#mainedep — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #mainedep, aggregated by home.social.
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#WestbrookME - Marsh and Stream Explorers Field Training in Westbrook
April 25 from 9:30 am-12 pm
Location: #MillBrookPreserve, Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, Westbrook
Free, registration required.
"Curious about what critters live in your local streams and freshwater marshes? Come join #MaineAudubon and #MaineDEP for a fun morning of catching and identifying #macroinvertebrates at Mill Brook Preserve! Get hands-on training and learn how you can contribute to an important community science project that acts as a screening tool for Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) water quality assessments. Be prepared to wade into shallow water as you net and handle macroinvertebrates!
"Marsh and Stream Explorers is a water quality monitoring project that trains volunteers to survey streams and freshwater marshes for large #AquaticInsects (macroinvertebrates) which are sensitive to environmental stressors and can be indicators of #wetland health. After this training session, you’ll have the tools to choose and survey your own stream or freshwater marsh and contribute invaluable data to Maine’s water quality monitoring efforts. If you’re interested in getting outdoors, learning something new, and protecting your local #watershed, this community science project is for you!
"We will meet at the parking area for the Northern Trailhead and go on a short walk from there. Wear clothes and shoes you’re comfortable walking in and potentially getting wet, waders or muckboots are encouraged and some may be provided."
FMI and to register:
https://maineaudubon.org/events/marsh-and-stream-explorers-field-training-in-westbrook/#SolarPunkSunday #CitizenScience
#NatureBasedLearning #MarshExplorers #StreamExplorers #WaterIsLife #ClimateChange #CitizenScientists #ObservingNature -
#WestbrookME - Marsh and Stream Explorers Field Training in Westbrook
April 25 from 9:30 am-12 pm
Location: #MillBrookPreserve, Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, Westbrook
Free, registration required.
"Curious about what critters live in your local streams and freshwater marshes? Come join #MaineAudubon and #MaineDEP for a fun morning of catching and identifying #macroinvertebrates at Mill Brook Preserve! Get hands-on training and learn how you can contribute to an important community science project that acts as a screening tool for Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) water quality assessments. Be prepared to wade into shallow water as you net and handle macroinvertebrates!
"Marsh and Stream Explorers is a water quality monitoring project that trains volunteers to survey streams and freshwater marshes for large #AquaticInsects (macroinvertebrates) which are sensitive to environmental stressors and can be indicators of #wetland health. After this training session, you’ll have the tools to choose and survey your own stream or freshwater marsh and contribute invaluable data to Maine’s water quality monitoring efforts. If you’re interested in getting outdoors, learning something new, and protecting your local #watershed, this community science project is for you!
"We will meet at the parking area for the Northern Trailhead and go on a short walk from there. Wear clothes and shoes you’re comfortable walking in and potentially getting wet, waders or muckboots are encouraged and some may be provided."
FMI and to register:
https://maineaudubon.org/events/marsh-and-stream-explorers-field-training-in-westbrook/#SolarPunkSunday #CitizenScience
#NatureBasedLearning #MarshExplorers #StreamExplorers #WaterIsLife #ClimateChange #CitizenScientists #ObservingNature -
#WestbrookME - Marsh and Stream Explorers Field Training in Westbrook
April 25 from 9:30 am-12 pm
Location: #MillBrookPreserve, Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, Westbrook
Free, registration required.
"Curious about what critters live in your local streams and freshwater marshes? Come join #MaineAudubon and #MaineDEP for a fun morning of catching and identifying #macroinvertebrates at Mill Brook Preserve! Get hands-on training and learn how you can contribute to an important community science project that acts as a screening tool for Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) water quality assessments. Be prepared to wade into shallow water as you net and handle macroinvertebrates!
"Marsh and Stream Explorers is a water quality monitoring project that trains volunteers to survey streams and freshwater marshes for large #AquaticInsects (macroinvertebrates) which are sensitive to environmental stressors and can be indicators of #wetland health. After this training session, you’ll have the tools to choose and survey your own stream or freshwater marsh and contribute invaluable data to Maine’s water quality monitoring efforts. If you’re interested in getting outdoors, learning something new, and protecting your local #watershed, this community science project is for you!
"We will meet at the parking area for the Northern Trailhead and go on a short walk from there. Wear clothes and shoes you’re comfortable walking in and potentially getting wet, waders or muckboots are encouraged and some may be provided."
FMI and to register:
https://maineaudubon.org/events/marsh-and-stream-explorers-field-training-in-westbrook/#SolarPunkSunday #CitizenScience
#NatureBasedLearning #MarshExplorers #StreamExplorers #WaterIsLife #ClimateChange #CitizenScientists #ObservingNature -
#WestbrookME - Marsh and Stream Explorers Field Training in Westbrook
April 25 from 9:30 am-12 pm
Location: #MillBrookPreserve, Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, Westbrook
Free, registration required.
"Curious about what critters live in your local streams and freshwater marshes? Come join #MaineAudubon and #MaineDEP for a fun morning of catching and identifying #macroinvertebrates at Mill Brook Preserve! Get hands-on training and learn how you can contribute to an important community science project that acts as a screening tool for Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) water quality assessments. Be prepared to wade into shallow water as you net and handle macroinvertebrates!
"Marsh and Stream Explorers is a water quality monitoring project that trains volunteers to survey streams and freshwater marshes for large #AquaticInsects (macroinvertebrates) which are sensitive to environmental stressors and can be indicators of #wetland health. After this training session, you’ll have the tools to choose and survey your own stream or freshwater marsh and contribute invaluable data to Maine’s water quality monitoring efforts. If you’re interested in getting outdoors, learning something new, and protecting your local #watershed, this community science project is for you!
