The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 4, 2024
A pair of York County sheriff’s deputies rescued an injured owl from along the side of a Waterboro road Tuesday night. Deputy Levi Johnson used his police jacket “to corral the owl” before transporting it to a game warden’s house. The owl was ultimately transferred to Avian Haven’s office in Freedom.
MAINE PUBLIC • December 4, 2024
Officials from the towns of Cumberland, North Yarmouth and the two land trusts that manage the Knights Pond Preserve are suggesting ways to keep the public safe after a family dog was shot and killed by a hunter there last Friday. Penny Asherman, Executive Director for the Chebeague and Cumberland Land Trust, said it's important for visitors to know about the hunting season which changes year to year. Asherman said there are also plans to keep blaze orange vests and dog collars at kiosks near parks for public use when walking in the preserve. She said trail users who are anxious about being in the same area as hunters can visit on Sundays, when hunting is prohibited, or find properties that do not allow hunting.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 4, 2024
Police closed the northbound lanes of Interstate 295 in Gardiner on Wednesday afternoon after a tanker trailer went off the road. The crash happened at mile 49 near the Gardiner exit at around 1:47 p.m., according to Maine State Police. It blocked all lanes. The truck driven by Allen Hewett, 61, of Sidney, was northbound on I-295, when he crashed into a traffic director trailer. Hewett failed to yield to the maintenance truck that hauled the traffic director. The crash caused the spill of around 8,000 gallons of liquid waste water from a landfill.
NC NEWSLINE • December 4, 2024
I support public health officials who are trying to increase testing for H5N1 and applaud my fellow health care professionals treating patients with bird flu. In addition to keeping this crisis at bay, now is the time to take a hard look at the food production system that puts farm workers in close contact with sick cows and birds, the Standard American Diet that demands it, and the health ramifications of both. From a doctor’s perspective, shifting food production away from intensive animal agriculture can benefit public health. ~ Joseph Barrocas, MD
MAINE PUBLIC • December 4, 2024
The Town of Bucksport is highlighted in the most recent "Measures of Growth" economic report for rebounding from the closure of its major employer a decade ago. When Verso Paper shut down its operations Bucksport's industrial park had 8 vacant lots and there were 11 vacant store fronts on its Main Street. But the town also had an $8 million rainy day fund, a great location on the Penobscot River and, eventually, an aquaculture company, Whole Oceans, that has plans to build a $250 million fish farm on the former Verso property. There are signs of rebirth in Bucksport.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 4, 2024
Installing wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine is a serious environmental and investment error. Maine can access Quebec Hydro for its immediate power needs with no damage to the environment – and enjoy the benefits of their low electrical rates. In the longer term, we can build new nuclear plants that will provide dependable power with carbon-free energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I was saddened to learn that Maine Audubon is condoning and promoting offshore wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine (“Opinion: Offshore wind in Gulf of Maine an opportunity we can’t ignore,” Sept. 29). These wind turbines represent an existential threat to seabirds and migrating songbirds. ~ Marshall Jarvis, York Harbor
ARCHITECTURAL RECORD • December 3, 2024
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument was established by presidential proclamation in 2016. Elliotsville Foundation kicked off development of trail and camping infrastructure for the National Park Service while also setting its sights on something more ambitious—a visitor contact station. From its perched placement, this contact station offers quite the vantage point—Tekαkαpimək, after all, is Penobscot for as far as one can see. But the orientation is not just spatial. It’s also cultural.
TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY • December 3, 2024
With the Gulf of Mexico as an energy powerhouse, America can boost jobs, government revenue and environmental impact — all without choosing sides between fossil fuels and renewables. By tapping America’s offshore resources, the new administration can deliver a future where economic growth, environmental responsibility and energy innovation come together — securing America’s place as a global energy leader and transforming the energy landscape for good. ~ Erik Milito, National Ocean Industries Association
TIMES RECORD • December 2, 2024
Two months after revelations about deficiencies in fire suppression systems at Brunswick airport hangars, bringing them up to code has taken more time than expected. The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, which manages property and the redevelopment at Brunswick Landing (formerly Brunswick Naval Air Station), originally had a deadline of Oct. 30 to correct issues cited in the violation. That deadline was missed and consequently extended until the end of November. “We continue to work closely with the town Fire Department and our contractor on resolving these issues,” said interim MRRA Executive Director Steve Levesque, who came aboard after former director Kristine Logan resigned in October.
MAINE PUBLIC • December 3, 2024
The Mills administration announced Tuesday an additional $2 million for businesses impacted by storms that caused widespread damage one year ago. The grants will help pay for repairs and infrastructure improvements related to the series of storms that battered Maine last December and January, causing extensive flooding and other damage in coastal and riverfront communities. State lawmakers allocated $60 million for storm recovery earlier this year, including $10 million for the Business Recovery and Resiliency Fund. More than 100 small businesses and nonprofits received $8 million during the first round of the program.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • December 3, 2024
Global warming is filling the plankton-rich waters of New England with death traps for sea turtles and the number of stranded reptiles has multiplied over the last 20 years, turning some animal hospitals into specialized wards for endangered species with maladies ranging from pneumonia to sepsis. More than 200 cold-stunned young turtles, unable to navigate the chilly winter waters, were being treated Tuesday partly because the warming of the Gulf of Maine has turned it into a natural snare for sea turtles, said Adam Kennedy, the director of rescue and rehabilitation at the New England Aquarium.
