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May 18, 2013
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Press releases, events, publications released, etc. from Maine environmental organizations and agencies. Submit content.
Nancy’s Bog Bird Walk, May 19
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 11, 2013
With birding expert Ron Joseph, join fellow birders for a spring hike at Nancy’s Bog in Winthrop. May 19, 7-9 am. Must pre-register. Sponsored by Kennebec Land Trust. |
Maine Equestrian Open Barn Day, May 18
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 11, 2013
Dozens of horse barns will open their paddock gates Saturday, May 18, for the second annual Maine Equestrian Open Barn Day. |
Maine Audubon’s Birdathon, May 18
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 11, 2013
Maine Audubon’s annual Birdathon is a bird-watching event during peak migration in which participants try to identify as many bird species as possible. Statewide, May 18. |
Benefit concert for wind power opponents, May 18
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 11, 2013
Benefit concert for the Partnership for the Preservation of the Downeast Lakes Watershed and Passadumkeag Mountain Friends. At Home on the Grange, the historic Grange Hall in Lee, May 18. |
Outdoor workshop for teachers and community leaders, May 18
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 11, 2013
Project Learning Tree will offer a one-day workshop for area teachers and community leaders. The outdoor and hands-on field investigations session provides opportunities for learning how to use the outdoors as a means to teach all content areas with links to current state and national standards. At Hirundo Wildlife Refuge, Alton, May 18, 9 am - 2:30 pm. |
Bird walk at Moosehorn Refuge, May 18
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 11, 2013
A bird walk will be held at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, Baring, May 18, beginning at 6:30 am. Sponsored by Fundy Bay Audubon Society and Moosehorn Refuge. |
Great Cranberry Island Bird Walk, May 18
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 11, 2013
Travel to Great Cranberry Island by Beal and Bunker Ferry from Northeast Harbor Marina on Mount Desert Island. Leave at 7:30 am, return – 11:45 am. Sponsored by Maine Coast Heritage Trust. |
Morse Mountain and Seawall Beach Birding, May 18
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 11, 2013
The Bates-Morse Mt. Conservation Area in Phippsburg is a great spot for late migrants and nesting woodland birds as well as shorebirds and waterbirds. Meet at Hannaford in Brunswick, May 18 at 7:30 am or at Morse Mountain parking lot off Rte. 216, Phippsburg, at 8 am. Sponsored by Merrymeeting Audubon. |
Penobscot River cleanup, May 18
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 11, 2013
Volunteers are asked to meet May 18 at 8 am at the Brewer Auditorium. After a short safety presentation, the group will be dispatched to locations on the shoreline and around the city to pick up trash until noon. At noon, the group will reassemble for a free picnic lunch and volunteer recognition ceremony. |
Northeast Livestock Expo, May 17-19
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 11, 2013
The Expo will showcase a variety of livestock. Maine Governor Paul LePage says, “This is one of many great events from Maine’s agricultural community. This and similar events highlight the connection between local farms, local products, and consumers.” At Windsor Fairgrounds, May 17-19, free. |
2013 Wings, Waves & Woods Festival, May 17-19
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 11, 2013
7th annual Festival for “birding by land, by sea and by art.” Puffin and pelagic boat trips, eagle spotting, lectures, walks, fun. May 17-19. Sponsored by Deer Isle-Stonington Chamber of Commerce, Downeast Audubon and Island Heritage Trust.
