Maine Environmental News

News Items

From family-friendly trails to challenging climbs, these Maine hiking hotspots are worth the trek
Bangor Daily News - Saturday, May 25, 2019
Certain areas of Maine are hiking hotspots, places where you can easily plan out several days of wilderness walking. In these locations, you can find family-friendly treks to waterfalls and remote ponds, and you can also tackle more challenging climbs over rugged terrain to bald peaks and abandoned fire towers. A little insider knowledge and extra planning can help you embrace these beautiful and popular hiking destinations with success.

Opinion: Wayne residents should vote for conservation
Kennebec Journal - Saturday, May 25, 2019
The town of Wayne has a unique opportunity to provide for the protection and use of a tract of land that currently contributes significantly to its open space goal, at little cost to the town. This unique tract provides a major contribution to Wayne open spaces. To sell or otherwise fragment this land would jeopardize the linkage it provides to other lands, and degrade its significant natural values, including its diverse wildlife habitats, and recreational potentials. I urge Wayne voters to vote for long-term conservation on June 11. ~ Fred Hurley

Letter: Forest conservation contributes to Moosehead region’s progress
Portland Press Herald - Saturday, May 25, 2019
Last week volunteers helped clear the treadway for a new trail north of Greenville. It’s just one of many new and improved trails that partners have completed in the area since 2012. Conserved forests are an essential part of these initiatives. Forests give us so much: Good jobs. Great communities. A glimpse into the past. A place for fish and wildlife to thrive. The chance to explore. As a land trust for Maine’s North Woods, the Forest Society of Maine is committed to sustaining these values. As Maine moves forward, let’s remember the Moosehead Lake region and its progress. At the edge of Maine’s largest lake, land conservation has laid the framework for a better future. ~ Karin Tilberg, Forest Society of Maine, Bangor

Letter: Further city waterfront restrictions won’t benefit fishermen
Portland Press Herald - Saturday, May 25, 2019
Having fished commercially for over 30 years, I fear the mistake Portland’s about to make, approving damaging zoning on the waterfront. The culprit is policy that has systematically decimated smaller fishermen. Thanks to severe federal and state restrictions, climate change and short-sighted decisions to reward those who catch the most fish, commercial groundfishing is now corporate. Lobstering is next on the hit list. Politicians don’t like difficulty. Their zoning “solution” creates no new berthing for fishermen. It punishes others, and cuts tax revenue for infrastructure upgrades on the working waterfront. You hurt fishermen by slowing Portland’s economic engine. The answer is collaboration, not confrontation. ~ Craig A. Pendleton, Old Orchard Beach

Collins Introduces Legislation for Prevention and Treatment of Tick-Borne Illnesses
Maine Public - Friday, May 24, 2019
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has introduced legislation that would authorize $100 million for the prevention and treatment of tick-borne illnesses. She says Lyme disease and other illnesses are expanding to more areas of the country and she wants the federal government to step up its efforts in a number of areas, like: “data collection and analysis, support early detection and diagnosis, improve treatment and heighten public awareness.” Collins’ measure would authorize $20 million per year to states, create a national oversight office to coordinate efforts, and authorize $10 million per year for five years for regional centers to study Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

80 animals seized from Corinna farm
Bangor Daily News - Friday, May 24, 2019
Eighty animals were seized Friday from a Corinna farm by the Animal Welfare Division of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. The owner of the animals was hospitalized and unable to care for them.

Students From 1,600 Cities Just Walked Out of School to Protest Climate Change
TIME - Friday, May 24, 2019
Hundreds of thousands of students around the world walked out of their schools and colleges Friday in the latest in a series of strikes urging action to address the climate crisis. According to event organizers Fridays for Future, over 1664 cities across 125 countries registered strike actions, with more expected to report turnouts in the coming days.

Mills Criticizes Trump Administration's Aggressive Implementation of Tariffs
Maine Public - Friday, May 24, 2019
With trade tensions escalating between the United States and China and a growing economic toll on Maine businesses — particularly lobster dealers — Gov. Janet Mills is emphasizing international trade as a vital part of the state's future. Mills said that as many as 4400 jobs in Maine have been put at risk by the tariffs. She called on Maine's business community to invest in new partnerships and innovations that would move the state forward. Those could include a more formal trade arrangement with Finland where government and the private sector have succeeded in finding new markets for the country's traditional wood products industries.