"We will meet at the parking area for the Northern Trailhead and go on a short walk from there. Wear clothes and shoes you’re comfortable walking in and potentially getting wet, waders or muckboots are encouraged and some may be provided."
FMI and to register:
https://maineaudubon.org/events/marsh-and-stream-explorers-field-training-in-westbrook/#SolarPunkSunday #CitizenScience
#NatureBasedLearning #MarshExplorers #StreamExplorers #WaterIsLife #ClimateChange #CitizenScientists #ObservingNature -
#WestbrookME - Marsh and Stream Explorers Field Training in Westbrook
April 25 from 9:30 am-12 pm
Location: #MillBrookPreserve, Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, Westbrook
Free, registration required.
"Curious about what critters live in your local streams and freshwater marshes? Come join #MaineAudubon and #MaineDEP for a fun morning of catching and identifying #macroinvertebrates at Mill Brook Preserve! Get hands-on training and learn how you can contribute to an important community science project that acts as a screening tool for Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) water quality assessments. Be prepared to wade into shallow water as you net and handle macroinvertebrates!
"Marsh and Stream Explorers is a water quality monitoring project that trains volunteers to survey streams and freshwater marshes for large #AquaticInsects (macroinvertebrates) which are sensitive to environmental stressors and can be indicators of #wetland health. After this training session, you’ll have the tools to choose and survey your own stream or freshwater marsh and contribute invaluable data to Maine’s water quality monitoring efforts. If you’re interested in getting outdoors, learning something new, and protecting your local #watershed, this community science project is for you!
"We will meet at the parking area for the Northern Trailhead and go on a short walk from there. Wear clothes and shoes you’re comfortable walking in and potentially getting wet, waders or muckboots are encouraged and some may be provided."
FMI and to register:
https://maineaudubon.org/events/marsh-and-stream-explorers-field-training-in-westbrook/#SolarPunkSunday #CitizenScience
#NatureBasedLearning #MarshExplorers #StreamExplorers #WaterIsLife #ClimateChange #CitizenScientists #ObservingNature -
#Webinar - #Marsh and #Stream Explorers: A Treasure Hunt to Find Healthy Freshwater #Habitats in #Maine
Apr 22 2026
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm"Curious about what critters live in your local streams and freshwater marshes? Come learn about Maine Marsh and Stream Explorers, a collaborative #CommunityScience project between #MaineAudubon and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (#MEDEP). This program trains volunteers to survey for #macroinvertebrates, or large #AquaticInsects, in streams and freshwater #marshes statewide. With many macroinvertebrates sensitive to temperature, #pollutants, and other environmental stressors, their presence or absence serve as an important indicator of overall wetland health. This data then becomes an invaluable screening tool for #MaineDEP to prioritize where more-indepth water quality assessments should be conducted.
"In this webinar you’ll learn about what the Marsh and Stream Explorers project has accomplished and its impact on water quality monitoring statewide. We’ll look at our overall results, share our successes, and talk about future goals of the project. If you’re interested in getting outdoors, learning something new, and protecting your local watershed, this community science project is for you! Come learn more about how you can get involved. In-person field training for survey techniques to follow."
FMI and to register:
https://maineaudubon.org/events/marsh-and-stream-explorers-a-treasure-hunt-to-find-healthy-freshwater-habitats-in-maine/#SolarPunkSunday #MaineAudubon #OnlineEvents #CitizenScience #NatureBasedLearning #MarshExplorers #StreamExplorers #WaterIsLife #ClimateChange #CitizenScientists #ObservingNature
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#Webinar - #Marsh and #Stream Explorers: A Treasure Hunt to Find Healthy Freshwater #Habitats in #Maine
Apr 22 2026
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm"Curious about what critters live in your local streams and freshwater marshes? Come learn about Maine Marsh and Stream Explorers, a collaborative #CommunityScience project between #MaineAudubon and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (#MEDEP). This program trains volunteers to survey for #macroinvertebrates, or large #AquaticInsects, in streams and freshwater #marshes statewide. With many macroinvertebrates sensitive to temperature, #pollutants, and other environmental stressors, their presence or absence serve as an important indicator of overall wetland health. This data then becomes an invaluable screening tool for #MaineDEP to prioritize where more-indepth water quality assessments should be conducted.
"In this webinar you’ll learn about what the Marsh and Stream Explorers project has accomplished and its impact on water quality monitoring statewide. We’ll look at our overall results, share our successes, and talk about future goals of the project. If you’re interested in getting outdoors, learning something new, and protecting your local watershed, this community science project is for you! Come learn more about how you can get involved. In-person field training for survey techniques to follow."
FMI and to register:
https://maineaudubon.org/events/marsh-and-stream-explorers-a-treasure-hunt-to-find-healthy-freshwater-habitats-in-maine/#SolarPunkSunday #MaineAudubon #OnlineEvents #CitizenScience #NatureBasedLearning #MarshExplorers #StreamExplorers #WaterIsLife #ClimateChange #CitizenScientists #ObservingNature
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#Webinar - #Marsh and #Stream Explorers: A Treasure Hunt to Find Healthy Freshwater #Habitats in #Maine
Apr 22 2026
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm"Curious about what critters live in your local streams and freshwater marshes? Come learn about Maine Marsh and Stream Explorers, a collaborative #CommunityScience project between #MaineAudubon and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (#MEDEP). This program trains volunteers to survey for #macroinvertebrates, or large #AquaticInsects, in streams and freshwater #marshes statewide. With many macroinvertebrates sensitive to temperature, #pollutants, and other environmental stressors, their presence or absence serve as an important indicator of overall wetland health. This data then becomes an invaluable screening tool for #MaineDEP to prioritize where more-indepth water quality assessments should be conducted.
