#protecttheforest — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #protecttheforest, aggregated by home.social.
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#Minnesota governor signs order to stop any #mining efforts in #BoundaryWaters #Wilderness
August 18, 2026
ELY, Minn. (AP) — "Minnesota Gov. #TimWalz on Tuesday suspended state work on proposed mining projects in the #BoundaryWatersCanoeArea Wilderness, four months after Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration lifted a federal ban.
"The cherished wild area stretches for about 150 miles (about 240 kilometers) in the #SuperiorNationalForest along Minnesota’s border with #Canada. Thousands of canoeists, kayakers and campers explore the wilderness each year.
" 'It’s our duty as Minnesotans to ensure the sacred place remains wild, pristine and unharmed,' Walz, a Democrat, said.
"#TwinMetalsMinnesotaLLC, a subsidiary of #Chile -based #AntofagastaMinerals, has been seeking to mine for #copper, #nickel and other precious metals in the #NationalForest since 2019. It insists it can be done so no waste rock is stored above ground, eliminating a potential source of acid.
"The canoe area lies within the national forest just downstream from the mine site, raising concerns that digging could cause pollution.
"In April, #Trump signed a resolution approved by Congress that lifts a 2023 federal moratorium on mining in the forest. He said it would create jobs and boost the #MiningIndustry.
:Walz’s order says Minnesota regulators will not participate as a cooperating agency in any federal environmental review of a nonferrous mining project in the #RainyRiver watershed, which is linked to #BoundaryWaters."
Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-boundary-water-mining-walz-4123863c7030bbdec88a2a2aa888fd61#USPol #NoMining #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #WaterIsLife #ForestsAreLife
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#Minnesota governor signs order to stop any #mining efforts in #BoundaryWaters #Wilderness
August 18, 2026
ELY, Minn. (AP) — "Minnesota Gov. #TimWalz on Tuesday suspended state work on proposed mining projects in the #BoundaryWatersCanoeArea Wilderness, four months after Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration lifted a federal ban.
"The cherished wild area stretches for about 150 miles (about 240 kilometers) in the #SuperiorNationalForest along Minnesota’s border with #Canada. Thousands of canoeists, kayakers and campers explore the wilderness each year.
" 'It’s our duty as Minnesotans to ensure the sacred place remains wild, pristine and unharmed,' Walz, a Democrat, said.
"#TwinMetalsMinnesotaLLC, a subsidiary of #Chile -based #AntofagastaMinerals, has been seeking to mine for #copper, #nickel and other precious metals in the #NationalForest since 2019. It insists it can be done so no waste rock is stored above ground, eliminating a potential source of acid.
"The canoe area lies within the national forest just downstream from the mine site, raising concerns that digging could cause pollution.
"In April, #Trump signed a resolution approved by Congress that lifts a 2023 federal moratorium on mining in the forest. He said it would create jobs and boost the #MiningIndustry.
:Walz’s order says Minnesota regulators will not participate as a cooperating agency in any federal environmental review of a nonferrous mining project in the #RainyRiver watershed, which is linked to #BoundaryWaters."
Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-boundary-water-mining-walz-4123863c7030bbdec88a2a2aa888fd61#USPol #NoMining #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #WaterIsLife #ForestsAreLife
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#Minnesota governor signs order to stop any #mining efforts in #BoundaryWaters #Wilderness
August 18, 2026
ELY, Minn. (AP) — "Minnesota Gov. #TimWalz on Tuesday suspended state work on proposed mining projects in the #BoundaryWatersCanoeArea Wilderness, four months after Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration lifted a federal ban.
"The cherished wild area stretches for about 150 miles (about 240 kilometers) in the #SuperiorNationalForest along Minnesota’s border with #Canada. Thousands of canoeists, kayakers and campers explore the wilderness each year.
" 'It’s our duty as Minnesotans to ensure the sacred place remains wild, pristine and unharmed,' Walz, a Democrat, said.
"#TwinMetalsMinnesotaLLC, a subsidiary of #Chile -based #AntofagastaMinerals, has been seeking to mine for #copper, #nickel and other precious metals in the #NationalForest since 2019. It insists it can be done so no waste rock is stored above ground, eliminating a potential source of acid.
"The canoe area lies within the national forest just downstream from the mine site, raising concerns that digging could cause pollution.
"In April, #Trump signed a resolution approved by Congress that lifts a 2023 federal moratorium on mining in the forest. He said it would create jobs and boost the #MiningIndustry.
:Walz’s order says Minnesota regulators will not participate as a cooperating agency in any federal environmental review of a nonferrous mining project in the #RainyRiver watershed, which is linked to #BoundaryWaters."
Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-boundary-water-mining-walz-4123863c7030bbdec88a2a2aa888fd61#USPol #NoMining #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #WaterIsLife #ForestsAreLife
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#Minnesota governor signs order to stop any #mining efforts in #BoundaryWaters #Wilderness
August 18, 2026
ELY, Minn. (AP) — "Minnesota Gov. #TimWalz on Tuesday suspended state work on proposed mining projects in the #BoundaryWatersCanoeArea Wilderness, four months after Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration lifted a federal ban.
"The cherished wild area stretches for about 150 miles (about 240 kilometers) in the #SuperiorNationalForest along Minnesota’s border with #Canada. Thousands of canoeists, kayakers and campers explore the wilderness each year.
" 'It’s our duty as Minnesotans to ensure the sacred place remains wild, pristine and unharmed,' Walz, a Democrat, said.
"#TwinMetalsMinnesotaLLC, a subsidiary of #Chile -based #AntofagastaMinerals, has been seeking to mine for #copper, #nickel and other precious metals in the #NationalForest since 2019. It insists it can be done so no waste rock is stored above ground, eliminating a potential source of acid.
"The canoe area lies within the national forest just downstream from the mine site, raising concerns that digging could cause pollution.
"In April, #Trump signed a resolution approved by Congress that lifts a 2023 federal moratorium on mining in the forest. He said it would create jobs and boost the #MiningIndustry.
:Walz’s order says Minnesota regulators will not participate as a cooperating agency in any federal environmental review of a nonferrous mining project in the #RainyRiver watershed, which is linked to #BoundaryWaters."
Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-boundary-water-mining-walz-4123863c7030bbdec88a2a2aa888fd61#USPol #NoMining #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #WaterIsLife #ForestsAreLife
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#Minnesota governor signs order to stop any #mining efforts in #BoundaryWaters #Wilderness
August 18, 2026
ELY, Minn. (AP) — "Minnesota Gov. #TimWalz on Tuesday suspended state work on proposed mining projects in the #BoundaryWatersCanoeArea Wilderness, four months after Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration lifted a federal ban.
