s time to get real and be honest with the public about the Franklin Arterial revamp planning and sea level rise. The City of Portland project rendering shows a 275-unit apartment building in the current Franklin Arterial median at the intersection with Lancaster Street. A major problem with this presentation is that, by 2100 or earlier, that intersection will be the shore of Back Cove. More than half of the project’s new buildings shown in the rendering will flood. It is past time to be honest. ~ Carl Wilcox, Minot
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 19, 2025
Since the 1930s, my family has summered or visited Maine every single year, spending thousands of dollars there. And we are not alone. Thousands of Canadians travel to beautiful Maine every year. We always felt welcome. But apparently the USA does not need us anymore. So says President-elect Trump. So, over the next four years, we will visit Gaspésie and New Brunswick instead of Maine. The ocean is just as nice and the lobster just as good. And I hope that we will resume visiting beautiful Maine in 2029. When cross-border trade takes place, it is because it is mutually beneficial to both parties. ~ Paul Beland, Montreal
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 18, 2025
A 10-foot U-Haul truck went through the ice on Echo Lake on Mount Desert Island early Saturday, after being driven more than 450 yards across the lake. The driver, a 75-year-old man, was reportedly confused and not sure where he was driving. Firefighters carried him to shore before taking him to MDI Hospital. Later in the morning, the truck broke through the ice and became submerged. A marine salvage company is working to remove the truck from the lake.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 18, 2025
The long-awaited $25 million Portland Harbor dredging project starts on Monday as contractors begin digging a 9-acre pit in a shallow South Portland cove where seven decades of a working waterfront’s industrial sins will be buried over the next three winters.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 18, 2025
Disastrous fires are becoming worse and increasing in frequency due to climate change causing warming of the planet. This fire is happening in January, which is hard to fathom. I look at our beautiful Maine woods and wonder if we are OK here because Maine is so much farther north. But then I remember the massive forest fires in Canada, near our latitude, that have occurred in recent summers. Some were so severe that their smoke polluted the Eastern Seaboard for days. America has just elected a climate denier and a politician who does not want to face scientific facts. As American citizens we can change all this by demanding action to slow climate change. ~ Nancy Hasenfus, Brunswick
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 18, 2025
We knew it was going to be alarmingly cold that day based on the weather reports. When hiking in the cold, it’s best to sweat as little as possible because that moisture cools your body down quickly when you slow down or stop for a break. In preparation, I packed a wool shirt that I could change into if I became too sweaty. It takes a lot of energy to stay warm, so we packed extra snacks. And as usual, we carried survival gear. Hypothermia was our primary concern. This is when your body temperature drops low enough that things stop working properly, and this can rapidly lead to death. Windmilling your arms helps restore circulation to your fingers. Another trick for staying warm is to drink lots of water. This thins your blood and therefore improves circulation. Most important is to keep moving.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 17, 2025
As the Portland International Jetport transitions away from firefighting foam laden with ‘forever chemicals,’ a state lawmaker is pushing for the rest of Maine to follow. State Rep. Dan Ankeles (D-Brunswick) teased a bill on Tuesday that would create a statewide collection and disposal process for the toxic aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), which contains high levels of a persistent, harmful class of compounds known as PFAS. The foam is common in fire departments across Maine. The Portland Fire Department is in the midst of that transition, having swapped AFFF in two of three fire trucks stationed at the Jetport for a PFAS-free foam while the final truck undergoes maintenance before completing the switch. Both measures follow the calamitous spill of the toxic firefighting foam at the Brunswick Executive Airport last August.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 17, 2025
The moment I put out a feeder, soon after Christmas, the chickadees, nuthatches and titmice pounced on it like it was an NFL playoff fumble. This alerted the blue jays and mourning doves. Within minutes, it seemed like every jay and dove within a half-mile knew the banquet table had been reset. Then a pair of northern cardinals settled in. Last week, I put out a suet feeder. A hairy woodpecker was on it instantly. Soon thereafter, a red-bellied woodpecker joined the feast. When it comes to appreciating wildlife, there’s no place like home. ~ Bob Duchesne