"In this webinar you’ll learn about what the Marsh and Stream Explorers project has accomplished and its impact on water quality monitoring statewide. We’ll look at our overall results, share our successes, and talk about future goals of the project. If you’re interested in getting outdoors, learning something new, and protecting your local watershed, this community science project is for you! Come learn more about how you can get involved. In-person field training for survey techniques to follow."
FMI and to register:
https://maineaudubon.org/events/marsh-and-stream-explorers-a-treasure-hunt-to-find-healthy-freshwater-habitats-in-maine/#SolarPunkSunday #MaineAudubon #OnlineEvents #CitizenScience #NatureBasedLearning #MarshExplorers #StreamExplorers #WaterIsLife #ClimateChange #CitizenScientists #ObservingNature
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#Webinar - #Marsh and #Stream Explorers: A Treasure Hunt to Find Healthy Freshwater #Habitats in #Maine
Apr 22 2026
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm"Curious about what critters live in your local streams and freshwater marshes? Come learn about Maine Marsh and Stream Explorers, a collaborative #CommunityScience project between #MaineAudubon and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (#MEDEP). This program trains volunteers to survey for #macroinvertebrates, or large #AquaticInsects, in streams and freshwater #marshes statewide. With many macroinvertebrates sensitive to temperature, #pollutants, and other environmental stressors, their presence or absence serve as an important indicator of overall wetland health. This data then becomes an invaluable screening tool for #MaineDEP to prioritize where more-indepth water quality assessments should be conducted.
"In this webinar you’ll learn about what the Marsh and Stream Explorers project has accomplished and its impact on water quality monitoring statewide. We’ll look at our overall results, share our successes, and talk about future goals of the project. If you’re interested in getting outdoors, learning something new, and protecting your local watershed, this community science project is for you! Come learn more about how you can get involved. In-person field training for survey techniques to follow."
FMI and to register:
https://maineaudubon.org/events/marsh-and-stream-explorers-a-treasure-hunt-to-find-healthy-freshwater-habitats-in-maine/#SolarPunkSunday #MaineAudubon #OnlineEvents #CitizenScience #NatureBasedLearning #MarshExplorers #StreamExplorers #WaterIsLife #ClimateChange #CitizenScientists #ObservingNature
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#Webinar - #Marsh and #Stream Explorers: A Treasure Hunt to Find Healthy Freshwater #Habitats in #Maine
Apr 22 2026
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm"Curious about what critters live in your local streams and freshwater marshes? Come learn about Maine Marsh and Stream Explorers, a collaborative #CommunityScience project between #MaineAudubon and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (#MEDEP). This program trains volunteers to survey for #macroinvertebrates, or large #AquaticInsects, in streams and freshwater #marshes statewide. With many macroinvertebrates sensitive to temperature, #pollutants, and other environmental stressors, their presence or absence serve as an important indicator of overall wetland health. This data then becomes an invaluable screening tool for #MaineDEP to prioritize where more-indepth water quality assessments should be conducted.
"In this webinar you’ll learn about what the Marsh and Stream Explorers project has accomplished and its impact on water quality monitoring statewide. We’ll look at our overall results, share our successes, and talk about future goals of the project. If you’re interested in getting outdoors, learning something new, and protecting your local watershed, this community science project is for you! Come learn more about how you can get involved. In-person field training for survey techniques to follow."
FMI and to register:
https://maineaudubon.org/events/marsh-and-stream-explorers-a-treasure-hunt-to-find-healthy-freshwater-habitats-in-maine/#SolarPunkSunday #MaineAudubon #OnlineEvents #CitizenScience #NatureBasedLearning #MarshExplorers #StreamExplorers #WaterIsLife #ClimateChange #CitizenScientists #ObservingNature
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#Maine will require battery makers to provide #recycling options
By Tina Fischer, April 9, 2026
"Gov. #JanetMills signed into law a measure that will offer more options to recycle both single-use #alkaline and #LithiumIon batteries in Maine.
"LD 474 updates the state’s current product stewardship laws to require national battery manufacturing companies to set up drop-off locations and fund a statewide take-back program so that all batteries can be safely disposed of and rare earth metals can be extracted for reuse.
"Eight other states have enacted similar laws.
"The state’s existing battery recovery program, enacted in 1991, covers only nickel-cadmium batteries. Many hardware stores, town offices and Staples stores in Maine accept some types of batteries for recycling. The nationwide Battery Network lists on its website drop-off locations in Maine.
"Improper disposal of lithium-ion batteries — commonly found in power tools, cell phone chargers and #vaping devices — has led to at least 24 fires at recycling facilities in Maine. Disposal concerns have driven up insurance rates for towns, according to the #MaineDEP.
"More than 820,000 pounds of batteries are thrown away in Maine every year, according to the Natural Resources Council of Maine [#NRCM].
" 'Holding corporate battery makers accountable for cleaning up waste will lower costs for Mainers and help curb demand for mining rare earth metals,' said Vanessa Berry, sustainable Maine program manager at the nonprofit.
"It is technically illegal in Maine to dispose of rechargeable, button cell, or lead-acid batteries in the regular trash."
Source:
https://mainebiz.biz/article/maine-will-require-battery-makers-to-provide-recycling-options/#SolarPunkSunday #MaineNews #BatteryRecycling #LionBatteries #Recycle #VapePens #Batteries #CellPhones #RechargeableBatteries
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So, I happened to tune into a local commercial radio station to hear the weather report, and there was an ad by some group talking about how #Maine Governor #JanetMills was taking away everyone's morning coffee! Of course, that was republican scaremongering, since the ban is on #CoffeeMakers that have #PFAS and other #Foreverchemicals as part of their parts and/or seals. Simple solution to that. BUY A STOVETOP COFFEE POT! That's what I grew up drinking, and that's what I use now. I wouldn't use an aluminum one, but the stainless steel ones aren't expensive, and if cleaned properly, produce great tasting coffee for YEARS!
Maine bans thousands of products containing toxic '#ForeverChemicals'
by Brad Rogers, WGME
Tue, December 30, 2025Excerpt: "The new ban includes children's #toys, #cosmetics, #cookware, and #cleaning products [and some electric coffeemakers].
"It also includes reusable water bottles, #upholstery, #clothing, and feminine products.
" 'This is an important step in moving forward with eliminating unnecessary uses of intentionally added PFAS, to protect the public from exposure, as well as the environment,' said Kerri Farris, with the #MaineDEP #SaferChemicalsProgram."
Read more:
https://wgme.com/news/local/maine-expands-ban-on-forever-chemicals-in-consumer-products-starting-january-1-pfas-health-low-birth-weights-compromised-immune-systems-cancer#MainePol #PFASBan #GOPScaremongering #SaferChemicals #PFOS #Pollution
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#JuniperRidge Landfill can expand, state says again after judge orders reconsideration
by Marie Weidmayer, March 23, 2026
Excerpt: "The Juniper Ridge Landfill can expand, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection decided for a second time — but a judge must sign off first.
"A new public benefit determination allows the #OldTown landfill to expand, the #ConservationLawFoundation said Monday. The foundation and #PenobscotNation sued the #MaineDEP in November 2024 over the proposed expansion.
"The department had to reconsider allowing the expansion after a judge ruled in January that the Maine DEP did not complete 'critical' fact finding during the public benefit determination. The Maine DEP decided Oct. 2, 2024, there is a public benefit to the expansion and expanding the landfill is not inconsistent with #EnvironmentalJustice.
"Penobscot County Superior Court Judge Bruce Mallonee will reconsider the application because the case is still pending, Maine DEP spokesperson David Madore said. The department can resume processing the expansion application and will have a public hearing, he said.
" 'This decision does not reflect the lived reality of our people,' Penobscot Nation Chief #KirkFrancis said. “Our voices and our knowledge of this place must be meaningfully considered when those in power make decisions that will impact our land and community.'
"The lawsuit is still pending in Penobscot County Superior Court. The foundation and Penobscot Nation are determining next steps."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/8dI8S#MainePol #CasellaWasteSystems #WaterIsLife #SoilIsLife #PFAS #MaineFirstNations #Pollution #ForeverChemicals
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#WetlandRestoration and Improvement Projects Receive $4.6 Million in Funding
February 09, 2026 | #Maine
AUGUSTA, Maine — "The Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program (#MNRCP) awarded over $4.6 million for 10 projects that will restore and enhance freshwater and coastal wetlands and streams, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (#MaineDEP) announced today.
The projects awarded funding include:
- Improving degraded #SaltMarsh around the #YorkRiver
- Restoring #eelgrass in the #GreatSaltBay
- Removing dams on the #RoyalRiver in #YarmouthME and the #NezinscotRiver in #BuckfieldME
- Reconnecting a side channel and reestablishing #wetlands along the Upper #MagallowayRiver
- Expanding and enhancing the #RiparianBuffer of a brook in #WaldoboroME
- Upgrading a culvert to a bridge on a tributary to the #AroostookRiver
- Restoring and reconnecting #wetlands in #AcadiaNationalPark"In total, $4,633,343 was awarded to restore wetlands that will improve water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitat, and mitigate flooding impacts.
"#MNRCP is one of the most important funding sources for wetland restoration and conservation projects in the state. Since it began in 2008, the program has awarded over $36 million for 183 wetland restoration and conservation projects. Public agencies, municipalities, Tribes and nonprofit conservation organizations are all eligible to apply for funding. MNRCP funding can cover the costs of wetland consultants and engineers who support project design and implementation.
"The program provides opportunities for restoration projects that help improve a broad range of critical habitats, both inland and along Maine’s coast."
Read more:
https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/mnrcp-awardees/#SolarPunkSunday #MaineRivers #MaineWetlands #WetlandRestoration #RestoringNature #DamRemoval
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#WetlandRestoration and Improvement Projects Receive $4.6 Million in Funding
February 09, 2026 | #Maine
AUGUSTA, Maine — "The Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program (#MNRCP) awarded over $4.6 million for 10 projects that will restore and enhance freshwater and coastal wetlands and streams, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (#MaineDEP) announced today.
The projects awarded funding include:
- Improving degraded #SaltMarsh around the #YorkRiver
- Restoring #eelgrass in the #GreatSaltBay
- Removing dams on the #RoyalRiver in #YarmouthME and the #NezinscotRiver in #BuckfieldME
- Reconnecting a side channel and reestablishing #wetlands along the Upper #MagallowayRiver
- Expanding and enhancing the #RiparianBuffer of a brook in #WaldoboroME
- Upgrading a culvert to a bridge on a tributary to the #AroostookRiver
- Restoring and reconnecting #wetlands in #AcadiaNationalPark"In total, $4,633,343 was awarded to restore wetlands that will improve water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitat, and mitigate flooding impacts.