Maine Natural Gas Company Wants To Turn Cow Manure Into Renewable Energy
Maine Public - Friday, May 24, 2019
Summit Utilities, which operates Summit Natural Gas of Maine, is building what is called a "Dairy Digester" in the Kennebec County town of Clinton. The company is investing about $20 million into the project. When it is finished, it will take waste manure form several dairy farms in the area, break it down in a system that resembles an enormous, airless compost bin, and then inject the gas that is one of the products of the process into Maine's grid to use for home heating.

Brunswick students learn what it takes to go ‘From Mud to Table’
Times Record - Friday, May 24, 2019
“From Mud to Table” — that’s the title of an Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) project being conducted by two Brunswick High School Seniors. The muddy part involves the invasive green crab population that likes to munch on valuable soft shell clams. And the table part is figuring out ways to eat them. The many steps in between are not without their challenges, but there are some innovative solutions in the works. This is what Ariana Edwards and Chloe Kilborn are documenting through a series of photographs and interviews.

Freeport brewery launches push to put more clean energy into its beer
Times Record - Friday, May 24, 2019
Beer is more than just a mixture of water, grain, hops and yeast. Brewers know that each batch needs energy — the electricity to power the brewing system, to control the climate to heat the water, to bottle the beer, to refrigerate the finished product, to transport it where it needs to go. Behind every bottle of beer is a substantial carbon footprint — something that Maine Beer Company says it wants to reduce. The company launched a new clean energy initiative on Thursday to help increase renewable energy in the community and across the state.

Final design of Maine bicentennial flag unveiled
Maine Government News - Friday, May 24, 2019
Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap today finalized the design of the Maine bicentennial commemorative flag, to be on display statewide through 2020. The flag is comprised of a field of blue representing the sky; lighter blue across the bottom representing water, be that river, pond or ocean; and a pine tree moved off center to make the viewer feel like they are inside the forest, looking out.

One of the largest environmental protests ever is underway. It’s led by children.
Other - Friday, May 24, 2019
A massive global youth-led protest demanding political action on climate change is underway Friday, with 2,300 school strikes planned in 150 countries. In previous strikes, youth have managed to shame some governments into action on climate change, but students around the world are skipping school today to demand even more. And activists are hoping it will be the largest demonstration for environmental action in history. The demands are clear: more aggressive targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions to keep warming in check, with budgets and legal force to back them.

TPL scores Portland on parks
Trust for Public Land - Friday, May 24, 2019
The Trust for Public Land has built a comprehensive database of local parks in the nearly 14,000 cities, towns and communities. According to TPL's ParkScore index, Portland, Maine:
• Has 105 parks
• 88% of residents live within a 10 minute walk of a park
• 8,692 people live outside a 10-minute walk to a park
• 7% of Portland's city land is used for parks and recreation

Maine’s one-stop shop for outdoors adventure gets an upgrade
Down East - Friday, May 24, 2019
Stephen Engle, director of the Center for Community GIS, a Farmington-based company that provides digital mapping services, figured the web was the only medium that could hold a clearinghouse of trail info for hikers, mountain bikers, and paddlers. So, in 2010, CCGIS launched Maine Trail Finder, at first featuring a few dozen trails, mostly in Franklin County. Since then, the site’s coverage has grown to span the whole state. This spring, he and his team rolled out a sleek new look for the site.

‘Riverwalk: Swimming Upstream’ banners on display in Gardiner
Kennebec Journal - Friday, May 24, 2019
Volunteers from Upstream recently installed 26 art banners designed to record and celebrate the restoration of the stream and Kennebec River as told by the people who made it happen. This exhibit also kicks off the celebration of 20th anniversary of the removal of Edwards Dam in Augusta and the revitalization of the Kennebec River.

Outdoorsmen can be jerks. What hunting, fishing and hiking behaviors tick you off?
Bangor Daily News - Friday, May 24, 2019
Outdoorsmen (and women, for that matter) can be jerks. What kind of hunting, fishing or hiking behaviors tick you off? How much is too much? What kinds of things can we do to make our outdoor pursuits more civil?

Letter: Editorial fails to recognize evolution in how we see animals
Portland Press Herald - Friday, May 24, 2019
The Portland Press Herald’s May 16 editorial, while attempting to poke holes in the rights of animals by questioning whether or not a dog had legal standing in court, trivialized the very real problems society faces in protecting the welfare of animals. Regardless, if one believes animals should have rights or standing in a court of law, they nonetheless deserve respect and protection from those who would do them harm. As society evolves to recognize others’ rights, as it has with women and minorities, so has the language. Animals have always deserved the same, and now the time has come. ~ Don Kimball, South Portland

York lobster dealer wins national exporter award
Portland Press Herald - Thursday, May 23, 2019
A York lobster dealer has won a presidential award for contributing to American export growth. Maine Coast earned the 2019 President’s “E” Award for showing sustained growth over four years, but the administration’s escalating trade war with China has slowed that expansion. The company has made its mark selling lobster to China’s growing middle class. In February, in the days leading up to Chinese New Year, which used to be Maine Coast’s busiest time of year, company owner Tom Adams said that the U.S.-China trade war had cost him 90 percent of his China business.

Some ATV trails will be open May 25th
WAGM-TV - Thursday, May 23, 2019
According to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, in order to provide some opportunities for riding, the following rail trails will be open beginning Saturday, May 25th, for Memorial Day weekend.
- Aroostook Valley Trail
- Bangor and Aroostook Trail
- Southern Bangor and Aroostook Trail from Houlton to Phair Junction, and
- St. John Valley Heritage Trail
Most other trails remain closed due to saturated soil conditions.

Maine Natural Gas Company Wants To Turn Cow Manure Into Renewable Energy
Maine Public - Thursday, May 23, 2019
Summit Utilities, which operates Summit Natural Gas of Maine, is building what is called a "Dairy Digester" in the Kennebec County town of Clinton. The company is investing about $20 million into the project. When it is finished, it will take waste manure form several dairy farms in the area, break it down in a system that resembles an enormous, airless compost bin, and then inject the gas that is one of the products of the process into Maine's grid to use for home heating.

Now there’s an easy way to get lake-specific info on Maine fishing rules
Bangor Daily News - Thursday, May 23, 2019
Finding out what fishing rules govern specific Maine waters just became easier, thanks to an online tool unveiled by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Called Maine’s Fishing Laws Online Angling Tool — FLOAT, for short — the map-based program is available through a computer or smartphone, and allows the user to access fishing regulations for any Maine water quickly. The tool requires Wi-Fi or cellular data access in order to access it.

Finland’s ‘bioeconomy’ could provide roadmap for Maine
Portland Press Herald - Thursday, May 23, 2019
Jaana Husu-Kallio has a deep respect for forests and the many industries they support. The same goes for coastal fisheries, local agriculture and thousands of fresh water lakes that dot the country. Even recounting tales of moose hunting along logging roads sounds familiar. As the Permanent Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry in Finland, Husu-Kallio isn’t devoted to Maine. But she does think her country’s campaign to develop a “bioeconomy” anchored in forest products, foods and renewable energy holds lessons for the state. Husu-Kallio is visiting Maine for her first time this week to meet with economic development, trade and industry officials.

Poll shows Maine voters want action on climate change
Maine Conservation Voters - Thursday, May 23, 2019
According to a recent poll released this week by Maine Conservation Voters, Maine voters see climate change as a serious challenge and a large majority support action:
• 71% believe climate change is a serious problem
• 59% say impacts have already begun to affect Maine
• 69% support Maine transitioning to 100% clean energy by 2050
• 66% are likely to support a candidate for the State Legislature who supports growing a clean economy economy and addressing climate change

Here’s how to repel mosquitoes while working in the yard
Bangor Daily News - Thursday, May 23, 2019
Gardening is fun. Mosquito bites are not. If you think mosquitoes are particularly drawn to you when you are working hard in the garden or in the yard, you are not delusional. All that sweating (and breathing) is especially attractive to the biting bugs. The most common mosquito repellents are made with diethyltoluamide, otherwise known as DEET, or picaridin. Joseph Conlon, of the American Mosquito Control Association, recommended a 25 to 30 percent formulation of DEET or a formulation of 15+ percent picaridin. Many old wives’ natural remedies for mosquito repellents, such as garlic, apple cider vinegar and vitamin B12 supplements are basically bunk. Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so make sure all stagnant pools, no matter the size, have been drained from your property.

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