#penobscotbay — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #penobscotbay, aggregated by home.social.
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Hype for the Future 63U: Places to Stay in Camden, Maine
Introduction The Town of Camden is a surprisingly significant tourist draw located in Knox County, Maine, along the Penobscot Bay. Despite not having the typical services associated with resort communities across the nation, the community of Camden may be silently welcoming to the LGBTQIA+ community in many of the following lodging options: Places to Stay (Not an Exhaustive List) Elm Street / Main Street / U.S. Route 1 (South to North) Cedar Crest Inn Elms of Camden Blackberry […]https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2026/01/02/hype-for-the-future-63u-places-to-stay-in-camden-maine/
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Hype for the Future 63U: Places to Stay in Camden, Maine
Introduction The Town of Camden is a surprisingly significant tourist draw located in Knox County, Maine, along the Penobscot Bay. Despite not having the typical services associated with resort communities across the nation, the community of Camden may be silently welcoming to the LGBTQIA+ community in many of the following lodging options: Places to Stay (Not an Exhaustive List) Elm Street / Main Street / U.S. Route 1 (South to North) Cedar Crest Inn Elms of Camden Blackberry […]https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2026/01/02/hype-for-the-future-63u-places-to-stay-in-camden-maine/
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Hype for the Future 63U: Places to Stay in Camden, Maine
Introduction The Town of Camden is a surprisingly significant tourist draw located in Knox County, Maine, along the Penobscot Bay. Despite not having the typical services associated with resort communities across the nation, the community of Camden may be silently welcoming to the LGBTQIA+ community in many of the following lodging options: Places to Stay (Not an Exhaustive List) Elm Street / Main Street / U.S. Route 1 (South to North) Cedar Crest Inn Elms of Camden Blackberry […]https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2026/01/02/hype-for-the-future-63u-places-to-stay-in-camden-maine/
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Hype for the Future 63U: Places to Stay in Camden, Maine
Introduction The Town of Camden is a surprisingly significant tourist draw located in Knox County, Maine, along the Penobscot Bay. Despite not having the typical services associated with resort communities across the nation, the community of Camden may be silently welcoming to the LGBTQIA+ community in many of the following lodging options: Places to Stay (Not an Exhaustive List) Elm Street / Main Street / U.S. Route 1 (South to North) Cedar Crest Inn Elms of Camden Blackberry […]https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2026/01/02/hype-for-the-future-63u-places-to-stay-in-camden-maine/
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Hype for the Future 63U: Places to Stay in Camden, Maine
Introduction The Town of Camden is a surprisingly significant tourist draw located in Knox County, Maine, along the Penobscot Bay. Despite not having the typical services associated with resort communities across the nation, the community of Camden may be silently welcoming to the LGBTQIA+ community in many of the following lodging options: Places to Stay (Not an Exhaustive List) Elm Street / Main Street / U.S. Route 1 (South to North) Cedar Crest Inn Elms of Camden Blackberry […]https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2026/01/02/hype-for-the-future-63u-places-to-stay-in-camden-maine/
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Hype for the Future 63T: Towns of Camden and Rockport, Maine
Overview Both Camden and Rockport are located along the Penobscot Bay in the northern part of Knox County, Maine. However, most of the educational, academic, and historical facilities are located in the more southerly Town of Rockport while the more northerly Town of Camden is notable for more modern amenities and a historic urban core. The special-focus higher-education institution of the Maine Media Workshops and College is located within Rockland, along with the Camden-Rockport Historical […] -
Hype for the Future 63T: Towns of Camden and Rockport, Maine
Overview Both Camden and Rockport are located along the Penobscot Bay in the northern part of Knox County, Maine. However, most of the educational, academic, and historical facilities are located in the more southerly Town of Rockport while the more northerly Town of Camden is notable for more modern amenities and a historic urban core. The special-focus higher-education institution of the Maine Media Workshops and College is located within Rockland, along with the Camden-Rockport Historical […] -
Hype for the Future 63T: Towns of Camden and Rockport, Maine
Overview Both Camden and Rockport are located along the Penobscot Bay in the northern part of Knox County, Maine. However, most of the educational, academic, and historical facilities are located in the more southerly Town of Rockport while the more northerly Town of Camden is notable for more modern amenities and a historic urban core. The special-focus higher-education institution of the Maine Media Workshops and College is located within Rockland, along with the Camden-Rockport Historical […] -
Hype for the Future 63T: Towns of Camden and Rockport, Maine
Overview Both Camden and Rockport are located along the Penobscot Bay in the northern part of Knox County, Maine. However, most of the educational, academic, and historical facilities are located in the more southerly Town of Rockport while the more northerly Town of Camden is notable for more modern amenities and a historic urban core. The special-focus higher-education institution of the Maine Media Workshops and College is located within Rockland, along with the Camden-Rockport Historical […] -
Hype for the Future 63T: Towns of Camden and Rockport, Maine
Overview Both Camden and Rockport are located along the Penobscot Bay in the northern part of Knox County, Maine. However, most of the educational, academic, and historical facilities are located in the more southerly Town of Rockport while the more northerly Town of Camden is notable for more modern amenities and a historic urban core. The special-focus higher-education institution of the Maine Media Workshops and College is located within Rockland, along with the Camden-Rockport Historical […] -
Hype for the Future 63D: City of Bangor, Maine (and Suburbs, etc.)
Introduction The City of Bangor is the third-largest city in the State of Maine and serves as the county seat of Penobscot County. Though Lewiston and Portland are larger cities, the City of Bangor is the furthest north of the three, and represents the chief settlement along the lower Penobscot River. City of Bangor The City of Bangor is located directly on the west bank of the Penobscot River and served largely by Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1A, as well as by numerous more local routes […] -
Hype for the Future 63D: City of Bangor, Maine (and Suburbs, etc.)
Introduction The City of Bangor is the third-largest city in the State of Maine and serves as the county seat of Penobscot County. Though Lewiston and Portland are larger cities, the City of Bangor is the furthest north of the three, and represents the chief settlement along the lower Penobscot River. City of Bangor The City of Bangor is located directly on the west bank of the Penobscot River and served largely by Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1A, as well as by numerous more local routes […] -
Hype for the Future 63D: City of Bangor, Maine (and Suburbs, etc.)
Introduction The City of Bangor is the third-largest city in the State of Maine and serves as the county seat of Penobscot County. Though Lewiston and Portland are larger cities, the City of Bangor is the furthest north of the three, and represents the chief settlement along the lower Penobscot River. City of Bangor The City of Bangor is located directly on the west bank of the Penobscot River and served largely by Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1A, as well as by numerous more local routes […] -
Hype for the Future 63D: City of Bangor, Maine (and Suburbs, etc.)
Introduction The City of Bangor is the third-largest city in the State of Maine and serves as the county seat of Penobscot County. Though Lewiston and Portland are larger cities, the City of Bangor is the furthest north of the three, and represents the chief settlement along the lower Penobscot River. City of Bangor The City of Bangor is located directly on the west bank of the Penobscot River and served largely by Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1A, as well as by numerous more local routes […] -
Hype for the Future 63D: City of Bangor, Maine (and Suburbs, etc.)
Introduction The City of Bangor is the third-largest city in the State of Maine and serves as the county seat of Penobscot County. Though Lewiston and Portland are larger cities, the City of Bangor is the furthest north of the three, and represents the chief settlement along the lower Penobscot River. City of Bangor The City of Bangor is located directly on the west bank of the Penobscot River and served largely by Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1A, as well as by numerous more local routes […] -
#Maine #StatePark #FirstDayHikes, part of the nationwide initiative led by America’s State Parks to encourage people to get outdoors, are a combination of led and self-guided hikes, and virtual visits for 2026.
Guided Program Listings:
#CamdenHills State Park, #CamdenME - 9:00 a.m. Meet at the visitor center. Join us for a scenic 2.6-mile hike on the #Megunticook and #Adams Lookout Trails with Park Ranger Erik Hallsey to ring in 2026. The Megunticook Trail is a moderately difficult hike that leads to the easy Adams Lookout Trail. Both trails provide scenic points that include excellent views of #PenobscotBay. Leashed pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 236-0849.
#HolbrookIsland Sanctuary, #BrooksvilleME - 1-4:00 p.m. Meet at the Backshore Trail parking lot on Indian Bar Road. Join us for a leisurely 2.85 mile walk for all ages to ring in the New Year! Meet and Greet at 1:00 - Warm beverages, water, and snacks will be on hand at the start and finish of our walk. The guided hike will begin at 1:30 or explore on your own anytime during the afternoon. Please wear warm clothing and sturdy footwear. Leash pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 326-4012.
#SebagoLake State Park, Campground Side of Park, #Naples<E. Meet at 1:00 p.m. at the campground booth. Join us for a leisurely 1-mile walk for all ages on January 1 to ring in the New Year! Meet at campground booth on the Naples side of the park, for snacks and beverages, which will be provided. This will be an easy to moderate 1- mile hike around Horseshoe Bog; a mostly flat, and slightly rocky trail. All ages are welcome, but parents should be prepared to carry their children if they tire. Parents must accompany children under 12 years old. No pets on this hike, please. Park entry and program are free to First Day Hikers. Read all the details and view the First Day Hike flyer. FMI: (207) 693-6231.
#TwoLights State Park, #CapeElizabethME - 6:30-9:00 a.m. The park is off Route 77. Meet at High Head at the rose garden. Arrive at 6:30 for the sunrise. Hike begins at 7:30. This is a leasurely 3/4-mile loop hike along the shoreline and woodland paths. Parents must accompany children under 12 years old. Leashed pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 799-5871.
Self-guided Hike Guides:
#BradburyMountain State Park, #FreeportME
Camden Hills State Park, Camden
#PophamBeach State Park, #PhippsburgME
#ReidStatePark, #GeorgetownME
#WolfesNeck Woods State Park, Freeport
Share your self-guided hike photos and comments with us by tagging @mainedacf to Instagram and Facebook.
Stay Informed with Safety Updates.FMI (includes link to guides):
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/discover_history_explore_nature/activities/first-day-hikes.shtml#MaineParks #NatureEvents #NatureHikes #NewYearsHikes #SpendTimeInNature
#MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime #MaineEvents #SolarPunkSunday -
#Maine #StatePark #FirstDayHikes, part of the nationwide initiative led by America’s State Parks to encourage people to get outdoors, are a combination of led and self-guided hikes, and virtual visits for 2026.
Guided Program Listings:
#CamdenHills State Park, #CamdenME - 9:00 a.m. Meet at the visitor center. Join us for a scenic 2.6-mile hike on the #Megunticook and #Adams Lookout Trails with Park Ranger Erik Hallsey to ring in 2026. The Megunticook Trail is a moderately difficult hike that leads to the easy Adams Lookout Trail. Both trails provide scenic points that include excellent views of #PenobscotBay. Leashed pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 236-0849.
#HolbrookIsland Sanctuary, #BrooksvilleME - 1-4:00 p.m. Meet at the Backshore Trail parking lot on Indian Bar Road. Join us for a leisurely 2.85 mile walk for all ages to ring in the New Year! Meet and Greet at 1:00 - Warm beverages, water, and snacks will be on hand at the start and finish of our walk. The guided hike will begin at 1:30 or explore on your own anytime during the afternoon. Please wear warm clothing and sturdy footwear. Leash pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 326-4012.
#SebagoLake State Park, Campground Side of Park, #Naples<E. Meet at 1:00 p.m. at the campground booth. Join us for a leisurely 1-mile walk for all ages on January 1 to ring in the New Year! Meet at campground booth on the Naples side of the park, for snacks and beverages, which will be provided. This will be an easy to moderate 1- mile hike around Horseshoe Bog; a mostly flat, and slightly rocky trail. All ages are welcome, but parents should be prepared to carry their children if they tire. Parents must accompany children under 12 years old. No pets on this hike, please. Park entry and program are free to First Day Hikers. Read all the details and view the First Day Hike flyer. FMI: (207) 693-6231.
