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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. |
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. |
Protect Maine’s Clean Elections System
Action Alert - Friday, January 27, 2012
Many conservation organizations strongly support Maine's Clean Elections law because it promotes fairer elections, allows more citizens to run for office, and helps to balance the influence of well-funded special interests, which too often work to weaken our state’s environmental and public health standards. But now the Clean Elections law is in serious danger. Due to a recent court decision, adjustments need to be made to the program. If the Maine legislature does not act, the system that empowers voters and keeps big money out of state elections will be in jeopardy. You can help by signing the petition urging lawmakers to strengthen the Maine Clean Elections law.
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How Green Became Obama's Albatross
Wall Street Journal - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Obama long game is exactly how green energy metamorphosed from a policy notion into a political strategy and then into a dead weight his campaign must lug to November. Still, let us admire the high-rolling political risk Mr. Obama takes in spurning affordable, strategically convenient energy from Canada. That risk includes, between now and Election Day, looking like a chump if oil prices surge because of the world's vulnerability to the narrowness of the Strait of Hormuz. |
Opinion: Stolen Identity – How the Maine Council of Churches appropriates your political voice without your approval
Maine Wire - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
If you attend a church of any of a number of denominations, they claim your imprimatur in their political activism. And I am confident they have done it without your direct approval, and more than likely, without your knowledge. Via rather direct connections, including financial dependency, the religious left is playing into the hands of secular progressives, including Soros, the Nature Conservancy, the global warming industry, and the pacifists. ~ Pem Schaeffer |
Legislature Tackles Tough DIF&W Issues
George Smith's Outdoor News Blog - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Today we heard about DIF&W’s reorganization plan, spent hours debating the needs of Maine’s Game Plan for Deer, waded through many controversial sections of DIF&W’s omnibus bill, and won support for a new landowner relations program. |
Topsham considers town construction of riverside trail
Forecaster - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Topsham Planning Director Rich Roedner is seeking input from the Maine Department of Transportation about who should build a riverside walking trail. The Androscoggin Riverwalk project is estimated to cost about $20,000 more than anticipated, and town officials have been looking into ways to save money. Having town crews build the trail instead of putting the construction out to bid could save the project money, but DOT and federal authorities must first approve the plan. |
Farmington to vote on wind rule
Morning Sentinel - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Voters soon will get a chance to consider passing an ordinance to regulate wind energy projects in Farmington, which would set local rules to control the development of wind turbines in the community. Selectmen voted Tuesday to present the issue at the March 19 annual town meeting. If voters in town adopt the ordinance, it would add local rules for turbine noise, setbacks and other wind-energy issues to the town's current zoning ordinance. Projects would have to meet state guidelines but they also could be forced to meet local ordinance standards, which many Maine communities have enacted in recent years. |
Agreement protects more than 500 acres in Fryeburg
Sun Journal - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Cooperation between the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust and the Nature Conservancy will preserve 524 acres of habitat on the Saco River and Pleasant Pond. The purchase will protect a rare tract of floodplain forest along the Saco River. The area is a habitat for turtles and songbirds and is a popular canoeing spot. The project, called the Pleasant Pond Floodplain Forest, comes from a partnership between a private landowner, the state of Maine, the land trust and the Nature Conservancy. A conservation easement on the property allows sustainable forestry but blocks development. |
No gas sans Sappi
Morning Sentinel - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
A proposed tax increment financing district for the Kennebec Valley Gas Co. pipeline in Skowhegan will be 4 feet wide and more than 8 miles long and would hold an estimated assessed value for taxation of $4.67 million. However, the pipeline would not serve residential neighborhoods right away and would not be built north of Waterville without a commitment from the Sappi Fine Paper Co. mill on U.S. Route 201, Richard Silkman, a principal of KV Gas, said Tuesday. |
Opinion: Renewable energy is a moral imperative
Kennebec Journal - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The wind blows. The tide flows. The sun glows. The forest grows. Yet we continue to get most of our energy from unsustainable underground sources outside of Maine. Shame on us if we saddle our children and grandchildren with our addiction to oil. Today, just 5 percent of our electrical energy comes from renewable resources. Maine Citizens for Clean Energy -- a coalition that includes environmental groups, labor unions and businesses -- has collected sufficient signatures to qualify their initiative for the November ballot. The initiative would require that at least 20 percent of Maine's electricity come from renewable energy sources, including wind, water, and wood by 2020. The governor has promised a vigorous campaign against this initiative. He's got his work cut out for him. An October 2011 statewide poll found 76 percent in favor of the initiative. ~ George Smith |
Opinion: Mother Nature's disasters attempt to balance world
Morning Sentinel - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Mostly missed on lists for 2011 was the horrific toll of weather disasters. Globally, natural disasters are growing in number and violence. Most record-setting events in 2011 were elsewhere, but even here climate is being rocked off its 11,700-year-old perch. Everyone should locate a nearby sustainability or transition group and find their own way to a meaningful future. ~ James Murphy, Starks |
Waste-to-energy plan mulled
Kennebec Journal - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
That bag of trash you leave curbside or take to the Hatch Hill landfill today could end up powering your diesel pickup truck in the future. Augusta city officials are in discussions with a Texas-based waste-to-energy company that proposes to build a $20 million plant at Hatch Hill to convert trash into diesel fuel. |
Opinion: Senators' advocacy of Clean Air Act helps Mainers breathe more freely
Portland Press Herald - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The struggle for healthy air has not been without opposition. At every turn, polluters and their lobbyists have pushed to thwart the Clean Air Act. Recently, Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins defeated one such measure, casting critical votes to protect Mainers from air pollution generated in other states. This is good news, but our right to breathe healthy air is still under attack. We need the full, unequivocal and continued support of our senators. The American Lung Association estimates that more than 212,000 Mainers (about 1 in 6) suffer from at least one form of lung disease. ~ Arthur Cerullo, North Yarmouth |
Excerpt from Democratic Response to 2012 State of the State
Dirigo Blue Blog - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
We know the best way to lower energy costs is through energy efficiency and expanding our energy sources, most importantly, renewable energy alternatives. Every year Maine spends $5 billion exporting our money on fossil fuels. Maine cannot afford to do this. We must keep our money here at home. We must reduce our dependency on oil, through energy efficiency and wisely developing our renewable resources. This will put people back to work and keep money in Mainers pockets. ~ Senator Seth Goodall |
Opinion: Obama holds his ground in Keystone decision
Portland Press Herald - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - The Obama administration last week denied an oil company's application to expand an existing pipeline network between the United States and Canada. It was the right decision for many reasons, although President Obama's statement tied it solely to a legislative stunt pulled last month by congressional Republicans. The whiff of conflict of interest had attached itself to the proposal's environmental impact statements, which the Environmental Protection Agency had found seriously deficient. |
Letter: More wind in Oakfield
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
I’m surprised the Oakfield wind development project has not been in the news very much. First Wind has asked for (and been granted) an increase in the scope of their project. Now the hills around Oakfield and Island Falls will have 50 turbines that are 450 feet tall instead of 34. Wouldn’t this be visible from the summit of Mount Katahdin? Is wind power really enough of a game-changer to offset the loss of these towns’ bucolic nature? What else do they have left? ~ Dan Williams, Sidney |
Letter: Open for all business
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
I was disappointed the staff of the Public Utilities Commission recommended not approving the joint venture between First Wind and Emera. It is hard to believe during these difficult economic times that the PUC is considering rejecting a deal that could bring billions in private investment and over 1,000 new jobs to Maine. ~ Chris Gardner, Board of Commissioners, Washington County |
Letter: Searsport tank questions
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The enormous propane tank that Conoco Phillips wants to build in Searsport will be discussed by the developers beginning at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, at Searsport Town Hall. Since this project will affect our region most significantly, it is important this meeting be well attended, especially by the leaders in neighboring towns along Route 1. I am sure there are a hundred questions that need answers. Let’s get them. ~ Jane Sanford, Belfast |
Ocean Conservancy's discusses proposal to transfer NOAA to DOI
Other - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
E&E TV - Is the Obama administration's recent proposal to bundle the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration into the Interior Department a positive move for oceans policy? During today's OnPoint, Emily Woglom, director of government relations at the Ocean Conservancy, discusses the proposal and the White House's push for federal agencies to work together on oceans policy. |
New CLYNK technology tracks recycling's environmental impact
Mainebiz - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
South Portland-based CLYNK, a bottle and can redemption company, recently launched new online tools to allow members to track the environmental impact of their recycling efforts. The new website has live graphics that allow members to see how much carbon emissions and energy they have saved through redeeming their bottles and cans. Founded in 2006, CLYNK operates 46 self-serve kiosks in Hannaford Bros. Co. stores. |
Not All Wetlands Are Created Equal
New York Times - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
In addition to nurturing biodiversity, wetlands purify water, produce fish, store carbon dioxide that would otherwise contribute to global warming, and protect shorelines from floods, storm surges and erosion. Since the early 20th century, development has claimed over half the wetlands in North America, Europe, Australia and China. To repair the damage from those construction binges and regain the benefits of wetlands, restoration has become a booming business. Yet new research calls into question whether manmade versions can ever compensate for wetlands buried beneath parking lots and subdivisions. |
Gov. LePage Agrees with Maine Citizens for Clean Energy that the State should lower electricity costs
Maine Insights - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Maine Citizens for Clean Energy, a growing nonpartisan coalition of people and organizations committed to strengthening Maine’s energy independence, keeping Maine’s air clean and healthy, creating jobs, increasing energy efficiency, and attracting new clean energy businesses to Maine, responded tonight to Gov. Paul LePage’s State of the State Address. “Our energy status quo isn’t working,” said Herb Sargent of Sargent Corporation. “Every year, Mainers hand over billions of hard-earned dollars to out-of-state and foreign energy companies. The initiative put forward by Maine Citizens for Clean Energy would help to change that. It would create jobs by investing in energy efficiency, which would help lower electric bills, and it would attract new clean energy businesses to our state. It’s a practical idea that will help put thousands of Mainers to work.” The goals articulated by the Governor of creating jobs and lowering energy costs can be achieved through the citizen initiative to invest in energy efficiency and made-in-Maine renewable energy. |
Pingree promotes Maine’s offshore wind & tidal projects to congress
Maine Insights - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. today about the potential for tidal and wind energy off the Maine Coast. Pingree talked about recent reports detailing the potential for tidal power off the Maine coast. Last week, Energy Secretary Steven Chu released a report detailing the enormous potential for tidal energy off the U.S. coasts. “Maine’s wave and tidal current resources offer real opportunities to generate renewable energy using water power technologies in the future,” said Energy Secretary Chu. |
Excerpt 2 from Gov. Paul LePage's first State of the State address
NECN - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
"There are some who think government should mandate what types of energy Mainers must buy - regardless of how expensive it is. I DO NOT support Augusta being in the business of increasing costs on Maine ratepayers to pad the pockets of special interest groups. I believe it is morally and ethically wrong to take more money from those who can least afford it to line the pockets of those that are politically connected here in Augusta....My energy policy will focus on all forms of energy, and give Mainers the freedom to choose whether or not they buy from renewable sources. For example, hydropower is a green energy. Let's remove the 100 MW restriction on renewable hydropower." ~ Gov. Paul LePage
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Excerpt 1 from Gov. Paul LePage's first State of the State address
WMTW-TV8 - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
"I believe, Maine is the most beautiful state in the nation. It is important that we do not lose sight of our roots as we work to improve our economy. The choice between our environment and our business climate is not “either or.” It should always be “both.” Through much of our history, fishing, farming, and forestry have been Maine’s economic engine. Maine can be prosperous, and still be a great vacationland. We are committed to reviving these industries to get Maine working again. I call on the Legislature to support our plan to create the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. With renewed strength and collaboration, this Department will be a good steward of our natural resource based economy for future generations." ~ Gov. Paul LePage |
Report suggests songbirds, bats at risk of mercury poisoning
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Researchers with the BioDiversity Research Institute, based in Gorham, and The Nature Conservancy compiled blood tests from nearly 1,900 birds and 800 bats collected over the past decade in the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. The resulting report, “Hidden Risk: Mercury in Terrestrial Systems of the Northeast,” states that some species of birds and bats may be absorbing dangerously high levels of mercury from the insects they eat. |
LePage Addresses Energy
WMTW-TV8 - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Gov. Paul LePage says electricity prices in Maine are the 12th highest in the country, and that must change if the state is to compete nationally and globally. In his State of the State speech Tuesday night, LePage says he's met with natural gas companies, oil dealers, electric utilities and biomass suppliers to learn how to lower Mainers' overall energy prices. He says his energy policy will focus on all forms of energy, and letting the free market system decide what energy sources are sustainable for Maine people. LePage calls energy conservation an important goal, and says government programs that use taxpayer dollars for energy efficiency must be cost-effective. The governor says he does not support programs that mandate which kind of energy people must buy. |
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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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