Commercial alewife fishing may return to this Maine town

PENOBSCOT BAY PRESS • November 1, 2024

Bailey Bowden, chair of Penobscot’s alewife committee, just received news he’s been hoping to hear for a decade. On Oct. 23, the quasi-governmental Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved the management plan for shad and river herring, including alewives, submitted by the Maine Department of Marine Resources. That state plan includes a proposal to reopen Penobscot’s commercial fishery at Wight’s Pond. There is still a process under state law before commercial harvesting can occur during next year’s spring alewife migration and spawning. “We have to get approval at the annual town meeting,” Bowden said.

Massachusetts ratepayers to pay extra $512M for CMP hydropower corridor

ASSOCIATED PRESS • November 1, 2024

Three Massachusetts utilities and Central Maine Power’s parent company have agreed that Massachusetts ratepayers must shoulder $512 million in additional costs caused by delays in construction of a power transmission project in Maine that will allow Canadian hydropower to reach the New England power grid. Proponents said Wednesday that the project still represents a good deal. The project had to overcome multiple hurdles. It won all regulatory approvals, but work was halted after Maine voters rebuked the project in a November 2021 referendum. A jury concluded the referendum was unconstitutional because it violated the developers’ vested rights.

Bangor had its warmest Halloween on record

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 1, 2024

This Halloween was the warmest on record for Bangor. The high hit 78 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday. That surpasses the old record of 71 degrees, set in 1956. It’s also the warmest high for Bangor so late in the year. The previous record high was 75 degrees, set on Nov. 6, 1938. In Caribou, Thursday’s high of 77 degrees surpassed the previous record — 69 degrees — for Oct. 31, set in 1989. Houlton saw a record high 73 degrees, surpassing the record of 70 degrees, set in 1956. In Millinocket, trick-or-treaters were treated to a high of 75 degrees, breaking the record of 71 degrees set back in 1989.

Offshore wind is on the ballot in a midcoast legislative race

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 1, 2024

Rep. Reagan Paul, R-Winterport, is a conservative Republican running for re-election in House District 37, in part based on her opposition to offshore wind development around Searsport. Her challenger, Democrat Scott Cuddy of Winterport, has been involved with the Maine Labor Climate Council, a group that has been pushing for the development of offshore wind. But the effort has spawned an odd coalition of opponents, including tribal representatives, conservatives who oppose offshore wind energy because they argue it would threaten the fishing industry, and area residents who aren’t necessarily opposed to offshore wind but want to conserve Sears island. Some citizens have put their liberal beliefs aside to support Paul in the race.

Column: There’s coastal beauty – and so many trails – from Kittery to Calais

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 1, 2024

For the second edition of AMC’s “Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast” I re-hiked every trail, re-measured every mile and took new photographs. All the trail maps were updated. I also added 10 noteworthy new hikes to the guide, sprinkling them into the mix along with 40 originals. Tackle all 50 from York County, the Casco Bay region and the Midcoast to Acadia National Park and Downeast Maine and you’ll have hiked 194 miles. ~ Carey Kish

Gas pipeline operators’ push for higher rates could spark increase in electricity costs

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 1, 2024

Three natural gas pipeline operators are looking to increase rates paid by Maine consumers who already face rising electricity prices. Algonquin Gas Transmission and Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline have asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to authorize higher charges. And Granite State Gas Transmission has reached a settlement with regulators that will lead to higher bills for ratepayers. To help reach reduced greenhouse gas emissions targets, New England states are looking to phase out natural gas for uses other than industrial consumption and power generation. The Maine Legislature this year scaled back an ambitious proposal to limit natural gas expansion and instead required state studies about its use.

Column: While wonderfully unlikely, vagrant sightings thrilling in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 1, 2024

The appearance of a vagrant bird instills wonder, causing us to ask how such an out-of-place bird got to Maine. Vagrants are also exciting to birders, giving us a chance to see a bird that would normally require us to visit other states or countries. Maine has its fair share of vagrant species. Of the 475 species of Maine birds, 107 species have been sighted five or fewer times. Forty-nine species have only been recorded a single time and another 29 only twice. I think these four species—variegated flycatcher, Kirtland’s warbler, great black hawk, and Steller’s sea eagle— are the most astounding vagrants we have on the Maine bird list. ~ Herb Wilson

Opinion: A sobering message from Alaska

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 1, 2024

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Kodiak, Alaska. The collapse of two crab fisheries there due to human-induced warming waters is a stark reminder of what might be in store for Maine's lobster industry. Maine’s wild fisheries and its burgeoning aquaculture sector are at a pivotal moment, grappling with the unprecedented challenges posed by climate change. Historical conditions are becoming increasingly irrelevant for understanding ecosystem dynamics as climate change continues to shape our future. To ensure the survival and prosperity of Maine’s waterfront communities, adapting and evolving these industries is not just an option – it’s a necessity. ~ Hugh Cowperthwaite,  Coastal Enterprises Inc.