#TwoLights State Park, #CapeElizabethME - 6:30-9:00 a.m. The park is off Route 77. Meet at High Head at the rose garden. Arrive at 6:30 for the sunrise. Hike begins at 7:30. This is a leasurely 3/4-mile loop hike along the shoreline and woodland paths. Parents must accompany children under 12 years old. Leashed pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 799-5871.
Self-guided Hike Guides:
#BradburyMountain State Park, #FreeportME
Camden Hills State Park, Camden
#PophamBeach State Park, #PhippsburgME
#ReidStatePark, #GeorgetownME
#WolfesNeck Woods State Park, Freeport
Share your self-guided hike photos and comments with us by tagging @mainedacf to Instagram and Facebook.
Stay Informed with Safety Updates.FMI (includes link to guides):
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/discover_history_explore_nature/activities/first-day-hikes.shtml#MaineParks #NatureEvents #NatureHikes #NewYearsHikes #SpendTimeInNature
#MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime #MaineEvents #SolarPunkSunday -
#Maine #StatePark #FirstDayHikes, part of the nationwide initiative led by America’s State Parks to encourage people to get outdoors, are a combination of led and self-guided hikes, and virtual visits for 2026.
Guided Program Listings:
#CamdenHills State Park, #CamdenME - 9:00 a.m. Meet at the visitor center. Join us for a scenic 2.6-mile hike on the #Megunticook and #Adams Lookout Trails with Park Ranger Erik Hallsey to ring in 2026. The Megunticook Trail is a moderately difficult hike that leads to the easy Adams Lookout Trail. Both trails provide scenic points that include excellent views of #PenobscotBay. Leashed pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 236-0849.
#HolbrookIsland Sanctuary, #BrooksvilleME - 1-4:00 p.m. Meet at the Backshore Trail parking lot on Indian Bar Road. Join us for a leisurely 2.85 mile walk for all ages to ring in the New Year! Meet and Greet at 1:00 - Warm beverages, water, and snacks will be on hand at the start and finish of our walk. The guided hike will begin at 1:30 or explore on your own anytime during the afternoon. Please wear warm clothing and sturdy footwear. Leash pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 326-4012.
#SebagoLake State Park, Campground Side of Park, #Naples<E. Meet at 1:00 p.m. at the campground booth. Join us for a leisurely 1-mile walk for all ages on January 1 to ring in the New Year! Meet at campground booth on the Naples side of the park, for snacks and beverages, which will be provided. This will be an easy to moderate 1- mile hike around Horseshoe Bog; a mostly flat, and slightly rocky trail. All ages are welcome, but parents should be prepared to carry their children if they tire. Parents must accompany children under 12 years old. No pets on this hike, please. Park entry and program are free to First Day Hikers. Read all the details and view the First Day Hike flyer. FMI: (207) 693-6231.
#TwoLights State Park, #CapeElizabethME - 6:30-9:00 a.m. The park is off Route 77. Meet at High Head at the rose garden. Arrive at 6:30 for the sunrise. Hike begins at 7:30. This is a leasurely 3/4-mile loop hike along the shoreline and woodland paths. Parents must accompany children under 12 years old. Leashed pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 799-5871.
Self-guided Hike Guides:
#BradburyMountain State Park, #FreeportME
Camden Hills State Park, Camden
#PophamBeach State Park, #PhippsburgME
#ReidStatePark, #GeorgetownME
#WolfesNeck Woods State Park, Freeport
Share your self-guided hike photos and comments with us by tagging @mainedacf to Instagram and Facebook.
Stay Informed with Safety Updates.FMI (includes link to guides):
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/discover_history_explore_nature/activities/first-day-hikes.shtml#MaineParks #NatureEvents #NatureHikes #NewYearsHikes #SpendTimeInNature
#MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime #MaineEvents #SolarPunkSunday -
#Maine #StatePark #FirstDayHikes, part of the nationwide initiative led by America’s State Parks to encourage people to get outdoors, are a combination of led and self-guided hikes, and virtual visits for 2026.
Guided Program Listings:
#CamdenHills State Park, #CamdenME - 9:00 a.m. Meet at the visitor center. Join us for a scenic 2.6-mile hike on the #Megunticook and #Adams Lookout Trails with Park Ranger Erik Hallsey to ring in 2026. The Megunticook Trail is a moderately difficult hike that leads to the easy Adams Lookout Trail. Both trails provide scenic points that include excellent views of #PenobscotBay. Leashed pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 236-0849.
#HolbrookIsland Sanctuary, #BrooksvilleME - 1-4:00 p.m. Meet at the Backshore Trail parking lot on Indian Bar Road. Join us for a leisurely 2.85 mile walk for all ages to ring in the New Year! Meet and Greet at 1:00 - Warm beverages, water, and snacks will be on hand at the start and finish of our walk. The guided hike will begin at 1:30 or explore on your own anytime during the afternoon. Please wear warm clothing and sturdy footwear. Leash pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 326-4012.
#SebagoLake State Park, Campground Side of Park, #Naples<E. Meet at 1:00 p.m. at the campground booth. Join us for a leisurely 1-mile walk for all ages on January 1 to ring in the New Year! Meet at campground booth on the Naples side of the park, for snacks and beverages, which will be provided. This will be an easy to moderate 1- mile hike around Horseshoe Bog; a mostly flat, and slightly rocky trail. All ages are welcome, but parents should be prepared to carry their children if they tire. Parents must accompany children under 12 years old. No pets on this hike, please. Park entry and program are free to First Day Hikers. Read all the details and view the First Day Hike flyer. FMI: (207) 693-6231.
#TwoLights State Park, #CapeElizabethME - 6:30-9:00 a.m. The park is off Route 77. Meet at High Head at the rose garden. Arrive at 6:30 for the sunrise. Hike begins at 7:30. This is a leasurely 3/4-mile loop hike along the shoreline and woodland paths. Parents must accompany children under 12 years old. Leashed pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 799-5871.
Self-guided Hike Guides:
#BradburyMountain State Park, #FreeportME
Camden Hills State Park, Camden
#PophamBeach State Park, #PhippsburgME
#ReidStatePark, #GeorgetownME
#WolfesNeck Woods State Park, Freeport
Share your self-guided hike photos and comments with us by tagging @mainedacf to Instagram and Facebook.
Stay Informed with Safety Updates.FMI (includes link to guides):
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/discover_history_explore_nature/activities/first-day-hikes.shtml#MaineParks #NatureEvents #NatureHikes #NewYearsHikes #SpendTimeInNature
#MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime #MaineEvents #SolarPunkSunday -
#Maine #StatePark #FirstDayHikes, part of the nationwide initiative led by America’s State Parks to encourage people to get outdoors, are a combination of led and self-guided hikes, and virtual visits for 2026.
Guided Program Listings:
#CamdenHills State Park, #CamdenME - 9:00 a.m. Meet at the visitor center. Join us for a scenic 2.6-mile hike on the #Megunticook and #Adams Lookout Trails with Park Ranger Erik Hallsey to ring in 2026. The Megunticook Trail is a moderately difficult hike that leads to the easy Adams Lookout Trail. Both trails provide scenic points that include excellent views of #PenobscotBay. Leashed pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 236-0849.
#HolbrookIsland Sanctuary, #BrooksvilleME - 1-4:00 p.m. Meet at the Backshore Trail parking lot on Indian Bar Road. Join us for a leisurely 2.85 mile walk for all ages to ring in the New Year! Meet and Greet at 1:00 - Warm beverages, water, and snacks will be on hand at the start and finish of our walk. The guided hike will begin at 1:30 or explore on your own anytime during the afternoon. Please wear warm clothing and sturdy footwear. Leash pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 326-4012.
#SebagoLake State Park, Campground Side of Park, #Naples<E. Meet at 1:00 p.m. at the campground booth. Join us for a leisurely 1-mile walk for all ages on January 1 to ring in the New Year! Meet at campground booth on the Naples side of the park, for snacks and beverages, which will be provided. This will be an easy to moderate 1- mile hike around Horseshoe Bog; a mostly flat, and slightly rocky trail. All ages are welcome, but parents should be prepared to carry their children if they tire. Parents must accompany children under 12 years old. No pets on this hike, please. Park entry and program are free to First Day Hikers. Read all the details and view the First Day Hike flyer. FMI: (207) 693-6231.
#TwoLights State Park, #CapeElizabethME - 6:30-9:00 a.m. The park is off Route 77. Meet at High Head at the rose garden. Arrive at 6:30 for the sunrise. Hike begins at 7:30. This is a leasurely 3/4-mile loop hike along the shoreline and woodland paths. Parents must accompany children under 12 years old. Leashed pets are welcome. Read all the details and view the flyer. FMI: (207) 799-5871.
Self-guided Hike Guides:
#BradburyMountain State Park, #FreeportME
Camden Hills State Park, Camden
#PophamBeach State Park, #PhippsburgME
#ReidStatePark, #GeorgetownME
#WolfesNeck Woods State Park, Freeport
Share your self-guided hike photos and comments with us by tagging @mainedacf to Instagram and Facebook.
Stay Informed with Safety Updates.FMI (includes link to guides):
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/discover_history_explore_nature/activities/first-day-hikes.shtml#MaineParks #NatureEvents #NatureHikes #NewYearsHikes #SpendTimeInNature
#MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime #MaineEvents #SolarPunkSunday -
#Wabanaki group restoring 245-acre farm in #SwanvilleME as food hub
#Niweskok, a Wabanaki-led #FoodSovereignty organization, recently bought the farm to aid its work reinvigorating traditional crops and land management.by Gillian Graham, May 8, 2025
"A Wabanaki-led food sovereignty organization recently acquired a 245-acre farm in Swanville, marking the return of Wabanaki stewardship to ancestral lands in the Penobscot Bay region.
"Niweskok: From the #StarsToSeeds, a collaboration of Wabanaki #FoodAndMedicine providers, has focused for years on reinvigorating #TraditionalCrops and #LandManagement strategies, distributing #TraditionalFoods and hosting workshops. But they did not have a permanent land base until buying the farm." 'Now, with this land, we have permanency of place — and the ability to continue this work for generations to come,' said #AliviaMoore, a #PenobscotNation citizen and Niweskok co-director.
"Niweskok (which translates to 'dried seeds for planting' in the Penobscot language) raised more than $1.8 million in just three months to buy the farm, which had been used to raise cattle and board horses. The group continues to raise money toward its $3 million capital campaign goal.
"Acquiring the land in January was a major step toward restoring the #PenobscotBay region as a Wabanaki food hub and allows Indigenous communities to reconnect with #TraditionalFoodways, #medicines and #ecological #stewardship. Niweskok sees the land as an intergenerational center where Wabanaki values of care, reciprocity and sustainability can flourish.
Moore said the land will allow Niweskok to go much deeper in its food production work. The group’s plans for the land include educational programming, #SeedSaving, #WildHarvesting and cultural camps."Moore said the land itself would determine the name of the farm. The farm was selected because it is close to the ocean and Penobscot territory.
'Penobscot people have been, through the process of #colonization and #genocide, thoroughly removed from coastal access,' Moore said. 'So for us to truly have healthful economies, healthful social structures and political systems, we need to be able to engage in our coastal ecology.'"The land, with access to the #GooseRiver, includes agricultural #fields, 140 acres of #forest, #wetlands and ponds. There are miles of riding trails through the woods, which Niweskok staff will map and decide which to maintain and whether more are needed for waterway access.
"Niweskok staff members have been preparing the soil for future planting and harvesting. Moore has been working on a 1-acre welcome garden that includes #perennials, #FruitTrees, #SweetGrass, #blueberries and other plants. Last week, she planted 70 #asparagus seedlings and 35 #rhubarb plants.
"Plans also are underway to spruce up a #farmstand where Niweskok will share #FreeProduce with neighbors.
"Moore has also been focused on working to restore the forests as #FoodForests — a process that will take years — and has started selective cutting to support existing #hazelnut groves and #BlackCherries.
