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June 19, 2013
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Press releases, events, publications released, etc. from Maine environmental organizations and agencies. Submit content.
Introductory Class on Wild Mushrooms, Aug 20
Event - Posted - Saturday, August 13, 2011
Greg Marley, founder of Mushrooms for Health, will focus on the skills it takes to identify mushrooms. He will weave in information about medicinal mushrooms, cooking tips, collection basics and ethics, and more. August 20, 9 am - 3 pm, at Fields Pond Audubon Center, Holden, registration fee. |
Bug busting demo at Birdsacre, Aug 17
Event - Posted - Friday, August 12, 2011
The Maine Forest Service and Maine Department of Agriculture will hold a demonstration day on Aug 17, 11 am – 1 pm, on high-canopy, invasive-insect surveying for two invasive species, the Asian longhorned beetle and the hemlock woolly adelgid at Birdsacre in Ellsworth (rain date Aug 18). |
SVCA photo contest
Announcement - Friday, August 12, 2011
Deadline for Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association's third annual People’s Choice photography contest, open to all who want to share their favorite images from the Sheepscot Watershed, is Aug 26. |
Vote in American Rivers Calendar Photo Contest
Announcement - Thursday, August 11, 2011
Friends: One of my photos is a finalist in the 2012 American Rivers Calendar Photo Contest. The photo with the most votes will appear in the 2012 calendar, which is distributed nationwide. Voting ends Aug 18. One person, one vote. Thanks for yours. Jym St. Pierre |
Aldermere Farm art show, Aug 13
Event - Posted - Thursday, August 11, 2011
Aldermere Farm will hold its annual Art Show and Sale 9 am - 4 pm, Aug 13, in the historic farmhouse located on the farm property in Rockport. The yearly event will highlight how local artists depict the pastoral vistas of the farm in paintings and prints. The event will benefit the farm and its programs, as well as local artists. The show also will have Maine coastal scene paintings in the mix, to honor the work that Maine Coast Heritage Trust puts into preserving properties along the coast. |
Full Moon Canoe Tours, Aug 11-13
Event - Posted - Thursday, August 11, 2011
Experience the sights and sounds of marsh creatures under the full moon. Watch for black-crowned night heron along the bank or snowy egret flying back to a nearby island for the evening. We may even see a harbor seal or a muskrat playing in the water. At Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center, Aug 11, 12, 13. Registration fee. |
Intro to Backpacking for Women, Aug 11
Event - Posted - Thursday, August 11, 2011
Pre-trip meeting to discuss & learn how to pack & wear a backpack for self-sufficiency on Aug 11, 7-9 pm. Then meet on Aug 14 at 10 am and head to the Bold Coast Trail in Cutler for a hike in & overnight camping. Most gear and transportation included. Must pre-register. |
On the Horizon, Aug 11
Event - Posted - Thursday, August 11, 2011
The Island Institute presents the Maine premiere of Islands in the Wind, a film by David Conover and Compass Light Productions, followed by a moderated panel discussion of the future of offshore wind energy in Maine. At Strand Theatre, Rockland, Aug 11, 7 pm. |
Coastal Mountains Land Trust celebrates 25 years, Aug 16
Event - Posted - Thursday, August 11, 2011
Coastal Mountains Land Trust invites the community to Beech Hill Preserve on Aug 16 from 4 to 6 pm to celebrate 25 successful years of land conservation. From 6 to 8 pm the land trust membership will elect new board members at this official annual meeting.
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Moving Planet, Sep 24
Event - Posted - Thursday, August 11, 2011
On September 24, people come together in every nation on earth to show that we’re moving the planet beyond fossil fuels. The diversity of events coordinated by 350.org will be remarkable: people are planning marches large and small, bike parades that deliver petitions demanding a clean energy future, and even a kite-powered protest on the beach. Let's go. [90 second video] |
Celebrate Forever Farms, Aug 18
Event - Posted - Thursday, August 11, 2011
Maine Farmland Trust and Maine Coast Heritage Trust are partnering to celebrate Maine farmland preservation at Erickson Fields Preserve on Route 90 in Rockport on Aug. 18 from 5 to 8 pm. This event will celebrate a new program titled "Forever Farms," which is a way to celebrate the growing success of farmland protection efforts in Maine. |
Guide to the National Parks of the U.S.
