The dropping numbers in Connecticut and Rhode Island have put many lobstermen out of business. By Patrick Whitte The Associated Press news story The lobster population has crashed to the lowest levels on record in southern New England while climbing to heights never before seen in the cold waters off Maine and other northern reaches Read More
Freeport ‘Farm’ to Harvest, Share Solar Energy
By Kate Gardner The Forecaster news story FREEPORT — A community solar farm will soon be opening for residents who can’t have solar panels at their homes. The solar farm will be at Maine Idyll Motor Court on U.S. Route 1. Construction expected to start in November. Nine shares in the farm are being sold Read More
Report: Clean Power Plan Key to Protecting Drinking Water, Wildlife Habitat
News release of the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Council of Maine MAINE (August 18, 2015) – Maine’s and America’s waterways are already being stressed by climate change and President Obama’s Clean Power Plan is urgently needed to protect them. This is the conclusion of a new report by the National Wildlife Federation, Read More
In Impaired Central Maine Lakes, Alewives Have Outsized Impact
After decades of poor water quality, central Maine lakes such as Vassalboro’s Webber Pond improve after alewives are reintroduced. By Peter McGuire, Staff Writer Kennebec Journal news story VASSALBORO — Frank Richards can remember when regular algae blooms on Webber Pond made having a lakefront home almost unappealing. From July until September, for decades, the Read More
My Maine This Week: Hummingbird by Rebecca Tripp
“I took this photo of a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird who was frequenting the azalea bush outside my apartment when it was in bloom earlier this summer. The photo was taken in Searsport, Maine.” —Photo by NRCM supporter Rebecca Tripp of Searsport, Maine To see past My Maine This Week photos, or to submit a photo Read More
A Bold Initiative in South Portland
South Portland is serious about sustainability. This year the city hired its first Sustainability Coordinator, and in her first year on the job Julie Rosenbach has set some ambitious goals for the city. Earlier this year South Portland announced a new goal — zero waste at all city events. This new benchmark is part of Read More
Maine Can’t Cut More Trees from Its Public Forests on a Whim
By The BDN Editorial Board Bangor Daily News editorial As lawmakers departed Augusta last month, they left a debate unsettled about how much wood to cut from Maine’s public forests, how to use the revenue from those logging operations, and what will become of $11.5 million in voter-approved, land-protection bonds. In the coming weeks, a Read More
Belfast Considers Solar Project at Landfill
by Abigail Curtis, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story BELFAST, Maine — Belfast residents likely have gotten used to the array of solar panels that sits atop the Belfast Fire Station, generating electricity there since January to help offset the city’s massive electric bill. Now there’s an addition proposed to Belfast’s solar capacity: a Read More
Compost: Good for More Than Just Your Garden!
A growing awareness of the benefits of composting is paying dividends beyond those found in the healthy produce and beautiful flowers compost can help create. Students at Saco Middle School (and many other schools around Maine), through hands-on learning, are discovering the multiple benefits of composting. In addition to the obvious benefits you can taste, Read More