"The cherished wild area stretches for about 150 miles (about 240 kilometers) in the #SuperiorNationalForest along Minnesota’s border with #Canada. Thousands of canoeists, kayakers and campers explore the wilderness each year.
" 'It’s our duty as Minnesotans to ensure the sacred place remains wild, pristine and unharmed,' Walz, a Democrat, said.
"#TwinMetalsMinnesotaLLC, a subsidiary of #Chile -based #AntofagastaMinerals, has been seeking to mine for #copper, #nickel and other precious metals in the #NationalForest since 2019. It insists it can be done so no waste rock is stored above ground, eliminating a potential source of acid.
"The canoe area lies within the national forest just downstream from the mine site, raising concerns that digging could cause pollution.
"In April, #Trump signed a resolution approved by Congress that lifts a 2023 federal moratorium on mining in the forest. He said it would create jobs and boost the #MiningIndustry.
:Walz’s order says Minnesota regulators will not participate as a cooperating agency in any federal environmental review of a nonferrous mining project in the #RainyRiver watershed, which is linked to #BoundaryWaters."
Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-boundary-water-mining-walz-4123863c7030bbdec88a2a2aa888fd61#USPol #NoMining #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #WaterIsLife #ForestsAreLife
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BREAKING NEWS🚨 - Press release from the #CenterForBiologicalDiversity
#Trump Moves to Kill #RoadlessRule in Biggest Assault on #ForestProtections in U.S. History
For Immediate Release, August 18, 2026
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration today proposed scrapping the country’s most significant tool for protecting national forests, a move that would open nearly 45 million acres of wild, unfragmented forest across 37 states to road construction, logging and other development.
“Trump is pushing for the largest evisceration of public lands protection in American history and against what Americans want,” said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These are some of the last truly wild forests left in the country, places that shelter endangered wildlife and protect our drinking water. Once you start bulldozing roads for commercial logging and industrial development, there’s no getting them back. Americans love their public lands and want them protected. We’re going to fight like hell to safeguard these wild places for future generations.”
Today’s announcement from the U.S. Agriculture Department will be followed by Wednesday’s release of the draft environmental analysis, giving the public until Sept. 21 to comment on the proposed Roadless Rule recission.
Here are statements from the Center’s regional experts on risks to roadless forests and wildlife across the country:
Northern #Rockies
“Roadless forests are lifelines for grizzly bears and Canada lynx across the northern Rockies,” said Kristine Akland, Northern Rockies director. “Grizzlies need these areas to den and raise cubs and lynx populations are already declining as mature forest habitat disappears. Building roads and allowing logging in these wild areas would make an already difficult situation for these species even worse. People across the region know how vital these intact forests are for wildlife, clean water and recreation, and they overwhelmingly oppose dismantling the Roadless Rule.”
“We’ll fight Trump’s monstrous proposal to gut the Roadless Rule, which would be disastrous for the Tongass,” said Cooper Freeman, Alaska program director. “Punching roads through 9 million acres of intact temperate rainforest would destroy world-class salmon streams. It would open the door for corporations to clearcut irreplaceable, centuries-old Sitka spruce for export overseas. Alaska’s wild places deserve better.”
Southwest
“Roadless forests are where wildlife live,” said Taylor McKinnon, Southwest director. “They’re home to jaguars, Mexican spotted owls, and ocelots, some of the most iconic animals on the continent. Plowing roads into their habitat will bring human-caused wildfires and disturbances that they don’t need and can’t afford. We’ve fought for years to protect the forests and animals of the Southwest and there’s no way we’re giving up now.”
"Roadless areas protect the most beloved and endangered species in the Southeast,” said Will Harlan, Southeast program director. “The South Mills River harbors the country’s strongest hellbender population. Snowbird and Tusquitee Bald shelter endangered Carolina northern flying squirrels, gray bats and longsolid mussel. These forests sustain local economies, protect iconic recreation spots like the Appalachian Trail and safeguard drinking water for millions of people in Charlotte, Atlanta and beyond. Handing them over to loggers and construction crews isn’t sound policy, it’s a tragedy."
Why we need the Roadless Rule:
- Forests free of roads and logging provide crucial and connected habitat for animals and plants, protecting them from noise, pollution and other human-caused harms.
- The forests at risk — from Oregon to North Carolina — are home to scores of threatened and endangered species, including American wolverines, Canada lynx, grizzly bears and northern spotted owls. Rescinding the Roadless Rule would not only push these species closer to extinction but threaten countless others, including Alexander Archipelago wolves and Queen Charlotte goshawks.
- More than 370,000 miles of roads already fragment U.S. national forests, with a maintenance backlog in the billions of dollars. Most wildfires are human caused and occur near roads, with a decades-long, nationwide study finding human-caused wildfires are four times more likely in areas with roads than in roadless forests.
- National forests are the headwaters of many of the country’s major rivers and the largest source of municipal water supplies, serving more than 60 million people in 33 states. The Roadless Rule protects rivers and streams from roads, a major source of water pollution because of erosion and sediment.
#USPol #ProtectTheForest #NationalForests #WildlifeCorridors #WildlifeHabitat #EndangeredSpecies #Greed #CorporateColonialism #StolenLand #LandBack #ForestsAreLife #WaterIsLife
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BREAKING NEWS🚨 - Press release from the #CenterForBiologicalDiversity
#Trump Moves to Kill #RoadlessRule in Biggest Assault on #ForestProtections in U.S. History
For Immediate Release, August 18, 2026
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration today proposed scrapping the country’s most significant tool for protecting national forests, a move that would open nearly 45 million acres of wild, unfragmented forest across 37 states to road construction, logging and other development.
“Trump is pushing for the largest evisceration of public lands protection in American history and against what Americans want,” said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These are some of the last truly wild forests left in the country, places that shelter endangered wildlife and protect our drinking water. Once you start bulldozing roads for commercial logging and industrial development, there’s no getting them back. Americans love their public lands and want them protected. We’re going to fight like hell to safeguard these wild places for future generations.”
Today’s announcement from the U.S. Agriculture Department will be followed by Wednesday’s release of the draft environmental analysis, giving the public until Sept. 21 to comment on the proposed Roadless Rule recission.