"Niweskok will also create outdoor classrooms for community members to engage with the land, including demonstrations on plantings and #agroforestry techniques.
" 'An outdoor kitchen is one of our high-priority areas because so much of our time and how we want to support our community is being with our foods and outside as much as possible,' Moore said. 'Cooking over open fire is not only a way we want to engage with folks, but an important, culturally significant and really beautiful way to be together.'"Niweskok this month was awarded the #EspyHeritageAward from the #MaineCoastHeritageTrust, an annual award that recognizes those who make outstanding contributions to #LandConservation while inspiring others. It was the first time the award was given to an #Indigenous-led group.
"Angela Twitchell, director of partnerships and public policy for Maine Coast Heritage Trust, said Niweskok’s work to restore the Penobscot Bay region as a Wabanaki food hub is 'an inspiring example of how land conservation is evolving.'
"For decades starting in the 1950s, land conservation was centered on ecological and species protection and protecting lands from people and development. It has since evolved to center its work in community, Twitchell said.
" '(Niweskok’s) work embodies resilience and a deep commitment to healing and nourishing both the land and the community,' she said. 'The collaborative work between #LandTrusts and Niweskok stands as a model to be replicated.'
"Moore said the award acknowledges the leadership of Niweskok, and added that other incredible Wabanaki-led land work is happening in the region. Moore hopes the award indicates that Maine conservation groups will continue to find ways to support Wabanaki leadership in conservation.
"Having the land has been a 'beautiful invitation' for the #NonWabanaki community 'to support Wabanaki food sovereignty and be in support of our leadership in care of the land,' Moore said."Archived version:
https://archive.md/Ii0au#WabanakiConfederacy
#MaineFirstNations #LandBack #FoodSecurity #FoodSovereignty #sovereignty #Wabanakik #WabanakiAlliance #Decolonize #SolarPunkSunday #LandStewards #stewardship #NatureEducation #Foraging #Maine #IndigenousPeoplesDay -
#Wabanaki group restoring 245-acre farm in #SwanvilleME as food hub
#Niweskok, a Wabanaki-led #FoodSovereignty organization, recently bought the farm to aid its work reinvigorating traditional crops and land management.by Gillian Graham, May 8, 2025
"A Wabanaki-led food sovereignty organization recently acquired a 245-acre farm in Swanville, marking the return of Wabanaki stewardship to ancestral lands in the Penobscot Bay region.
"Niweskok: From the #StarsToSeeds, a collaboration of Wabanaki #FoodAndMedicine providers, has focused for years on reinvigorating #TraditionalCrops and #LandManagement strategies, distributing #TraditionalFoods and hosting workshops. But they did not have a permanent land base until buying the farm." 'Now, with this land, we have permanency of place — and the ability to continue this work for generations to come,' said #AliviaMoore, a #PenobscotNation citizen and Niweskok co-director.
"Niweskok (which translates to 'dried seeds for planting' in the Penobscot language) raised more than $1.8 million in just three months to buy the farm, which had been used to raise cattle and board horses. The group continues to raise money toward its $3 million capital campaign goal.
"Acquiring the land in January was a major step toward restoring the #PenobscotBay region as a Wabanaki food hub and allows Indigenous communities to reconnect with #TraditionalFoodways, #medicines and #ecological #stewardship. Niweskok sees the land as an intergenerational center where Wabanaki values of care, reciprocity and sustainability can flourish.
Moore said the land will allow Niweskok to go much deeper in its food production work. The group’s plans for the land include educational programming, #SeedSaving, #WildHarvesting and cultural camps."Moore said the land itself would determine the name of the farm. The farm was selected because it is close to the ocean and Penobscot territory.
'Penobscot people have been, through the process of #colonization and #genocide, thoroughly removed from coastal access,' Moore said. 'So for us to truly have healthful economies, healthful social structures and political systems, we need to be able to engage in our coastal ecology.'"The land, with access to the #GooseRiver, includes agricultural #fields, 140 acres of #forest, #wetlands and ponds. There are miles of riding trails through the woods, which Niweskok staff will map and decide which to maintain and whether more are needed for waterway access.
"Niweskok staff members have been preparing the soil for future planting and harvesting. Moore has been working on a 1-acre welcome garden that includes #perennials, #FruitTrees, #SweetGrass, #blueberries and other plants. Last week, she planted 70 #asparagus seedlings and 35 #rhubarb plants.
"Plans also are underway to spruce up a #farmstand where Niweskok will share #FreeProduce with neighbors.
"Moore has also been focused on working to restore the forests as #FoodForests — a process that will take years — and has started selective cutting to support existing #hazelnut groves and #BlackCherries.
"Niweskok will also create outdoor classrooms for community members to engage with the land, including demonstrations on plantings and #agroforestry techniques.
" 'An outdoor kitchen is one of our high-priority areas because so much of our time and how we want to support our community is being with our foods and outside as much as possible,' Moore said. 'Cooking over open fire is not only a way we want to engage with folks, but an important, culturally significant and really beautiful way to be together.'"Niweskok this month was awarded the #EspyHeritageAward from the #MaineCoastHeritageTrust, an annual award that recognizes those who make outstanding contributions to #LandConservation while inspiring others. It was the first time the award was given to an #Indigenous-led group.
"Angela Twitchell, director of partnerships and public policy for Maine Coast Heritage Trust, said Niweskok’s work to restore the Penobscot Bay region as a Wabanaki food hub is 'an inspiring example of how land conservation is evolving.'
"For decades starting in the 1950s, land conservation was centered on ecological and species protection and protecting lands from people and development. It has since evolved to center its work in community, Twitchell said.
" '(Niweskok’s) work embodies resilience and a deep commitment to healing and nourishing both the land and the community,' she said. 'The collaborative work between #LandTrusts and Niweskok stands as a model to be replicated.'
"Moore said the award acknowledges the leadership of Niweskok, and added that other incredible Wabanaki-led land work is happening in the region. Moore hopes the award indicates that Maine conservation groups will continue to find ways to support Wabanaki leadership in conservation.
"Having the land has been a 'beautiful invitation' for the #NonWabanaki community 'to support Wabanaki food sovereignty and be in support of our leadership in care of the land,' Moore said."Archived version:
https://archive.md/Ii0au#WabanakiConfederacy
#MaineFirstNations #LandBack #FoodSecurity #FoodSovereignty #sovereignty #Wabanakik #WabanakiAlliance #Decolonize #SolarPunkSunday #LandStewards #stewardship #NatureEducation #Foraging #Maine #IndigenousPeoplesDay -
#Wabanaki group restoring 245-acre farm in #SwanvilleME as food hub
#Niweskok, a Wabanaki-led #FoodSovereignty organization, recently bought the farm to aid its work reinvigorating traditional crops and land management.by Gillian Graham, May 8, 2025
"A Wabanaki-led food sovereignty organization recently acquired a 245-acre farm in Swanville, marking the return of Wabanaki stewardship to ancestral lands in the Penobscot Bay region.
"Niweskok: From the #StarsToSeeds, a collaboration of Wabanaki #FoodAndMedicine providers, has focused for years on reinvigorating #TraditionalCrops and #LandManagement strategies, distributing #TraditionalFoods and hosting workshops. But they did not have a permanent land base until buying the farm." 'Now, with this land, we have permanency of place — and the ability to continue this work for generations to come,' said #AliviaMoore, a #PenobscotNation citizen and Niweskok co-director.
"Niweskok (which translates to 'dried seeds for planting' in the Penobscot language) raised more than $1.8 million in just three months to buy the farm, which had been used to raise cattle and board horses. The group continues to raise money toward its $3 million capital campaign goal.
"Acquiring the land in January was a major step toward restoring the #PenobscotBay region as a Wabanaki food hub and allows Indigenous communities to reconnect with #TraditionalFoodways, #medicines and #ecological #stewardship. Niweskok sees the land as an intergenerational center where Wabanaki values of care, reciprocity and sustainability can flourish.
Moore said the land will allow Niweskok to go much deeper in its food production work. The group’s plans for the land include educational programming, #SeedSaving, #WildHarvesting and cultural camps."Moore said the land itself would determine the name of the farm. The farm was selected because it is close to the ocean and Penobscot territory.
'Penobscot people have been, through the process of #colonization and #genocide, thoroughly removed from coastal access,' Moore said. 'So for us to truly have healthful economies, healthful social structures and political systems, we need to be able to engage in our coastal ecology.'"The land, with access to the #GooseRiver, includes agricultural #fields, 140 acres of #forest, #wetlands and ponds. There are miles of riding trails through the woods, which Niweskok staff will map and decide which to maintain and whether more are needed for waterway access.
"Niweskok staff members have been preparing the soil for future planting and harvesting. Moore has been working on a 1-acre welcome garden that includes #perennials, #FruitTrees, #SweetGrass, #blueberries and other plants. Last week, she planted 70 #asparagus seedlings and 35 #rhubarb plants.
"Plans also are underway to spruce up a #farmstand where Niweskok will share #FreeProduce with neighbors.
"Moore has also been focused on working to restore the forests as #FoodForests — a process that will take years — and has started selective cutting to support existing #hazelnut groves and #BlackCherries.
"Niweskok will also create outdoor classrooms for community members to engage with the land, including demonstrations on plantings and #agroforestry techniques.
" 'An outdoor kitchen is one of our high-priority areas because so much of our time and how we want to support our community is being with our foods and outside as much as possible,' Moore said. 'Cooking over open fire is not only a way we want to engage with folks, but an important, culturally significant and really beautiful way to be together.'"Niweskok this month was awarded the #EspyHeritageAward from the #MaineCoastHeritageTrust, an annual award that recognizes those who make outstanding contributions to #LandConservation while inspiring others. It was the first time the award was given to an #Indigenous-led group.
"Angela Twitchell, director of partnerships and public policy for Maine Coast Heritage Trust, said Niweskok’s work to restore the Penobscot Bay region as a Wabanaki food hub is 'an inspiring example of how land conservation is evolving.'
"For decades starting in the 1950s, land conservation was centered on ecological and species protection and protecting lands from people and development. It has since evolved to center its work in community, Twitchell said.
" '(Niweskok’s) work embodies resilience and a deep commitment to healing and nourishing both the land and the community,' she said. 'The collaborative work between #LandTrusts and Niweskok stands as a model to be replicated.'
"Moore said the award acknowledges the leadership of Niweskok, and added that other incredible Wabanaki-led land work is happening in the region. Moore hopes the award indicates that Maine conservation groups will continue to find ways to support Wabanaki leadership in conservation.
"Having the land has been a 'beautiful invitation' for the #NonWabanaki community 'to support Wabanaki food sovereignty and be in support of our leadership in care of the land,' Moore said."Archived version:
https://archive.md/Ii0au#WabanakiConfederacy
#MaineFirstNations #LandBack #FoodSecurity #FoodSovereignty #sovereignty #Wabanakik #WabanakiAlliance #Decolonize #SolarPunkSunday #LandStewards #stewardship #NatureEducation #Foraging #Maine #IndigenousPeoplesDay -
#Wabanaki group restoring 245-acre farm in #SwanvilleME as food hub
#Niweskok, a Wabanaki-led #FoodSovereignty organization, recently bought the farm to aid its work reinvigorating traditional crops and land management.by Gillian Graham, May 8, 2025
"A Wabanaki-led food sovereignty organization recently acquired a 245-acre farm in Swanville, marking the return of Wabanaki stewardship to ancestral lands in the Penobscot Bay region.
"Niweskok: From the #StarsToSeeds, a collaboration of Wabanaki #FoodAndMedicine providers, has focused for years on reinvigorating #TraditionalCrops and #LandManagement strategies, distributing #TraditionalFoods and hosting workshops. But they did not have a permanent land base until buying the farm." 'Now, with this land, we have permanency of place — and the ability to continue this work for generations to come,' said #AliviaMoore, a #PenobscotNation citizen and Niweskok co-director.