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Wildflower Walk at HVNC, May 17
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 11, 2013
Botanist, photographer, and long-time educator Wanda Garland will lead a wildflower walk, exploring the bog and more. At Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, May 17, 9 am. Suggested donation: $5 members, $10 non-members. |
Celebrate Endangered Species Day, May 17
Event - Posted - Saturday, May 11, 2013
Endangered Species Day, May 17, is an opportunity for people young and old to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species and everyday actions that people can take to help protect our nation’s disappearing wildlife and last remaining open space. |
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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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Column: Ready for another fight
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, May 19, 2013
Shad have made a comeback in Maine. Thanks to a hatchery program in the mid-1990s that was spearheaded by the Department of Marine Resources and aided by local hatchery in Waldoboro, returning shad are a familiar sight in the Kennebec River system. Shad are members of the herring family, and bear similar characteristics to alewives and blueback herring, with one major difference. While adult alewives are 10-12 inches in length, adult shad returning to spawn are generally in the 3-5 pound range, and can grow up to 9 pounds and 30 inches in length. The increase in the number of returning shad has sparked an interest in fishing for shad in Maine. ~ Mark Latti |
Column: Peace in life's bare necessities
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, May 19, 2013
In the soft, lightening dawn, I make my peace with the day. Now that the light comes earlier and stays later, my animal metabolism has shifted out of the sloth of hibernation to a sort of energized, eager joy. I am working my way toward nothingness, paring down to essentials, and perhaps past that grasping level, too. I am molting, shedding all I do not need in favor of something lighter and true. I am growing new feathers, a more suitable shell. ~ North Cairn |
Column: Hybrid bicycle can be a novice cyclist's best choice
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, May 19, 2013
If folks have their hearts set on riding roads, I strongly suggest getting a road bike, but I also understand how narrow tires make newcomers leery. For those folks, a hybrid bike works until they become comfortable enough on a bike to buy the equivalent of a sports car — and then they have a second bicycle for ramming highways and the first bike for forest pedaling. That's the best of both worlds, and this month is the time to start. ~ Ken Allen |
Column: Before hikers love the trail, the trails will need some love
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, May 19, 2013
Yes, it's trail maintenance time. That period each May after the snow melts but before the hikers start coming through. Time to clear away the blowdowns, clean out the water bars and clip some trailside brush. The other major work, like replacing several hundred feet of bog bridging, for example, can wait until later. The immediate goal is simply to open the trail. ~ Carey Kish |
Column: Perhaps gobblers are ignoring what would be last call
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, May 19, 2013
The basic premise of spring turkey hunting is to locate a gobbling (male) bird, then set up and call it to your position by imitating a hen turkey. Even under favorable conditions, success is far less common than failure. So many things have to work in your favor. First, the turkey has to hear your calling, usually not a problem. Then, it must respond favorably. If it gobbles back, that's a good sign. What happens next is where most hunts go awry. The gobbler must not only respond, it has to come to you. ~ Bob Humphrey |
Column: Books provide thrills for those unable to play
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, May 19, 2013
With the wonderfully mild weather we've had recently, every one of my friends has been venturing out to hike, bike, golf and kayak. Usually, I'd be right there with them. Unfortunately, I kicked off May by catching the nasty flu that's been circulating around southern Maine. If you find yourself laid up like me, don't fret. Recent years have seen the release a number of books that offer wonderful outdoor adventure, vicarious though it may be. ~ Josh Christie |
Acid mine drainage a major concern
Maine Environmental News - Saturday, May 18, 2013
J.D. Irving is interested in developing a massive open-pit hardrock mine at Bald Mountain in Aroostook County. In 2012, the Maine Legislature directed the Department of Environmental Protection to come up with new mining standards. Environmentalists said the directive would result in less protection for water quality. A report by the EPA documents that the mining industry does not have a great record. In "Liquid Assets: America’s Water Resources at a Turning Point" the EPA said that "stream reaches in the headwaters of more than 40% of western watersheds are contaminated by mining, much of it related to acid mine drainage." Maine has a much wetter climate than the western U.S., so acid mine pollution could be even more problematic here. |
Dirty Fuel Opponents Join Hands Across the Sand
Other - Saturday, May 18, 2013
Thousands of participants turned out to draw a line in the sand at approximately 100 events in 18 states and 9 countries today for the fourth annual “Hands Across the Sand/Land” event, to demonstrate opposition to expanding offshore drilling and the use of dirty fuels as well as support for cleaner energy choices. In Maine, events were held at Sand Beach on Echo Lake in Bar Harbor and at Crescent Beach in Cape Elizabeth. |
Letter: It's not worth it to ruin Maine's celebrated vista
Morning Sentinel - Saturday, May 18, 2013
I want to convey my support for L.D. 1059 to reverse L.D. 1085, which put leniency in laws regarding open pit-mining and mountain top removal in Maine. If not for tons of money, why else would we even consider stripping this celebrated landscape of its treasure trove of unscarred wilderness? The resources to be dug from the ground will one day run out. What then of our ruined landscape? What then of the displaced wildlife and desecrated idea that Maine is where the wild still lives? ~ It's not worth it. ~ Sarah Linneken, Benton |
Letter: Development questions
Bangor Daily News - Saturday, May 18, 2013
What happened to Plum Creek‘s real estate development plans for the area around Moosehead Lake What happened to what could have been the largest private commercial real estate development project in the history of the state of Maine? Market conservatives and tea party activists are missing what could be a showcase example of their theories of trickle-down economics and fiscal conservatism. ~ Alan M. Church, Brewer |
Letter: Paper or plastic?
Bangor Daily News - Saturday, May 18, 2013
Paper or plastic? Both create major problems. In every square mile of ocean, there are 46,000 pieces of plastic. There are huge gyres in all of the oceans, where currents bring waste plastic into an area where nothing lives. Do we move to paper? Paper production emits 70 percent more pollution than the production of plastic and much more greenhouse gas. It takes four times the energy to make a paper bag as a plastic bag, three times as much water. They create 80 percent more solid waste and, unexpectedly, degrade very slowly in landfill. We need to ban all point-of-sale packaging and move to reusable bags. In addition, all plastic should be biodegradable and recycled. ~ Jim Wellehan, Auburn |
SAM I am not
Al Diamon Maine Media Mutt Blog - Friday, May 17, 2013
There appears to be some upheaval on the board of directors of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine. I use the word “appears” because my only source of information on the resignation of two longtime board members and one recent addition is a blog posting by former SAM executive director George Smith. Smith — who, since becoming a journalist of sorts, has had a contentious relationship with his former employer — doesn’t bother to explain why the three board members called it quits, other than to say one of them didn’t like the organization’s “new direction.” He also doesn’t provide any information on whether the resignations were related. In short, his posting comes off as a thinly veiled attack on SAM’s current administration, with whom Smith has had his differences. |
Old Orchard Beach butter maker faces loss of license
Portland Press Herald - Friday, May 17, 2013
The Old Orchard Beach Town Council on Tuesday will consider revoking the business license of Kate's Homemade Butter, which has operated as a home-based business in the town since 1981. Losing the license would put Kate's, which produces more than 1 million pounds of butter a year, as well as buttermilk, out of business, according to Lucas Patry, son of Kate's owners, Dan and Karen Patry. Kate's operates in about 1,000 square feet of space in a garage of an Old Orchard Beach home. Neighbors have complained that Kate's, which has trucks delivering raw materials and taking away finished products, should not be operating in a residential neighborhood. |
CMP, governor celebrate power-line upgrade
Sun Journal - Friday, May 17, 2013
Gov. Paul LePage seemed pleased Friday about what the $1.4 billion upgrade to Maine's electrical grid would mean to the local economy. LePage was on hand as Central Maine Power and its parent company, Iberdrola USA, marked the halfway point in its Maine Power Reliability Program. |
Regulators to fishermen: Don't blame catch observers
Associated Press - Friday, May 17, 2013
The top regulators of New England's sagging fishing industry have asked fishermen not to take out their frustrations on the onboard catch observers who monitor what they pull up or throw back. The request came in an open letter to fishing permit holders Thursday, a little over two weeks into a fishing year that saw the fleet take painful cuts in catch limits. Observers have reported increased verbal abuse in recent months and the letter is a reminder that such anger is misdirected, said Rip Cunningham, chair of the New England Fishery Management Council and one of the five signees of the letter. |
Local Foods Movement Ushers in New Era in Maine Agriculture
Maine Public Broadcasting Network - Friday, May 17, 2013
For the last 30 years, the big agriculture story has been the decline of the family farm, and the rise of the biotech giants, such as Monsanto. But early indications from the Cooperative Extension Service show that in New England at least, the small farm is poised to make a big come back. Maine's local foods movement has ushered in a new era for new farms, and new farmers. |
Citizens go on frog patrol in the name of science
Ellsworth American - Friday, May 17, 2013
Sixteen participants trained to be FrogWatch USA coordinators during a special workshop at the SERC Institute May 15-16. FrogWatch USA is a national frog and toad monitoring program of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Volunteers adopt a wetland and listen for calling frogs and toads during evenings in February through August. [video] |
With legal fight far from over, embattled Blue Hill raw milk producer will file for bankruptcy
Bangor Daily News - Friday, May 17, 2013
Dan Brown, the poster child for local food rules in Maine, said he will have to file for bankruptcy if the judge who barred him from selling raw milk and other food doesn’t reverse her decision. The state took Brown to court in 2011 for selling unlabeled raw milk from an unlicensed facility. In late April, Hancock County Superior Court Justice Ann Murray granted the state summary judgment, ruling that Brown had broken the law and issuing an injunction preventing him from selling milk without a license, selling raw milk without labeling it as such, and from “operating a food establishment without a license.” On May 8, Brown filed a motion requesting Murray lift the injunction while his case goes through appeals. He also filed to request she amend or overturn her order. |
Elver fishermen flocking to the Penobscot River
Bangor Daily News - Friday, May 17, 2013
Over the past two weeks, a sizable crew of fishermen have descended upon Bangor and other towns up and down the Penobscot River, chasing a seasonal run of elvers that has slowed in southern parts of the state. “[Some people] are just hostile,” Chris Tibbetts said. “Everybody seems to own a piece of river and everybody wants to hold it.” While Tibbetts said there are plenty of nice people out fishing, there are also some who look for trouble. Add in unlicensed poachers who are looking to make some quick cash, and you’ve got the potential for trouble. |
Column: Birding by ear is a learnable skill
Bangor Daily News - Friday, May 17, 2013
I have six rules for learning how to recognize bird songs. My first rule: The most common birds are the most common. Most of the songs you hear are coming from the same small subset of birds, those birds that are common to wherever you happen to be. Learning the common ones around you makes life much easier because they’re making most of the noise. It doesn’t take long to learn them. Which leads to my second rule: Divide and conquer. Learning new songs is just a process of elimination. ~ Bob Duchesne |
Endangered Ocean Creatures Beyond the Cute and Cuddly
Other - Friday, May 17, 2013
Our oceans are taking a beating from overfishing, pollution, acidification and warming, putting at risk the many creatures who make their home in seawater. But when most people think of struggling ocean species, the first animals that come to mind are probably whales, seals or sea turtles. In fact, of the 94 marine species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), only 45 are marine mammals and sea turtles. What about the remaining 49 that form a myriad of other important parts of the underwater web? The less charismatic members of the list include Atlantic salmon. Damming, pollution and overfishing have pushed the species to a point where they are now only found along a small section of the Maine coast. |
Maine State Parks Passport Program adds Geocaching GeoTour
Maine Government News - Friday, May 17, 2013
Beginning May 18, the Maine State Parks Passport will include a new high-tech Geocaching GeoTour. Geocaching enthusiasts and park patrons interested in learning about this high-tech treasure hunting game that is played throughout the world. Participants will also have the opportunity to win valuable prizes. |
Column: Hysteria obscures lack of substance to climate change claims
Portland Press Herald - Friday, May 17, 2013
We've seen a ton of stories lately about how terrible the (presumed) effects of climate change will be in Maine and elsewhere, so it's worth noting again that these predictions are largely based on computer forecasts, not actual observations. In fact, a May 12 Telegram story on weather changes making Maine forests more "vulnerable" contained the following paragraph: "At this point, the visible impact of climate change in the Maine forest remains mostly subtle and the evidence anecdotal." It's time to stop being scared, and start rebuilding our economy without harmful taxes, rules or fees. ~ M.D. Harmon |
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Maine Organic Farmers
and Gardeners Assn
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Island gardens - veggies among the deer and rocks | | By Kaitlin Webber - Island gardens aren't that different from what I'm used to - apart from the layer of seaweed I spread last fall and the mussel shells that inexplicably keep rising to the surface. I'm also not used to having to keep all plants in maximum-security-prison mode. I left the netted gate open late last August and returned to find a vacant brown pit and a few beets with raccoon tooth marks. | | 5/16/2013 11:00:00 PM |
Genetically Modified Democracy: Monsanto and Congress Move to Stomp on Your Rights |  By Ronnie Cummins - Reliable sources in Washington D.C. have informed the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) that Monsanto has begun secretly lobbying its Congressional allies to attach one or more “Monsanto Riders” or amendments to the 2013 Farm Bill that would preempt or prohibit states from requiring labels on genetically engineered (GE) foods. | | 5/16/2013 11:00:00 PM |
Organic industry clout grows with consumer demand | | By Mary Clare Jalonick (AP): Washington - The organic food industry is gaining clout on Capitol Hill, prompted by rising consumer demand and its entry into traditional farm states. But that isn't going over well with everyone in Congress. Tensions between conventional and organic agriculture boiled over this week during a late-night House Agriculture Committee debate on a sweeping farm bill that has for decades propped up traditional crops and largely ignored organics. | | 5/16/2013 11:00:00 PM |
Old Orchard Beach butter maker faces loss of license | | By Jessica Hall - The Old Orchard Beach Town Council on Tuesday will consider revoking the business license of Kate's Homemade Butter, which has operated as a home-based business in the town since 1981. Kate's operates in about 1,000 square feet of space in a garage of an Old Orchard Beach home. The company has been building a 17,600-square-foot facility in Arundel, but that relocation has been slowed by past construction problems. | | 5/16/2013 11:00:00 PM |
Organic Valley ‘planning for a rebuild’ after fire | | By Allison Geyer - Displaced Organic Valley employees gathered outside a makeshift command post at the La Farge Community Temple on Wednesday afternoon, anxious to learn when - and how - they could get back to work. | | 5/15/2013 11:00:00 PM |
Diplomatic cables reveal aggressive GM lobbying by US officials | | By Suzanne Goldenberg - American diplomats lobbied aggressively overseas to promote genetically modified (GM) food crops such as soy beans, an analysis of official cable traffic revealed on Tuesday. The review of more than 900 diplomatic cables by the campaign group Food and Water Watch showed a carefully crafted campaign to break down resistance to GM products in Europe and other countries, and so help promote the bottom line of big American agricultural businesses. | | 5/14/2013 11:00:00 PM |
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Natural Resources Council
of Maine
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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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