Letter: It’s time to kick the fossil fuel habit

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 1, 2024

Doesn’t it make sense to reduce our fossil fuel use in the hope that we can reduce the severity of these “once in a 100 years” storms that are now almost yearly, especially given that renewable energy sources are cleaner, and yes, often less expensive? Let’s take the cure and kick the fossil fuel habit and vote for a cooler planet. Our grandchildren will be proud of us. ~ Chris Beeuwkes, Mercer

A new plan to revive American chestnut trees needs you

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 1, 2024

About 4 billion American chestnut trees once spread from Georgia to Maine, according to the American Chestnut Foundation. Today, almost all are gone, victims of a blight that arrived from overseas and made the species functionally extinct around 1950. Maine has more wild chestnuts remaining than any other state, according to the local chapter of the foundation, and there might be up to 200 sites here where they still grow. Groups such as this one have spent decades trying to keep existing trees producing and create new genetic types to resist the blight. This year, the chapter tried a new strategy: planting American chestnut trees in public places all over the state instead of large, private research orchards. If all goes according to plan, a public chestnut grove will grow within an hour’s drive of every Maine town and a 10-minute walk from every school.

Column: Here is the best place to go birding this time of year

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 1, 2024

Where else could I expect good birding in late October? Farm fields. This time of year, some of the best birding happens along hedgerows and weedy field edges, where food for migrating seed-eaters is plentiful. Don’t neglect unpaved roads. Although tundra birds prefer Maine fields and mudflats while passing through, dirt roads will do in a pinch. ~ Bob Duchesne

New incentives spark demand for whole-home heat pumps in Maine

MAINE PUBLIC • October 31, 2024

A new incentive program aimed at getting Maine homeowners to switch to high-efficiency heat pumps for all their heating and cooling has finally taken off, according to Efficiency Maine Trust. The quasi-state agency provided 1,814 standard rebates for whole-home heat pump systems between July and September, outpacing the 1,805 standard rebates it approved in the previous nine months. Efficiency Maine stopped offering financial incentives for most single-unit heat pumps last year, after research suggested most were used inefficiently for supplemental heat. Combined with rebates for low- and middle-income households, the agency gave out incentives for 3,530 whole-home systems since its fiscal year started in July, according to Efficiency Maine Executive Director Michael Stoddard. "It's working. It's taking off," Stoddard said.

Maine Climate Council skips green hydrogen, for now, and leans into EVs

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 31, 2024

The Maine Climate Council has concluded green hydrogen is unlikely to be a commercially viable market by 2030, so putting an additional 15,000 Mainers in electric vehicles by the decade’s end, for a total of 150,000, is the state’s best hope of meeting its emissions reduction targets. The swap-out took place Thursday as the council put the final touches on Maine Won’t Wait 2.0, the state’s second climate action plan, which will be submitted to Gov. Janet Mills on Nov. 21. The plan outlines ways for Maine to reduce emissions and adapt to its changing climate.

A warm day in Portland, but 77 degrees falls short of a record

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 31, 2024

Temperatures in Greater Portland hit 77 degrees Thursday, an unusual – but not unheard of – Halloween heatwave. Halloween 1946 saw a high of 80 degrees in Portland, and that record has held since. The average low Halloween temperature in Portland between 1981 and 2010 is 34.8 and the average high is 53.4 degrees. While Portland came just under its record, Augusta “climatologically shattered” its previous record high Thursday. There, the day’s high of 77 degrees was well above the previous record of 69 degrees set in 1956.

Central Maine sets record for hottest Halloween

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • October 31, 2024

Halloween was so hot in central Maine that it was spooky. A 68-year-old record for the warmest Oct. 31 recorded in central Maine was buried Thursday when temperatures reached 75 degrees in Augusta and Waterville. Thursday’s high temperature easily broke the area’s record for Halloween, set at 69 degrees in 1956 — one of the region’s longest-standing high-temperature records for October.

Land conservation, access organization open nearly 3,000 acres to public in Madrid Township area

SUN JOURNAL • October 31, 2024

The High Peaks Alliance announced Wednesday that members and volunteers removed signs which prohibited public access to the now-conserved Keystone project lands, according to a news release from the alliance. The 2,666 acres, acquired by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands in May, is now open to the public to enjoy for recreation, including fishing and hunting. The property was acquired to provide access to existing bureau lands adjacent to the Appalachian Trail and includes snowmobile and hiking trails.

Letter: Vote to protect our children’s climate future

CENTRAL MAINE • October 31, 2024

Trump asked the fossil fuel industry for a billion dollars in return for reversing all the laws that reduce climate change. He says more oil is needed to keep our economy growing. We do need some oil energy for our economy, but Trump’s plan would mostly benefit his reelection and his super-rich contributors. And unfortunately, boosting oil use would doom our children to lives of climate chaos. Harris would keep reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But she will allow continued fracking of natural gas until we can build as much green energy infrastructure as we’ll need. This is a compromise that would protect their economy now, and hopefully protect our children’s future. Vote to save them! ~ Richard Thomas, Waterville

Column: Central Maine’s sandhill cranes will make your heart soar

CENTRAL MAINE • October 31, 2024

In his seminal book, “Birds of Maine,” published in 2020, my late friend Peter Vickery describes sandhill cranes as “uncommon migrants and rare breeders in open wetlands in central Maine. As many wildlife species decline globally, Maine’s growing sandhill crane population is a wonderful anomaly. ~ Ron Joseph

Opinion: Finding it hard to forgive Trump voters

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 31, 2024

I work hard to maintain some sense of respect and understanding for those with views that differ from mine. However, in this election, I have a great difficulty forgiving anyone who votes for Donald Trump. Despite all the talk of immigration and inflation, climate change is by far the biggest challenge facing our nation (and world). Trump thinks climate change is a hoax and wants to roll back every microstep that we’ve taken in the right direction in recent years. To me, these assertions amount to a crime against humanity, because his choices will literally lead to the deaths of millions of people in the next decades. ~ Willa Brown, Georgetown