"Niweskok (which translates to 'dried seeds for planting' in the Penobscot language) raised more than $1.8 million in just three months to buy the farm, which had been used to raise cattle and board horses. The group continues to raise money toward its $3 million capital campaign goal.
"Acquiring the land in January was a major step toward restoring the #PenobscotBay region as a Wabanaki food hub and allows Indigenous communities to reconnect with #TraditionalFoodways, #medicines and #ecological #stewardship. Niweskok sees the land as an intergenerational center where Wabanaki values of care, reciprocity and sustainability can flourish.
Moore said the land will allow Niweskok to go much deeper in its food production work. The group’s plans for the land include educational programming, #SeedSaving, #WildHarvesting and cultural camps."Moore said the land itself would determine the name of the farm. The farm was selected because it is close to the ocean and Penobscot territory.
'Penobscot people have been, through the process of #colonization and #genocide, thoroughly removed from coastal access,' Moore said. 'So for us to truly have healthful economies, healthful social structures and political systems, we need to be able to engage in our coastal ecology.'"The land, with access to the #GooseRiver, includes agricultural #fields, 140 acres of #forest, #wetlands and ponds. There are miles of riding trails through the woods, which Niweskok staff will map and decide which to maintain and whether more are needed for waterway access.
"Niweskok staff members have been preparing the soil for future planting and harvesting. Moore has been working on a 1-acre welcome garden that includes #perennials, #FruitTrees, #SweetGrass, #blueberries and other plants. Last week, she planted 70 #asparagus seedlings and 35 #rhubarb plants.
"Plans also are underway to spruce up a #farmstand where Niweskok will share #FreeProduce with neighbors.
"Moore has also been focused on working to restore the forests as #FoodForests — a process that will take years — and has started selective cutting to support existing #hazelnut groves and #BlackCherries.
"Niweskok will also create outdoor classrooms for community members to engage with the land, including demonstrations on plantings and #agroforestry techniques.
" 'An outdoor kitchen is one of our high-priority areas because so much of our time and how we want to support our community is being with our foods and outside as much as possible,' Moore said. 'Cooking over open fire is not only a way we want to engage with folks, but an important, culturally significant and really beautiful way to be together.'"Niweskok this month was awarded the #EspyHeritageAward from the #MaineCoastHeritageTrust, an annual award that recognizes those who make outstanding contributions to #LandConservation while inspiring others. It was the first time the award was given to an #Indigenous-led group.
"Angela Twitchell, director of partnerships and public policy for Maine Coast Heritage Trust, said Niweskok’s work to restore the Penobscot Bay region as a Wabanaki food hub is 'an inspiring example of how land conservation is evolving.'
"For decades starting in the 1950s, land conservation was centered on ecological and species protection and protecting lands from people and development. It has since evolved to center its work in community, Twitchell said.
" '(Niweskok’s) work embodies resilience and a deep commitment to healing and nourishing both the land and the community,' she said. 'The collaborative work between #LandTrusts and Niweskok stands as a model to be replicated.'
"Moore said the award acknowledges the leadership of Niweskok, and added that other incredible Wabanaki-led land work is happening in the region. Moore hopes the award indicates that Maine conservation groups will continue to find ways to support Wabanaki leadership in conservation.
"Having the land has been a 'beautiful invitation' for the #NonWabanaki community 'to support Wabanaki food sovereignty and be in support of our leadership in care of the land,' Moore said."Archived version:
https://archive.md/Ii0au#WabanakiConfederacy
#MaineFirstNations #LandBack #FoodSecurity #FoodSovereignty #sovereignty #Wabanakik #WabanakiAlliance #Decolonize #SolarPunkSunday #LandStewards #stewardship #NatureEducation #Foraging #Maine #IndigenousPeoplesDay -
#Wabanaki group restoring 245-acre farm in #SwanvilleME as food hub
#Niweskok, a Wabanaki-led #FoodSovereignty organization, recently bought the farm to aid its work reinvigorating traditional crops and land management.by Gillian Graham, May 8, 2025
"A Wabanaki-led food sovereignty organization recently acquired a 245-acre farm in Swanville, marking the return of Wabanaki stewardship to ancestral lands in the Penobscot Bay region.
"Niweskok: From the #StarsToSeeds, a collaboration of Wabanaki #FoodAndMedicine providers, has focused for years on reinvigorating #TraditionalCrops and #LandManagement strategies, distributing #TraditionalFoods and hosting workshops. But they did not have a permanent land base until buying the farm." 'Now, with this land, we have permanency of place — and the ability to continue this work for generations to come,' said #AliviaMoore, a #PenobscotNation citizen and Niweskok co-director.
"Niweskok (which translates to 'dried seeds for planting' in the Penobscot language) raised more than $1.8 million in just three months to buy the farm, which had been used to raise cattle and board horses. The group continues to raise money toward its $3 million capital campaign goal.
"Acquiring the land in January was a major step toward restoring the #PenobscotBay region as a Wabanaki food hub and allows Indigenous communities to reconnect with #TraditionalFoodways, #medicines and #ecological #stewardship. Niweskok sees the land as an intergenerational center where Wabanaki values of care, reciprocity and sustainability can flourish.
Moore said the land will allow Niweskok to go much deeper in its food production work. The group’s plans for the land include educational programming, #SeedSaving, #WildHarvesting and cultural camps."Moore said the land itself would determine the name of the farm. The farm was selected because it is close to the ocean and Penobscot territory.
'Penobscot people have been, through the process of #colonization and #genocide, thoroughly removed from coastal access,' Moore said. 'So for us to truly have healthful economies, healthful social structures and political systems, we need to be able to engage in our coastal ecology.'"The land, with access to the #GooseRiver, includes agricultural #fields, 140 acres of #forest, #wetlands and ponds. There are miles of riding trails through the woods, which Niweskok staff will map and decide which to maintain and whether more are needed for waterway access.
"Niweskok staff members have been preparing the soil for future planting and harvesting. Moore has been working on a 1-acre welcome garden that includes #perennials, #FruitTrees, #SweetGrass, #blueberries and other plants. Last week, she planted 70 #asparagus seedlings and 35 #rhubarb plants.
"Plans also are underway to spruce up a #farmstand where Niweskok will share #FreeProduce with neighbors.
"Moore has also been focused on working to restore the forests as #FoodForests — a process that will take years — and has started selective cutting to support existing #hazelnut groves and #BlackCherries.
"Niweskok will also create outdoor classrooms for community members to engage with the land, including demonstrations on plantings and #agroforestry techniques.
" 'An outdoor kitchen is one of our high-priority areas because so much of our time and how we want to support our community is being with our foods and outside as much as possible,' Moore said. 'Cooking over open fire is not only a way we want to engage with folks, but an important, culturally significant and really beautiful way to be together.'"Niweskok this month was awarded the #EspyHeritageAward from the #MaineCoastHeritageTrust, an annual award that recognizes those who make outstanding contributions to #LandConservation while inspiring others. It was the first time the award was given to an #Indigenous-led group.
"Angela Twitchell, director of partnerships and public policy for Maine Coast Heritage Trust, said Niweskok’s work to restore the Penobscot Bay region as a Wabanaki food hub is 'an inspiring example of how land conservation is evolving.'
"For decades starting in the 1950s, land conservation was centered on ecological and species protection and protecting lands from people and development. It has since evolved to center its work in community, Twitchell said.
" '(Niweskok’s) work embodies resilience and a deep commitment to healing and nourishing both the land and the community,' she said. 'The collaborative work between #LandTrusts and Niweskok stands as a model to be replicated.'
"Moore said the award acknowledges the leadership of Niweskok, and added that other incredible Wabanaki-led land work is happening in the region. Moore hopes the award indicates that Maine conservation groups will continue to find ways to support Wabanaki leadership in conservation.
"Having the land has been a 'beautiful invitation' for the #NonWabanaki community 'to support Wabanaki food sovereignty and be in support of our leadership in care of the land,' Moore said."Archived version:
https://archive.md/Ii0au#WabanakiConfederacy
#MaineFirstNations #LandBack #FoodSecurity #FoodSovereignty #sovereignty #Wabanakik #WabanakiAlliance #Decolonize #SolarPunkSunday #LandStewards #stewardship #NatureEducation #Foraging #Maine #IndigenousPeoplesDay -
Bills revive debate over #SearsIsland port plan
Maine Public | By Peter McGuire
Published March 12, 2025"Lawmakers heard more than five hours of testimony Wednesday from both sides of a debate over preserving Sears Island in the Town of #Searsport.
"A pair of bills from state representative Reagan Paul would extend a #ConservationEasement across the island and restore #SandDuneProtections in a 330-acre parcel set aside for development.
"The Winterport Republican said it's time to end decades of controversial port proposals for the island in the town of Searsport. The latest plan is a floating offshore wind port by the Maine Department of Transportation that has so far failed to attract federal funding.
"'And yet #MDOT refuses to face reality, doubling down on failure and proving this is not about offshore wind, it is about pushing #IndustrialDevelopment at any cost,' Paul told members of the legislature's Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
"Local #conservationists support the proposal and said the highest and best use of the island is as a wild area. Any commercial development, including the wind port, can be done at nearby #MackPoint, a fuel and materials terminal."
Read more:
https://www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025-03-12/bills-revive-debate-over-sears-island-port-plan
#SaveSearsIsland #ProtectNature #Maine #WindTurbines #WindPort #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #WindTerminal #SandDunes #ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies -
Bills revive debate over #SearsIsland port plan
Maine Public | By Peter McGuire
Published March 12, 2025"Lawmakers heard more than five hours of testimony Wednesday from both sides of a debate over preserving Sears Island in the Town of #Searsport.
"A pair of bills from state representative Reagan Paul would extend a #ConservationEasement across the island and restore #SandDuneProtections in a 330-acre parcel set aside for development.
"The Winterport Republican said it's time to end decades of controversial port proposals for the island in the town of Searsport. The latest plan is a floating offshore wind port by the Maine Department of Transportation that has so far failed to attract federal funding.
"'And yet #MDOT refuses to face reality, doubling down on failure and proving this is not about offshore wind, it is about pushing #IndustrialDevelopment at any cost,' Paul told members of the legislature's Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
"Local #conservationists support the proposal and said the highest and best use of the island is as a wild area. Any commercial development, including the wind port, can be done at nearby #MackPoint, a fuel and materials terminal."
Read more:
https://www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025-03-12/bills-revive-debate-over-sears-island-port-plan
#SaveSearsIsland #ProtectNature #Maine #WindTurbines #WindPort #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #WindTerminal #SandDunes #ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies -
Bills revive debate over #SearsIsland port plan
Maine Public | By Peter McGuire
Published March 12, 2025"Lawmakers heard more than five hours of testimony Wednesday from both sides of a debate over preserving Sears Island in the Town of #Searsport.
"A pair of bills from state representative Reagan Paul would extend a #ConservationEasement across the island and restore #SandDuneProtections in a 330-acre parcel set aside for development.
"The Winterport Republican said it's time to end decades of controversial port proposals for the island in the town of Searsport. The latest plan is a floating offshore wind port by the Maine Department of Transportation that has so far failed to attract federal funding.
"'And yet #MDOT refuses to face reality, doubling down on failure and proving this is not about offshore wind, it is about pushing #IndustrialDevelopment at any cost,' Paul told members of the legislature's Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
"Local #conservationists support the proposal and said the highest and best use of the island is as a wild area. Any commercial development, including the wind port, can be done at nearby #MackPoint, a fuel and materials terminal."
Read more:
https://www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025-03-12/bills-revive-debate-over-sears-island-port-plan
#SaveSearsIsland #ProtectNature #Maine #WindTurbines #WindPort #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #WindTerminal #SandDunes #ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies -
Bills revive debate over #SearsIsland port plan
Maine Public | By Peter McGuire
Published March 12, 2025"Lawmakers heard more than five hours of testimony Wednesday from both sides of a debate over preserving Sears Island in the Town of #Searsport.
