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February 6, 2012
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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. |
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School costs, changes at Verso mill to adversely affect Bucksport budget
Bangor Daily News - Friday, January 27, 2012
Preliminary figures suggest that Bucksport may be facing a $375,000 shortfall in next fiscal year’s municipal budget, in part because of rising education costs and the loss of tax revenues from a mothballed paper machine at the Verso mill. Verso’s decision to shut down a papermaking machine last year will result in an estimated $80,000 loss in tax revenues tied to the value of that machine. Additionally, the town anticipates losing $75,000 due to tax increment financing for a new biomass project planned at the plant, Raymond said. |
Coastal Planning Grants Awarded
Maine Government News - Friday, January 27, 2012
The Maine Coastal Program at the State Planning Office announces the award of $291,000 in grants for eight projects along the Maine coast. The grants will help enhance public access to the shore, reduce clam flat closures, and improve water quality. |
The Dam That Pine Built
Maine Government News - Friday, January 27, 2012
Nestled on the northeast shore of Chamberlain Lake is a historic dam that changed the course of water that originally flowed down the Allagash and into the St. John River; this water now flows south down the East Branch of the Penobscot. |
Algonquin Power Announces Withdrawal from Wind Investment
Other - Friday, January 27, 2012
Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. today announced that it plans not to proceed with the previously announced investment in First Wind Holdings, LLC's wind portfolio in the North East U.S. The initial joint announcement with Emera Inc. in April 2011 had contemplated APUC acquiring a minority interest of approximately 12.5%, representing an approximate $83 million investment. Ian Robertson, Chief Executive Officer of APUC, said, "Notwithstanding this decision, we remain solidly focused on gaining regulatory approval in Maine for the advancement of our Strategic Investment Agreement with Emera." |
Cell firms urged to Cooperate
Ellsworth American - Friday, January 27, 2012
Acadia National Park superintendent Sheridan Steele has formally asked wireless communication companies AT&T and Verizon to cooperate with the park, area towns and each other to create a plan for maximizing coverage while minimizing the number and visual impact of towers on Mount Desert Island. |
West Paris forest conserved in memory of former owner
Sun Journal - Friday, January 27, 2012
Another large parcel of land in West Paris has been saved from development under a conservation easement between the family of the late Maurice G. Benson and the Western Foothills Land Trust. Late last month, Marcia Benson of Saugus, Mass., donated a conservation easement protecting 182 acres of managed forest lands in West Paris and Woodstock in memory of her father. This is the third conservation easement the Trust holds in West Paris and the first in Woodstock. |
Heat efficiency program on the move
Other - Friday, January 27, 2012
Kennebunk Post - Katie Poole, York County’s Green Sneakers representative, said the time has come to move forward from canvassing into guiding residents through the home weatherization process. Maine Partners for Cool Communities founded the Green Sneakers project in 2010 when 125 volunteers canvassed 14 communities in the state. Maine Partners for Cool Communities is an organization that educates Maine’s communities on energy efficiency and other ways to reduce global warming. |
Pipeline tax deal hinges on line to business park
Kennebec Journal - Friday, January 27, 2012
The city of Gardiner has given final approval to a tax break for a natural gas pipeline project, but there's a catch. Tax increment financing districts will be created in areas of the city where the pipeline would extend only on the condition that Kennebec Valley Gas Co. build a distribution line to the city's struggling business park. |
Vt., Maine, NH open their snowmobile trails
Associated Press - Friday, January 27, 2012
Registered snowmobilers in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine can roam trails in all three states this weekend. Any snowmobile legally registered in one of the participating states is allowed on trails in all three from Friday through Sunday. All other host state regulations apply, including speed limits, youth laws and Vermont's mandatory liability insurance. |
Universal Takes Cue from 4th Graders, Makes ‘The Lorax’ Website Greener
Other - Friday, January 27, 2012
Universal Studios has added ‘green tips’ to The Lorax film’s promotional website following a popular campaign on Change.org started by a fourth grade class. Last month, the nine- and ten-year-olds launched the “Lorax Petition Project,” asking Universal to include a stronger environmental message in its promotions for the blockbuster film. The film’s original trailer, website, and other promotional materials hardly touched on the environmental theme of the classic Dr. Seuss book. More than 50,000 people joined the class’s campaign. |
Letter: See sea gulls? Call me, please
Coastal Journal - Thursday, January 26, 2012
Hatch Hill is an open landfill in Augusta. Every day in the winter a minimum of 300 to 500 gulls feed in this dump. Local gulls are often joined by Arctic species such as Iceland and glaucous gulls. So Hatch Hill is watched closely by Maine birders, naturalists, and wildlife researchers. The gulls that feed at Hatch Hill arrive from the southeast, but the location of a night roost in that direction has never been found. I'm investigating the possibility that the gulls might spend the night on Damariscotta Lake or Muscongus Bay, which lie directly southeast of Hatch Hill. If you see a large flock of gulls packed together on Damariscotta Lake, or anywhere in this general area, including on a large flat roof or frozen pond or wide-open field, kindly give me a call at 563-1867. ~ Bruce Bartrug, Nobleboro |
Wind: Obama admin sweats legal response as turbines kill birds
Other - Thursday, January 26, 2012
Greenwire - The whirring blades of wind turbines kill birds. A lot of them. Mass bird kills represent a dilemma for the Obama administration. Can it promote renewable energy development and still enforce laws that protect wildlife? In a ruling issued Jan. 17, Judge Daniel Hoyland dismissed charges against three oil companies accused of killing migratory birds that were found dead near their facilities. "This court believes that it is highly unlikely that Congress ever intended to impose criminal liability on the acts or omissions of persons involved in lawful commercial activity which may indirectly cause the death of birds protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act," Hoyland wrote. The question is whether courts would reach the same conclusion about wind farms. |
Wade Receives Maine Agriculture in the Classroom 2012 Teacher of the Year Award
Maine Government News - Thursday, January 26, 2012
Erik Wade, Hope Elementary School science and mathematics teacher, has been named the 2012 Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year. Wade, a firm believer in learning through doing, received the award for his work with students in developing a school-wide composting program and integrating a garden and greenhouse into the school curriculum. |
Town hall on proposed Searsport propane tank gets rowdy, but little consensus found
Bangor Daily News - Thursday, January 26, 2012
A sometimes-rowdy crowd of about 350 people jammed into Searsport’s Union Hall on Thursday evening to ask questions of a company that has proposed building a $40 million propane terminal at the Mack Point industrial zone. But at times during the three-hour-plus town hall meeting, it seemed as if many in the audience were just glad to have a chance to tell company officials, their neighbors and others from around the state exactly what they think of the controversial project. |
Millinocket manager suggests LePage may be holding back on state funds
Bangor Daily News - Thursday, January 26, 2012
Town Manager Eugene Conlogue is wondering whether Gov. Paul LePage is having state officials withhold about $720,000 in state aid to force Millinocket and East Millinocket to do more for the Dolby Landfill, he said Thursday. The Legislature agreed, with many misgivings, to take ownership of the Dolby Landfill last year. State officials said no buyer would touch the mills so long as the landfill, and the huge potential liability it represented, was part of the deal. But the state and towns have balked at operating the landfill, fearing its costs. |
State approves Trenton oyster farm proposal
Bangor Daily News - Thursday, January 26, 2012
On Monday, the Maine Department of Marine Resources approved an application from Warren Pettegrow to cultivate oysters in cages in Western Bay, near Goose Cove. DMR has imposed certain conditions on Pettegrow’s permit, however. He will not be allowed to operate power washers at the lease site and will have to dispose of all removed marine debris at a land-based composting site. He will have to post a bond of $25,000 and cannot let cages holding the oysters rest on the bottom of the bay. |
Mainers show off their snowmobile tricks at Rangeley’s Snodeo
Bangor Daily News - Thursday, January 26, 2012
An unrehearsed, unplanned back flip off a jump during the Rave-X Outer Limits aerial show, which featured freestyle snowmobile riders launching themselves 35 feet into the air to perform thrilling tricks with names such as “Kiss of Death” and “Dead Body,” was the highlight of last weekend’s annual Snodeo in Rangeley. [photo essay] |
DEP, Ellsworth aim to reduce pollution in city stream
Bangor Daily News - Thursday, January 26, 2012
Improving water quality in a stream running through Ellsworth’s commercial district will take time and forward thinking but can be accomplished in cost-effective ways that also enhance the area’s aesthetics, residents and business owners were told Wednesday. |
Passamaquoddy Tribe plans $120M wind farm in Washington County
Bangor Daily News - Thursday, January 26, 2012
The Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indian Township and Pleasant Point has partnered with a Midwest energy firm to launch a $120 million wind farm in Washington County. The developers estimate the project will create 50-100 jobs during the construction phase and 15-20 permanent positions once the farm is built, with more jobs anticipated from spinoff development in the future. The farm would be located in Unorganized Territory at a decommissioned U.S. Air Force radar site nearly ten miles north of Columbia Falls amid a web of blueberry barrens and cranberry bogs. |
Climate change may benefit Down East Maine’s cranberry growers
Bangor Daily News - Thursday, January 26, 2012
Climate change could prove to be — pardon the expression — a “berry” good thing for Down East Maine’s small-but-expanding cranberry industry as growers in Massachusetts and New Jersey are seeing their cranberry harvests undermined by warming temperatures. |
Reassessment declined for ailing cod fishery
Associated Press - Thursday, January 26, 2012
The nation’s oceans chief has turned down a request made first by Sen. John Kerry for a new assessment of the health of Gulf of Maine cod. New data indicates cod is badly overfished, and fishermen now face ruinous cuts in their catch. The data have drawn skepticism from fishermen because they show a reversal of a recent, optimistic study. In December, Kerry asked for a new cod assessment that fishermen can trust. NOAA head Jane Lubchenco said this month that a new assessment can’t be done in time for managers to make decisions for the May start of the fishing year. |
Environmental coalition outlines opposition, support for upcoming initiatives
Sun Journal - Thursday, January 26, 2012
A coalition of environmental advocates on Thursday presented its list of priority bills that the Legislature is slated to address during the abbreviated session. Several of the proposals could be contentious, including a bill to reform the Land Use Regulation Commission, the state agency that oversees development in the unorganized territories. The Maine Environmental Priorities Coalition also highlighted its opposition to a controversial bill that would allow landowners to file legal claims seeking compensation from the state for zoning and regulations that diminish the value of a landowner's property by more than 50 percent. Additionally, the coalition touted its support for a citizen initiative that would increase the state mandate that power companies derive a certain percentage of electricity from renewable resources. |
LePage: Renewable energy initiative a 'job killer'
Portland Press Herald - Thursday, January 26, 2012
A renewable energy ballot initiative that supporters say can gradually lower electric rates while reducing Maine’s dependence on imported fuel is actually “the single, largest job killer” Maine has faced in years and will make rates rise, Gov. Paul LePage told a gathering of the state’s real estate industry today. If the measure gets on the ballot this November and wins voter approval, he said, it will force people and businesses to leave for places with lower energy costs. “This will destroy the state of Maine,” he said, appealing to the crowd to fight the initiative. |
First Wind: Solyndra of Maine?
As Maine Goes Blog - Thursday, January 26, 2012
First Wind has a solvency problem. Their debts and negative cash flow greatly exceed their assets and cash on hand. Their IPO sputtered and then failed back in 2010. Seeking help they have agreed to be purchased by Emera the company that owns the transmission lines of Bangor Hydro. This was all well and good until the staff of the Maine Public Utilities Commission recommended the Commissioners reject the merger between First Wind and two other companies, on the grounds that it would violate the state’s electricity deregulation law ordering that transmission and production be separated. Since inception First Wind has been dependent on special deals and subsidies. It is estimated that First Wind has received some $300 million in federal subsidies and $500 million in federal loan guarantees. The same Federal loan guarantees that Solyndra received. Without these subsidies First Wind would have ceased to exist.
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Natural Resources Council
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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 |
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Maine Organic Farmers and
Gardeners Association
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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 |
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