MAINE PUBLIC • December 3, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump's immigration policies could have widespread economic impacts, especially on industries that rely heavily on immigrant workers. In Maine, some agricultural producers say their reliance on guest worker programs should insulate them from any potential crackdown. But other employers say they are concerned about their workers becoming targets for deportation. At Flood Brothers Farm in Clinton, farmer Jenni Tilton-Flood said she's bracing for an abrupt change in immigration policies, and fears that many people aren't considering the potential impact on farms and families.
MAINE MORNING STAR • December 3, 2024
Raúl Grijalva, the top Democrat on the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, will not seek to remain in that position in the next Congress, he said Monday. The announcement from Grijalva, an Arizona progressive, has led Democrats on the committee overseeing environmental, public lands and tribal issues for a decade. Grijalva disclosed in April that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. He returned to Congress last month. His Monday statement noted he would continue to focus on his recovery.
BLOOMBERG • December 3, 2024
In October, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a ruling mandating the removal of all lead pipes supplying drinking water in the U.S. Whether the rule will survive the incoming Donald Trump administration is an open question – one that could have serious, even life-threatening implications for the more than nine million or so homes that get their water by “lead service lines.” Given what we know about the dangers posed by lead-contaminated drinking water, it’s worth asking: What took so long? The answer lies with a now-defunct organization known as the Lead Industries Association, or LIA. Much like industry groups connected to the tobacco industry, the LIA tirelessly promoted the use of lead, despite the demonstrated public health risks. ~ Stephen Mihm, coauthor of “Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance”
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 3, 2024
When President Trump first took office in 2017, I was terrified he would withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement. Now I’m terrified he won’t. In November, I assumed my seat in the U.N. climate change meetings at COP29 in Azerbaijan. I once again found myself in an escalated firing line between those fighting for the continuation of their lives and those fighting for the continuation of their lifestyles. Saudi Arabia “came in like a wrecking ball.” Other members of the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) behaved similarly. ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods is one voice among many in the industry dissuading Trump’s withdrawal. Woods knows if the United States withdraws, it is effectively sidelined from the process. If the U.S. remains, it can singlehandedly dismantle the Agreement from within. ~ Susana Hancock, international climate scientist, Maine
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 3, 2024
Electric vehicles (EVs) are the most effective way of greatly reducing gases that drastically change our climate. While the purchase of even a relatively inexpensive new small EV is still out of reach for most lower-income Maine households, there is great potential among higher-income households to purchase them. If you are wavering on buying an EV, now is the time. Generous income tax credits are available for EV purchases but are threatened by the upcoming Trump administration. ~ Ronald B. Davis, Orono, Citizens Climate Lobby and UMaine Climate Change Institute (retired).
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 3, 2024
Two key developments may hasten a fix for dozens of farms in Maine contaminated with PFAS. In October, a second Maine factory began commercial production of biochar, a wood waste product that holds promise for absorbing and sequestering PFAS in soil, before it gets into crops. And the state’s $60 million PFAS Fund, established in 2022, is offering grants to study PFAS uptake in plants and how to minimize it. Both could potentially revitalize tainted farms in Maine, most of which are still operating but not at their previous capacity.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 3, 2024
Maine has adjusted its potential rules for the development of solar arrays on valuable farmland, and is now taking public comments on a second draft. Solar arrays based on the ground have been spreading in Maine since 2019, when Gov. Janet Mills signed a law that made it easier for the projects to be approved. The new draft removes the categories of forested land and land with local value it had suggested be protected, plus a few steps that would have made more work for developers. It also added blueberry barrens as a category that could become high value land. Maine is trying to manage preserving its remaining farmland while increasing solar energy use as part of the state’s climate change response plan. Those two goals can be at odds with each other, and at times divisive.
THE COUNTY • December 2, 2024
Presque Isle’s Nordic Heritage Outdoor Center is closed as of Sunday, Dec. 1, city officials said. The property was not yet gated on Monday afternoon, but no one was on site and a Pineland Farms truck and trailer sat at the facility. Portland’s Libra Foundation funded and built the facility in 1999, and continued to pay for its operation. Pineland Farms of New Gloucester owns the property. The closure marks the end of a 25-year gift from Libra to the city of Presque Isle. But it is up to the owners to do with the property as they see fit.
MAINE PUBLIC • December 2, 2024
The ferocity of storms that hit Maine’s coast last winter caught many people by surprise. Now a series of public forums hopes to bring together nearby communities to learn and share resources about how they are getting ready for future extreme weather. The 10 meetings are scheduled along the coast, from Machias to Kittery. Meetings are planned at the following locations:
5-7 p.m. Dec. 3, 2024, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, 350 Commercial St., Portland.
5-7 p.m. Dec. 5, 2024, Kittery Community Center, 120 Rogers Road, Kittery.
5-7 p.m. Dec. 10, 2024, Washington Academy, 66 Cutler Road, East Machias.
5-7 p.m. Dec. 12, 2024, Peabody Library, 162 Main St., Jonesport.
5-7 p.m. Dec. 16, 2024, Steuben Fire Hall, 49 Smithville Road, Steuben.
5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 29, 2025, Blue Hill Public Library, 5 Parker Point Road, Blue Hill.
Locations for meetings in the Mount Desert Island and Sullivan areas are yet to be determined.