Here are statements from the Center’s regional experts on risks to roadless forests and wildlife across the country:
Northern #Rockies
“Roadless forests are lifelines for grizzly bears and Canada lynx across the northern Rockies,” said Kristine Akland, Northern Rockies director. “Grizzlies need these areas to den and raise cubs and lynx populations are already declining as mature forest habitat disappears. Building roads and allowing logging in these wild areas would make an already difficult situation for these species even worse. People across the region know how vital these intact forests are for wildlife, clean water and recreation, and they overwhelmingly oppose dismantling the Roadless Rule.”
“We’ll fight Trump’s monstrous proposal to gut the Roadless Rule, which would be disastrous for the Tongass,” said Cooper Freeman, Alaska program director. “Punching roads through 9 million acres of intact temperate rainforest would destroy world-class salmon streams. It would open the door for corporations to clearcut irreplaceable, centuries-old Sitka spruce for export overseas. Alaska’s wild places deserve better.”
Southwest
“Roadless forests are where wildlife live,” said Taylor McKinnon, Southwest director. “They’re home to jaguars, Mexican spotted owls, and ocelots, some of the most iconic animals on the continent. Plowing roads into their habitat will bring human-caused wildfires and disturbances that they don’t need and can’t afford. We’ve fought for years to protect the forests and animals of the Southwest and there’s no way we’re giving up now.”
"Roadless areas protect the most beloved and endangered species in the Southeast,” said Will Harlan, Southeast program director. “The South Mills River harbors the country’s strongest hellbender population. Snowbird and Tusquitee Bald shelter endangered Carolina northern flying squirrels, gray bats and longsolid mussel. These forests sustain local economies, protect iconic recreation spots like the Appalachian Trail and safeguard drinking water for millions of people in Charlotte, Atlanta and beyond. Handing them over to loggers and construction crews isn’t sound policy, it’s a tragedy."
Why we need the Roadless Rule:
- Forests free of roads and logging provide crucial and connected habitat for animals and plants, protecting them from noise, pollution and other human-caused harms.
- The forests at risk — from Oregon to North Carolina — are home to scores of threatened and endangered species, including American wolverines, Canada lynx, grizzly bears and northern spotted owls. Rescinding the Roadless Rule would not only push these species closer to extinction but threaten countless others, including Alexander Archipelago wolves and Queen Charlotte goshawks.
- More than 370,000 miles of roads already fragment U.S. national forests, with a maintenance backlog in the billions of dollars. Most wildfires are human caused and occur near roads, with a decades-long, nationwide study finding human-caused wildfires are four times more likely in areas with roads than in roadless forests.
- National forests are the headwaters of many of the country’s major rivers and the largest source of municipal water supplies, serving more than 60 million people in 33 states. The Roadless Rule protects rivers and streams from roads, a major source of water pollution because of erosion and sediment.
#USPol #ProtectTheForest #NationalForests #WildlifeCorridors #WildlifeHabitat #EndangeredSpecies #Greed #CorporateColonialism #StolenLand #LandBack #ForestsAreLife #WaterIsLife
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BREAKING NEWS🚨 - Press release from the #CenterForBiologicalDiversity
#Trump Moves to Kill #RoadlessRule in Biggest Assault on #ForestProtections in U.S. History
For Immediate Release, August 18, 2026
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration today proposed scrapping the country’s most significant tool for protecting national forests, a move that would open nearly 45 million acres of wild, unfragmented forest across 37 states to road construction, logging and other development.
“Trump is pushing for the largest evisceration of public lands protection in American history and against what Americans want,” said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These are some of the last truly wild forests left in the country, places that shelter endangered wildlife and protect our drinking water. Once you start bulldozing roads for commercial logging and industrial development, there’s no getting them back. Americans love their public lands and want them protected. We’re going to fight like hell to safeguard these wild places for future generations.”
Today’s announcement from the U.S. Agriculture Department will be followed by Wednesday’s release of the draft environmental analysis, giving the public until Sept. 21 to comment on the proposed Roadless Rule recission.
Here are statements from the Center’s regional experts on risks to roadless forests and wildlife across the country:
Northern #Rockies
“Roadless forests are lifelines for grizzly bears and Canada lynx across the northern Rockies,” said Kristine Akland, Northern Rockies director. “Grizzlies need these areas to den and raise cubs and lynx populations are already declining as mature forest habitat disappears. Building roads and allowing logging in these wild areas would make an already difficult situation for these species even worse. People across the region know how vital these intact forests are for wildlife, clean water and recreation, and they overwhelmingly oppose dismantling the Roadless Rule.”
“We’ll fight Trump’s monstrous proposal to gut the Roadless Rule, which would be disastrous for the Tongass,” said Cooper Freeman, Alaska program director. “Punching roads through 9 million acres of intact temperate rainforest would destroy world-class salmon streams. It would open the door for corporations to clearcut irreplaceable, centuries-old Sitka spruce for export overseas. Alaska’s wild places deserve better.”
Southwest
“Roadless forests are where wildlife live,” said Taylor McKinnon, Southwest director. “They’re home to jaguars, Mexican spotted owls, and ocelots, some of the most iconic animals on the continent. Plowing roads into their habitat will bring human-caused wildfires and disturbances that they don’t need and can’t afford. We’ve fought for years to protect the forests and animals of the Southwest and there’s no way we’re giving up now.”
"Roadless areas protect the most beloved and endangered species in the Southeast,” said Will Harlan, Southeast program director. “The South Mills River harbors the country’s strongest hellbender population. Snowbird and Tusquitee Bald shelter endangered Carolina northern flying squirrels, gray bats and longsolid mussel. These forests sustain local economies, protect iconic recreation spots like the Appalachian Trail and safeguard drinking water for millions of people in Charlotte, Atlanta and beyond. Handing them over to loggers and construction crews isn’t sound policy, it’s a tragedy."
Why we need the Roadless Rule:
- Forests free of roads and logging provide crucial and connected habitat for animals and plants, protecting them from noise, pollution and other human-caused harms.
- The forests at risk — from Oregon to North Carolina — are home to scores of threatened and endangered species, including American wolverines, Canada lynx, grizzly bears and northern spotted owls. Rescinding the Roadless Rule would not only push these species closer to extinction but threaten countless others, including Alexander Archipelago wolves and Queen Charlotte goshawks.
- More than 370,000 miles of roads already fragment U.S. national forests, with a maintenance backlog in the billions of dollars. Most wildfires are human caused and occur near roads, with a decades-long, nationwide study finding human-caused wildfires are four times more likely in areas with roads than in roadless forests.
