The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 12, 2025
What shall it profit a man should he gain the world, yet cause the extinction of his species? A fossil fuel executive must have the skin of a reptile, for very shortly they shall, rightly or wrongly, be the most reviled and despised individuals in the 300,000-year history of humanity. ~ Richard Rust, Portland
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 12, 2025
A Maine town that has some of the worst forever chemicals contamination in the country will continue to need broader testing of soil and drinking water at a time when state funding is dwindling, a new report from a town committee found. The committee’s report to the Fairfield town council said the $25 million in the state’s program for tests and filters, which can cost up to $5,300 annually, could run out as soon as two years from now, shifting the financial burden to residents. It could be too costly for them, the report said, and, if the filter systems aren’t maintained, they could pose health risks.
NEW YORK TIMES • March 11, 2025
The Interior Department is suspending 20 Biden-era legal opinions, including one leading to fines against energy companies if birds die in oil spills or other industrial activities.
COMMON DREAMS • Marcy 11, 2025
The Trump administration on Tuesday stepped up its clash with Maine's Democratic-led government over the state's support for transgender women who play on women's sports teams, as the University of Maine announced $100 million in its federal funding had been halted. Gov. Janet Mills told President Donald Trump she will "comply with state and federal law." UMS has used its current USDA funding to invest in numerous projects, including but not limited to:
• Research on PFAS forever chemicals, on Maine farms;
• The development of sustainable packaging materials derived from Maine's forests;
• Research on the health and sustainability of the state's lobster fishery;
• Support for 4-H youth leadership and STEM skill development programs serving tens of thousands of Maine youth annually; and
• Education and outreach to Maine livestock farmers on farm biosecurity and disease outbreak preparedness.
MAINE PUBLIC • March 11, 2025
Versant Power customers are in for even more expensive electric bills after Maine regulators on Tuesday approved a rate hike to help the company with system upgrades. It's the latest in years of price increases for consumers in northern and eastern Maine. Versant serves about 159,000 customers. The Maine Public Utilities Commission approved a 23% increase in Versant's distribution revenue. The company said it needs extra funding to modernize its system and to cover storm recovery, higher payroll and the effects of inflation. The increase translates to an added $11.15 to the average residential customer's monthly bill, according to the agency.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 11, 2025
On March 10, 27 people amassed to rescue a 55-year-old woman who had been hiking on the Pemetic Northwest Trail. Despite wearing traction devices on her footwear, the woman slipped on ice and fell 25 feet. After the rescuers performed a technical rescue to retrieve the woman, she was transported by the Mount Desert Fire Department ambulance to Mount Desert Island Hospital. The woman suffered head and leg injuries in the fall.
FORECASTER • March 11, 2025
Retailers of pesticide and fertilizers in Falmouth will encounter new regulations starting on April 1. This change follows the approval of the pesticide and fertilizer ordinance, which was approved by the Town Council on Feb. 24. The ordinance states that retailers that sell products for lawn, garden and landscape applications must clearly mark products that are permitted for use in Falmouth with prominent signage. In relation to in-store products, the ordinance bans the use of all pesticides with neonicotinoids. It also bans any non-synthetic substance listed as “prohibited” on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances and only permits synthetic substances marked as “allowed” on the list.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • March 11, 2025
Turmoil is engulfing federal agencies since President Donald Trump and Elon Musk launched their campaign of disruption. Some changes appeared designed to increase political control, such as requiring Environmental Protection Agency officials to seek approval from the Department of Government Efficiency for any contracts exceeding $50,000 so they can be monitored by DOGE representatives.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 11, 2025
If you find yourself with a bunch of lead tackle that is or soon will be illegal to use while fishing, you have options. Maine Audubon plans to be at the next three sportsmen’s shows in the state, where the group will give you lead-free alternatives to your lead sinkers or jigs. Maine Audubon and other conservation groups have long supported banning lead sinkers and jigs small enough that loons can ingest them. The birds can scoop them up off the bottoms of lakes and ponds and die from lead poisoning. Maine Audubon will be at Eastern Maine Sportsmen’s Show, March 14-16, at University of Maine Orono; Aroostook Spring Sportsman’s Show, March 22-23, at The Forum, Presque Isle; and State of Maine Sportsman’s Show, March 28-30, at the Augusta Civic Center.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 10, 2025
A part of a law that temporarily allowed bear-hunting dogs to be trained in certain areas of Hancock and Washington counties could become permanent if the full Legislature approves it. Members of the Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife on Monday voted unanimously among those present that LD 751, “An Act to Amend the Hunting Laws Related to the Training of Dogs and Open Training Seasons” ought to pass. That part of the law was scheduled to be repealed on May 1.
TIMES RECORD • March 10, 2025
The Island Institute recently launched a electric boat toolkit, a free online resource designed to help marine businesses and municipalities transition away from traditional diesel boat motors toward electric propulsion.
