Maine wildlife officials are seeking reports of endangered New England Cottontail rabbit sightings

MAINE PUBLIC • January 2, 2025

The New England cottontail was once a common rabbit in southern and coastal Maine, ranging from Kittery to Belfast. But the population has declined dramatically over the years due to habitat loss, as old fields reverted into forests and shrubland was developed into residential areas. Maine stopped issuing licenses to hunt New England cottontails in 2004, and added it to the endangered species list in 2007. The rabbits' numbers have dropped to dangerously low levels in other New England states too. Now, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is asking the public to report sightings of the cottontail through an online portal on its website.

False-label lawsuit against Poland Spring water’s parent company allowed to continue

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 2, 2025

A long-running lawsuit involving claims that Poland Spring water has been falsely labeled and deceptively marketed will continue after a Connecticut judge this week denied the parent company’s latest request to throw out the case. In a detailed and often technical 61-page ruling issued Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer rejected some claims in the class action suit originally brought by 11 plaintiffs in August 2017. But Meyer said the issue of whether Poland Spring qualifies as “spring water” under laws in several states, including Maine, remains unsettled.

Letter: Brunswick foam disposal a cautionary tale

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 2, 2025

Thank you for the report of the disposal of toxic foam from Brunswick in incinerators in poor neighborhoods far from here. I totally understand the woman, living near one, who said, “Clean up your own mess. Don’t send it here.” Especially since we now know that the manufacturers of PFAS have known for decades of its dangers. It reminds me of the “precautionary principle” that should guide the production of these chemicals: They should be proven to be safe before being introduced into our lives, not investigated after their destructive effects have been demonstrated. In view of the efforts to reintroduce nuclear power, will we hold out for proof that safe disposal of nuclear waste is possible before going down that road? ~ Barbara West, Bath

Letter: Kudos to Auburn’s support of bike/ped trail

SUN JOURNAL • January 1, 2025

I congratulate the Auburn City Council and Mayor Jeff Harmon for voting to support the construction of a bike/pedestrian trail on the unused Berlin Subdivision rail line between Portland and Danville Junction. If built, this trail could then link with the proposed Auburn Gateway to allow off-road, safe travel from Portland into Lewiston/Auburn. This trail would make an important positive statement about what our community values and would serve as an attractive asset for tourists, families and businesses to consider Auburn. ~ Joseph Pelliccia, Auburn

2024 set to become hottest year on record

USA TODAY • December 31, 2024

As the clock ticks down the final moments of the year, 2024 is expected to wind up as the world's hottest year on modern record, surpassing the previous record for the second year in a row. Even though global average temperatures dropped below 2023 records at times during the second half of the year, air and ocean temperatures were still warmer than average overall, based on charts by the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer. While scientists aren't as certain that a new U.S. annual record will be set, the first 11 months of the year were the warmest on record in the contiguous U.S.

Right whales returned in higher numbers to eastern Gulf of Maine this year

MAINE PUBLIC • January 2, 2025

For the first time in more than a decade, North Atlantic right whales returned in larger numbers this year to the eastern Gulf of Maine. Scientists believe their return may be due to colder deep water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine this past Spring. Scientists collected the data from buoys placed in the Gulf of Maine, and observed that deep water temperatures were noticeably colder than in recent years. More research is needed, and it's unclear how long the pattern will hold. But deep water temperatures collected each spring could serve as a useful predicter for where members of the critically endangered species might go later on.

Reid State Park plans sand dune restoration with used Christmas trees

MAINE PUBLIC • December 31, 2024

Instead of dragging their browning Christmas tree to the transfer station, Georgetown Island residents can put them to work repairing dunes at Reid State Park. Fierce coastal storms almost a year ago battered the park beaches. Friends of Reid State Park hope arranging discarded trees will catch sand and help rebuild lost dunes. It’s a technique that’s had some success at Popham Beach, said the group’s president James Peavey. Trees will be placed to rebuild dunes on either end of Mile Beach Peavey said. The area is important nesting habitat for least terns, a seabird that is endangered in Maine.

Letter: Nuclear energy is key to a carbon-neutral future

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 31, 2024

My name is Eliana. I attend King Middle School in Portland, Maine. We have been reading, debating, and learning about energy sources. I believe Nuclear power is the leading option for a sustainable energy source that Maine should use to reduce our carbon footprint. If we can rewire people’s brains to understand that nuclear energy is not as dangerous as it seems we can move to a carbon-neutral future. ~ Eliana Kleiman, Portland

Letter: Achieving a sustainable energy future

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 31, 2024

Wind, solar, and nuclear energy are crucial for achieving a sustainable, carbon-neutral future. We must urgently transition from fossil fuels to these energy sources to combat climate change and protect our environment. ~ Cole Reisinger, Portland

Letter: Time to abandon Sears Island wind port

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 31, 2024

Now that federal funding for offshore wind has collapsed, and the president-elect has pledged to kill further development, it is time for Gov. Janet Mills to consider a visionary new future for Sears Island, as a migratory bird sanctuary, an uncut forest for carbon sequestration, and a zone of human respect and wonder at the raw undeveloped beauty of the Penobscot watershed and the mid-Maine coast. Instead of headlong environmental destruction, her legacy can be the rescue and preservation of an island revered and beloved by the Maine people, Indigenous and newcomers alike. ~ Bill Carpenter, Stockton Springs

Pemaquid Peninsula paves way for accessible nature trails

TIMES RECORD • December 30, 2024

Outdoor enthusiasts with disabilities are pushing to explore nature using Architectural Barriers Act-compliant paths. Land trusts, including Damariscotta’s Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, are working to make this a reality.

