Read highlights from October 2022 news stories and opinion pieces related to the environment, including Maine’s air, land, water, and wildlife, in this News & Noteworthy from the Natural Resources Council of Maine.
October 27, 2022
We are going to kick off this week’s News & Noteworthy with a news story about one of our 2022 Conservation Leadership Award recipients, Julie Rosenbach. This year’s awardees, Julie included, were honored at an event last night in Hallowell. Learn more about all of this year’s award winners here.
Need another reason to dislike plastic? Well here you go. You can be part of the solution by avoiding single-use plastic packaging, supporting reuse and refill, and holding producers accountable for their products and packaging.
Summer in Maine isn’t the only time tourists flock to our state. September 2022 broke the record for the most visits to Acadia National Park — surpassing September 2021 visitors by 30,000.
The Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) has been working on the Moosehead Regional Planning Project with stakeholders and input from the public, and the final package has been released for public comment. This plan is one that should be supported, according to this Bangor Daily News op-ed by a member of the LUPC. NRCM agrees. You can read our comments submitted on this plan here.
Recently, Maine Audubon and several professional photographers took a trip to the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument. Look at some of the spectacular images captured on this trip.
Do you live in the Lewiston/Auburn area? Do you like to hike? Do you want to find people to hike with? There is a new Facebook group for a L/A hiking club that you can join, featured in a recent Sun Journal story.
Karin Tilberg, President and CEO of the Forest Society of Maine, wrote a recent op-ed about how our forests provide valuable help in the fight against climate change, through carbon sequestration.
The University of Maine recently received a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association so that students, researchers, and professors can study climate change and the resilience of mobile home parks in Maine and the Northeast.
We feel like we were just announcing the first electric school bus purchased in Maine, used by the MDI school district. But, recently News Center Maine did a piece on how things went in the first full year of the bus being in service. Time flies!
And we will end this week with an op-ed titled, “The Kennebec River belongs to all Mainers, not just Brookfield.” We couldn’t have said that better ourselves.
October 20, 2022
We have been celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act all year, but this week is THE week — the anniversary was on Tuesday, October 18th. The Bangor Daily News shared some snippets from Bates College’s Muskie Archives to share to mark the occasion.
You can also listen to Maine Public’s Maine Calling to hear more about the history and impact of the Clean Water Act here in Maine.
News Center Maine recently did a story about how the Clean Water Act saved East End Beach, a very popular beach for local residents and their dogs, and also the location of our first dozen polar bear dips.
Hear from Benton’s alewife warden in this op-ed in the Bangor Daily News about protecting Atlantic salmon and jobs on the Kennebec River.
If you haven’t yet made plans to join us to celebrate this year’s NRCM Conservation Leadership Award recipients, read about Dr. Steve Kress, who will be receiving a Lifetime Achievement award for his incredible work for more than 50 years to restore Atlantic puffin populations in Maine through Project Puffin.
The Camden-Rockport schools recently debuted their first electric bus. In addition to its environmental benefits, it is expected to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in maintenance and fuel costs over its lifetime.
October 13, 2022
We are just five days away from the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, and local media outlets are sharing stories of some of our recently named 100 Clean Water Champions, like Wynn and Sandy Muller of Wilton and Steve Kahl. Congratulations to the Mullers and Dr. Kahl, as well as the other Champions who have helped to protect and improve the rivers, lakes, streams, and coastal waters of Maine during the past 50 years.
Gouldsboro’s planning board has asked for an extended aquaculture moratorium. This town is near the proposed industrial-scale aquaculture project that NRCM and many others oppose due to the effects it could have on Frenchman Bay, local communities and local fishermen and women.
Jack Shapiro, NRCM’s climate & clean energy director, is quoted in this Bangor Daily News article about a new use for the former paper mill in East Millinocket, which would produce low-carbon heating fuel. Jack says, “Any effort to import less fossil fuels into Maine could be promising. But accounting for the climate impacts of biofuels is complicated.” Read the full article.
The former HoltraChem chemical plant in Orrington, Maine, in Penobscot County, released a lot of toxic mercury into the environment, specifically the Penobscot River. We want to congratulate the Natural Resources Defense Council and Maine People’s Alliance for their work for more than a decade to get the plant cleaned up. A settlement in federal court was announced earlier this week.
Recently, 17 members of Congress sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency asking them to standardize recycling bin labels to reduce confusion for consumers.
October 6, 2022
Last week we celebrated 100 Clean Water Champions at an event in Lewiston. Earlier that day, NRCM Interim CEO Pete Didisheim spoke to Rob Caldwell on News Center Maine’s “207” TV show. Watch the full video.
The Portland Press Herald editorial board wants us to honor the Clean Water Act’s 50-year history by tackling PFAS (“forever chemicals”) in Maine’s waters.
Here’s some more good news: 12 new Land for Maine’s Future program sites have been approved for funding, including some to protect deer wintering habitat. Learn more in the Bangor Daily News.
Also in this week’s Bangor Daily News, David Vail and Jym St. Pierre wrote an op-ed entitled, “The health of Maine’s forests is improving, but threats remain.”
The City of South Portland is discussing whether or not to require electric vehicle charging stations in all new or redone parking lots and parking garages.
We talk a lot about electric cars, trucks, and even buses, but what about electric boats? They are starting to become more popular in Maine.
Did you know that Maine has the potential to reduce carbon emissions per household by the largest margin in the United States? Learn more from Keith Carson, meteorologist at News Center Maine.
The town of Limestone and the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Maine’s northernmost county, Aroostook County, are working together to save on electricity costs by installing solar on their property. According to the Bangor Daily News, “In less than a year, the town of Limestone and MSSM became next in line to own two local solar array installations and will have virtually free electric bills in the coming years.”