RUMFORD FALLS TIMES • March 10, 2025
Water tests from the release of black liquor into the air by ND Paper mill in December show no dangerous contamination, Sen. Joseph Martin of Rumford told the Board of Selectpersons on Thursday. On Dec. 10, ND Paper said its mill experienced an operational issue that resulted in black liquor, a byproduct of the papermaking process, being released into the air and into a section of town. It turned falling snow brown in areas close to the mill.
MAINE MORNING STAR • March 10, 2025
When President Donald Trump’s administration announced that it was moving forward with sweeping tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods, it ignited anger above the northern border and confusion below it among the organizations that manage the electric grid in parts of both countries. ISO New England said 9% of New England’s electric demand was met with imports from Canada and New York. ISO New England has made filings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to prepare for potential electric tariffs even though it doesn’t think the tariffs apply to electricity. Rob Gramlich, president of Grid Strategies, said, “It’s too delicate a system to start imposing policies that nobody’s ever even thought about onto these systems.”
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 10, 2025
The first phase of the long-awaited $25 million Portland Harbor dredging project — construction of a 9-acre confined aquatic disposal pit, or CAD cell — was completed early this month, wrapping up after 40 days despite bad winter weather, said Bill Needelman, Portland’s waterfront director.“It went exactly as planned,” Needelman said. “Now we can move on to the kind of routine dredging that should be normal for an urban harbor like ours.” The CAD was dug in a shallow, little-used South Portland cove.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 10, 2025
A controversial North Deering development seeking planning board approval is hitting roadblocks on all sides, with resistance from neighbors and conservationists and a contempt order from the city for overdue payments on a fine. GenX Capital Partners, a development company with properties in Maine and Miami, is proposing a 54-unit condominium development at 1 Hope Ave. The project would include nine duplexes and 12 triplexes situated by the edge of Portland’s Presumpscot River Preserve, a 48-acre public nature preserve
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 10, 2025
There’s a particular rock in the Katahdin Region that holds special meaning for outdoor fanatics. Pockwockamus Rock is surrounded by wilderness and within view of majestic Katahdin, but you don’t need a canoe or even a pair of hiking boots to reach it. Situated on the access road into Baxter State Park’s south entrance, it is a massive boulder, which has a primitive folk-art-style depiction of a Maine woods scene with an inscription: “Keep Maine Beautiful.” The rock had become a target for vandals who coated it with profanities and other unsavory content. In 1979, a teenage girl and her Youth Conservation Corps buddies came up with a scheme to paint the rock with an inspiring scene and a simple yet compelling invitation. They did. Nearly a half century later, Pockwockamus Rock stands as a beacon and a landmark in Maine. Its message has stood the test of time.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 10, 2025
Mere Point Oyster Co. in Brunswick has become a shining example of what Maine’s aquaculture industry says it can do for the state. But the operation has been controversial, taking fire from neighboring landowners and wild seafood harvesters who have expressed concern about its impact on the environment and the ability of vessels to navigate through its growing areas, as well as what they characterize as the industrialization of the ocean. Supporters of the aquaculture industry assert that scientific studies haven’t shown negative environmental impacts from aquaculture, that oysters can clean the water and that projects must go through a strict state regulatory process. The ongoing success of Mere Point has highlighted both the promise of the state’s aquaculture industry and the bitter debates that farmed seafood has spurred about the responsible use of Maine’s waters.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 10, 2025
Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will test a strategy this summer to combat climate change by manually raising the alkalinity of ocean water in a small area of the Gulf of Maine. In the largest field test to date, Woods Hole researchers plan to release 16,000 gallons of a liquid sodium hydroxide solution, commonly known as lye or caustic soda, into a 0.2-square-mile (128-acre) area of ocean southeast of Portland called Wilkinson Basin. The high-alkaline solution will dilute quickly but is expected to slightly increase the pH in a tiny area of a global water system that has been gradually becoming more acidic over the last two centuries as a result of human activity. Friends of the Earth US and the Hands Off Mother Earth Alliance continue to oppose the project and “geoengineering” of the oceans on grounds that adding a large amount of a highly caustic solution into the marine environment will be harmful to sea life.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 9, 2025
Hermon poultry breeder DJ McClung prepared for the spring hatching season like he usually does, offering fertilized eggs and chicks from numerous varieties of chickens, ducks, a few quail and some geese. But this year, he’s also offering something more unusual: young peacocks and peahens, known together as peafowl, that he raises in a converted ice fishing. Though peacocks may be associated with tropical climates, the birds can thrive in Maine — even enjoying the snow. They’re raised mostly as companion birds or guardians, and despite their tendency to wander, peafowl are becoming sought-after pets.
MAINE MONITOR • March 9, 2025
Starting in April, builders statewide are being asked to stretch — to R60. That’s an unprecedented mandate in Maine and could require up to 20 inches of insulation, depending on the material. It’s happening after the volunteer board that oversees the Maine Uniform Building Energy Code (MUBEC) voted last December to adopt the 2021 version of International Energy Conservation Code. The IECC is a model code used by many states and municipalities to set minimum energy standards for new construction. The 2021 edition is sometimes called the “stretch code” because insulation levels and other specs go beyond the previous levels from 2015.