Toxic firefighting foam that spilled at Brunswick airport shipped out of Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 30, 2024

After more than 1,400 gallons of toxic firefighting foam containing “forever chemicals” spilled from a fire suppression system at the Brunswick Executive Airport, there was little concern about where the foam would eventually end up as long as it was out of state. Newly released receipts from Clean Harbor, the Massachusetts-based company that cleaned up that foam, show it was shipped off to two facilities: one in Corunna, Ontario and the other in El Dorado, Arkansas. The Ontario facility received 12,000 thousand gallons of the foam and water mix to burn and the center in Arkansas got more than 11,000. The company claims online its incinerators destroy 99.9 percent of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, though the EPS says “… uncertainties remain about the effectiveness of thermal treatment.”

Another Maine beach wants your old Christmas trees

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 30, 2024

In March, volunteers and workers placed more than 460 trees along Popham Beach, using them to jump-start the beach’s natural sand dune restoration process. Sand dunes, which make up about 2 percent of Maine’s coast, act as natural barriers between the uplands and the ocean. But they can erode as wind and waves batter the coast during winter storms — including several big ones that hit the state last winter. The town of Arrowsic announced Thursday that it will be collecting discarded trees this year to do a similar project at Reid State Park. 

New federal data indicate a rising tide of aquaculture farms in Maine

MAINE PUBLIC • December 30, 2024

A new census from the U.S. Department of Agriculture finds the number of aquaculture farms in Maine is growing, but local groups caution against reading too much into the exact numbers. Sebastian Belle, executive director of the the Maine Aquaculture Association, said not all operators respond to the USDA census, leading to an undercount. "We now have, I think, roughly 700 LPAs [limited purpose aquaculture licenses] in the state," Belle said. "So they're very small, but they are perhaps an indicator of growth to come." Belle said that's in addition to about 150 licensed marine farms, and about a dozen land-based facilities.

Maine reports more than 3 million visitors at state parks in 2024

MAINE PUBLIC • December 30, 2024

Maine state parks had another near-record year for visitation, said Andy Cutko, director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands. He said that for the third time in four years, the parks welcomed over three million visitors — more than twice the population of Maine. But Cutko said its been difficult finding enough seasonal staff. The bureau also obligated $50 million from the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan for improvements and maintenance at state parks, Cutko said. Those projects range from new equipment to accessible trails, and construction will continue in the new year. The state also continues to acquire new public lands, in line with the Maine Climate Council's goal of preserving 30% of the state by 2030.

Letter: Take the first step in Maine’s carbon neutral future

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 30, 2024

I’m an 8th grader attending King Middle School, in Portland Maine. I strongly believe that Maine should take action using solar and wind energy toward a carbon-neutral future by 2040. There is only one planet we live on, earth has no extra change of garments. If we do not do anything now, it will have a cost to future generations. Our children will be in danger due to our actions. Our future is in your hands, are you willing to take the first step into a carbon-neutral future? ~ Angelina Hidalgo, Portland

Three fishermen break through the ice at Brettuns Pond in Livermore

SUN JOURNAL • December 29, 2024

Three men broke through the ice Saturday evening while ice fishing at Brettuns Pond in Livermore, according to fire officials. Chief Don Castonguay of Livermore Fire & Rescue said Sunday the three men had been fishing all day when they went through the ice at a spot they “must have passed over about a dozen times.” Castonguay said the last man to exit the water had been treading water for about 10 minutes, but the only complaint from the men was numb fingers. “Somebody saw them and was able to pull them out with a garden hose,” Castonguay said.

The headway Maine made with forever chemicals in 2024

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 29, 2024

This year saw advances in identifying and tackling the damage from forever chemicals in Maine, with policies and research aimed at making products, food and water safer. Five highlights:
• The first national, enforceable drinking water standard will cause Maine to cut its maximum allowable level of certain “forever chemicals” in public drinking water.
• Maine was the first state to enact a law requiring manufacturers to stop selling or distributing certain products containing PFAS.
• Regulators and municipalities are testing more waterways and soils to determine whether they contain PFAS.
• UMaine scientists are making progress toward creating grease- and oil-resistant food wraps using pulp cellulose and seaweed coatings to serve the purpose, but safely.
• Farmers, legislators and researchers are trying to find ways to keep PFAS-contaminated farms going.

What should Maine do with its toxic firefighting foam?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 29, 2024

Like many states, Maine is struggling to determine how to dispose of its stockpile of toxic aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, stored in its fire stations, airports, military bases, oil terminals and paper mills. The chemicals used to make the foam are essentially liquid forever chemicals. The most common disposal methods — incineration, landfilling and deep underground storage — all have drawbacks. Until scientists find safer solutions, states like Maine must wrestle with the ethics of sending dangerous waste like AFFF away to be burned, buried or banked, often in poor communities of color. Newly released records show more than 22,000 gallons of PFAS-laden foam and rinse water recovered after the recent Brunswick spill were trucked to waste incinerators in low-income communities far from Maine's borders.

Wood panel mill moving forward in Jay

SUN JOURNAL • December 29, 2024

The mill that has been proposed for the former Androscoggin Mill site in Jay is moving closer to reality, with the hopes of going online in late 2026 or possibly early 2027 if the equipment arrives in a timely fashion. Pixelle Specialty Solutions stopped making paper products at the mill as of March 9, 2023. Godfrey Forest Products of Marblehead, Massachusetts, plans to produce the wood panel product known as oriented strand board on 14.2 of 67 acres at the former paper mill site. Godfrey plans to hire 135 employees to work at the facility. That does not count any trucking, logging, security or supply personnel who will be contracted out or delivering wood to the mill.