- National forests are the headwaters of many of the country’s major rivers and the largest source of municipal water supplies, serving more than 60 million people in 33 states. The Roadless Rule protects rivers and streams from roads, a major source of water pollution because of erosion and sediment.
#USPol #ProtectTheForest #NationalForests #WildlifeCorridors #WildlifeHabitat #EndangeredSpecies #Greed #CorporateColonialism #StolenLand #LandBack #ForestsAreLife #WaterIsLife
-
BREAKING NEWS🚨 - Press release from the #CenterForBiologicalDiversity
#Trump Moves to Kill #RoadlessRule in Biggest Assault on #ForestProtections in U.S. History
For Immediate Release, August 18, 2026
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration today proposed scrapping the country’s most significant tool for protecting national forests, a move that would open nearly 45 million acres of wild, unfragmented forest across 37 states to road construction, logging and other development.
“Trump is pushing for the largest evisceration of public lands protection in American history and against what Americans want,” said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These are some of the last truly wild forests left in the country, places that shelter endangered wildlife and protect our drinking water. Once you start bulldozing roads for commercial logging and industrial development, there’s no getting them back. Americans love their public lands and want them protected. We’re going to fight like hell to safeguard these wild places for future generations.”
Today’s announcement from the U.S. Agriculture Department will be followed by Wednesday’s release of the draft environmental analysis, giving the public until Sept. 21 to comment on the proposed Roadless Rule recission.
Here are statements from the Center’s regional experts on risks to roadless forests and wildlife across the country:
Northern #Rockies
“Roadless forests are lifelines for grizzly bears and Canada lynx across the northern Rockies,” said Kristine Akland, Northern Rockies director. “Grizzlies need these areas to den and raise cubs and lynx populations are already declining as mature forest habitat disappears. Building roads and allowing logging in these wild areas would make an already difficult situation for these species even worse. People across the region know how vital these intact forests are for wildlife, clean water and recreation, and they overwhelmingly oppose dismantling the Roadless Rule.”
“We’ll fight Trump’s monstrous proposal to gut the Roadless Rule, which would be disastrous for the Tongass,” said Cooper Freeman, Alaska program director. “Punching roads through 9 million acres of intact temperate rainforest would destroy world-class salmon streams. It would open the door for corporations to clearcut irreplaceable, centuries-old Sitka spruce for export overseas. Alaska’s wild places deserve better.”
Southwest
“Roadless forests are where wildlife live,” said Taylor McKinnon, Southwest director. “They’re home to jaguars, Mexican spotted owls, and ocelots, some of the most iconic animals on the continent. Plowing roads into their habitat will bring human-caused wildfires and disturbances that they don’t need and can’t afford. We’ve fought for years to protect the forests and animals of the Southwest and there’s no way we’re giving up now.”
"Roadless areas protect the most beloved and endangered species in the Southeast,” said Will Harlan, Southeast program director. “The South Mills River harbors the country’s strongest hellbender population. Snowbird and Tusquitee Bald shelter endangered Carolina northern flying squirrels, gray bats and longsolid mussel. These forests sustain local economies, protect iconic recreation spots like the Appalachian Trail and safeguard drinking water for millions of people in Charlotte, Atlanta and beyond. Handing them over to loggers and construction crews isn’t sound policy, it’s a tragedy."
Why we need the Roadless Rule:
- Forests free of roads and logging provide crucial and connected habitat for animals and plants, protecting them from noise, pollution and other human-caused harms.
- The forests at risk — from Oregon to North Carolina — are home to scores of threatened and endangered species, including American wolverines, Canada lynx, grizzly bears and northern spotted owls. Rescinding the Roadless Rule would not only push these species closer to extinction but threaten countless others, including Alexander Archipelago wolves and Queen Charlotte goshawks.
- More than 370,000 miles of roads already fragment U.S. national forests, with a maintenance backlog in the billions of dollars. Most wildfires are human caused and occur near roads, with a decades-long, nationwide study finding human-caused wildfires are four times more likely in areas with roads than in roadless forests.
- National forests are the headwaters of many of the country’s major rivers and the largest source of municipal water supplies, serving more than 60 million people in 33 states. The Roadless Rule protects rivers and streams from roads, a major source of water pollution because of erosion and sediment.
#USPol #ProtectTheForest #NationalForests #WildlifeCorridors #WildlifeHabitat #EndangeredSpecies #Greed #CorporateColonialism #StolenLand #LandBack #ForestsAreLife #WaterIsLife
-
BREAKING NEWS🚨 - Press release from the #CenterForBiologicalDiversity
#Trump Moves to Kill #RoadlessRule in Biggest Assault on #ForestProtections in U.S. History
For Immediate Release, August 18, 2026
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration today proposed scrapping the country’s most significant tool for protecting national forests, a move that would open nearly 45 million acres of wild, unfragmented forest across 37 states to road construction, logging and other development.
“Trump is pushing for the largest evisceration of public lands protection in American history and against what Americans want,” said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These are some of the last truly wild forests left in the country, places that shelter endangered wildlife and protect our drinking water. Once you start bulldozing roads for commercial logging and industrial development, there’s no getting them back. Americans love their public lands and want them protected. We’re going to fight like hell to safeguard these wild places for future generations.”
Today’s announcement from the U.S. Agriculture Department will be followed by Wednesday’s release of the draft environmental analysis, giving the public until Sept. 21 to comment on the proposed Roadless Rule recission.
Here are statements from the Center’s regional experts on risks to roadless forests and wildlife across the country:
Northern #Rockies
“Roadless forests are lifelines for grizzly bears and Canada lynx across the northern Rockies,” said Kristine Akland, Northern Rockies director. “Grizzlies need these areas to den and raise cubs and lynx populations are already declining as mature forest habitat disappears. Building roads and allowing logging in these wild areas would make an already difficult situation for these species even worse. People across the region know how vital these intact forests are for wildlife, clean water and recreation, and they overwhelmingly oppose dismantling the Roadless Rule.”
“We’ll fight Trump’s monstrous proposal to gut the Roadless Rule, which would be disastrous for the Tongass,” said Cooper Freeman, Alaska program director. “Punching roads through 9 million acres of intact temperate rainforest would destroy world-class salmon streams. It would open the door for corporations to clearcut irreplaceable, centuries-old Sitka spruce for export overseas. Alaska’s wild places deserve better.”
