Maine Environmental News

News Items

Edibles grab larger share of medical marijuana market
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, July 23, 2017
Every few days, Chad Crandall and Emily Isler take a break from tending to the chickens, pigs and crops and head to the kitchen to cook up their weekly supply of marijuana-infused maple sugar candies. The caregivers sell their sweet little confections, which are made from their friends’ maple syrup and marijuana the couple grow on their Jay farm, to their medical marijuana patients. A package of 20 candies costs about $50, plus a $4 state sales tax. This is the face of the fastest-growing segment of Maine’s medical marijuana market. In states where recreational marijuana is legal, edibles represent 10 percent of the total cannabis market, and that number is expected to grow, prompting many Maine medible producers to begin ramping up with an eye on Maine’s looming recreational retail market.

Luxury hotels, fine dining for LePage on taxpayers’ dime
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, July 23, 2017
Gov. Paul LePage, his staff and security detail spent more than $35,000 on luxury hotels, restaurants and travel to Washington, D.C., over a three-month period last spring as Maine’s Republican governor attended meetings or sought audiences with members of Congress and the Trump administration. LePage’s appointment calendar also lists dozens of “private appointments” during his four trips to the nation’s capital. His office has refused to provide more details. Taxpayers footed most of the bill for the governor’s travels. The calendar shows that LePage traveled from Presque Isle to Washington and back to Maine in a 24-hour period so he could appear at a news conference where Trump announced plans to review dozens of national monuments, including Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. The monument landed on the review list largely because of LePage’s vocal opposition to the project.

Cultivating the art of practical magic on a Rockport farm
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, July 23, 2017
Avena Botanicals, one of Maine’s oldest herb farms and its first certified biodynamic farm of any kind, is a serious business, producing over 1,000 pounds of herbs every growing season and more than 300 different species on three lush acres. But it’s also the agricultural equivalent of a soul spa, capable of making someone feel, setting foot on the property, as if they have just had a massage or fallen under a spell. Deb Soule, a Maine native who has been exploring herbal remedies since she was a teenager in the 1970s, is the presiding queen of the magic. Other herb farmers describe her as an icon and an inspiration.

Brianne Du Clos has created a tool to help wild blueberry farmers
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, July 23, 2017
University of Maine Ph.D. candidate Brianne Du Clos has spent a lot of time chasing after Maine’s bees. She’s getting ready to wrap up her doctoral work this fall, but first, she’ll be helping wild blueberry farmers navigate a new tool called BeeMapper she created to help them with their pollination management plans.

AMC’s new lodge lacks historic look, but guests approve
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, July 23, 2017
There is no noise from traffic at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s new lodge beside Second Roach Pond, north of Greenville. No cell service, no stores nearby, no high-tech conveniences. It’s your classic Maine sporting camp – located deep in the woods beside a lake with plenty of loons – with one catch. Unlike AMC’s two historic lodges in the Maine woods, this one is practically new and opened July 1. Inside the Medawisla Lodge and Cabins, the rustic pine lodge smells of fresh cut wood. It could pass for a modern mountain home in a glossy magazine.

Column: What’s in a bird name? Better check with the committee
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, July 23, 2017
In early July, many birders eagerly await the annual report of the North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society. This committee of professional ornithologists is responsible for making decisions on the splitting or lumping of species, changes in common and scientific names of birds, and changes in the order in which birds appear in official checklists. Like any scientists, ornithologists revisit bird identification and classification as more information becomes available. ~ Herb Wilson

Column: Skip the amenities and try these beaches instead
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, July 23, 2017
Sand beaches are something of a rarity in Maine. The most popular stretches of beach – like Old Orchard Beach and York Beach in the south, and Acadia’s Sand Beach farther north – can get crowded pretty quickly. Where can you take your blanket if you want to enjoy beach weather without waiting in traffic, looking for parking or searching for an open spot on the sand? If you’re willing to forego the fried food stands and T-shirt shops of southern Maine’s popular destinations, a trip to Drift Inn Beach in Port Clyde and Birch Point Beach State Park in Owls Head are a couple of my favorite, less-crowded sand beaches in the state. ~ Jake Christie