"A pair of bills from state representative Reagan Paul would extend a #ConservationEasement across the island and restore #SandDuneProtections in a 330-acre parcel set aside for development.
"The Winterport Republican said it's time to end decades of controversial port proposals for the island in the town of Searsport. The latest plan is a floating offshore wind port by the Maine Department of Transportation that has so far failed to attract federal funding.
"'And yet #MDOT refuses to face reality, doubling down on failure and proving this is not about offshore wind, it is about pushing #IndustrialDevelopment at any cost,' Paul told members of the legislature's Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
"Local #conservationists support the proposal and said the highest and best use of the island is as a wild area. Any commercial development, including the wind port, can be done at nearby #MackPoint, a fuel and materials terminal."
Read more:
https://www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025-03-12/bills-revive-debate-over-sears-island-port-plan
#SaveSearsIsland #ProtectNature #Maine #WindTurbines #WindPort #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #WindTerminal #SandDunes #ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies -
Bills revive debate over #SearsIsland port plan
Maine Public | By Peter McGuire
Published March 12, 2025"Lawmakers heard more than five hours of testimony Wednesday from both sides of a debate over preserving Sears Island in the Town of #Searsport.
"A pair of bills from state representative Reagan Paul would extend a #ConservationEasement across the island and restore #SandDuneProtections in a 330-acre parcel set aside for development.
"The Winterport Republican said it's time to end decades of controversial port proposals for the island in the town of Searsport. The latest plan is a floating offshore wind port by the Maine Department of Transportation that has so far failed to attract federal funding.
"'And yet #MDOT refuses to face reality, doubling down on failure and proving this is not about offshore wind, it is about pushing #IndustrialDevelopment at any cost,' Paul told members of the legislature's Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
"Local #conservationists support the proposal and said the highest and best use of the island is as a wild area. Any commercial development, including the wind port, can be done at nearby #MackPoint, a fuel and materials terminal."
Read more:
https://www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025-03-12/bills-revive-debate-over-sears-island-port-plan
#SaveSearsIsland #ProtectNature #Maine #WindTurbines #WindPort #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #WindTerminal #SandDunes #ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies -
Good! Build it on #MackPoint, not #SearsIsland! Feds reject Maine’s request for $456 million to build proposed wind port at Sears Island
by Stephen Singer
October 22, 2024"Rolf Olsen, vice president of the board of #FriendsOfSearsIsland, which manages a portion of the island set aside for #conservation, and an opponent of the Sears Island proposed site, said the federal decision 'would appear to be a significant financial blow' to develop the manufacturing facility.
"'We’re somewhat encouraged that the state’s port development grant application was turned down, especially since it only considered developing Sears Island and not Mack Point,' he said.
Archived version:
https://archive.md/ej9E4#SaveSearsIsland #ProtectNature #Maine #WindTurbines #WindPort #Maine #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies -
Common #Wildlife of #Wassumkeag Island (#SearsIsland)
"This is an ongoing list of the types of wildlife found on Wassumkeag (Sears) Island. It is based on reported observations. There are many other animal species on Sears Island, however, that have not been seen so are not included in this list. The list does not include most aquatic or tidal organisms. Please see our other guide for birds. New species will be added in future updates so check back.
American Mink
American Red Squirrel
American Toad
Common Garter Snake
Common Porcupine
Common Raccoon
Deer Mouse
Eastern Chipmunk
Eastern Cottontail
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Harbor Seal
Moose
Northeastern coyote
Ribbon Snake
Smooth Greensnake
Spring Peeper
Striped Skunk
White-tailed Deer
Wood Frog
Yellow-Spotted Salamander"
Source:
https://www.inaturalist.org/guides/3233"We welcome your submissions of observations! Please visit our website at http://friendsofsearsisland.org/explore-the-island/ to log observations. You may also add species to our Inaturalist Project, 'Plants and Animals of Sears Island.'"
#SaveSearsIsland #ProtectNature #WednesdaysForWildlife #Maine #WindTurbines #WindPort #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #GovernorJanetMills #GreenEnergy #MackPoint -
#SearsIsland: The Answer to Green Energy, Or Home to #Biodiverse #Wildlife?
by Freyja Grey
Jul 16, 2024"The #Wabanaki people indigenous to the area named Sears Island #Wassumkeag, or Shining Beach. The tribes used the island to hunt and fish for centuries.
"McCarthy said, 'They've been documented archeologically to have had a presence here for at least thirty-five hundred years.... There's a bio-regional perspective that considers all the relations: the #insects, the #grasses, the #trees, the #eelgrass, the #birds, the critters that roam these woods — if you really want to speak for Sears Island, it's incumbent, not just for poets and photographers and old hippies, it's incumbent for all of us to be mindful of all that is happening here.'
"McCarthy said he gets why the island is an attractive place for development. 'We're in a time where wind energy is important,' he said. 'We need to find green sources of power, but the narrowness of that human perspective needs to be challenged.'
"Both McCarthy and Lawless join the group #FriendsOfSearsIsland in maintaining that #MackPoint is better situated for development.
"Even though 600 acres of the island are protected by a conservation easement, industrial disruption to the peaceful island could lead to #environmental impacts that may not be fully realized until after development, according to McCarthy."
#SaveSearsIsland #ProtectNature #WednesdaysForWildlife #Maine #WindTurbines #WindPort #Maine #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #GovernorJanetMills #GreenEnergy -
Letter: Save #SearsIsland
by Opinion Contributor
June 17, 2024"The article '#SpragueEnergy pushes #WindPort' in the June 15 Bangor Daily News Business section highlights the perfectly reasonable argument that #MackPoint should be reconsidered as the site for the proposed wind port. According to Jim Therriault, vice president of materials handling for Sprague, new information is available from research and studies. Things have changed since the state first targeted Sears Island. The arguments of dredging, construction costs and environmental concerns all have new facts and figures since the state (prematurely?) made the executive decision to use Sears Island for the wind port.
"Those who want to save Sears Island from the wind port construction that I believe would be the destruction of that beautiful local treasure sincerely hope that the state will do the responsible and reasonable thing. That they will take a good, strong look at what Sprague is offering.
"Hopefully, the decision to use Sears Island is not cast in stone and is reversible if facts warrant it.
"Too much is at stake to allow the state to stubbornly refuse to reconsider a decision this important. Someone in an impartial position needs to come to the table and study the facts. The new facts. If possible, let’s save Sears Island!"
- Sue Shaw
Penobscot, Mainehttps://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/06/17/opinion/letters/save-sears-island-wind-port-mack-point/
#ProtectNature #Nature #GulfOfMaine #Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag #CorporateColonialism #PenobscotBay #Greenwashing #JanetMills -
#SpragueEnergy offers alternative plan for offshore #WindPort at #MackPoint
Story by Katie Delaney
June 11, 2024"The State of Maine is planning to build its first offshore wind port on Sears Island in #Searsport, but Sprague Energy is pushing for its facility at Mack Point to be reconsidered as the site for the project.
"Leaders of Sprague Energy held tours Tuesday to show people their plan for offshore wind at Mack Point which they say is a lower-impact alternative to #SearsIsland.
"'This is a technology we've been serving for 20 years; we know what we do, we know our plan is rational,' Sprague Energy Vice President of Materials Handling Jim Therriault said.
"Sprague Energy has been working on #WindTurbines for the land, but it’s ready to take them to the sea.
"Therriault said the plan will impact the land less than the Sears Island project while still preserving their current operations.
"'We came up with a plan that gives you the same, if not more, capability and we did it with greatly reduced dredging, probably about an 85 percent reduction,' Therriault said.
"Sprague would make money on the deal. It would lease 100 acres of its facility to the State of Maine. Sprague says its site would be cheaper than Sears Island.
"'That lease fee will likely be lower than the state financing fees,' Sprague Energy President and CEO Dave Glendon said."
#Maine #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #SaveSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #GovernorJanetMills #Wassumkeag -
#SpragueEnergy offers alternative plan for offshore #WindPort at #MackPoint
Story by Katie Delaney
June 11, 2024"The State of Maine is planning to build its first offshore wind port on Sears Island in #Searsport, but Sprague Energy is pushing for its facility at Mack Point to be reconsidered as the site for the project.
"Leaders of Sprague Energy held tours Tuesday to show people their plan for offshore wind at Mack Point which they say is a lower-impact alternative to #SearsIsland.
"'This is a technology we've been serving for 20 years; we know what we do, we know our plan is rational,' Sprague Energy Vice President of Materials Handling Jim Therriault said.
"Sprague Energy has been working on #WindTurbines for the land, but it’s ready to take them to the sea.
"Therriault said the plan will impact the land less than the Sears Island project while still preserving their current operations.
"'We came up with a plan that gives you the same, if not more, capability and we did it with greatly reduced dredging, probably about an 85 percent reduction,' Therriault said.
"Sprague would make money on the deal. It would lease 100 acres of its facility to the State of Maine. Sprague says its site would be cheaper than Sears Island.
"'That lease fee will likely be lower than the state financing fees,' Sprague Energy President and CEO Dave Glendon said."
#Maine #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #SaveSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #GovernorJanetMills #Wassumkeag -
#SpragueEnergy offers alternative plan for offshore #WindPort at #MackPoint
Story by Katie Delaney
June 11, 2024"The State of Maine is planning to build its first offshore wind port on Sears Island in #Searsport, but Sprague Energy is pushing for its facility at Mack Point to be reconsidered as the site for the project.
"Leaders of Sprague Energy held tours Tuesday to show people their plan for offshore wind at Mack Point which they say is a lower-impact alternative to #SearsIsland.
"'This is a technology we've been serving for 20 years; we know what we do, we know our plan is rational,' Sprague Energy Vice President of Materials Handling Jim Therriault said.
"Sprague Energy has been working on #WindTurbines for the land, but it’s ready to take them to the sea.
"Therriault said the plan will impact the land less than the Sears Island project while still preserving their current operations.
"'We came up with a plan that gives you the same, if not more, capability and we did it with greatly reduced dredging, probably about an 85 percent reduction,' Therriault said.
"Sprague would make money on the deal. It would lease 100 acres of its facility to the State of Maine. Sprague says its site would be cheaper than Sears Island.
"'That lease fee will likely be lower than the state financing fees,' Sprague Energy President and CEO Dave Glendon said."
#Maine #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #SaveSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #GovernorJanetMills #Wassumkeag -
#SpragueEnergy offers alternative plan for offshore #WindPort at #MackPoint
Story by Katie Delaney
June 11, 2024"The State of Maine is planning to build its first offshore wind port on Sears Island in #Searsport, but Sprague Energy is pushing for its facility at Mack Point to be reconsidered as the site for the project.
"Leaders of Sprague Energy held tours Tuesday to show people their plan for offshore wind at Mack Point which they say is a lower-impact alternative to #SearsIsland.
"'This is a technology we've been serving for 20 years; we know what we do, we know our plan is rational,' Sprague Energy Vice President of Materials Handling Jim Therriault said.
"Sprague Energy has been working on #WindTurbines for the land, but it’s ready to take them to the sea.
"Therriault said the plan will impact the land less than the Sears Island project while still preserving their current operations.
"'We came up with a plan that gives you the same, if not more, capability and we did it with greatly reduced dredging, probably about an 85 percent reduction,' Therriault said.
"Sprague would make money on the deal. It would lease 100 acres of its facility to the State of Maine. Sprague says its site would be cheaper than Sears Island.
"'That lease fee will likely be lower than the state financing fees,' Sprague Energy President and CEO Dave Glendon said."
#Maine #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #SaveSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #GovernorJanetMills #Wassumkeag -
#SpragueEnergy offers alternative plan for offshore #WindPort at #MackPoint
Story by Katie Delaney
June 11, 2024"The State of Maine is planning to build its first offshore wind port on Sears Island in #Searsport, but Sprague Energy is pushing for its facility at Mack Point to be reconsidered as the site for the project.
