PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 15, 2024
As one of Maine’s warmest recorded winterscomes to an end, many waterways across the state are seeing ice form later and melt earlier than ever, which experts say is causing increasingly severe environmental impacts. While ice-outs historically begin in mid-April, ice has already disappeared on many Maine lakes this year. At Lake Auburn, ice-out this year was declared on Tuesday, March 12, earlier than ever recorded. At China Lake, it was Monday, March 11, another record. Earlier ice-outs have severe impacts on everything from algae blooms and trout populations to moose calves and snowmobilers.