Publication - Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Featuring 80 all new maps and more than 350 photos, this National Geographic guide is the most comprehensive, up-to-the-minute book of its kind. A perennial favorite with almost a million copies sold in previous editions. |
Guide to the National Parks of Canada
Publication - Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Maine shares a long international boundary with Canada. Many Mainers vacation there. Did you know that Canada was the first country in the world to establish a dedicated national park service, in 1911? Today, Parks Canada encompasses 42 national parks (including 9 UNESCO World Heritage sites), 167 national historic sites, and 4 marine conservation areas. This new guide from National Geographic is the official guide for Parks Canada. |
AmeriCorps Environmental Educator Positions
Announcement - Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The Maine Conservation Corps is accepting applications for AmeriCorps Environmental Educator positions located throughout Maine for Fall 2011 and 2012. |
Review: Parts North: a Back-Roads Noir
Publication - Wednesday, August 10, 2011
“Parts North: a Back-Roads Noir,” a self-published work by Bangor native Kevin Cohen, is a dark story of a man who has fallen on the wrong side of the law and returns with desperation to an unwelcoming town in rural western Maine. Hard times and family feuds greet Quinton, an ex-convict, when he returns to the fictitious town of Nezinscot, where everything has gone awry at the local paper mill and a union strike has wrung out the patience of residents with dry bank accounts. But Quinton is desperate for a job, even if that means working as a “scab” to keep the mill going during the strike. Though some of the scenes are dramatized, the basis of the situations reflect Cohen’s experiences and observations in Maine. ~ Aislinn Sarnacki |
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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 a 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: Sportsmen need public's backing for hunting, fishing to thrive
Kennebec Journal - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Sportsmen have been completely unsuccessful in winning public funding for this agency, which struggles to perform its mission of protecting and enhancing our wildlife and fisheries and the habitat they depend upon — a mission that certainly serves all of the people of this state. Until the public speaks up forcefully to demand that its legislators and governor provide some of their tax money to this department, it won't happen. ~ George Smith |
Letter: Bear facts
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
I believe Katie Hansberry is on a personal crusade that overshadows the good that the Humane Society of the United States is known for and which most of us support. In voicing her own opinion in a June 13 BDN OpEd titled, “Give voters chance to end bear hunting cruelty,” and stating how that applies to the bear population here in Maine, she reveals her ignorance of “the truth about hounding, baiting and trapping.” I might give ground on hounding and trapping as no longer a humane way to control the bear population. However, to include baiting within the definition of cruel just doesn’t work. A happy bear shot by a marksman “while feasting on rotting doughnuts and pizza” died a very humane death. Plus, the bear meat is said to be more edible. ~ Richard N. Bedard, Columbia Falls |
Rolling billboards must yield to Maine's ban
Portland Press Herald - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Billboards, including those on wheels, have been banned in Maine for 30 years. The last one was knocked down in 1984. But don't expect a state trooper to pull over the next rolling billboard you see and write out a ticket. |
Letter: City should treasure Congress Square
Portland Press Herald - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
In her 1961 book, "The Death and Life of Great American Cities," Jane Jacobs states that cities are best when allowed to develop organically, built to meet the needs of their people for air, space and diversity, not to gratify greed. Improvements to Congress Square Park with the intent to enhance its appeal and increase the park as a place for everyone to enjoy would be preferable, ultimately attracting more people to businesses here and to invest in a city that draws people with its personal flavor. ~ Suzanne Laberg, Portland |
Senators disagree over resolution creating government oversight of east-west highway
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