"Leaders of Sprague Energy held tours Tuesday to show people their plan for offshore wind at Mack Point which they say is a lower-impact alternative to #SearsIsland.
"'This is a technology we've been serving for 20 years; we know what we do, we know our plan is rational,' Sprague Energy Vice President of Materials Handling Jim Therriault said.
"Sprague Energy has been working on #WindTurbines for the land, but it’s ready to take them to the sea.
"Therriault said the plan will impact the land less than the Sears Island project while still preserving their current operations.
"'We came up with a plan that gives you the same, if not more, capability and we did it with greatly reduced dredging, probably about an 85 percent reduction,' Therriault said.
"Sprague would make money on the deal. It would lease 100 acres of its facility to the State of Maine. Sprague says its site would be cheaper than Sears Island.
"'That lease fee will likely be lower than the state financing fees,' Sprague Energy President and CEO Dave Glendon said."
#Maine #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #SaveSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #GovernorJanetMills #Wassumkeag -
#SpragueEnergy Unveils Alternative, Lower-Impact Plan for Floating #OffshoreWind at Its #MackPoint Terminal in #Maine
Harnessing Existing Infrastructure, Sequestering Tons of #Carbon Per Year and Protecting 100 Acres of Undisturbed Natural Habitat on and off #SearsIsland
June 6, 2024 /PRNewswire
"'Building a wind port on Sears Island means more than 75 acres of upland forest will be cleared, graded, and compacted. It also means filling 25 acres of pristine #PenobscotBay to extend the shoreline where a previously protected ocean sand dune is located,' said Rolf E. Olsen, vice president of #FriendsOfSearsIsland, a volunteer nonprofit organization that manages the conservation area on behalf of the people of Maine and supports the idea of a #WindPort in #Searsport.
"Olsen continued, 'That estimate by the State does not include the additional impact from a new and greatly expanded approach road and rail bed to get to the facility. This seriously damages the island's #ecological, recreational, and economic value. Re-developing Mack Point - which has thrived as an industrial site for more than a century - is a far better and less disruptive decision, and the State has previously stated that it meets the requirements for the port.'
"On April 24, the #MaineDOT issued a request for information seeking public input on Maine's commercial offshore wind solicitation approach and implementation. Public opinions should be emailed to [email protected] before the June 21st deadline. More information is available on the Maine.gov website."
https://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2024/06/06/10024531.htm
#ProtectNature #Nature #GulfOfMaine #Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag #CorporateColonialism #PenobscotBay #Greenwashing #JanetMills -
What this article doesn't mention is all the other plans to develop #SearsIsland, that are contingent on #MDOT's and #GovernorJanetMills getting their way!
[Paywall] The plans for #Maine’s floating #WindPort, explained
May 31, 2024
Why Sears Island?
"This question remains a big sticking point for what appears to be a number of local residents, some environmental organizations and midcoast advocacy groups, and those who are simply opposed to offshore wind development entirely.
"They argue that industrialized #MackPoint in #SearsportMaine is the best place for a wind port.
"'There’s such a sensible alternative 800 yards away — a 105-year-old working port, with a terminal operator that is ready, willing and able to take on the project and not to jeopardize their other operations,' said #DavidItaliaander, a Searsport resident and board member for #FriendsOfSearsIsland. The group maintains the island’s vast network of trails.
"#SpragueEnergy owns Mack Point and appears to be making its own push to host the state’s wind port. The company has said that its existing #industrial #waterfront could be repurposed to support Maine’s plans. And Sprague said it has a new alternative plan that addresses some of the concerns the state has identified.
"But there is a coalition of other conservation organizations, labor groups, the Maine Chamber of Commerce and others that want to see Sears Island redeveloped as a wind port and support the state’s plan.
"Maine DOT already owns the land that it wants to develop. The state also says that Sears Island wouldn’t require dredging, but Sprague has said those requirements would be reduced under its new plan.
In the meantime, Italiaander and other Sears Island advocacy groups are poring through the details of DOT’s federal grant application."DOT, for example, has proposed relocating the Sears Island access road so it would cut through a corner of the #conservation area.
"That’s a concern, Italiaander said. Burns acknowledged that the land is protected and said the proposed road relocation is intended to better bifurcate the island into its two potential uses — port activity and recreation.
"The debate over Sears Island will ramp up in the coming weeks and months.
"Sprague Energy will host an event next month at the Mack Point terminal, where company leaders are expected to present their own alternative wind port design.
"And #MaineDOT is expected to release a much-anticipated analysis of alternative sites, which will include Mack Point."
#WindPort #GulfOfMaine #Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag #CorporateColonialism #PenobscotBay #Maine #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #CulturalGenocide #Greenwashing -
What this article doesn't mention is all the other plans to develop #SearsIsland, that are contingent on #MDOT's and #GovernorJanetMills getting their way!
[Paywall] The plans for #Maine’s floating #WindPort, explained
May 31, 2024
Why Sears Island?
"This question remains a big sticking point for what appears to be a number of local residents, some environmental organizations and midcoast advocacy groups, and those who are simply opposed to offshore wind development entirely.
"They argue that industrialized #MackPoint in #SearsportMaine is the best place for a wind port.
"'There’s such a sensible alternative 800 yards away — a 105-year-old working port, with a terminal operator that is ready, willing and able to take on the project and not to jeopardize their other operations,' said #DavidItaliaander, a Searsport resident and board member for #FriendsOfSearsIsland. The group maintains the island’s vast network of trails.
"#SpragueEnergy owns Mack Point and appears to be making its own push to host the state’s wind port. The company has said that its existing #industrial #waterfront could be repurposed to support Maine’s plans. And Sprague said it has a new alternative plan that addresses some of the concerns the state has identified.
"But there is a coalition of other conservation organizations, labor groups, the Maine Chamber of Commerce and others that want to see Sears Island redeveloped as a wind port and support the state’s plan.
"Maine DOT already owns the land that it wants to develop. The state also says that Sears Island wouldn’t require dredging, but Sprague has said those requirements would be reduced under its new plan.
In the meantime, Italiaander and other Sears Island advocacy groups are poring through the details of DOT’s federal grant application."DOT, for example, has proposed relocating the Sears Island access road so it would cut through a corner of the #conservation area.
"That’s a concern, Italiaander said. Burns acknowledged that the land is protected and said the proposed road relocation is intended to better bifurcate the island into its two potential uses — port activity and recreation.
"The debate over Sears Island will ramp up in the coming weeks and months.
"Sprague Energy will host an event next month at the Mack Point terminal, where company leaders are expected to present their own alternative wind port design.
"And #MaineDOT is expected to release a much-anticipated analysis of alternative sites, which will include Mack Point."
#WindPort #GulfOfMaine #Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag #CorporateColonialism #PenobscotBay #Maine #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #CulturalGenocide #Greenwashing -
What this article doesn't mention is all the other plans to develop #SearsIsland, that are contingent on #MDOT's and #GovernorJanetMills getting their way!
[Paywall] The plans for #Maine’s floating #WindPort, explained
May 31, 2024
Why Sears Island?
"This question remains a big sticking point for what appears to be a number of local residents, some environmental organizations and midcoast advocacy groups, and those who are simply opposed to offshore wind development entirely.
"They argue that industrialized #MackPoint in #SearsportMaine is the best place for a wind port.
"'There’s such a sensible alternative 800 yards away — a 105-year-old working port, with a terminal operator that is ready, willing and able to take on the project and not to jeopardize their other operations,' said #DavidItaliaander, a Searsport resident and board member for #FriendsOfSearsIsland. The group maintains the island’s vast network of trails.
"#SpragueEnergy owns Mack Point and appears to be making its own push to host the state’s wind port. The company has said that its existing #industrial #waterfront could be repurposed to support Maine’s plans. And Sprague said it has a new alternative plan that addresses some of the concerns the state has identified.
"But there is a coalition of other conservation organizations, labor groups, the Maine Chamber of Commerce and others that want to see Sears Island redeveloped as a wind port and support the state’s plan.
"Maine DOT already owns the land that it wants to develop. The state also says that Sears Island wouldn’t require dredging, but Sprague has said those requirements would be reduced under its new plan.
In the meantime, Italiaander and other Sears Island advocacy groups are poring through the details of DOT’s federal grant application."DOT, for example, has proposed relocating the Sears Island access road so it would cut through a corner of the #conservation area.
"That’s a concern, Italiaander said. Burns acknowledged that the land is protected and said the proposed road relocation is intended to better bifurcate the island into its two potential uses — port activity and recreation.
"The debate over Sears Island will ramp up in the coming weeks and months.
"Sprague Energy will host an event next month at the Mack Point terminal, where company leaders are expected to present their own alternative wind port design.
"And #MaineDOT is expected to release a much-anticipated analysis of alternative sites, which will include Mack Point."
#WindPort #GulfOfMaine #Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag #CorporateColonialism #PenobscotBay #Maine #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #CulturalGenocide #Greenwashing -
What this article doesn't mention is all the other plans to develop #SearsIsland, that are contingent on #MDOT's and #GovernorJanetMills getting their way!
[Paywall] The plans for #Maine’s floating #WindPort, explained
May 31, 2024
Why Sears Island?
"This question remains a big sticking point for what appears to be a number of local residents, some environmental organizations and midcoast advocacy groups, and those who are simply opposed to offshore wind development entirely.
"They argue that industrialized #MackPoint in #SearsportMaine is the best place for a wind port.
"'There’s such a sensible alternative 800 yards away — a 105-year-old working port, with a terminal operator that is ready, willing and able to take on the project and not to jeopardize their other operations,' said #DavidItaliaander, a Searsport resident and board member for #FriendsOfSearsIsland. The group maintains the island’s vast network of trails.
"#SpragueEnergy owns Mack Point and appears to be making its own push to host the state’s wind port. The company has said that its existing #industrial #waterfront could be repurposed to support Maine’s plans. And Sprague said it has a new alternative plan that addresses some of the concerns the state has identified.
"But there is a coalition of other conservation organizations, labor groups, the Maine Chamber of Commerce and others that want to see Sears Island redeveloped as a wind port and support the state’s plan.
"Maine DOT already owns the land that it wants to develop. The state also says that Sears Island wouldn’t require dredging, but Sprague has said those requirements would be reduced under its new plan.
In the meantime, Italiaander and other Sears Island advocacy groups are poring through the details of DOT’s federal grant application."DOT, for example, has proposed relocating the Sears Island access road so it would cut through a corner of the #conservation area.
"That’s a concern, Italiaander said. Burns acknowledged that the land is protected and said the proposed road relocation is intended to better bifurcate the island into its two potential uses — port activity and recreation.
"The debate over Sears Island will ramp up in the coming weeks and months.
"Sprague Energy will host an event next month at the Mack Point terminal, where company leaders are expected to present their own alternative wind port design.
"And #MaineDOT is expected to release a much-anticipated analysis of alternative sites, which will include Mack Point."
#WindPort #GulfOfMaine #Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag #CorporateColonialism #PenobscotBay #Maine #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #CulturalGenocide #Greenwashing -
What this article doesn't mention is all the other plans to develop #SearsIsland, that are contingent on #MDOT's and #GovernorJanetMills getting their way!
[Paywall] The plans for #Maine’s floating #WindPort, explained
May 31, 2024
Why Sears Island?
"This question remains a big sticking point for what appears to be a number of local residents, some environmental organizations and midcoast advocacy groups, and those who are simply opposed to offshore wind development entirely.
"They argue that industrialized #MackPoint in #SearsportMaine is the best place for a wind port.
"'There’s such a sensible alternative 800 yards away — a 105-year-old working port, with a terminal operator that is ready, willing and able to take on the project and not to jeopardize their other operations,' said #DavidItaliaander, a Searsport resident and board member for #FriendsOfSearsIsland. The group maintains the island’s vast network of trails.