Southwest
“Roadless forests are where wildlife live,” said Taylor McKinnon, Southwest director. “They’re home to jaguars, Mexican spotted owls, and ocelots, some of the most iconic animals on the continent. Plowing roads into their habitat will bring human-caused wildfires and disturbances that they don’t need and can’t afford. We’ve fought for years to protect the forests and animals of the Southwest and there’s no way we’re giving up now.”
"Roadless areas protect the most beloved and endangered species in the Southeast,” said Will Harlan, Southeast program director. “The South Mills River harbors the country’s strongest hellbender population. Snowbird and Tusquitee Bald shelter endangered Carolina northern flying squirrels, gray bats and longsolid mussel. These forests sustain local economies, protect iconic recreation spots like the Appalachian Trail and safeguard drinking water for millions of people in Charlotte, Atlanta and beyond. Handing them over to loggers and construction crews isn’t sound policy, it’s a tragedy."
Why we need the Roadless Rule:
- Forests free of roads and logging provide crucial and connected habitat for animals and plants, protecting them from noise, pollution and other human-caused harms.
- The forests at risk — from Oregon to North Carolina — are home to scores of threatened and endangered species, including American wolverines, Canada lynx, grizzly bears and northern spotted owls. Rescinding the Roadless Rule would not only push these species closer to extinction but threaten countless others, including Alexander Archipelago wolves and Queen Charlotte goshawks.
- More than 370,000 miles of roads already fragment U.S. national forests, with a maintenance backlog in the billions of dollars. Most wildfires are human caused and occur near roads, with a decades-long, nationwide study finding human-caused wildfires are four times more likely in areas with roads than in roadless forests.
- National forests are the headwaters of many of the country’s major rivers and the largest source of municipal water supplies, serving more than 60 million people in 33 states. The Roadless Rule protects rivers and streams from roads, a major source of water pollution because of erosion and sediment.
#USPol #ProtectTheForest #NationalForests #WildlifeCorridors #WildlifeHabitat #EndangeredSpecies #Greed #CorporateColonialism #StolenLand #LandBack #ForestsAreLife #WaterIsLife
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Scientists find building blocks of #birdsong's 'spectacular #diversity'
Victoria Gill, July 23, 2026
Excerpt: "This link between the environment and its #NaturalSoundscape, Bacquelé explained, is being transformed by #HumanActivity.
" 'I think this research has opened up a new way to see songs as something [intrinsically] linked with the environment,' he told BBC News.
" 'So, we could try to use these motifs to help us understand how birds could adapt to the new #BackgroundNoise [that we produce].'
"#NaturalSound, Bacquelé added, is an an important part of our own connection to #nature and is worth conserving.
" 'If you think of a #forest, near your town or near your house, you think about the songs of the birds in the morning when you go outside.
" 'And if a bird in a #forest has a specific song, if you destroy the forest, then that song may not be adapted any more to the new environment.' "
Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy4eg5dpyzoArchived version:
https://archive.ph/eGDPy#SolarPunkSunday #PreserveNature #Birdsongs #NoisePollution #BioDiversity #ProtectNature #ProtectTheForest
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Scientists find building blocks of #birdsong's 'spectacular #diversity'
Victoria Gill, July 23, 2026
Excerpt: "This link between the environment and its #NaturalSoundscape, Bacquelé explained, is being transformed by #HumanActivity.
" 'I think this research has opened up a new way to see songs as something [intrinsically] linked with the environment,' he told BBC News.
" 'So, we could try to use these motifs to help us understand how birds could adapt to the new #BackgroundNoise [that we produce].'
"#NaturalSound, Bacquelé added, is an an important part of our own connection to #nature and is worth conserving.
" 'If you think of a #forest, near your town or near your house, you think about the songs of the birds in the morning when you go outside.
" 'And if a bird in a #forest has a specific song, if you destroy the forest, then that song may not be adapted any more to the new environment.' "
Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy4eg5dpyzoArchived version:
https://archive.ph/eGDPy#SolarPunkSunday #PreserveNature #Birdsongs #NoisePollution #BioDiversity #ProtectNature #ProtectTheForest
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Scientists find building blocks of #birdsong's 'spectacular #diversity'
Victoria Gill, July 23, 2026
Excerpt: "This link between the environment and its #NaturalSoundscape, Bacquelé explained, is being transformed by #HumanActivity.
" 'I think this research has opened up a new way to see songs as something [intrinsically] linked with the environment,' he told BBC News.
" 'So, we could try to use these motifs to help us understand how birds could adapt to the new #BackgroundNoise [that we produce].'
"#NaturalSound, Bacquelé added, is an an important part of our own connection to #nature and is worth conserving.
" 'If you think of a #forest, near your town or near your house, you think about the songs of the birds in the morning when you go outside.
" 'And if a bird in a #forest has a specific song, if you destroy the forest, then that song may not be adapted any more to the new environment.' "
Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy4eg5dpyzoArchived version:
https://archive.ph/eGDPy#SolarPunkSunday #PreserveNature #Birdsongs #NoisePollution #BioDiversity #ProtectNature #ProtectTheForest
-
Scientists find building blocks of #birdsong's 'spectacular #diversity'
Victoria Gill, July 23, 2026
Excerpt: "This link between the environment and its #NaturalSoundscape, Bacquelé explained, is being transformed by #HumanActivity.
" 'I think this research has opened up a new way to see songs as something [intrinsically] linked with the environment,' he told BBC News.
" 'So, we could try to use these motifs to help us understand how birds could adapt to the new #BackgroundNoise [that we produce].'
"#NaturalSound, Bacquelé added, is an an important part of our own connection to #nature and is worth conserving.
" 'If you think of a #forest, near your town or near your house, you think about the songs of the birds in the morning when you go outside.
" 'And if a bird in a #forest has a specific song, if you destroy the forest, then that song may not be adapted any more to the new environment.' "
Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy4eg5dpyzoArchived version:
https://archive.ph/eGDPy#SolarPunkSunday #PreserveNature #Birdsongs #NoisePollution #BioDiversity #ProtectNature #ProtectTheForest
-
Scientists find building blocks of #birdsong's 'spectacular #diversity'
Victoria Gill, July 23, 2026
Excerpt: "This link between the environment and its #NaturalSoundscape, Bacquelé explained, is being transformed by #HumanActivity.
" 'I think this research has opened up a new way to see songs as something [intrinsically] linked with the environment,' he told BBC News.
" 'So, we could try to use these motifs to help us understand how birds could adapt to the new #BackgroundNoise [that we produce].'