A resolve to ensure continued legislative oversight of the planning, creation and operation of an east-west highway in Maine caused dissention in the Senate Tuesday night, where Democrats sought to control the process and Republicans said it’s a private venture that should be left alone. At issue Tuesday night in the Senate was a resolution that the Legislature wants to “protect the public interest with regard to this private road proposal and be certain the negative impacts are as minimal as possible” and to “ensure there is ongoing legislative oversight for any proposal that comes forward and to require an in-depth agency review of all potential impacts to the state’s environment, small communities and existing economies along any proposed route.” The Senate voted on party lines, 20-15, to adopt the resolution, which passed through the House unanimously earlier in the day without a roll-call vote. |
Maine lawmakers unanimously endorse no toxic chemicals in children's toys
Portland Press Herald - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Lawmakers quietly and unanimously advanced a bill Tuesday aimed at beefing up the state program designed to phase out toxic chemicals in children's products, but final passage is still in question. L.D. 1181 would require manufacturers of 49 chemicals on the so-called "high concern list" to report what products contain the chemicals identified by the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention. The bill was opposed by the Le-Page administration, which has backed a 2011 effort to repeal the law the bill seeks to bolster, the Kid Safe Products Act of 2008. |
LePage speaks frankly to Dirigo Girls State delegates
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
While his main address to the 67th Dirigo Girls State assembly was what one would expect in inspiring girls to get involved in the political process, perhaps Gov. Paul LePage's frank answers during the question and answer session that followed proved more educational. On wind energy: “It’s a lot of hot air...I don’t believe the governor or the Legislature should pick a winner or a loser, but we have in Maine. We in Maine have said that there is no limitation on wind and we can build all the wind towers that we want and this will force people in Maine and will force people in New England to buy our power....That’s my problem with wind.…It’s nice, it’s renewable, but it’s very, very expensive." |
Maine bill would raise snowmobile registration fees
Portland Press Herald - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The House and Senate have passed a bill that would increase the registration fee for snowmobiles and use the extra money to help maintain snowmobile trails. The measure would help fund the maintenance of trails, but even if it does pass, there is a good chance it will be vetoed by Gov. Paul LePage. |
Attempt to strengthen Maine mining laws likely fails
Portland Press Herald - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
A bill designed to tighten mining laws that took effect last year appears headed for defeat, with the House and Senate unable to reach consensus on the language. Earlier this month, the House voted 91-49 to pass an amended version of a bill, L.D. 1302, that would add environmental and financial safeguards to the law passed last year allowing open-pit mineral mining in Maine. The Senate rejected that version the next day. The House responded one day later by insisting on passage of the bill. On Tuesday, the Senate rejected the bill 19-16, with several Democrats siding with Republicans to defeat it. The Senate then voted to attach a separate amendment, proposed by Sen. Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, and sent the bill back to the House, which is not likely to pass that version.
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Tuesday vetoes highlight LePage’s conflicts with Democrats
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
On Tuesday evening, Gov. Paul LePage vetoed LD 734, a proposal by Assistant Senate Democratic Leader Troy Jackson of Allagash to benefit U.S. loggers by offering a sales tax exemption or refund for depreciable equipment used in commercial wood harvesting. As was the case with LD 491, another Jackson bill aimed at helping U.S. loggers, LePage questioned the constitutionality of the bill. The Senate upheld the governor’s veto of LD 491 on Monday and LD 734 late Tuesday night. |
LePage threatens veto of wide-ranging energy bill
Portland Press Herald - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
A wide-ranging energy bill that won broad support in the Legislature could be vetoed Wednesday by Gov. Paul LePage if an amendment to help the University of Maine's offshore floating wind project isn't included in the law, the governor's energy director said Tuesday. At issue is the governor's desire to support the university's VolturnUS pilot project over a competing venture being developed by Statoil USA, the Norwegian energy company. Sen. John Cleveland said failure to pass the bill would leave the state unable to negotiate for new natural gas capacity and lower wholesale prices, a shortcoming that's costing Maine homes and businesses $200 million a year. |
Brewer engineering firm acquires environmental consulting business
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
CES Inc., an engineering firm in Brewer, has acquired Summit Environmental Consultants in Lewiston, according to a news release. Summit, which is an environmental consulting firm with offices in Lewiston, Augusta and Bangor, will maintain operations as a subsidiary of CES in Lewiston and Augusta, while the Bangor staff will be relocated to CES’ corporate office in Brewer. Summit employs 20 people. |
The future of Rockland rail line comes around the bend
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The future of the Brunswick to Rockland railroad line will be decided over the next 18 months. The line is viewed as important both for local industries to move freight less expensively and for tourist-related businesses that benefit from the influx of visitors. Maine Eastern Railroad has operated the 56-mile-long rail line for the past 10 years. Its contract with the state was to expire in October 2013, but the company agreed to continue running through December 2014. The line has experienced a significant drop in freight and passenger traffic during the past few years, the transportation official acknowledged, and the company has cut back significantly on its passenger excursion service this summer. The 15-month extension on the contract allows the state to solicit proposals, beginning this fall, from other railroad companies. |
Unethical Behavior at DEP Prompts Calls for Investigation
Maine Conservation Voters - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Maine Conservation Voters and the Maine People’s Alliance today called on the Maine Legislature to investigate unethical and improper behavior at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. A series of articles in the Portland Press Herald published over the past three days has revealed that under Commissioner Pattie Aho’s direction, the DEP has used staff intimidation, lack of enforcement and delayed implementation of environmental and public health initiatives to benefit multi-million dollar corporations including pharmaceutical, chemical, and energy companies. "The Legislature should use every method at its disposal and begin immediately to examine how the mission of the Department of Environmental Protection has been undermined to serve corporations at the expense of Maine people," said Maine Conservation Voters Executive Director Maureen Drouin. |
LePage issues new policy: No more talking to newspaper
Portland Press Herald - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Gov. Paul LePage's administration will no longer comment in stories published by the Portland Press Herald, the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel, his spokeswoman said Tuesday. The new policy follows the newspapers' publication of a three-day series of articles this week examining LePage's top environmental regulator and how her department's actions have benefited her former lobbying clients in private industry. |
Hike: Burnt Jacket Mountain
Aislinn Sarnacki Act Out Blog - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
At 1,680 feet above sea level, Burnt Jacket is just a small mountain compared to the nearby peaks of Big Moose, Big Spencer and Chairback mountains. Nevertheless, this mountain provides partial views of the Moosehead region, as well as an opportunity to hike through a lush forest that is home to moose, deer, bear, grouse and a variety of other animals. A trail leading to the top of the mountain, beginning at a large parking area in a gravel pit, starts off as an old, overgrown road. |
Opinion: The cost of requiring more renewable power
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Phil Bartlett doesn’t know much about the costs of the renewable portfolio standards, but he does like to huff and puff about conspiracy theories. In a June 4 OpEd, he conjured up dark, sinister forces aligning themselves against his pet environmental regulations. Among them he cites Americans for Prosperity. As the state director for Americans for Prosperity Maine, I advocate on behalf of our more than 6,000 members here in Maine who believe that lower taxes, smaller government and less regulation are the best ways to ensure economic prosperity and opportunity for all of our state’s residents. It’s time for Maine to scrap the new RPS mandates and let consumers in the free market choose the best energy source. ~ Carol Weston |
New Report: Transatlantic Trade Pact Could Pose Environmental Risks
Other - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Today, the Sierra Club released a report that highlights many of the threats the Transatlantic Trade and Investment deal could pose to the health of communities, our air and water, and the global climate. The report, “The Transatlantic Trade Agreement: What’s at Stake For Communities and the Environment,” focuses on three important regulatory arenas that the trade negotiations might disrupt: environmental protection, food safety, and industrial chemical regulations. The report also speaks to the risks associated with including vast protections for foreign corporations in the agreement, and the potential for the pact to open the floodgates for more dangerous natural gas fracking across the United States.