"#SpragueEnergy owns Mack Point and appears to be making its own push to host the state’s wind port. The company has said that its existing #industrial #waterfront could be repurposed to support Maine’s plans. And Sprague said it has a new alternative plan that addresses some of the concerns the state has identified.
"But there is a coalition of other conservation organizations, labor groups, the Maine Chamber of Commerce and others that want to see Sears Island redeveloped as a wind port and support the state’s plan.
"Maine DOT already owns the land that it wants to develop. The state also says that Sears Island wouldn’t require dredging, but Sprague has said those requirements would be reduced under its new plan.
In the meantime, Italiaander and other Sears Island advocacy groups are poring through the details of DOT’s federal grant application."DOT, for example, has proposed relocating the Sears Island access road so it would cut through a corner of the #conservation area.
"That’s a concern, Italiaander said. Burns acknowledged that the land is protected and said the proposed road relocation is intended to better bifurcate the island into its two potential uses — port activity and recreation.
"The debate over Sears Island will ramp up in the coming weeks and months.
"Sprague Energy will host an event next month at the Mack Point terminal, where company leaders are expected to present their own alternative wind port design.
"And #MaineDOT is expected to release a much-anticipated analysis of alternative sites, which will include Mack Point."
#WindPort #GulfOfMaine #Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag #CorporateColonialism #PenobscotBay #Maine #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #CulturalGenocide #Greenwashing -
Tree cutting has already started! Call your legislators and #ProtectTheForest / #ProtectTheDunes and #SaveSearsIsland! The trees and greenery there keep #Carbon from entering the atmosphere! #MackPoint is a better choice, since it has already been developed and is NOT ecologically sensitive!
[Undeveloped] #SearsIsland has staved off #industrialization for decades. Now it may become #Maine’s #WindPort.
Many say Mack Point's the better choice.
SEARSPORT — "At 940 acres, Sears Island is the largest uninhabited island off the coast of Maine, making it an inviting patch of ground for proposed developments such as a shipping cargo port and #nuclear power plant.
"For decades, however, the #PenobscotBay island has been a graveyard for major projects that never got built.
"That could change in the coming years.
"#GovJanetMills announced in February that Sears Island is the state’s preferred site for an industrial port with facilities to build, assemble and maintain floating offshore wind turbines, hundreds of feet in height. The undeveloped site would be transformed into a busy hub for ships delivering materials to build the turbines, and it would be populated by cranes, storage facilities and vehicles.
[...]
"Many local residents and others in Maine [including the #WabanakiAlliance] say Mack Point is a more logical launchpad for the state’s floating wind industry, and that the state should spare tranquil Sears Island with its abundant woods, trails and views of #PenobscotBay from becoming what they fear would be an industrial zone."
#Maine #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #GovernorJanetMills #Wassumkeag #AllianceForSearsIsland #CulturalGenocide #Greenwashing -
#MDOT Plans New #SearsIsland Road and Rail Access Corridor Through Current #ConservationLand
Published by
#allianceforsearsislandon May 23, 2024
"Can we hold the Maine Department of Transportation accountable for bull-dozing their way toward developing Sears Island and industrializing #PenobscotBay, along the way breaking promises, rewriting environmental protection law, changing the Sears Island conservation easement, withholding from the public important development costs and impacts and avoiding open, honest, transparent public involvement?
"We might be tempted to begin our list of facts illustrating MDOT’s abuse of authority and public trust with the illegal filling of Sears Island #wetlands and construction of the causeway, apparently in violation of its permit, in the 1980’s. But let’s keep to the more recent offshore wind record of broken promises and undisclosed development activity.
"During the Governor’s announcement in February, [#GovJanetMills] claimed, without supporting data, that Sears Island development 'will cost less' and 'is expected to result in less environmental harm' than would development of a state-owned but privately operated offshore wind facility at Mack Point.
"The 'cost less' assertion raised major questions not yet answered in part because, a few months earlier, at the last OSWPAG meeting, we were told, 'The total project cost for construction is very similar for both MP ($460 Million Total Project Cost) and SI ($470 Million Total Project Cost).'
"Sears Island’s current #undeveloped, natural condition, provides important ecological services to the region and state, especially for fisheries, #CarbonSequestration and publicly accessible recreation. #MackPoint does not provide these ecological services. According to a reliable source, every acre of intact Sears Island forest locks up between 80 and 100 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year – #CO2 that cannot harm our #climate.
"Developing Sears Island proposes removing all vegetation and life from more than 100 acres on Sears Island, nearly one-third of which is existing or historical #wetland, and then harvesting 1.4 million cubic yards of soil to create an impermeable, nearly level work area. Doing so constitutes radical, permanent, irreparable ecological damage, forever eliminating current upland and associated marine #environmental benefits. This exactly flips an appropriate climate-change response and dramatically undermines any claim that developing Sears Island instead of Mack Point represents the least environmentally damaging choice.
Broken Promises
"In 2007, the state promised to choose #MackPoint as the preferred location for future marine transportation development. The Sears Island agreement, signed by 38 stakeholders including the Maine Department of Transportation, and adopted as state policy by then-Governor Baldacci and the State of Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Transportation, says: 'Mack Point shall be given preference as an alternative to port development on Sears Island.'
"The Sears Island agreement also committed the State of Maine from ever harvesting soil from the island. Ever. Not one cubic yard of soil would be harvested and certainly not 1.4 million cubic yards of soil!
Sadly, the Governor’s announcement and subsequent actions taken by MDOT toward developing Sears Island render the promises made in 2007 by our government worthless.
Broken Laws
"But highly questionable governmental actions in pursuit of developing Sears Island continue. In March this year the Governor brought forward the sand dune bill that allows violation of sand #dune system protections on Sears Island and creates a dangerous threat in the future for any environmental law that may interfere with MDOT development aspirations. Though initially failing to pass in the House, the bill eventually became law after strong political pressure.
New Sears Island Road and Rail Corridor
"And now we come to the MDOT application for a federal grant specifically to develop Sears Island. Nestled within several documents associated with the grant application is page 2 of a two-drawing file titled, Sears Island Wind Port Concept Drawing 2024-04-29, copy attached or available at https://www.maine.gov/mdot/grants/infra/.
"The illustration depicts a new 'heavy load' access road and rail corridor as part of Sears Island development plans for the first time, at least in public.
"As proposed, the new approximately 2,300-foot-long rail and road access corridor passes through a thickly wooded portion of the island, crossing at least two perennial streams and disturbing additional wetlands along the way. Assuming a 100-foot width, the corridor would destroy more than 5.25 acres of intact natural landscape, in addition to the more than 100-acre upland ecological destruction at the facility site proper.
"Adding insult to injury, the proposed new road and rail corridor requires changing the conservation easement boundary in the vicinity.
"#FriendsOfSearsIsland Vice President Rolf Olsen received confirmation of the new road and rail access plan from Kay Rand in response to his query. Rand also substantiated that the new access corridor would cross a portion of the conservation parcel and necessitate a change in that parcel’s boundary.
"According to budget information included with the grant application, clearing, grubbing, excavation and borrow, grading, drainage, erosion control, paving and other work related to this access corridor will add $8 million to the cost of developing Sears Island. Mack Point already provides both a heavy load road and rail.
"The new Sears Island rail and road access corridor presents yet another failure by MDOT to incorporate an honest understanding of climate change into decision-making. As MDOT fiddles for federal grant money to pursue a mega facility on Sears Island, the Earth tilts toward catastrophic climate change.
"I will venture the opinion that, had the #MillsAdministration and MDOT focused offshore wind port research on Mack Point as promised in March 2020 (see attached press release), as promised in the Sears Island Planning Initiative, and as the historical record certainly suggests is the rational approach, including deeply exploring development possibilities there with #SpragueEnergy, they might already have secured permits and seen construction begun.
#Accountability Now"End the insulting double-speak. With honor and integrity, not intrigue and obfuscation, open-up and bring the full spectrum of facts to this decision. Accountability now!"
Steve Miller
#WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #AllianceForSearsIsland #ProtectWahsumkik #MackPoint #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #WabanakiAlliance #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism #PenobscotNation #Passamaquoddy #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag -
#MDOT Plans New #SearsIsland Road and Rail Access Corridor Through Current #ConservationLand
Published by
#allianceforsearsislandon May 23, 2024
"Can we hold the Maine Department of Transportation accountable for bull-dozing their way toward developing Sears Island and industrializing #PenobscotBay, along the way breaking promises, rewriting environmental protection law, changing the Sears Island conservation easement, withholding from the public important development costs and impacts and avoiding open, honest, transparent public involvement?
"We might be tempted to begin our list of facts illustrating MDOT’s abuse of authority and public trust with the illegal filling of Sears Island #wetlands and construction of the causeway, apparently in violation of its permit, in the 1980’s. But let’s keep to the more recent offshore wind record of broken promises and undisclosed development activity.
"During the Governor’s announcement in February, [#GovJanetMills] claimed, without supporting data, that Sears Island development 'will cost less' and 'is expected to result in less environmental harm' than would development of a state-owned but privately operated offshore wind facility at Mack Point.
"The 'cost less' assertion raised major questions not yet answered in part because, a few months earlier, at the last OSWPAG meeting, we were told, 'The total project cost for construction is very similar for both MP ($460 Million Total Project Cost) and SI ($470 Million Total Project Cost).'
"Sears Island’s current #undeveloped, natural condition, provides important ecological services to the region and state, especially for fisheries, #CarbonSequestration and publicly accessible recreation. #MackPoint does not provide these ecological services. According to a reliable source, every acre of intact Sears Island forest locks up between 80 and 100 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year – #CO2 that cannot harm our #climate.
"Developing Sears Island proposes removing all vegetation and life from more than 100 acres on Sears Island, nearly one-third of which is existing or historical #wetland, and then harvesting 1.4 million cubic yards of soil to create an impermeable, nearly level work area. Doing so constitutes radical, permanent, irreparable ecological damage, forever eliminating current upland and associated marine #environmental benefits. This exactly flips an appropriate climate-change response and dramatically undermines any claim that developing Sears Island instead of Mack Point represents the least environmentally damaging choice.
Broken Promises
"In 2007, the state promised to choose #MackPoint as the preferred location for future marine transportation development. The Sears Island agreement, signed by 38 stakeholders including the Maine Department of Transportation, and adopted as state policy by then-Governor Baldacci and the State of Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Transportation, says: 'Mack Point shall be given preference as an alternative to port development on Sears Island.'
"The Sears Island agreement also committed the State of Maine from ever harvesting soil from the island. Ever. Not one cubic yard of soil would be harvested and certainly not 1.4 million cubic yards of soil!
Sadly, the Governor’s announcement and subsequent actions taken by MDOT toward developing Sears Island render the promises made in 2007 by our government worthless.
Broken Laws
"But highly questionable governmental actions in pursuit of developing Sears Island continue. In March this year the Governor brought forward the sand dune bill that allows violation of sand #dune system protections on Sears Island and creates a dangerous threat in the future for any environmental law that may interfere with MDOT development aspirations. Though initially failing to pass in the House, the bill eventually became law after strong political pressure.
New Sears Island Road and Rail Corridor
"And now we come to the MDOT application for a federal grant specifically to develop Sears Island. Nestled within several documents associated with the grant application is page 2 of a two-drawing file titled, Sears Island Wind Port Concept Drawing 2024-04-29, copy attached or available at https://www.maine.gov/mdot/grants/infra/.
"The illustration depicts a new 'heavy load' access road and rail corridor as part of Sears Island development plans for the first time, at least in public.
"As proposed, the new approximately 2,300-foot-long rail and road access corridor passes through a thickly wooded portion of the island, crossing at least two perennial streams and disturbing additional wetlands along the way. Assuming a 100-foot width, the corridor would destroy more than 5.25 acres of intact natural landscape, in addition to the more than 100-acre upland ecological destruction at the facility site proper.
"Adding insult to injury, the proposed new road and rail corridor requires changing the conservation easement boundary in the vicinity.