"#MNRCP is one of the most important funding sources for wetland restoration and conservation projects in the state. Since it began in 2008, the program has awarded over $36 million for 183 wetland restoration and conservation projects. Public agencies, municipalities, Tribes and nonprofit conservation organizations are all eligible to apply for funding. MNRCP funding can cover the costs of wetland consultants and engineers who support project design and implementation.
"The program provides opportunities for restoration projects that help improve a broad range of critical habitats, both inland and along Maine’s coast."
Read more:
https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/mnrcp-awardees/#SolarPunkSunday #MaineRivers #MaineWetlands #WetlandRestoration #RestoringNature #DamRemoval
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#WetlandRestoration and Improvement Projects Receive $4.6 Million in Funding
February 09, 2026 | #Maine
AUGUSTA, Maine — "The Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program (#MNRCP) awarded over $4.6 million for 10 projects that will restore and enhance freshwater and coastal wetlands and streams, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (#MaineDEP) announced today.
The projects awarded funding include:
- Improving degraded #SaltMarsh around the #YorkRiver
- Restoring #eelgrass in the #GreatSaltBay
- Removing dams on the #RoyalRiver in #YarmouthME and the #NezinscotRiver in #BuckfieldME
- Reconnecting a side channel and reestablishing #wetlands along the Upper #MagallowayRiver
- Expanding and enhancing the #RiparianBuffer of a brook in #WaldoboroME
- Upgrading a culvert to a bridge on a tributary to the #AroostookRiver
- Restoring and reconnecting #wetlands in #AcadiaNationalPark"In total, $4,633,343 was awarded to restore wetlands that will improve water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitat, and mitigate flooding impacts.
"#MNRCP is one of the most important funding sources for wetland restoration and conservation projects in the state. Since it began in 2008, the program has awarded over $36 million for 183 wetland restoration and conservation projects. Public agencies, municipalities, Tribes and nonprofit conservation organizations are all eligible to apply for funding. MNRCP funding can cover the costs of wetland consultants and engineers who support project design and implementation.
"The program provides opportunities for restoration projects that help improve a broad range of critical habitats, both inland and along Maine’s coast."
Read more:
https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/mnrcp-awardees/#SolarPunkSunday #MaineRivers #MaineWetlands #WetlandRestoration #RestoringNature #DamRemoval
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#WetlandRestoration and Improvement Projects Receive $4.6 Million in Funding
February 09, 2026 | #Maine
AUGUSTA, Maine — "The Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program (#MNRCP) awarded over $4.6 million for 10 projects that will restore and enhance freshwater and coastal wetlands and streams, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (#MaineDEP) announced today.
The projects awarded funding include:
- Improving degraded #SaltMarsh around the #YorkRiver
- Restoring #eelgrass in the #GreatSaltBay
- Removing dams on the #RoyalRiver in #YarmouthME and the #NezinscotRiver in #BuckfieldME
- Reconnecting a side channel and reestablishing #wetlands along the Upper #MagallowayRiver
- Expanding and enhancing the #RiparianBuffer of a brook in #WaldoboroME
- Upgrading a culvert to a bridge on a tributary to the #AroostookRiver
- Restoring and reconnecting #wetlands in #AcadiaNationalPark"In total, $4,633,343 was awarded to restore wetlands that will improve water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitat, and mitigate flooding impacts.
"#MNRCP is one of the most important funding sources for wetland restoration and conservation projects in the state. Since it began in 2008, the program has awarded over $36 million for 183 wetland restoration and conservation projects. Public agencies, municipalities, Tribes and nonprofit conservation organizations are all eligible to apply for funding. MNRCP funding can cover the costs of wetland consultants and engineers who support project design and implementation.
"The program provides opportunities for restoration projects that help improve a broad range of critical habitats, both inland and along Maine’s coast."
Read more:
https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/mnrcp-awardees/#SolarPunkSunday #MaineRivers #MaineWetlands #WetlandRestoration #RestoringNature #DamRemoval
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via @MaineMonitor
A shady land deal in #BelfastME as a #ConservationEasement goes missing
A wetland in Belfast was supposed to be conserved “in perpetuity.” Instead it’s being sold as commercial property. DEP is investigating.
By Murray Carpenter
July 13, 2025Excerpt: "#BankOfAmerica became the owner of the lot in 2006, when it bought #MBNA for $34 billion. In January 2025, Bank of America sold the lot at auction to #WeBuyAndResellHomesLLC, a Georgia company. According to Belfast Assessor’s Office, the lot sold for $15,750, and is assessed at $404,800.
"The new owner promptly listed the property for sale for $295,000, with no mention that it is a #wetlands #mitigation site. The ad, at CORE real estate, reads, 'Zoned commercially, the land is positioned for a variety of business ventures. Belfast is expanding, making this an ideal location for retail, office, or mixed-use development.'
"It’s hard to know how the wetland conservation project seeped through the cracks. Among the banker’s boxes of documents related to MBNA permitting in the #DEP archives, is an unsigned draft of the deed restriction, from 1997. The draft would not be enforceable, however, until it was signed and filed with the deed.
"#MaineDEP spokesman David Madore said the agency is investigating the matter.
" 'The Department’s approval of the 1997 development was contingent on the restoration and preservation of wetland functions and values on the compensation parcel,' Madore said in an email. 'The parcel was intended to be permanently preserved.'
"A Bank of America spokesperson declined to comment on the story, as did the Army Corps.
"These days, it’s an overlooked and forgotten lot adjacent to a bustling area. Someone is using an area near the road as a toilet.
"But back in the wetland, the #alders and #cattails have grown in as intended. On a warm July day, red-winged #blackbirds, common yellowthroats, and #RedEyedVireos sing. And, from deep in the wetland, comes the croaking of a #GreenFrog."
#SaveTheWetlands #BankOfAmericaSucks #Conservation #MaineNews #WetlandPreservation #ShadyDeals #SaveTheLittleRiverWatershed
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@PattyHanson So, I happen to know a LOT about the #Nestle water fraud case. I did some digging when Nestle / #BlueTriton / #PolandSpring wanted to double their extraction during a DROUGHT! I found old maps by their own hydrologists which showed that the surrounding area was all part of the same watershed -- something that was confirmed by #MaineDEP. Anyhow, their paid shill was flabbergasted and didn't know what to say, so they ended up backing out of their plans. Sometimes it just takes some pushback (and making a stink) to get corporations to change. But they are tricky f*cks -- well-practiced in PR and BS!
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#PenobscotNation and #ConservationLawFoundation appeal to stop #JuniperRidgeLandfill expansion
Maine Public | By Carol Bousquet
Published November 13, 2024"The Penobscot Nation and Conservation Law Foundation have filed an appeal in Superior Court to stop the expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill in #OldTownMaine.
"In October the state concluded that the expansion was in the public's interest and set several conditions that #Casella Waste Management must meet to move forward with the project.
"Alexandra St. Pierre of the Conservation Law Foundation said the expansion runs contrary to the state's waste management goals, which prioritize reduction of waste volume and using #landfills.
"'Our goal here is to ensure that the decision is consistent with environmental justice and with the solid waste hierarchy as the law requires,' St. Pierre said.
"The Penobscot Nation and #CLF said that in its finding, the state failed to guarantee the safety of residents and the #environment.
"They argue that harmful exposure to #PFAS in the landfill's #leachate, #AirPollution and contamination of the #PenobscotRiver will all increase.
"'And we're really hoping we'll get adequate consideration for the issues that we raised and that the people actually themselves are considered and that #EnvironmentalJustice is implemented,' St. Pierre said.
"The DEP said it is unable to comment on pending litigation."
#MaineDEP #WabanakiConfederacy #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #EnvironmentalRacism #IndianIsland #Penobscot #MaineEnvironmentalNews #Maine
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#MaineDEP says expansion of state’s largest landfill would benefit public
The decision allows the state to apply to add 61 acres to the state-owned #JuniperRidgeLandfill, which takes in 52% of the state's waste.
by Penelope Overton
October 2, 2024"Despite objections from neighbors and environmental groups, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection concluded Wednesday that expanding the state’s largest landfill, Juniper Ridge, would substantially benefit the public.
It’s not an outright approval, but the department’s decision allows the state to apply to add 61 acres to the state-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill, which takes in 52% of the state’s waste. The state claims this expansion would extend the facility’s operating life by 11 years; without it, it would run out of space by 2028."DEP Commissioner Melanie Loyzim’s decision can be appealed to the Board of Environmental Protection and the Maine courts, and several opponents of the proposed expansion, like the Boston-based #ConservationLawFoundation , say they are prepared to challenge the decision.
"'This decision recklessly gambles with public health and the environment,' said #AlexandraStPierre, the director of communities and toxics in the foundation’s #EnvironmentalJustice Program. 'It dismisses the serious concerns raised by the #PenobscotNation and other nearby residents about the harmful effects this expansion will have on their health and community.'
"She continued: 'We refuse to allow this dangerous expansion to proceed unchecked.'
"The foundation and other opponents say the #OldTown location of the facility unfairly places the burden of the state’s trash needs on the Penobscot Nation. The #leachate that #JuniperRidge produces when it rains is sent to a nearby paper mill sewer plant that discharges into the #PenobscotRiver.
[...]
"The amount of waste heading to Maine landfills has increased 34% between 2018 and 2022, according to DEP. #Sludge that was once spread on #agricultural fields is now landfilled due to forever chemical #contamination [#PFAS]. The amount of municipal solid waste landfilled during that time jumped 47%.
"While some people say Maine is not doing enough to divert waste from the #landfills – for example, a bill that would have required large #FoodWaste generators to #recycle their #scraps at a nearby facility died on the appropriations table – others object to #Casella as the facility operator.
"Casella clashed with some municipal leaders and state lawmakers when it refused to accept the #biosolids created by wastewater treatment plants at Juniper Ridge out of fear that the mushy slop, or sludge, was causing structural instability that could lead to the landfill’s collapse."
Original article:
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/10/02/maine-state-needs-to-expand-its-biggest-landfill/Archived version:
https://archive.md/VXv9m#WaterIsLife #EnvironmentalRacism #JuniperRidgeLandfill #CasellaWasteSystems #MaineNews #Maine #ToxicFire #PFASPollution
#WabanakiAlliance
#DontWasteME #Slingshot #EnvironmentalJustice #PenobscotNation #PFAS #PenobscotRiver #EnvironmentalInjustice #CompostFoodWaste #ReduceWaste -
'This is our best option:' #Maine farmers turn to #SolarEnergy due to #contaminated fields
Story by Brad Rogers
7/25/2024ARUNDEL (WGME) – "#PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, have been nothing short of disastrous for hundreds of #Mainefarmers.
"It's ruined their land, made their cattle, milk and eggs unsafe to eat and left many farmers with serious health problems.
"'This farm has been in our family since 1914,' #FredStone, whose #Arundel farm was contaminated with PFAS, said.
"Stone was a third-generation dairy farmer in Arundel until forever chemicals were discovered in his fields, #WellWater, cows and milk.
"The pollution came from spreading #wastewater #sludge on his farm after the state told him it was safe.
"#MaineDEP has identified more than 500 sites where sludge was applied to farmland as #fertilizer.
"In 2017, Stone was the first farmer in the state to have his dairy farm and his pasture shut down due to #PFAScontamination.
"To make up for it, the state offered to buy his farm, but he refused to walk away.
"'We’re not in the farm selling or land selling business,' Stone said. 'Given what options we had left, that brought us to the solar thing.'
"He's been working with #WaldenRenewables to build a solar array on 100 acres of his contaminated farm.
"'It's their best alternative, but for some of these landowners, it's hard to kind of accept the change that they're facing,' Dale Knapp of Walden Renewables said. 'This is an injection of revenue that they desperately need.'
"This week, the Maine Public Utilities Commission [#MainePUC] approved new rules, paving the way for solar development on PFAS-polluted farms.
"'The Act provides that the commission must give a primary preference to projects that are located on contaminated lands,' Carrie Gilbert of the Maine PUC Commission said.
"'This is our best option,' Stone said. 'So reluctantly, very reluctantly I guess, that’s what we ended up having to do.'
"Stone plans to sign a 30-year lease for the solar array.
"After that, his farm may still be contaminated with forever chemicals, but 30 years is a long time for someone to come up with a solution.
"'That might mean that generational farm just goes on pause,' Knapp said. 'And the next generation may have the opportunity to return it to being a family farm someday.'
"'I’m very bitter,' Stone said. 'This is not the way we wanted to see this go. Yeah, I would love to see it continue on as a farm of some kind but damn the state of Maine for putting me in this position.'"
#MaineFarms #SolarFarms #ContaminatedFarmland #Reuse #SolarFarm #RenewablesNow #RenewableEnergy #PFOA #WaterIsLife #PFOS #PFASContamination #WaterPollution #PFASPollution #PTFE #Wildlife #Cancer #Contamination #Chemicals #Environment #GenXChemicals
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#TrainDerailment spills 1,200 gallons of #DieselFuel near #PenobscotRiver
Maine Public | By Nick Song
Published July 3, 2024 at 5:13 PM EDT"About 1,200 gallons of diesel fuel spilled during a train derailment near #Mattawamkeag on Tuesday.
"The derailment occurred at 4:55 p.m. on Tuesday at a rail yard in Penobscot County according to railway operator #CSX Transportation. The Lincoln Fire Department which responded to the scene reported a train engine had collided with a parked boxcar on the rails. While no one was injured, the collision upended one boxcar and derailed another.
"The derailed car proceeded to sideswipe the locomotive’s fuel tank according to CSX, rupturing the tank and causing the fuel to spill approximately 1,200 gallons onto the ground. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection said cleanup crews managed to safely transfer an additional 2,450 gallons out of the damaged fuel tank.
"The #MaineDEP said the department flew a drone from the sheriff's office and a Maine Forest Service aircraft to see if any fuel ended up in the nearby Penobscot River. Both did not see any fuel sheen on the river, indicating no fuel ended up in the waterway.
"CSX and the Maine DEP both said they are working together to clean the fuel and will continue monitoring the site through the holiday weekend. CSX said the cause of the incident is under investigation."
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#Maine applies for federal funds to build wind port on #SearsIsland
"Sears Island as DOT's preferred site for an offshore wind port has sparked a heated debate among some local residents, state lawmakers and others who argue the industrialized #MackPoint should be the location of #Maine's proposed #WindHub."
Maine Public | By Nicole Ogrysko
Published May 17, 2024
"The Maine Department of Transportation (#MDOT) has applied for $456 million in federal funds so that it can begin constructing a floating offshore wind port on Sears Island.
"If approved, the federal grant would cover about two-thirds of the nearly $760 million that the state of Maine estimates it will need to build the port and a heavy-lift semi-submersible barge that's needed to launch the floating wind turbine foundations.
"The remaining funds would come from other federal and state grants and anticipated payments as areas are leased to wind developers in the coming years.
"The department said there are currently no other sites being considered on the East Coast that could support the construction and deployment of floating wind turbines near the eight lease areas that the federal government recently identified as potential sites for offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine.
"According to a timeline included in a lengthy list of project materials released Friday afternoon, DOT said it will spend the next 18 months applying for permits for the wind port through the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (#MaineDEP) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
"If everything is approved, the state estimates wind port construction starting in 2027 and wrapping up in 2029."
#ProtectWahsumkik #JanetMills #Wahsumkik #WabanakiAlliance #SandDune #Searsport #EndangeredSpecies #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism #ProtectTheDunes
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Proposed #LithiumMine in western #Maine clears key hurdle
New rules recommended by the Board of Environmental Protection [#MaineDEP] would allow the testing needed to build an open-pit mine over a large lithium-rich deposit at #PlumbagoMountain in #Newry.
by Penelope Overton
February 29, 2024"The provisional amendment – the result of a state law adopted last July intended to overhaul the mining law to allow for the extraction of non-reactive minerals like spodumene, the hard rock source of lithium – now heads back to the Legislature for final consideration.
"If adopted, these rules would allow Mary and Gary Freeman, retired rock hounds who split the time between Maine and Florida, to begin the rigorous testing needed to build an open-pit mi over a large lithium-rich mineral deposit they discovered while hunting for gemstones in New 2018.
"'This has been a big lift,' board Chair Susan Lessard, the town manager of Bucksport, said of regulation change. 'I think the department has done a very good job of trying to enact some rules to go along with what the Legislature adopted in the most protective way that they were able.”
"The Newry deposit is a potential piece in the global ramp-up of lithium production to make batteries for storing clean wind and solar energy and powering electric cars. Alternative lithiu batteries are being tested, but for now, lithium is still used in most electric vehicles and grid batteries.
"Despite government and industry interest in building up a domestic lithium market, #Nevada currently has the country’s only operational lithium mine. The #SilverPeaMine, which began operating in the 1960s, pumps lithium-rich brine from underground into large evaporation pools.
"But the United States has at least a hundred domestic #LithiuMines that are hoping to get the permits needed to compete with the likes of Australia, #Chile, #China and #Argentina, which cur dominate the world market, according to conservation biologist Patrick Donnelly of the #CenterForBiologicalDiversity.
"Unlike most U.S. deposits, however, the Freeman find is a hard rock deposit of lithium, similar those in #Australia. They form when hot magma intrudes into the crust and then cools into met rich crystals. Hard-rock lithium is costlier to mine, quicker to market and yields a more valuable form of lithium than brining.
"In a 2020 paper detailing the discovery, the Freemans claimed the 10 million metric-ton #PlumagoMountain deposit had the highest average lithium content of any known spodumene deposit, including gigantic 36-foot-long crystals embedded deep inside the coarse brown and white rock face.
"Initially, the Freemans said they wanted to sell to the battery market, something that would lik require chemical processing on-site or nearby. Later, they said they wanted to sell raw spodum ore with the highest levels of lithium to scientific glass manufacturers, which could eliminate t need for processing.
"Neither the Freemans nor their attorney responded to emails and telephone requests for an interview.
"The provisional rule requires applicants seeking an open-pit mining exemption to prove the operation does not have the potential to violate state water quality standards or expose radioactive materials that would endanger human health or the environment.
"The applicant would have to conduct extensive testing and sampling to show the deposit would react when exposed to the air or water of an open-pit mine. Spodumene is non-reactive, but other metals like copper and silver will create a harmful acid discharge when exposed.
"For example, the Newry spodumene deposit is believed to contain some galena, the blue-black mineral that contains lead sulfide, which has the potential to leach lead and often occurs in combination with iron sulfide, the major culprit in causing acidic mine drainage.
"'We are uncertain if galena is present at levels that are dangerous, but the only way to know w be through detailed characterization of the deposit in the manner that these rule amendments propose,' said Nick Bennett, a staff scientist at Natural Resources Council of Maine.
“#NRCM supported the provisional rule in part because the Board of Environmental Protection decided to add back in requirements that an applicant would have to conduct real-world testing, kinetic testing, to ensure there is nothing reactive in the deposit before a mining exemption is granted.
"'We are supportive of the proposed rules that DEP drafted and BEP approved because we beli they would only allow open-pit mining of metallic minerals when that extraction presents a very low risk to water quality and the environment,' Bennett said.”
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/02/29/state-environmental-board-adopts-new-mineral-mining-rule
#WaterIsLife #Environment
#NoMining in #Maine #OpenPitMining #WesternMaine #NewryMaine -
I wrote about farms like this one when I did a story about #UnityMaine, the home of the #CommonGroundFair -- a celebration of #OrganicFarming in #Maine. It makes me so sad to see them having to go out of business because #MaineDEP and #EPAFail led to #toxic #sludge being marketed as "fertilizer".
‘I don’t know how we’ll survive’: the #farmers facing ruin in #Maine’s ‘forever chemicals’ crisis
Maine faces a crisis from #PFAS-contaminated produce, which is causing farms to close and farmers to face the loss of their livelihoods
by Tom Perkins, 22 Mar 2022 06.05 EDT
"Songbird Farm’s 17 acres (7 hectares) hold sandy loam fields, three greenhouses and cutover woods that comprise an idyllic setting near Maine’s central coast. The small organic operation carved out a niche growing heirloom grains, tomatoes, sweet garlic, cantaloupe and other products that were sold to organic food stores or as part of a community-supported agriculture program, where people pay to receive boxes of locally grown produce.
Farmers Johanna Davis and Adam Nordell bought Songbird in 2014. By 2021 the young family with their three-year-old son were hitting their stride, Nordell said.
"But disaster struck in December. The couple learned the farm’s previous owner had decades earlier used PFAS-tainted sewage sludge, or '#biosolids', as fertilizer on Songbird’s fields. Testing revealed their soil, drinking #water, irrigation water, #crops, chickens and #blood were #contaminated with high levels of the #ToxicChemicals.
"The couple quickly recalled products, alerted customers, suspended their operation and have been left deeply fearful for their financial and physical wellbeing.
"'This has flipped everything about our lives on its head,' Nordell said. 'We haven’t done a blood test on our kid yet and that’s the most terrifying part. It’s fucking devastating.'"
#EPA #InformedConsent #PFOS #WaterIsLife #ToxicWaste #FoodProduction