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Blue Hill raw milk seller ordered to pay $1,000 in fines, court fees
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Blue Hill dairy farmer Dan Brown has been ordered to pay $1,000 in fines and court fees for illegally selling unlabeled, unlicensed raw milk from his roadside farm stand. During the penalty hearing on Friday, Justice Ann Murray denied Brown’s effort to convince her to rescind her May 2 decision against him, and granted the state’s request for penalties and court fees totaling $1,138 Brown has always contended that his milk is safe — with or without a license — but Murray ruled in May that “the public health implications of permitting Brown to continue to sell milk without a license are substantial.” |
Take Precautions Visiting Beaches, Lakes and Pools this Summer
Maine Government News - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
“Maine’s beaches, lakes and rivers will be full of swimmers, boaters, fisherman and adventure-seekers this summer,’’ said Governor Paul R. LePage. “I urge people to take the necessary steps to assure they are safe while enjoying some of Maine’s best natural resources. Swimmers, boaters and pool owners must do all they can to reduce the risk of accidents that may have tragic consequences.” Recreational water illnesses (RWIs), drowning and sunburn are leading public health areas of concern during the summer months. |
Blog: Behind closed doors, lobbyists set the rules for LePage administration
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Gov. Paul LePage put Patricia Aho, a former lobbyist for chemical companies, in charge of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. One result is that children and firefighters continue to face exposure to chemicals causing cancer and developmental problems. Even more, internal processes demonstrate a culture of intimidation. A seven month probe by investigative reporter Colin Woodard found that “department staff is under pressure not to vigorously implement or enforce certain laws opposed by the commissioner’s former lobbying clients.” Aho was not just employed by the lobbying firm that represented chemical companies. She personally lobbied to try to prevent the passage of Maine’s Kids Safe Products law. |
Wind farms seek federal OK to kill eagles, pissing off both left and right
Grist - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
It’s not easy to unite the right-wing Heartland Institute and bird-loving environmentalists. But that’s what some wind energy developers appear to be doing by proposing to the federal government that they be allowed to kill bald eagles and other protected species with their turbines. Across the country, 14 wind projects have applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for permits that would let them “take” — aka harm or kill — a certain number of eagles each year. |
Commissioner or lobbyist?
Bangor Daily News - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The Maine Sunday Telegram and the Portland Press Herald are publishing a series of articles about Patricia Aho, Maine’s commissioner of Environmental Protection. Reporter Colin Woodward lays out what he says is evidence that Aho is placing little priority to laws she — as a lobbyist for chemical corporations — tried to defeat before they were enacted during the Baldacci administration. Political analysts Phil Harriman and Ethan Strimling talk about Aho, the articles and whether former lobbyists should be allowed to cross over into state government. |
Editorial: Maine DEP needs an advocate, not a lobbyist
Portland Press Herald - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Corporations can hire lobbyists to fight for them and influence public policy. Ordinary people can't. They depend on the government to be their advocate. When the lobbyist and the government are the same, the ordinary people are the ones who lose out. That's the case with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, where Patricia Aho, a former lobbyist for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, has been in charge for the last two years. Her actions at the DEP are part of Gov. LePage's war on regulation, which the businessman-candidate promised would be his priority if he were elected in 2010. |
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Maine Organic Farmers
and Gardeners Assn
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Gagged by Big Ag | | By Ted Genoways - Shawn Lyons was dead to rights - and he knew it. More than a month had passed since People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals had released a video of savage mistreatment at the MowMar Farms hog confinement facility where he worked as an entry-level herdsman in the breeding room. | | 6/17/2013 11:00:00 PM |
You Won't Believe What Pork Producers Do to Pregnant Pigs |  By Tom Philpott - Despite pigs' many lovable qualities, of all the billions of beasts confined in our meat factories, the most miserable may be the 5.9 million sows that churn out the piglets that grow into chops, bacon, and ham. | | 6/17/2013 11:00:00 PM |
Maine leaders try and fail to dilute recycling's success | | By Colin Woodard - 'Product stewardship' regulations – even those with industry and bipartisan support – meet staunch resistance from, among others, a commissioner with former ties to corporate interests. | | 6/17/2013 11:00:00 PM |
How Gardeners Can Help Pollinators | | Every food source and habitat provided can help pollinators rebound from the challenges they face. You can provide food and habitat in your backyard - or even in your windowsill - to help pollinators thrive. | | 6/17/2013 11:00:00 PM |
Strawberry Crop Looking Sweet | | By Joy Hollowell - Strawberry farmers in Maine are keeping a close eye on the weather these next few weeks. | | 6/16/2013 11:00:00 PM |
David Suzuki Video: Words of Caution on GMOs - and Blunt Words for Monsanto | | Prominent Canadian geneticist David Suzuki outlines the lack of any conclusive research proving GMOs are safe for human consumption and makes the argument that we should be able to choose in the marketplace (labeling). And he “speaks truth to power” in his messaging to the Monsanto. | | 6/16/2013 11:00:00 PM |
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Natural Resources Council
of Maine
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