"#FriendsOfSearsIsland Vice President Rolf Olsen received confirmation of the new road and rail access plan from Kay Rand in response to his query. Rand also substantiated that the new access corridor would cross a portion of the conservation parcel and necessitate a change in that parcel’s boundary.
"According to budget information included with the grant application, clearing, grubbing, excavation and borrow, grading, drainage, erosion control, paving and other work related to this access corridor will add $8 million to the cost of developing Sears Island. Mack Point already provides both a heavy load road and rail.
"The new Sears Island rail and road access corridor presents yet another failure by MDOT to incorporate an honest understanding of climate change into decision-making. As MDOT fiddles for federal grant money to pursue a mega facility on Sears Island, the Earth tilts toward catastrophic climate change.
"I will venture the opinion that, had the #MillsAdministration and MDOT focused offshore wind port research on Mack Point as promised in March 2020 (see attached press release), as promised in the Sears Island Planning Initiative, and as the historical record certainly suggests is the rational approach, including deeply exploring development possibilities there with #SpragueEnergy, they might already have secured permits and seen construction begun.
#Accountability Now"End the insulting double-speak. With honor and integrity, not intrigue and obfuscation, open-up and bring the full spectrum of facts to this decision. Accountability now!"
Steve Miller
#WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #AllianceForSearsIsland #ProtectWahsumkik #MackPoint #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #WabanakiAlliance #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism #PenobscotNation #Passamaquoddy #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag -
#MDOT Plans New #SearsIsland Road and Rail Access Corridor Through Current #ConservationLand
Published by
#allianceforsearsislandon May 23, 2024
"Can we hold the Maine Department of Transportation accountable for bull-dozing their way toward developing Sears Island and industrializing #PenobscotBay, along the way breaking promises, rewriting environmental protection law, changing the Sears Island conservation easement, withholding from the public important development costs and impacts and avoiding open, honest, transparent public involvement?
"We might be tempted to begin our list of facts illustrating MDOT’s abuse of authority and public trust with the illegal filling of Sears Island #wetlands and construction of the causeway, apparently in violation of its permit, in the 1980’s. But let’s keep to the more recent offshore wind record of broken promises and undisclosed development activity.
"During the Governor’s announcement in February, [#GovJanetMills] claimed, without supporting data, that Sears Island development 'will cost less' and 'is expected to result in less environmental harm' than would development of a state-owned but privately operated offshore wind facility at Mack Point.
"The 'cost less' assertion raised major questions not yet answered in part because, a few months earlier, at the last OSWPAG meeting, we were told, 'The total project cost for construction is very similar for both MP ($460 Million Total Project Cost) and SI ($470 Million Total Project Cost).'
"Sears Island’s current #undeveloped, natural condition, provides important ecological services to the region and state, especially for fisheries, #CarbonSequestration and publicly accessible recreation. #MackPoint does not provide these ecological services. According to a reliable source, every acre of intact Sears Island forest locks up between 80 and 100 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year – #CO2 that cannot harm our #climate.
"Developing Sears Island proposes removing all vegetation and life from more than 100 acres on Sears Island, nearly one-third of which is existing or historical #wetland, and then harvesting 1.4 million cubic yards of soil to create an impermeable, nearly level work area. Doing so constitutes radical, permanent, irreparable ecological damage, forever eliminating current upland and associated marine #environmental benefits. This exactly flips an appropriate climate-change response and dramatically undermines any claim that developing Sears Island instead of Mack Point represents the least environmentally damaging choice.
Broken Promises
"In 2007, the state promised to choose #MackPoint as the preferred location for future marine transportation development. The Sears Island agreement, signed by 38 stakeholders including the Maine Department of Transportation, and adopted as state policy by then-Governor Baldacci and the State of Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Transportation, says: 'Mack Point shall be given preference as an alternative to port development on Sears Island.'
"The Sears Island agreement also committed the State of Maine from ever harvesting soil from the island. Ever. Not one cubic yard of soil would be harvested and certainly not 1.4 million cubic yards of soil!
Sadly, the Governor’s announcement and subsequent actions taken by MDOT toward developing Sears Island render the promises made in 2007 by our government worthless.
Broken Laws
"But highly questionable governmental actions in pursuit of developing Sears Island continue. In March this year the Governor brought forward the sand dune bill that allows violation of sand #dune system protections on Sears Island and creates a dangerous threat in the future for any environmental law that may interfere with MDOT development aspirations. Though initially failing to pass in the House, the bill eventually became law after strong political pressure.
New Sears Island Road and Rail Corridor
"And now we come to the MDOT application for a federal grant specifically to develop Sears Island. Nestled within several documents associated with the grant application is page 2 of a two-drawing file titled, Sears Island Wind Port Concept Drawing 2024-04-29, copy attached or available at https://www.maine.gov/mdot/grants/infra/.
"The illustration depicts a new 'heavy load' access road and rail corridor as part of Sears Island development plans for the first time, at least in public.
"As proposed, the new approximately 2,300-foot-long rail and road access corridor passes through a thickly wooded portion of the island, crossing at least two perennial streams and disturbing additional wetlands along the way. Assuming a 100-foot width, the corridor would destroy more than 5.25 acres of intact natural landscape, in addition to the more than 100-acre upland ecological destruction at the facility site proper.
"Adding insult to injury, the proposed new road and rail corridor requires changing the conservation easement boundary in the vicinity.
"#FriendsOfSearsIsland Vice President Rolf Olsen received confirmation of the new road and rail access plan from Kay Rand in response to his query. Rand also substantiated that the new access corridor would cross a portion of the conservation parcel and necessitate a change in that parcel’s boundary.
"According to budget information included with the grant application, clearing, grubbing, excavation and borrow, grading, drainage, erosion control, paving and other work related to this access corridor will add $8 million to the cost of developing Sears Island. Mack Point already provides both a heavy load road and rail.
"The new Sears Island rail and road access corridor presents yet another failure by MDOT to incorporate an honest understanding of climate change into decision-making. As MDOT fiddles for federal grant money to pursue a mega facility on Sears Island, the Earth tilts toward catastrophic climate change.
"I will venture the opinion that, had the #MillsAdministration and MDOT focused offshore wind port research on Mack Point as promised in March 2020 (see attached press release), as promised in the Sears Island Planning Initiative, and as the historical record certainly suggests is the rational approach, including deeply exploring development possibilities there with #SpragueEnergy, they might already have secured permits and seen construction begun.
#Accountability Now"End the insulting double-speak. With honor and integrity, not intrigue and obfuscation, open-up and bring the full spectrum of facts to this decision. Accountability now!"
Steve Miller
#WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #AllianceForSearsIsland #ProtectWahsumkik #MackPoint #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #WabanakiAlliance #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism #PenobscotNation #Passamaquoddy #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag -
#MDOT Plans New #SearsIsland Road and Rail Access Corridor Through Current #ConservationLand
Published by
#allianceforsearsislandon May 23, 2024
"Can we hold the Maine Department of Transportation accountable for bull-dozing their way toward developing Sears Island and industrializing #PenobscotBay, along the way breaking promises, rewriting environmental protection law, changing the Sears Island conservation easement, withholding from the public important development costs and impacts and avoiding open, honest, transparent public involvement?
"We might be tempted to begin our list of facts illustrating MDOT’s abuse of authority and public trust with the illegal filling of Sears Island #wetlands and construction of the causeway, apparently in violation of its permit, in the 1980’s. But let’s keep to the more recent offshore wind record of broken promises and undisclosed development activity.
"During the Governor’s announcement in February, [#GovJanetMills] claimed, without supporting data, that Sears Island development 'will cost less' and 'is expected to result in less environmental harm' than would development of a state-owned but privately operated offshore wind facility at Mack Point.
"The 'cost less' assertion raised major questions not yet answered in part because, a few months earlier, at the last OSWPAG meeting, we were told, 'The total project cost for construction is very similar for both MP ($460 Million Total Project Cost) and SI ($470 Million Total Project Cost).'
"Sears Island’s current #undeveloped, natural condition, provides important ecological services to the region and state, especially for fisheries, #CarbonSequestration and publicly accessible recreation. #MackPoint does not provide these ecological services. According to a reliable source, every acre of intact Sears Island forest locks up between 80 and 100 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year – #CO2 that cannot harm our #climate.
"Developing Sears Island proposes removing all vegetation and life from more than 100 acres on Sears Island, nearly one-third of which is existing or historical #wetland, and then harvesting 1.4 million cubic yards of soil to create an impermeable, nearly level work area. Doing so constitutes radical, permanent, irreparable ecological damage, forever eliminating current upland and associated marine #environmental benefits. This exactly flips an appropriate climate-change response and dramatically undermines any claim that developing Sears Island instead of Mack Point represents the least environmentally damaging choice.
Broken Promises
"In 2007, the state promised to choose #MackPoint as the preferred location for future marine transportation development. The Sears Island agreement, signed by 38 stakeholders including the Maine Department of Transportation, and adopted as state policy by then-Governor Baldacci and the State of Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Transportation, says: 'Mack Point shall be given preference as an alternative to port development on Sears Island.'
"The Sears Island agreement also committed the State of Maine from ever harvesting soil from the island. Ever. Not one cubic yard of soil would be harvested and certainly not 1.4 million cubic yards of soil!
Sadly, the Governor’s announcement and subsequent actions taken by MDOT toward developing Sears Island render the promises made in 2007 by our government worthless.
Broken Laws
"But highly questionable governmental actions in pursuit of developing Sears Island continue. In March this year the Governor brought forward the sand dune bill that allows violation of sand #dune system protections on Sears Island and creates a dangerous threat in the future for any environmental law that may interfere with MDOT development aspirations. Though initially failing to pass in the House, the bill eventually became law after strong political pressure.
New Sears Island Road and Rail Corridor
"And now we come to the MDOT application for a federal grant specifically to develop Sears Island. Nestled within several documents associated with the grant application is page 2 of a two-drawing file titled, Sears Island Wind Port Concept Drawing 2024-04-29, copy attached or available at https://www.maine.gov/mdot/grants/infra/.
"The illustration depicts a new 'heavy load' access road and rail corridor as part of Sears Island development plans for the first time, at least in public.
"As proposed, the new approximately 2,300-foot-long rail and road access corridor passes through a thickly wooded portion of the island, crossing at least two perennial streams and disturbing additional wetlands along the way. Assuming a 100-foot width, the corridor would destroy more than 5.25 acres of intact natural landscape, in addition to the more than 100-acre upland ecological destruction at the facility site proper.
"Adding insult to injury, the proposed new road and rail corridor requires changing the conservation easement boundary in the vicinity.
"#FriendsOfSearsIsland Vice President Rolf Olsen received confirmation of the new road and rail access plan from Kay Rand in response to his query. Rand also substantiated that the new access corridor would cross a portion of the conservation parcel and necessitate a change in that parcel’s boundary.
"According to budget information included with the grant application, clearing, grubbing, excavation and borrow, grading, drainage, erosion control, paving and other work related to this access corridor will add $8 million to the cost of developing Sears Island. Mack Point already provides both a heavy load road and rail.
"The new Sears Island rail and road access corridor presents yet another failure by MDOT to incorporate an honest understanding of climate change into decision-making. As MDOT fiddles for federal grant money to pursue a mega facility on Sears Island, the Earth tilts toward catastrophic climate change.
"I will venture the opinion that, had the #MillsAdministration and MDOT focused offshore wind port research on Mack Point as promised in March 2020 (see attached press release), as promised in the Sears Island Planning Initiative, and as the historical record certainly suggests is the rational approach, including deeply exploring development possibilities there with #SpragueEnergy, they might already have secured permits and seen construction begun.
#Accountability Now"End the insulting double-speak. With honor and integrity, not intrigue and obfuscation, open-up and bring the full spectrum of facts to this decision. Accountability now!"
Steve Miller
#WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #AllianceForSearsIsland #ProtectWahsumkik #MackPoint #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #WabanakiAlliance #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism #PenobscotNation #Passamaquoddy #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag