Congratulations to the Town of Falmouth for recently adopting an ordinance that establishes a five-cent fee on single-use plastic and paper bags! Beginning April 1st, 2016, any business with a facility of more than 10,000 square feet will need to charge the fee for single-use shopping bags. The Falmouth ordinance does several important things, not Read More
Protecting Wildlife
Big Changes are Occurring in One of the Fastest-warming Spots on Earth
by Colin Woodard, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story Sandwiched on a narrow sandbar between Yarmouth’s harbor and the open Gulf of Maine, the fishermen of Yarmouth Bar have long struggled to keep the sea at bay. Nineteenth-century storms threatened to sweep the whole place away, leaving Yarmouth proper’s harbor more open to the Read More
Lobster Population Shifting North as Ocean Temps Warm
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
Colorado Spill Just a Drop in U.S. Mine-woes Bucket
Despite decades of effort, only a fraction of about 500,000 abandoned mines has been dealt with. The Associated Press Portland Press Herald news story SILVERTON, Colorado — It will take many years and many millions of dollars simply to manage and not even remove the toxic wastewater from an abandoned mine that unleashed a 100-mile-long Read More
Poll: Sportsmen Support New Clean Water Protections
By Tom Porter MPBN news story AUGUSTA, Maine – Environmental advocates in Maine are welcoming the results of a new national survey showing widespread support among sportsmen for the revised Clean Water Act. In May, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency finalized the act’s Clean Water Rule, extending its protections to the smaller streams and wetlands Read More
New Poll: Hunters and Anglers Nationwide Support the EPA’s Clean Water Rule
Sportsmen and women across the political spectrum support protecting smaller streams and wetlands Washington (July 22, 2015)—A new nationwide, bipartisan survey found broad support among hunters and anglers for applying Clean Water Act protections to smaller streams and wetlands. “As every hunter or angler knows, ducks need healthy wetlands and fish need clean water—it’s that Read More
Climate Change Threatens 1 in 13 Species, Study Says
The extinction rate doesn’t mean all of those species will be gone; some will just be on an irreversible decline. By Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press Associated Press news story WASHINGTON — Global warming will eventually push 1 out of every 13 species on Earth into extinction, a new study projects. It won’t quite be Read More
What’s That? A Dot
An explanation of why using fewer plastic bags matter, to us and to the planet. In 10 days, on Wednesday, April 15, grocery stores in Portland will begin charging a nickel for every bag (plastic and paper) that they use to package your groceries. Our dot represents connecting the dots, reminding you why – beyond Read More
Snowy Owls Popping Up Again Across Northern U.S.
They’re being reported on the online eBird database this winter across the northern third of the Lower 48 states, including Maine. The Associated Press Portland Press Herald news story ITHACA, N.Y. — Last winter brought an unprecedented number of snowy owl sightings in the northern United States, and this winter is turning out to be Read More