"#NaturalSound, Bacquelé added, is an an important part of our own connection to #nature and is worth conserving.
" 'If you think of a #forest, near your town or near your house, you think about the songs of the birds in the morning when you go outside.
" 'And if a bird in a #forest has a specific song, if you destroy the forest, then that song may not be adapted any more to the new environment.' "
Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy4eg5dpyzoArchived version:
https://archive.ph/eGDPy#SolarPunkSunday #PreserveNature #Birdsongs #NoisePollution #BioDiversity #ProtectNature #ProtectTheForest
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#BreakingNews! 🚨 #LandBack in #Maine!
Land returned to #MikmaqNation will double tribe’s territory
Nearly 3,400 acres have been returned to the Aroostook County-based tribe.
by Reuben M. Schafir, June 22, 2026
"The #Mikmaq Nation is expanding. The tribe on Friday obtained title to #MesgilgMaqamigew, a nearly 3,400-acre parcel near #BridgewaterME. The land return is so large it will more than double the tribe’s holdings.
" 'For decades the Mi’kmaq citizens have seen their traditional hunting and gathering grounds disappear to development or private ownership not allowing access,' Chief #SheilaMcCormack said in a news release. 'This property will give our people a place for outdoor recreation, a place to teach our children how to hunt and fish, and a place we can pass down the traditions of our ancestors before they are forgotten.'
"Of the four #Wabanaki tribes, the Mi’kmaq Nation received federal recognition last, in 1991. It and the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians hold far less land in Maine than the #PassamaquoddyTribe and #PenobscotNation, which each have more than 150,000 acres.
"#TheConservationFund negotiated a below-market value sale and purchased the parcel last year from #forestry company #HCHayne, then held it on behalf of the tribe. The organization worked with an alliance of tribes known as the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship, and #FirstLight, a group of non-native, land-based organizations, to secure $1.9 million for project." 'Indigenous land return projects are a cornerstone of our conservation efforts,' Tom Duffus, Northeast representative for The Conservation Fund, said in a statement. 'I’m thrilled that this special place is once again managed by the Mi’kmaq Nation, whose citizens have stewarded this landscape since time immemorial.'
"Mesgilg Maqamigew means 'big land,' a name chosen in recognition of the significance to the tribe of a parcel so large, contiguous and lush with resources.
"The property contains #forests, #wetlands and more than three miles of #NorthWhitneyBrook, a stream with a thriving #BrookTrout population, according to Mi’kmaq Environmental Health Director Shannon Hill.
"The tribe has already located #fiddleheads there, and Hill said they plan to use the land for #hunting, #fishing, gathering and timber. Snowmobile and ATV trails are available for public use.
"#RichardSilliboy, a basket maker and former Mi’kmaq vice chief who sits on the commission, is hopeful the parcel has #BrownAsh for weaving — but expects, at least, 'some decent fishing.'
"#MesgilgMaqamigew is the sixth to be completed in a series of projects spearheaded by the commission that are collectively known as the tributary land returns. The tributary returns comprise 52,000 acres in 11 discrete projects involving all five tribal governments in Maine at an estimated cost of $52 million."
Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/22/land-returned-to-mikmaq-nation-will-double-tribes-territory/Archived version:
https://archive.md/Bkbl0#WabanakiAlliance #Dawnland #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #LandConservation #NativeAmericanNews #IndigenousNews #MaineSettlementAct #NativeAmericans #Indigenous #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #LandStewardship #Stewardship #SolarPunkSunday
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#BreakingNews! 🚨 #LandBack in #Maine!
Land returned to #MikmaqNation will double tribe’s territory
Nearly 3,400 acres have been returned to the Aroostook County-based tribe.
by Reuben M. Schafir, June 22, 2026
"The #Mikmaq Nation is expanding. The tribe on Friday obtained title to #MesgilgMaqamigew, a nearly 3,400-acre parcel near #BridgewaterME. The land return is so large it will more than double the tribe’s holdings.
" 'For decades the Mi’kmaq citizens have seen their traditional hunting and gathering grounds disappear to development or private ownership not allowing access,' Chief #SheilaMcCormack said in a news release. 'This property will give our people a place for outdoor recreation, a place to teach our children how to hunt and fish, and a place we can pass down the traditions of our ancestors before they are forgotten.'
"Of the four #Wabanaki tribes, the Mi’kmaq Nation received federal recognition last, in 1991. It and the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians hold far less land in Maine than the #PassamaquoddyTribe and #PenobscotNation, which each have more than 150,000 acres.
"#TheConservationFund negotiated a below-market value sale and purchased the parcel last year from #forestry company #HCHayne, then held it on behalf of the tribe. The organization worked with an alliance of tribes known as the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship, and #FirstLight, a group of non-native, land-based organizations, to secure $1.9 million for project." 'Indigenous land return projects are a cornerstone of our conservation efforts,' Tom Duffus, Northeast representative for The Conservation Fund, said in a statement. 'I’m thrilled that this special place is once again managed by the Mi’kmaq Nation, whose citizens have stewarded this landscape since time immemorial.'
"Mesgilg Maqamigew means 'big land,' a name chosen in recognition of the significance to the tribe of a parcel so large, contiguous and lush with resources.
"The property contains #forests, #wetlands and more than three miles of #NorthWhitneyBrook, a stream with a thriving #BrookTrout population, according to Mi’kmaq Environmental Health Director Shannon Hill.
"The tribe has already located #fiddleheads there, and Hill said they plan to use the land for #hunting, #fishing, gathering and timber. Snowmobile and ATV trails are available for public use.
"#RichardSilliboy, a basket maker and former Mi’kmaq vice chief who sits on the commission, is hopeful the parcel has #BrownAsh for weaving — but expects, at least, 'some decent fishing.'
"#MesgilgMaqamigew is the sixth to be completed in a series of projects spearheaded by the commission that are collectively known as the tributary land returns. The tributary returns comprise 52,000 acres in 11 discrete projects involving all five tribal governments in Maine at an estimated cost of $52 million."
Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/22/land-returned-to-mikmaq-nation-will-double-tribes-territory/Archived version:
https://archive.md/Bkbl0#WabanakiAlliance #Dawnland #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #LandConservation #NativeAmericanNews #IndigenousNews #MaineSettlementAct #NativeAmericans #Indigenous #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #LandStewardship #Stewardship #SolarPunkSunday
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#BreakingNews! 🚨 #LandBack in #Maine!
Land returned to #MikmaqNation will double tribe’s territory
Nearly 3,400 acres have been returned to the Aroostook County-based tribe.
by Reuben M. Schafir, June 22, 2026
"The #Mikmaq Nation is expanding. The tribe on Friday obtained title to #MesgilgMaqamigew, a nearly 3,400-acre parcel near #BridgewaterME. The land return is so large it will more than double the tribe’s holdings.
" 'For decades the Mi’kmaq citizens have seen their traditional hunting and gathering grounds disappear to development or private ownership not allowing access,' Chief #SheilaMcCormack said in a news release. 'This property will give our people a place for outdoor recreation, a place to teach our children how to hunt and fish, and a place we can pass down the traditions of our ancestors before they are forgotten.'
"Of the four #Wabanaki tribes, the Mi’kmaq Nation received federal recognition last, in 1991. It and the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians hold far less land in Maine than the #PassamaquoddyTribe and #PenobscotNation, which each have more than 150,000 acres.
"#TheConservationFund negotiated a below-market value sale and purchased the parcel last year from #forestry company #HCHayne, then held it on behalf of the tribe. The organization worked with an alliance of tribes known as the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship, and #FirstLight, a group of non-native, land-based organizations, to secure $1.9 million for project." 'Indigenous land return projects are a cornerstone of our conservation efforts,' Tom Duffus, Northeast representative for The Conservation Fund, said in a statement. 'I’m thrilled that this special place is once again managed by the Mi’kmaq Nation, whose citizens have stewarded this landscape since time immemorial.'
"Mesgilg Maqamigew means 'big land,' a name chosen in recognition of the significance to the tribe of a parcel so large, contiguous and lush with resources.
"The property contains #forests, #wetlands and more than three miles of #NorthWhitneyBrook, a stream with a thriving #BrookTrout population, according to Mi’kmaq Environmental Health Director Shannon Hill.
"The tribe has already located #fiddleheads there, and Hill said they plan to use the land for #hunting, #fishing, gathering and timber. Snowmobile and ATV trails are available for public use.
"#RichardSilliboy, a basket maker and former Mi’kmaq vice chief who sits on the commission, is hopeful the parcel has #BrownAsh for weaving — but expects, at least, 'some decent fishing.'
"#MesgilgMaqamigew is the sixth to be completed in a series of projects spearheaded by the commission that are collectively known as the tributary land returns. The tributary returns comprise 52,000 acres in 11 discrete projects involving all five tribal governments in Maine at an estimated cost of $52 million."
Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/22/land-returned-to-mikmaq-nation-will-double-tribes-territory/Archived version:
https://archive.md/Bkbl0#WabanakiAlliance #Dawnland #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #LandConservation #NativeAmericanNews #IndigenousNews #MaineSettlementAct #NativeAmericans #Indigenous #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #LandStewardship #Stewardship #SolarPunkSunday
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#BreakingNews! 🚨 #LandBack in #Maine!
Land returned to #MikmaqNation will double tribe’s territory
Nearly 3,400 acres have been returned to the Aroostook County-based tribe.
by Reuben M. Schafir, June 22, 2026
"The #Mikmaq Nation is expanding. The tribe on Friday obtained title to #MesgilgMaqamigew, a nearly 3,400-acre parcel near #BridgewaterME. The land return is so large it will more than double the tribe’s holdings.
" 'For decades the Mi’kmaq citizens have seen their traditional hunting and gathering grounds disappear to development or private ownership not allowing access,' Chief #SheilaMcCormack said in a news release. 'This property will give our people a place for outdoor recreation, a place to teach our children how to hunt and fish, and a place we can pass down the traditions of our ancestors before they are forgotten.'
"Of the four #Wabanaki tribes, the Mi’kmaq Nation received federal recognition last, in 1991. It and the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians hold far less land in Maine than the #PassamaquoddyTribe and #PenobscotNation, which each have more than 150,000 acres.
"#TheConservationFund negotiated a below-market value sale and purchased the parcel last year from #forestry company #HCHayne, then held it on behalf of the tribe. The organization worked with an alliance of tribes known as the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship, and #FirstLight, a group of non-native, land-based organizations, to secure $1.9 million for project." 'Indigenous land return projects are a cornerstone of our conservation efforts,' Tom Duffus, Northeast representative for The Conservation Fund, said in a statement. 'I’m thrilled that this special place is once again managed by the Mi’kmaq Nation, whose citizens have stewarded this landscape since time immemorial.'
"Mesgilg Maqamigew means 'big land,' a name chosen in recognition of the significance to the tribe of a parcel so large, contiguous and lush with resources.
"The property contains #forests, #wetlands and more than three miles of #NorthWhitneyBrook, a stream with a thriving #BrookTrout population, according to Mi’kmaq Environmental Health Director Shannon Hill.
"The tribe has already located #fiddleheads there, and Hill said they plan to use the land for #hunting, #fishing, gathering and timber. Snowmobile and ATV trails are available for public use.
"#RichardSilliboy, a basket maker and former Mi’kmaq vice chief who sits on the commission, is hopeful the parcel has #BrownAsh for weaving — but expects, at least, 'some decent fishing.'
"#MesgilgMaqamigew is the sixth to be completed in a series of projects spearheaded by the commission that are collectively known as the tributary land returns. The tributary returns comprise 52,000 acres in 11 discrete projects involving all five tribal governments in Maine at an estimated cost of $52 million."
Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/22/land-returned-to-mikmaq-nation-will-double-tribes-territory/Archived version:
https://archive.md/Bkbl0#WabanakiAlliance #Dawnland #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #LandConservation #NativeAmericanNews #IndigenousNews #MaineSettlementAct #NativeAmericans #Indigenous #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #LandStewardship #Stewardship #SolarPunkSunday
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#BreakingNews! 🚨 #LandBack in #Maine!
Land returned to #MikmaqNation will double tribe’s territory
Nearly 3,400 acres have been returned to the Aroostook County-based tribe.
by Reuben M. Schafir, June 22, 2026
"The #Mikmaq Nation is expanding. The tribe on Friday obtained title to #MesgilgMaqamigew, a nearly 3,400-acre parcel near #BridgewaterME. The land return is so large it will more than double the tribe’s holdings.
" 'For decades the Mi’kmaq citizens have seen their traditional hunting and gathering grounds disappear to development or private ownership not allowing access,' Chief #SheilaMcCormack said in a news release. 'This property will give our people a place for outdoor recreation, a place to teach our children how to hunt and fish, and a place we can pass down the traditions of our ancestors before they are forgotten.'
