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May 23, 2013
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Press releases, events, publications released, etc. from Maine environmental organizations and agencies. Submit content.
15th Annual Acadia Birding Festival May 30-Jun 2
Event - Posted - Thursday, May 23, 2013
The combination of lectures, walks, and adventures will connect you to Downeast Maine’s many bird species, diverse habitats and local birding experts. Acadia National Park region, May 30-June 2. |
Understanding the Risks of Tar Sands for Maine, May 30
Event - Posted - Thursday, May 23, 2013
Dylan Voorhees, Clean Energy Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, will present the basic background on what tar sands is and why Maine finds itself in the center of controversy regarding tar sands and tar sands pipelines. At Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, Falmouth, May 30, 7-9 pm. |
Maine Environmental News
Announcement - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Thanks for visiting Maine Environmental News, the most comprehensive online source available for links to Maine conservation and natural resource news stories and events. I have posted links to more than 23,000 news articles and announcements. I also post breaking stories and exclusives. Be sure to check not only today's news, but take a look at the headlines from the past several days as well. Articles often come to my attention a few days after they are published. Will Sugg is the website developer. ~ Jym St. Pierre, RESTORE: The North Woods |
Stop the Merger of Maine's Depts. of Agriculture and Conservation
Action Alert - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Last session, lawmakers passed a proposal to merge the Maine Departments of Agriculture and Conservation. The current Legislature must pass another bill to finalize the merger. In the past year, it has become clear that strong separate departments can best meet the needs of all Mainers. We oppose LD 837 and the proposed merger. ~ Maine Audubon |
Stop the Merger of Maine's Depts. of Conservation and Agriculture
Action Alert - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
In the coming weeks the Maine Legislature will decide whether or not to merge Maine's Department of Agriculture and the Department of Conservation. LD 837 — the “merger” bill — would boost agricultural programs at the expense of conservation programs and shift the focus away from stewardship and toward marketing and development. ~ Natural Resources Council of Maine |
Stop the endangered species delisting of wolves
Action Alert - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
More than 111,000 wildlife lovers have signed an emergency petition to stop the premature delisting of nearly all gray wolves across the U.S under the Endangered Species Act. To keep the pressure on, Defenders of Wildlife is starting an ad campaign targeting Capitol Hill, the White House and the Department of the Interior. We need to raise $30,000 in the next 24 hours to make this happen. On May 24, we will run an open letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell as a full page ad in the Washington Post Express. Not one Congressmen, Capitol staff or Department of Interior official will miss the message. Help deliver a message that Washington can't ignore. ~ Jamie Rappaport Clark, Defenders of Wildlife |
Grassland Birds of Kennebunk Plains, May 29
Event - Posted - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
In heavily forested Maine, large grasslands are uncommon, and so are the birds for which they provide habitat. Kennebunk Plains is an ecologically significant area hosting several state endangered species, and providing habitat for some of the rarest breeding birds in Maine. May 29, 7-10 am. Maine Audubon members $25, non-members $35. |
Invasive Plant Identification and Control, May 29 & 30
Event - Posted - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Two workshops will provide participants with an introduction to identification of common upland invasive plants and different control strategies for invasive plants, including both mechanical and chemical methods. At Falmouth Memorial Library, May 29, 1 - 5 pm; and at Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, May 30, 8 am - Noon. |
High Peaks, May 29
Event - Posted - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Peter McKinley, conservation planner for the Wilderness Society, will speak about the High Peaks Landscape which includes approximately 200,000 acres north and south of the Appalachian Trail, spanning Saddleback Mountain and Mount Abraham in western Maine. This is the largest block of unfragmented high elevation forest habitat as yet unprotected in the state of Maine. At UMaine at Farmington, Roberts Learning Center, Room C 23, May 29, 7 pm. |
Cathance Preserve Birds and Ecology Photography, May 28
Event - Posted - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Ecologists and photographers Ben Williamson and Eric Berube will share their stunning photography of the Cathance River Preserve's captivating nature scenes and abundant wildlife. At Topsham Public Library, May 28, 6:30 pm. Sponsored by Cathance River Education Alliance. |
Thorne Head Birding, May 25
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 18, 2013
Thorne Head Preserve in Bath, on the Maine Birding Trail, is rich in migrating warblers and vireos. Meet at CVS, Bath, May 25, 7:15 am to carpool. Sponsored by Merrymeeting Audubon, Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, and Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust. |
Pond Life: Gills, Webbing and Air Bubbles, May 25
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 18, 2013
Families are invited to the museum to dip nets in the pond and go on an exploration of wildlife that lives in the wetlands. See and learn how animals adapt to water. At L.C. Bates Museum, Hinckley, May 25,1 pm. |
10th Annual Down East Spring Birding Festival, May 24-27
Event - Posted - Friday, May 17, 2013
The annual Down East Spring Birding Festival provides a unique birding experience during spring migration and the breeding season with four days of self-guided explorations, guided hikes, boat tours and presentations led by area experts. May 24-27. |
Scarborough Marsh Full Moon Canoe Tour, May 24 & 25
Event - Posted - Friday, May 17, 2013
Experience the sights and sounds of marsh creatures under the full moon. At Scarborough Marsh, May 24 and May 25, 7:30–9:30 pm. Maine Audubon members $11, non-members $13. |
Birding at Hedgehog Mountain, May 24
Event - Posted - Friday, May 17, 2013
Hedgehog Mountain is a gem owned by the town of Freeport. See migrating songbirds, including warblers, sparrows, grosbeaks, tanagers and more. May 24, 7–9 am. Maine Audubon members $5, non-members $8. |
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Thanks for visiting Maine Environmental News, the most comprehensive online source available for links to Maine conservation and natural resource news stories and events. If you are a regular visitor we strongly encourage you to make an annual donation of $35 or more to keep this service going.
Jym St. Pierre, RESTORE: The North Woods, Editor, Maine Environmental News.
Maine Environmental News is provided with free hosting and development by Planet Maine.
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Maine’s ‘CCC Boys’ honored for conservation work in 1930s and ’40s
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Several generations of conservationists recently gathered in central Maine to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a U.S. work relief program designed to provide jobs for young men during the Great Depression. “The CCC Boys” — Phil Gouzie, John McLeod and Ralph Bonville — were the highlight of the anniversary celebration. The three men shared stories about working at CCC camps throughout Maine, from building a fire road during the bitter winter to building state parks. The program operated from 1933 to 1942, and in that time, it provided 3 million men with jobs related to conservation. |
Column: Fish ladders, energy, and choice
New Maine Times - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The alewives fish ladder restoration project in Damariscotta Mills is an impressive display of humans working with nature, not against it; the abundance of fish, birds, energy; and how life and death choices play out here daily. Huge schools of alewives mass at the bottom. Seagulls consider this a swirling mass of food, their source of energy. Far more seagull-energy seems to be expended on bickering than it would take for each bird to catch its own fish. The scene reminds me of humans. Even with plenty of renewable solar, wind, hydro, tidal, wave biomethane, and biomass energy available to us, we still send armies to “defend” energy sources that belong to others, as if they were our own. Lord knows, we also bicker amongst ourselves over every scrap of energy policy and how renewable energy might impact business models based on 19th century needs. ~ Paul Kando |
Opinion: Be bold on wind power reform
Citizens Task Force on Wind Power - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
I plead with the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee to take bold action when considering the various wind power-related LDs. The citizens of the state petitioned the Legislature in good faith two years ago to modify PL 661. Recognition that there are valid criticisms led the committee to order an independent study. The OEIS report by primary author Steve Ward contains a modicum of recommendations to bring changes to this law that are so innocuous that no changes will hinder the industry in a major way. But it is a start towards a more fair balance between the interests of the citizens and this favored industry. Be bold! Enact a bill that will clearly, in a short time frame, implement the recommendations of the OEIS report. ~ Brad Blake, Co-chair, Citizens’ Task force on Wind Power, Scarborough |
Seals are Wildlife
Other - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
During the months of May and June, as people start to head to the beach, NOAA Fisheries wants to remind you that this is also the time of year when seals frequent the shoreline. For the protection of people, pets and seals, keeping a safe distance is wise. “Since harbor seals tend to use rocky islands, ledges or sandy beaches to give birth or just rest, chances of encountering a seal is greater this time of year, so it is really important that you don’t approach, handle or feed them,” said Mendy Garron, marine mammal stranding coordinator for the Northeast Region of NOAA Fisheries Service. “Even though they look cute, it's a good idea to give these animals some space, respecting nature and the law." |
Extended tax credits could raise projected renewable electricity capacity and generation
Other - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
On April 15, the Internal Revenue Service released guidance clarifying the eligibility for the recently extended renewable electricity production tax credit. Congress passed the extension on January 1 as part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects this extension could result in significant wind capacity additions over the next three years, leading to higher generation from wind. |
Maine DEP gives Environmental Excellence awards
Maine Government News - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Maine DEP Commissioner Patricia Aho and Senior Natural Resources Policy Advisor to Governor LePage Carlisle McLean handed out five environmental achievement awards today to Edwards-United Technologies of Pittsfield, Meadowmere Resort in Ogunquit, Agri-Energy of Exeter, Cary Medical Center of Caribou, and WindowDressers of Rockport. |
Maine highway study law repeal voted
Associated Press - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Maine Senate has given final approval to a bill that repeals a requirement for a feasibility study on the proposed east-west highway. The Senate’s final approval Tuesday sent the bill to Gov. Paul LePage. The resolve removes a requirement that the state Transportation Department conduct a feasibility study on the $2 billion project. The proposal calls for a 220-mile, privately run toll road connecting New Brunswick and Quebec via Maine. The Legislature last session appropriated $300,000 for the study, but the study was suspended due to insufficient information about the project. |
Letter: North Woods at mercy of profiteers
Portland Press Herald - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The North Woods is a natural gift that has endowed our state with a remarkable recreational advantage. It is fast being pulled apart by random projects. The grand plan for the preservation of Moosehead Lake and the Great North Woods wilderness area should have had the long-range comprehensive planning it deserves. A few good spokespeople see the economic/recreational value in its becoming a national park, but most others have been either mute or extreme in their negativity to the idea. It is sad that there is such a lack of courage to do the right thing among the political and business leaders of Maine. ~ John Oser, Parsonsfield |
Column: It would be less expensive if law enforcement officers specialized
Kennebec Journal - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
We suffer from a complex, duplicative, inefficient and expensive law enforcement system. I'm not sure if we have too many or too few law enforcement officers, but I am certain that too many highly trained officers waste time on tasks that others could do for a lot less money. And there seems to be a terrible confusion of duties. Game wardens spend a lot of time searching for marijuana plants. Forest rangers, whose primary function is to check forest harvesting practices, want guns, worrying that their jobs are getting more dangerous. Sheriffs' deputies compete with municipal police officers to get to accidents and crime scenes first. There's a stunning lack of cooperation and coordination up and down the chains of command and little attempt to sort through our law enforcement needs to avoid duplication and waste. |
Letter: We have right to know genetically modified foods
Kennebec Journal - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
I think it's reasonable for the American public to demand to know what food contains genetically modified organisms, so we'll know what to avoid, since no one else will be held accountable. Only then will the market truly depict what it is willing to bear. I think the fact that we might have a choice would be scary to Monsanto. ~ Jo Ann Lariño-Greves, Augusta |
Amendment clarifies review process for Portland oil pipeline
Associated Press - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire has introduced a proposal aimed at oil pipeline activity between Portland and Montreal. There has been concern that the flow of a pipeline that now carries oil from Maine to Montreal could be reversed so that Canadian tar sands oil would flow through Vermont, New Hampshire and western Maine. Critics say tar sands oil poses greater environmental and safety risks than conventional crude, but oil industry representatives disagree. The amendment is co-sponsored by U.S. Reps. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire and Chellie Pingree of Maine. |
Editorial: It's time to phase out ethanol gas
Sun Journal - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Unless Congress intervenes, we may see 15 percent ethanol gasoline at our pumps in the coming year, boosting by 5 percent the amount of ethanol now mandated in our gasoline. In response, the Maine Legislature has been working on a bill that would allow the sale of 5 percent ethanol gas and perhaps eliminate ethanol when two other New England states do the same. The problem for states like Maine is that we are paying for a farm-price support program with higher taxes, lower gas mileage, more smog, higher prices and small motors that won't work. Congress should repeal the section of the 2005 law mandating greater production of ethanol and then set us on a gradual course to remove ethanol from gasoline entirely. In the meantime, bravo to Timberlake and the Legislature for exploring ways to get us out of this mess even more quickly. |
Opinion: Dam it? Pondering Maine’s Rivers Policy
Maine Environmental News - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Many outdated dams have been removed on rivers and stream in Maine in recent years allowing restoration of natural riverine ecosystems. However, Maine Gov. Paul LePage has been pushing back against river restoration. In June 2012, he refused to join the Secretary of Interior and other dignitaries at a celebration of the removal of the Great Works Dam on the Penobscot. Instead, he called the removal of hydroelectric dams in general "irresponsible." In fact, LePage has suggested building more dams in Maine. He also has suggested buying power from Hydro-Quebec, which has caused widespread ecological destruction and displacement of native peoples in Canada by constructing massive dam and water diversion projects. Before Maine reverses course and gets back into the dam business, it is instructive to look at what is happening here and elsewhere. |
Maine's elver industry could become more regulated
Portland Press Herald - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
An interstate commission postponed a decision on how to address Maine's elver fishery on Tuesday, giving parties several months to negotiate a compromise in the face of a "gold rush" for the tiny, translucent eels. With baby eels fetching up to $2,000 a pound, Maine's elver fishery was second to only lobster in terms of total economic value last year. But a surge in interest in legal fishing for elvers — coupled with a dramatic increase in poaching in Maine and other states — has focused additional scrutiny on the health of a species that fills a key ecological niche. |
Pingree Backs Legislation To Oppose Fast-Track Tar Sands Approval This Week
Munjoy Hill News - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
As Congress prepares to take up a controversial bill that would allow the backers of the Keystone XL pipeline project to bypass numerous environmental and regulatory requirements, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is supporting legislation which would guarantee those same shortacuts would not apply to the Portland-Montreal pipeline. The operators of the pipeline have talked about reversing the flow so tar sands oil from Canada could be pumped to Portland Harbor for exportation to other parts of the world. |
Sustaining Harpswell’s Forests
Other - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Harpswell Heritage Land Trust - In Harpswell, the large farms of the 18th century have gradually been divided for residential development, leaving a patchwork of small woodlots. These scattered forests play a large role in the scenic beauty of Harpswell, and are critical to the health and natural diversity of our community. |
NY investment firms buy northern Maine paper company
Portland Press Herald - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Two New York-based private investment firms agreed to buy a controlling interest in Twin Rivers Paper Co. Inc. for an undisclosed price. Blue Wolf Capital Partners and Atlas Holdings said they have track records of working with forest products companies in North America. They agreed to acquire the controlling stake from Brookfield Asset Management Inc. The deal is expected to close in three weeks. Twin Rivers, which has facilities in Madawaska and New Brunswick, produces specialty papers and lumber. |
Many butterflies add color to the Maine landscape every spring
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Maine is home to approximately 130 kinds of butterflies. Many are small, drab creatures you’d walk right by without noticing. For example, there are 33 species of Skipper butterflies in Maine and if you see them you’d likely mistake them for moths. If it is active during the day, it’s probably a butterfly. The old rule that butterflies rest with their wings open and moths with wings closed isn’t true. |
Majority of Americans Say Global Warming Should Be a Priority
Other - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
According to the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, a new national survey finds that 70% of the American public says global warming should be a priority for the president and Congress, while 87% say the president and Congress should make developing sources of clean energy a priority. |
Portland City Council retreats from tar sands opposition
Forecaster - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
After nearly two hours of public testimony, after protests and petitions, and after a rejected attempt four months ago to ban the city’s use of fuel made from it, a Portland City Council vote Monday against piping “tar sands” oil seemed to hinge on a single word. The council voted 7-2 to approve a resolution expressing “concern” about the possibility of transporting tar sands near Portland — a resolution that was amended from a proposed one expressing “opposition.” After the council amended the resolution by a 5-4 vote, Mayor Michael Brennan scolded the council for watering down the language. “I am very disappointed,” he said angrily, noting that the council’s Transportation, Sustainability and Energy Committee worked for over a year to develop the resolution and recommended it unanimously. |
Regulators vote on rules for Maine's eel fishery
Associated Press - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Regulators are deciding how best to regulate Maine’s lucrative American eel fishery. The eel management board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is voting Tuesday on proposed new regulations. The three options are to keep the status quo, close the fishery or set a catch quota. The proposed regulations are the result of a stock assessment that concluded the American eel population is technically depleted, likely due to a combination of overfishing, habitat loss, environmental changes and other factors. |
Wind power’s grip on Augusta weakening as ‘God’s Country’ presses its case
Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Armed with the signatures of the majority of residents in their townships and plantations, residents from five sparsely populated backcountry communities went to ask lawmakers to pass a bill to give them back the right to influence how the land in their communities was used. That right, they said, had been taken away from them in 2008, when Maine adopted one of the nation’s most aggressive policies to promote wind power and put their communities in a fast-track wind development zone. The bill was one of dozens of attempts over the last five years to roll back provisions of the Wind Energy Act. Almost every one of those bills had been rejected by lawmakers. But this time, there were signs that the ironclad consensus in the statehouse about the virtues of wind power was eroding. |
Marine seeks Katahdin memorial for Maine's fallen
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
David Cote, a Bangor native and Marine Corps major who is stationed in Washington, D.C., has an idea to honor the 46 service members from Maine who have died in the global war on terror. He calls it "The Summit Project." If his project goes according to plan, it won't look like a memorial, but just a pile of rocks similar to the many others that mark the trails leading to Maine's highest peak, Mount Katahdin. |
L.L. Bean's chairman hangs up his boots
Portland Press Herald - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Leon Gorman, who led L.L. Bean for more than four decades and oversaw its transformation into Maine's most recognized brand, stepped down as chairman of the company Monday. His nephew Shawn Gorman, great-grandson of company founder Leon Leonwood Bean, was named his successor. Shawn Gorman, 47, said his ascendancy to chairman of L.L. Bean's board of directors Friday was the culmination of a long grooming process "that has been in the works for about two years now." |
Opinion: City should hold on to, improve Congress Square Park
Portland Press Herald - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Portland is at risk of losing one of its public parks to a developer. Many people argue that Congress Square Park is an eyesore and therefore should be sold, but those people may not know that there is an actual Congress Square Redesign Study Group, formed in 2008, which has $50,000 earmarked for a new design for the park. I am writing as one of the many concerned citizens who do not want the city to allow RockBridge, the new owner of the former Eastland Hotel, to turn Congress Square Park into a hotel ballroom. ~ Jennifer Lunden, Portland |
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Maine Organic Farmers
and Gardeners Assn
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Our View: With hunger growing, not time to cut SNAP | | Editorial - Too many Americans don't have enough to eat, but the big debate in Washington seems to be how much to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Senate and House committees have passed their own versions of a new farm bill. The Senate would cut SNAP (which used to be known as food stamps) by $4 billion over the next decade. The House version would cut it by $20 billion. | | 5/21/2013 11:00:00 PM |
Trees on farms: challenging conventional agricultural practice |  By Caspar Van Vark - There's a received wisdom that tree stumps, shoots and bushes should be cleared from a field before planting crops. It seems logical, but the experience of farmers in southern Niger suggests otherwise. There, the practice of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) has been found to significantly improve soil quality and crop yields, along with additional resources and income from tree products. | | 5/20/2013 11:00:00 PM |
For Climate Solution, Look to the Ground |  By Judith Schwartz - Late last week the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere crossed the 400 parts per million (ppm) threshold. From a climate standpoint this is alarming, and points to the urgency of shifting away from fossil fuels. However, I also feel that our sole emphasis on CO2 blinds us to other means of addressing climate change—notably by returning carbon to where it belongs, in the soil. | | 5/20/2013 11:00:00 PM |
Fishing the Gulf of Maine: Tradition at a Crossroad |  By Michael Sanders - In the larger working harbors like Portland and Stonington and Port Clyde, there might be draggers tied up, unloading fish they’ve caught far out in the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank. What we don’t realize is that this seemingly unchanging marine world is in fact always changing in ways both large and small. | | 5/19/2013 11:00:00 PM |
Pesticide Makers Seek Answers as Bee Losses Sting Agriculture | | By Carey Gillam, Reuters - Monsanto Co is hosting a "Bee Summit." Bayer AG is breaking ground on a "Bee Care Center." And Sygenta AG is funding grants for research into the accelerating demise of honeybees in the United States. The agrichemical companies are taking these initiatives at a time when their best-selling pesticides are under fire from environmental and food activists who say the chemicals are killing off millions of bees. The companies say their pesticides are not the problem, but critics say science shows the opposite. | | 5/19/2013 11:00:00 PM |
Vilsack Promises to Grow U.S. Organic Industry |  At its recent policy conference in Washington, D.C., the Organic Trade Association (OTA) heard from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack about the future of organic farming. Vilsack told OTA members that he views organic as “its own separate commodity,” and he is committed to treating it that way. | | 5/19/2013 11:00:00 PM |
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Natural Resources Council
of Maine
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Bird-banding Science Takes Off
| | The kindergartners and first-graders can't quite believe their eyes: Live little birds in small cotton bags th... | | 5/20/2013 12:00:00 AM |
A Home Run for Maine Alewives | |
BENTON – Alewives are on pace for a record run in Benton, whose residents will celebrate their rel... | | 5/17/2013 12:00:00 AM |
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