Letter: Pingree earns her wings by supporting Alaskan refuge
Maine Sunday Telegram - Sunday, July 23, 2017
The recent sightings of a snowy owl and drake king eider in Maine are unusual, since both these species should be in the Arctic at this time of year. It is a reminder that many of the birds and waterfowl we enjoy seeing and listening to here in Maine rely on distant areas for summer breeding grounds. The Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a critical breeding ground for hundreds of species of migratory birds from around the world. I applaud Rep. Chellie Pingree for supporting legislation that would designate this critical habitat as wilderness. ~ Andrew Cadot, Portland

Column: Deer permits on the rise
Sun Journal - Saturday, July 22, 2017
For Maine deer hunters who plan ahead, the is the time of year to submit your applications for the annual drawing of any-deer (doe) permits. Statewide this year, the Department of Fish and Wildlife will issue about 66,000 any-deer permits. This is 20,000 more doe permits than were issued in 2016. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

Acadia National Park gets funding for trail maintenance
Presque Isle Star-Herald - Saturday, July 22, 2017
Acadia National Park has been awarded $192,286 for trail maintenance, the National Park Service announced Saturday. Friends of Acadia will provide another $259,112 for trail maintenance through the park service’s Centennial Challenge program, which is distributing $50 million nationwide for maintenance and infrastructure projects at 42 parks in 29 states. Congress approved $20 million for the projects which will be matched by $33 million from park partners to improve trails, restore buildings and increase visitor access.

Five peregrine falcon chicks fly at Acadia, but one nest fails
Acadia On My Mind Blog - Saturday, July 22, 2017
Five peregrine falcon checks have fledged at nests at two sites in Acadia National Park this year, but for unknown reasons a nest failed at a third site that has yielded chicks in recent years, a biologist at the park said Friday. There was a pair of adult falcons at Jordan Cliffs and it is believed they started a nest but then one of the adults disappeared around the middle of June, and the nest failed. On the positive side, the peregrine falcon chicks at the Precipice and Valley Cove have been flying since about July 1, and seemed alert and healthy.

As Lyme disease spreads, researchers focus on stemming the threat in Maine
Bangor Daily News - Saturday, July 22, 2017
In Maine, the threat is growing. Fourteen tick species have been found in the state. Of those species, two pose significant health threats — one to humans and another to one of Maine’s most iconic animals. Researchers at the University of Maine are studying the arachnids and the diseases they spread in an attempt to better protect the health of people, animals and the environment. The deer tick or blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) is responsible for the majority of tick-borne illnesses affecting humans and domestic animals in Maine. The winter tick or moose tick (Dermacentor albipictus) prefers ungulate hosts, including moose.

For Mr. and Mrs. Fish, it’s time for a sea change
Portland Press Herald - Saturday, July 22, 2017
The husband and wife team of Jeff and Deb Sandler, better known as Mr. and Mrs. Fish, have hosted their summer camp for 39 years. The Sandlers will continue to make educational visits to schools and aquariums, but at ages 69 and 67, respectively, Mr. and Mrs. Fish have decided to close the camp.

Opinion: States should fix solar incentives, not dump them
Portland Press Herald - Saturday, July 22, 2017
Almost overnight, it seems, the decade-long expansion of rooftop solar in the U.S. has come to an end. Installations are set to fall by 2 percent this year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Partly to blame is a widening campaign to end a key customer incentive, homeowners’ ability to sell their extra energy back to the grid at retail prices. In the long run, the dispute over net metering will likely diminish, as costs fall and better batteries make storing surplus power economic. In the meantime, states should dispel needless uncertainty about solar by assuring users and utilities alike that a fair price will be paid for sending power back onto the grid. ~ Bloomberg

Letter: Environmental issues take shine from the solar array
Portland Press Herald - Saturday, July 22, 2017
Earlier this year, the Portland City Council approved plans to build a solar array on the capped dump near Ocean Avenue. About 10 years ago, my neighbor began a personal investigation into the site’s environmental condition. Her thick notebook of facts raises more questions than answers. The environmental problems with the capped dump and the solar array installation are unavoidably entwined. While I support the solar panel project, serious environmental questions must first be answered about this particular closed landfill as an appropriate building site. ~ Kim Rich, Portland

Letter: Endangered animals hunted for fur
Morning Sentinel - Saturday, July 22, 2017
I think that we should help pumas and golden bamboo lemurs because people are stealing their fur. They are endangered. ~ Michael Loubier, 6, Winslow

Letter: Please keep Kennebec River beautiful
Kennebec Journal - Saturday, July 22, 2017
The Kennebec River is a beautiful place. Some people fish in it. If we keep polluting the water, then it will be less beautiful. Also, no more fish! People should stop throwing things in the water and recycle. Let’s fix this. ~ Zuri Voorhees, 11, Augusta

Letter: Humans must look out for animals
Kennebec Journal - Saturday, July 22, 2017
I think that people aren’t really paying attention to what they’re doing to the animals. We are talented because we are human. It’s like the people and the animals are in a race and the people have a two-foot head start. It’s not even fair. There should be a limit to how much you can hunt. We need animals to survive in this world. Plus, they should get the respect we get. ~ Azalea Voorhees, 8, Augusta

Letter: Big Cat Rescue needs your help
Kennebec Journal - Saturday, July 22, 2017
One year I went to Florida and my family went to Big Cat Rescue. When we were there I learned that they had to save cats from being abused. That really upset me and I wanted to help save cats, so when I got home I started my own research. I learned that the Amur leopard was the most endangered animal in the wild. So I decided to help. I sent Big Cat Rescue $100 of my saving money and at the end of the year I’m going to send them $240 from my donation money. ~ Adelle MacLeay, 9, Rome

Schoodic Institute president details ongoing changes at Schoodic Point
Ellsworth American - Friday, July 21, 2017
As tourists from all over flock to Acadia National Park for the summer, not everyone is headed to the hills and trails of Mount Desert Island. Some are headed to one of the park’s lesser-known locations: Schoodic Point in Winter Harbor. Each passing year brings more people to this part of the park, which lies at the southern tip of the Schoodic Peninsula. Yet as Schoodic Point increases in popularity, efforts must be taken to preserve its natural scenery. Those responsibilities fall to the Schoodic Institute, a nonprofit group that partners with Acadia to manage this area of Maine’s only national park.

Mill says it has major buyer lined up for tissue paper, taxpayer help would support 62 jobs
Bangor Daily News - Friday, July 21, 2017
Catalyst Paper Corp. wants Maine taxpayers to sweeten a $56-million investment in a tissue-making machine at its Rumford mill, as part of a company overhaul plan of untold cost that it calls Project Falcon. The company said the project would allow it to take advantage of a growing market for the tissue paper, and even has a “major paper merchant” lined up to buy all that the new machine can produce. Catalyst told state investors the tissue paper enterprise will be able to support 62 full-time jobs, worth $79 million in annual payroll and benefits.

State increases number of any-deer permits by 20,295; lottery now open
John Holyoke Out There Blog - Friday, July 21, 2017
If you’re hoping to increase your odds this deer season and are hoping that you’ll receive a coveted “any-deer” permit that will allow you to target does, should you choose, there’s some good news this morning. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has announced that for 2017, a total of 66.050 any-deer permits will be issued. That’s an increase of 20,295 from last year’s 45,755 any-deer permits.

Maine guides win grant for great new marketing project
George Smith BDN Outdoor News Blog - Friday, July 21, 2017
The Maine Professional Guides Association won a $10,000 grant from the Maine Office of Tourism to create a member directory to distribute out of state. “It is noteworthy because we are taking the lead to promote member businesses and tourism recognizes that they are not.” Don Kleiner, MPGA lobbyist and executive director, told me. They hope to have the directory done by January. It’s been a frustration of many of us that the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife does not work with our outdoor industries on marketing.

Missing New Jersey hiker found dead in White Mountains
Associated Press - Friday, July 21, 2017
A missing New Jersey hiker has been found dead in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The body of 63-year-old Gregory Auriemma, of Brick, New Jersey, was found Thursday night by Appalachian Mountain Club work crews in the Dry River Wilderness, about 70 miles north of Concord. Auriemma was reported missing earlier this month.

Letter: EPA under attack
Bangor Daily News - Friday, July 21, 2017
The Environmental Protection Agency and its ability to protect us and our environment is under blatant attack by the Trump administration. President Donald Trump is attempting to slash a third of the EPA’s budget, and a fifth of its staff. For more than four decades, the EPA has been America’s chief defender of clean air and water, wildlife and wild places. It has cleared the air of our cities. It has dramatically reduced acid rain that damages our forests and waters. And it has saved the bald eagle — one of the most iconic animals in America — from extinction. We need to defend the EPA against these outrageous and devastating cuts. ~ Penelope Andrews, Bangor

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