|
February 6, 2012
|
 |
Try the best email list manager for your organization! Get a 60 day trial for free. Start today!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Press releases, events, publications released, etc. from Maine environmental organizations and agencies. Submit content.
Maine Environmental News
Announcement - Sunday, February 05, 2012
Thanks for visiting Maine Environmental News, the most comprehensive online source available for links to Maine conservation and natural resource news stories and events. Since the start of 2009, I have posted more than 16,000 news articles and announcements. Be sure to check not only today's stories, 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. ~ Jym St. Pierre, RESTORE: The North Woods |
Defining Wilderness: Defining Maine
Event - Posted - Sunday, February 05, 2012
This book discussion series is offered by the Maine Humanities Council. The discussions will be held at the Cary Memorial Library in Wayne on four Mondays: Feb 13, Mar 19, Apr 23, May 14. Discussion leader: Carol Kontos, English professor at UMA. |
Windfall
Announcement - Sunday, February 05, 2012
We can all agree that energy independence is a worthy objective, right? Alternative energy sources like solar power can help free the U.S. from fossil fuels and the grip of unstable Persian Gulf states. And wind power — wait, not so fast, says “Windfall,” Laura Israel’s urgent, informative and artfully assembled documentary. An account of rural Meredith, in upstate New York, when wind turbines came to town, the film depicts the perils of a booming industry and the bitter rancor it sowed among a citizenry. ~ Andy Webster, New York Times |
Intro to Winter Camping, Feb 10-12
Event - Posted - Friday, February 03, 2012
Introduction to Winter Camping with David Butler. This course will provide information about the skills to maximize your winter camping experience. At Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Feb 10-12. |
Tracking with a naturalist, Feb 10
Event - Posted - Friday, February 03, 2012
Join naturalist Nancy Holmes to learn how to identify the animal tracks you will (hopefully) see in the snow this winter. At Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association office, Jefferson, Feb 10, 3:30 pm. |
Dirty Tar Sands Oil Coming Through Maine? Feb 9
Event - Posted - Thursday, February 02, 2012
Learn about the environmental and safety risks of this proposed project and about ways you can join the effort to prevent Portland from becoming the tar sands capital of the eastern U.S. The Canadian oil and gas giant Enbridge is proposing to pump dirty tar sands oil from Ontario to South Portland, where it would be shipped by tanker to refineries along the East Coast or Gulf of Mexico. The pipeline passes next to Sebago Lake, the drinking water supply for more than 15% of Maine people, and could endanger Casco Bay and our fishing and lobster industries. At USM, Glickman Library, Portland, Feb 9, 7-8:30 pm |
The Wildness Within: Remembering David Brower
Publication - Wednesday, February 01, 2012
The twentieth-century environmental movement owes much to a single man: David Brower. For the hundredth anniversary of David Brower’s birth, his son Kenneth Brower, an acclaimed nature writer, has brought together the testimonies of twenty environmental leaders whose lives and careers were transformed by David Brower; the result is a book in which a repertory company of path-forgers reveal their deepest values and most moving experiences. Available May 2012 from Heyday. |
Reducing coastal erosion, Feb 8
Event - Posted - Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Megan Facciolo, district manager of the Hancock County Soil and Water Conservation District, will talk about reducing coastal erosion. At Lamoine Town Hall, Feb 8, 7 pm. Sponsored by Lamoine Conservation Commission. |
Managing Your Timber Harvest, Feb 8
Event - Posted - Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Maine Forest Service District Forester Morten Moesswilde will talk about harvest planning, working with professional foresters and loggers, different harvest methods, wood values, closing out the job, and other aspects of harvesting. At Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association office, Jefferson, Feb 8, 6-8 pm. |
Birds, Bats & Blades-Wind Turbines & Wildlife, Feb 7
Event - Posted - Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Steve Pelletier, Wildlife Ecologist, Stantec, speaks about bats and wind power. At Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick, Nov 7, 7 pm. Sponsored by Friends of Merrymeeting Bay. |
Winter Extremes: Oh, Deer, Feb 7
Event - Posted - Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Regional Biologist Keel Kemper will discuss current wildlife issues, including the effects of severe winters on Maine's deer herd. At Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association office in Sheepscot Village, Newcastle, Feb 7, 6:30 pm. |
Great blue heron flies into Merryspring, Feb 7
Event - Posted - Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Danielle D’Auria, Maine wildlife biologist, will give a presentation on the Great Blue Heron at Merryspring Nature Center, Camden, Feb 7 at noon. |
Smelt/Ice Festival, Feb 3-4
Event - Posted - Saturday, January 28, 2012
Ice Cutting-Smelt Fishing Festival. At Mailly Waterfront Park, Bowdoinham, Feb 3-4. Part of a yearlong celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Town of Bowdoinham. |
Family Winter Ecology Festival, Feb 4
Event - Posted - Saturday, January 28, 2012
This year’s Family Winter Ecology Festival will offer a variety of free indoor and outdoor activities for the entire family. At Merryspring Nature Center, Camden, Feb 4, 10 am to 12:30 pm. |
|
|
|
Site by
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Landowners sue Frankfort over ordinance blocking wind power
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Does a new land use ordinance that has halted three landowners’ efforts to have a wind energy company construct several turbines atop Mount Waldo break state and federal laws? A civil lawsuit filed in Waldo County Superior Court this month against the town of Frankfort and its residents alleges that the answer is yes. |
Solar Storm Swipes Earth, But No Immediate Damage
Other - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
PBS - On Sunday, a gigantic solar flare erupted from out of the sun and began charging toward Earth at millions of miles an hour. For two days, it barreled toward Earth at speeds of 1,400 miles per second, and as forecasted, reached the Earth at about 9 a.m. ET on Tuesday morning. And what happened after that was... not much. |
Keliher confirmed as marine resources commissioner
Kennebec Journal - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Patrick Keliher won easy confirmation today as commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Keliher had been the acting commissioner since July. The previous commissioner, Norman Olsen, resigned after saying he didn't have Gov. Paul LePage's full support. |
Forum in Ellsworth to discuss Card Brook water quality issues
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Local officials will hold a workshop Wednesday, Jan. 25, as the city prepares to develop plans to address water quality concerns in Card Brook, a stream that flows through the heart of Ellsworth’s commercial district. |
Opinion: Time to redefine green jobs in community context
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
At every public hearing that LURC holds on an industrial wind project, there is an argument put forth on the part of the applicant that the project will create jobs. A true discussion of the green jobs argument in Maine would discuss the costs of such jobs and question whether the costs are worth the benefits. But job creation is not what this is about. Rather, it is about using the green jobs argument to promote industrial developments that are just one more profit center for those who seek to exploit Maine’s natural resources. Green jobs should not be defined as those that depend on what is essentially industrial development. Rather, green jobs should be defined as those that sustain our communities, are an intrinsic part of those communities and do no harm to those communities. ~ Lynne Williams, Bar Harbor |
First Wind: PUC position would harm state’s economy
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
A Maine Public Utilities Commission staff recommendation to reject what could be an $880 million partnership between First Wind and two other companies would deny “a massive boost to Maine’s economy” while hindering First Wind’s ability to help the state meet its aggressive wind energy goals, the company said Tuesday. |
Pier owners restart private effort to dredge
Portland Daily Sun - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
As a $13 million effort to dredge the channel in Portland Harbor awaits federal funding, a group of private pier owners began dipping their toes in the water last week to restart a separate, privately funded effort to remove silt and sedimentation around their wharfs. Portland Harbor is the largest commercial port in Maine, and one of the largest in New England. Oil tankers, cargo vessels, tugs and barges, fishing vessels, cruise ships and recreational boats use the harbor. In 2009, freight traffic totaled 3,583 thousand short tons. |
Project presentations planned
Times Record - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Mt. Ararat High School teacher Glenn Evans’ honors biology students, as a part of their ecology and environment unit, visited the Cathance River Preserve and ecology center weekly last fall to conduct field study research. |
Opinion: Energy can be saved without trading in health
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
As the president-elect of the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council, I am deeply concerned about the drive to tighten up homes to save fuel costs, without any understanding of the potential health impact. Government agencies encourage and fund “eco-efficient” homes. We are all interested in saving on fuel costs. The new energy codes in the home building industry are a step in the right direction. Building codes often demand highly insulated structures. It’s time we discussed the serious health impact on people living in these tight, energy-efficient homes. ~ Kurt T. Johnson, Maine Indoor Air Quality Council |
Federal grant to allow expansion of Island Explorer stops in Acadia
Bar Harbor Times - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Acadia National Park officials announced that the recently acquired $1.3 million Federal Transit Administration grant will be used to install bus stops at popular park destinations at which Island Explorer access is currently either difficult or impossible. “The Island Explorer has been very successful over the years, but we still have issues,” said Acadia National Park Deputy Superintendent Len Bobinchock. “There are very popular locations in the park that we either cannot serve with the Island Explorer — because it’s unsafe for the Island Explorer to service those areas — or we provide service to them but there isn’t a good waiting area for the passengers. |
Letter: Say no to DCP tank
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
I am writing to encourage all registered Searsport voters to support the DCP tank moratorium. Like it or not, towns such as Searsport are dependent upon tourists who visit, buy summer homes or move here to live their dream of growing a business in our great state. ~ Jeannie Lucas, Searsport |
What you can't hear can hurt you
Other - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The Australian - When American noise expert Robert Rand turned up to work in Maine, in the US northeast, in April to investigate the impact of wind turbines on nearby residents he was literally blown away. Not only did Rand's readings confirm many fears in the community, he claims to have become an unwitting victim himself. |
Letter: Other businesses didn't get TIFs, why should pipeline?
Morning Sentinel - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
I urge people not to be bullied by the developers of the natural gas pipeline. If Kennebec Valley Gas depends upon the TIF to get the financing, then they don't have business to support the project. I predict that Kennebec Valley Gas will build the gas line regardless of whether they get the TIF. ~ Jim Tracy, Sidney |
3 spots to tidy at mill
Kennebec Journal - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The former Augusta Tissue mill site has three spots where pollution, including PCBs from transformers that overflowed into the ground, must be addressed in order for the site to be reused. In addition, the PCB-contaminated soil will have to be removed from the prominent riverside location and hauled to a licensed disposal facility, according to an environmental consultant hired by the city. However, the two other polluted spots on the site may be able to be covered and capped in place, reducing the potential cost of the planned cleanup. Altogether, cleaning up the three remaining polluted sites could cost about $350,000. |
Democrats to LePage: Be positive in address
Portland Press Herald - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Democratic leaders challenged Gov. Paul LePage to take a positive tone in his State of the State address tonight, saying negativity and extreme positions have hindered Maine's economy. They called on LePage to work with Democrats to create jobs, support renewable energy, and invest in transportation, research and education. They also urged LePage and the Republican majority to support a comprehensive borrowing proposal to put before voters later this year. |
A look back at State of State
Kennebec Journal - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Gov. Paul LePage will deliver his first State of the State address tonight. From one of his predecessors: Gov. Joseph E. Brennan (Jan. 2, 1980): "We in Maine are fond of pointing to our magnificent wilderness, our clean air, pure water and blue skies as our greatest attractions. But, as you know, the sad truth is that in some parts of Maine, for decades the air has not been so clean, the water has not been so pure and the sky has not been so blue." Brennan called for bills to protect the environment, including a board to oversee pesticide use. |
Opinion: The LURC opt-out
Sun Journal - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
From a vast array of LURC citizens, landowners, the little guys, the nearby service center and potential investor, I have heard stories of endless broken LURC promises during 40 years of heavy-handed regulation from away. I have heard of indifference toward private property rights and local operations from a faceless board and staff in Augusta — hearings and appeals hours away from where a project was to occur; plans coming out of places almost impossible to find; contempt for local folks, county government and old Mainers who simply wanted to add a wood shed, and, above all, a deaf, indifferent ear. Some bum raps to be sure; some, surely true. The reform commission suggests this may be the time to set aside King George, the White Pine Revolt and polar ideologies and settle out on common ground. ~ William Beardsley, Maine Conservation Commissioner |
Opinion: The LURC opt-out is a cop-out
Maine Environmental News - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Maine Conservation Commissioner William Beardsley loves to tell stories. Sadly, his stories are overwhelmingly fiction, concocted to fit his incoherent, tea party ideology. But he is in a position of power so his stories matter. If he had the capacity to actually research in an objective and thoughtful manner the way LURC has handled thousands of zoning decisions, permit applications and compliance issues, Beardsley would find a pattern of fair application of the laws and rules. Sure, any institution -- involving scores of commission members and staffers making tough decisions over the course of decades -- will make some decisions that are imperfect. However, the worst decision-making related to LURC to surface yet is the set of recommendations, based on fact-free anecdotes, that has come out of the Beardsley-LePage LURC Reform Commission. |
Mercury’s Harmful Reach Has Grown, Study Suggests
New York Times - Monday, January 23, 2012
The strict new federal standards limiting pollution from power plants are meant to safeguard human health. But they should have an important side benefit, according to a study being released on Tuesday: protecting a broad array of wildlife that has been harmed by mercury emissions. Songbirds and bats suffer some of the same types of neurological disorders from mercury as humans and especially children do, says the study, “Hidden Risk,” by the Biodiversity Research Institute, a nonprofit organization in Gorham, Me., that investigates emerging environmental threats. |
Opinion: Don’t let them take control
Al Diamon Maine Media Mutt Blog - Monday, January 23, 2012
County government is an expensive anachronism that’s traditionally floundered between irrelevance and obstructionism. Getting rid of it would save money and streamline the bureaucracy. This makes so much sense that it should come as no surprise that the Legislature is considering a plan to do just the opposite. They’ll soon be debating a bill to restructure the Land Use Regulation Commission or LURC based on the work of a special committee made up in part of county commissioners and similar doofuses. It would expand LURC from seven members to nine. Six members would be county commissioners or their appointees. It’s like putting Newt Gingrich in charge of a federal ethics investigation. It gets worse. The proposal would allow counties to withdraw completely from LURC. In other words, it would increase the authority of the state’s most ineffective form of government. |
Public hearing on Farmington wind energy ordinance Tuesday night
Daily Bulldog (Franklin County) - Monday, January 23, 2012
A public hearing on a wind energy performance standards draft proposed to be added to the Farmington zoning ordinance will be held Tuesday. The proposed ordinance addition targets commercial and residential wind power systems, but not the industrial-sized wind farms that feature the largest wind turbines 410 feet tall, from base to blade tip. Code Enforcement Officer Steve Kaiser said earlier he doesn't believe those projects are feasible in Farmington, due to the terrain and lack of enough wind to merit such a project. The new ordinance draft was approved by the planning board on Nov. 14.
|
Maine's newest paper maker, Cate Street Capital, says it's committed ‘for the long term'
Mainebiz - Monday, January 23, 2012
Cate Street had been looking for a home for another of its businesses, Thermogen Industries, to produce torrefied wood, a pellet-type fuel that industrial customers can use in lieu of or in combination with coal. Confident that it could make the economics work, Cate Street in September purchased both of the mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket. The company rehired nearly 225 employees to reopen the East Millinocket mill. The paper first shipment rolled off the production line in November. For now, the Millinocket mill remains shuttered. Meanwhile, Thermogen Industries announced plans to begin building torrefied wood machines in Millinocket. "There are great synergies between the two, but they stand on their own two feet," says Richard Cyr, Cate Street's senior VP. "Our view is we can make a lot of money, but at same time make a difference in the world." |
Freelance BDN hiking columnist Brad Viles dies at 63
Bangor Daily News - Monday, January 23, 2012
As a freelance hiking writer for the Bangor Daily News for more than a decade, Brad Viles produced hundreds of pieces that took readers on jaunts along trails that led to some of his favorite wild places. On Sunday, Viles died in Millinocket. He was 63. |
|
|
|
|
|
Natural Resources Council
|
 |
|
Do I Dare to Plant a Peach? | | It's a sign that Maine and the nation are getting hotter, according to a new analysis by the U.S. De... | | 1/30/2012 12:00:00 AM |
|
|
|
|
Maine Organic Farmers and
Gardeners Association
|
|
|
The myth of the self-made yeoman |  By Gene Logsdon – No figure is more endearing and enduring in agriculture than the lonely plowman out there on the horizon who raises himself by his own bootstraps to financial success. Only problem is, there is no occupation more dependent on the cooperation of society and nature to achieve success than farming. | | 11/2/2011 12:00:00 AM |
Sharp, careful eye brings Maine mushrooms from forest to table |  By Avery Yale Kamila – On a crisp morning at the end of October, chef David Ross and I step off a dirt road in Kennebunk and head into a forest dominated by pines and smaller hardwood. Our objective: To track down a few chanterelles and any other wild mushrooms we can find this late in the season. This trip will mark one of the last of the year for Ross, who is an avid mushroom forager and the owner of 50 Local in Kennebunk. | | 11/2/2011 12:00:00 AM |
New climate prediction: ‘Weird’, getting weirder |  By Seth Borenstein (AP) – For a world already weary of weather catastrophes, the latest warning from top climate scientists paints a grim future: more floods, more heat waves, more droughts, and greater costs to deal with them. A draft summary of an international scientific report obtained by The Associated Press says the extremes caused by global warming could eventually grow so severe that some locations become “increasingly marginal as places to live.” | | 11/2/2011 12:00:00 AM |
What to feed your chickens to get the best eggs |  By Nina Lalli – "I have a theory, and I don't think you're gonna like it." Justin was seated across from me at a communal table in a "Secret Restaurant." We had met not half an hour before, but were now deep in discussion about what chickens should eat to produce the best-tasting eggs – an obsession of mine recently. | | 11/1/2011 12:00:00 AM |
Factory farming: not just on land anymore |  By Wenonah Hauter – When most people think of factory farming they typically think of feedlots, hog factories or chicken operations–not massive open net pens growing millions of fish in our oceans. However, factory fish farming will soon pose many of the same threats to the environment and to consumers as its land-based counterparts. | | 11/1/2011 12:00:00 AM |
Bt resistant rootworm spreads | | By Dr Eva Sirinathsinghji – Bt is a toxin from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which produces a large family of similar proteins that target different insect pests; and quite a few of them have been incorporated in genetically modified crops to act as ‘biopesticides’. Unfortunately, the pests soon develop resistance to it. | | 10/31/2011 12:00:00 AM |
Cranberry juice beats extract at fighting infection |  By Christine Lepisto – Just between you and me, ladies, what do you do when you feel that irritating burn, knowing it can only mean a urinary tract infection? Do you run to the doctor's office for antibiotics, only to fight the yeast infection that sets in when drugs knock other systems out of balance? Then you probably haven't heard yet that cranberries can fight infections naturally, and very effectively. | | 10/30/2011 12:00:00 AM |
‘Hobby farm’ couple do part, feed hungry |  By Bill Nemitz – It's not uncommon for someone to show up at the Bread of Life Soup Kitchen in Augusta with a bag full of fresh broccoli, tomatoes or other leftovers from their garden. In recent months, however, Glenn and Rachel Powers have taken that kind of community support to a whole new level. They're giving away the farm. | | 10/30/2011 12:00:00 AM |
New England shrimp target cut in half | | AP – Portland: Fisheries regulators have set the start date for the shrimp season and halved the target for the amount of shrimp to be caught by New England fishermen. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission on Friday set a target of 2,000 metric tons, compared with 4,000 metric tons the year before. | | 10/29/2011 12:00:00 AM |
The life of a seaweed gatherer |  By Daniel Klein – Most of the seaweed we get these days is farmed. But way up in northern Maine, Larch Hanson is still harvesting it wild in its many varieties on the rugged coast. This video isn't about the details of that process, however. It's about the essence of life for Larch, who rises at dawn to cut seaweed and then writes Zen poems about it. | | 10/28/2011 12:00:00 AM |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|