"Of the four #Wabanaki tribes, the Mi’kmaq Nation received federal recognition last, in 1991. It and the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians hold far less land in Maine than the #PassamaquoddyTribe and #PenobscotNation, which each have more than 150,000 acres.
"#TheConservationFund negotiated a below-market value sale and purchased the parcel last year from #forestry company #HCHayne, then held it on behalf of the tribe. The organization worked with an alliance of tribes known as the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship, and #FirstLight, a group of non-native, land-based organizations, to secure $1.9 million for project." 'Indigenous land return projects are a cornerstone of our conservation efforts,' Tom Duffus, Northeast representative for The Conservation Fund, said in a statement. 'I’m thrilled that this special place is once again managed by the Mi’kmaq Nation, whose citizens have stewarded this landscape since time immemorial.'
"Mesgilg Maqamigew means 'big land,' a name chosen in recognition of the significance to the tribe of a parcel so large, contiguous and lush with resources.
"The property contains #forests, #wetlands and more than three miles of #NorthWhitneyBrook, a stream with a thriving #BrookTrout population, according to Mi’kmaq Environmental Health Director Shannon Hill.
"The tribe has already located #fiddleheads there, and Hill said they plan to use the land for #hunting, #fishing, gathering and timber. Snowmobile and ATV trails are available for public use.
"#RichardSilliboy, a basket maker and former Mi’kmaq vice chief who sits on the commission, is hopeful the parcel has #BrownAsh for weaving — but expects, at least, 'some decent fishing.'
"#MesgilgMaqamigew is the sixth to be completed in a series of projects spearheaded by the commission that are collectively known as the tributary land returns. The tributary returns comprise 52,000 acres in 11 discrete projects involving all five tribal governments in Maine at an estimated cost of $52 million."
Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/22/land-returned-to-mikmaq-nation-will-double-tribes-territory/Archived version:
https://archive.md/Bkbl0#WabanakiAlliance #Dawnland #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #LandConservation #NativeAmericanNews #IndigenousNews #MaineSettlementAct #NativeAmericans #Indigenous #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #LandStewardship #Stewardship #SolarPunkSunday
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Oh, and of course, I knew once #AmazonCorp announced plans to build a warehouse in #GorhamME, the #GorhamConnector would rear its ugly head again... And even though #JanetMills' brother #PeterMills is no longer in charge of #MDOT doesn't mean the new director won't be pushing this... Instead of a light rail system or rapid bus transit on the existing roads (and / or safer bike lanes. I knew friends who used to bike from Gorham to Portland, but it got too dangerous because of a lack of dedicated bike lanes and speeders).
#MDOT will launch new examination of traffic issues west of Portland
The state study will focus on Gorham, #ScarboroughME, #SouthPortlandME and #WestbrookME.
Robert Lowell, April 22, 2026
Excerpt: "The announcement of the new study comes just days before Amazon goes to the Gorham Planning Board on May 4, seeking approval for a warehouse and distribution center on Main Street (Route 25). Traffic will likely be one issue fueling concerns about the Amazon project.
"The study also comes in the aftermath of plans the Maine Turnpike Authority shelved last year for a four-lane toll road connector to Gorham. The connector was aimed at reducing commuter rush-hour traffic in the routes 22 and 114 commuter corridor [which the #Maine Legislature failed to make go away!]
"A connector would have linked the roundabout at South Street (Route 114) and the southerly end of Gorham’s Bernard Rines Bypass with the turnpike’s Exit 45 in South Portland. The connector proposal was met with a public outcry because it called for cutting a swath through #SmilingHillFarm in #WestbrookME."
Archived version:
https://archive.md/Rh3bH#MainePol #InducedSprawl #Maine #RuralLife #SaveTheFarms #SaveRedBrook #MainersForSmarterTransportation #Maine #MaineNews #GorhamBypass #GorhamSpur #Maine #RapidTransit #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #ProtectTheWetlands #BrookTrout #SaveTheForest #Wildlife #HuskyLine #RapidBusTransit
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Oh, and of course, I knew once #AmazonCorp announced plans to build a warehouse in #GorhamME, the #GorhamConnector would rear its ugly head again... And even though #JanetMills' brother #PeterMills is no longer in charge of #MDOT doesn't mean the new director won't be pushing this... Instead of a light rail system or rapid bus transit on the existing roads (and / or safer bike lanes. I knew friends who used to bike from Gorham to Portland, but it got too dangerous because of a lack of dedicated bike lanes and speeders).
#MDOT will launch new examination of traffic issues west of Portland
The state study will focus on Gorham, #ScarboroughME, #SouthPortlandME and #WestbrookME.
Robert Lowell, April 22, 2026
Excerpt: "The announcement of the new study comes just days before Amazon goes to the Gorham Planning Board on May 4, seeking approval for a warehouse and distribution center on Main Street (Route 25). Traffic will likely be one issue fueling concerns about the Amazon project.
"The study also comes in the aftermath of plans the Maine Turnpike Authority shelved last year for a four-lane toll road connector to Gorham. The connector was aimed at reducing commuter rush-hour traffic in the routes 22 and 114 commuter corridor [which the #Maine Legislature failed to make go away!]
"A connector would have linked the roundabout at South Street (Route 114) and the southerly end of Gorham’s Bernard Rines Bypass with the turnpike’s Exit 45 in South Portland. The connector proposal was met with a public outcry because it called for cutting a swath through #SmilingHillFarm in #WestbrookME."
Archived version:
https://archive.md/Rh3bH#MainePol #InducedSprawl #Maine #RuralLife #SaveTheFarms #SaveRedBrook #MainersForSmarterTransportation #Maine #MaineNews #GorhamBypass #GorhamSpur #Maine #RapidTransit #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #ProtectTheWetlands #BrookTrout #SaveTheForest #Wildlife #HuskyLine #RapidBusTransit
-
Oh, and of course, I knew once #AmazonCorp announced plans to build a warehouse in #GorhamME, the #GorhamConnector would rear its ugly head again... And even though #JanetMills' brother #PeterMills is no longer in charge of #MDOT doesn't mean the new director won't be pushing this... Instead of a light rail system or rapid bus transit on the existing roads (and / or safer bike lanes. I knew friends who used to bike from Gorham to Portland, but it got too dangerous because of a lack of dedicated bike lanes and speeders).
#MDOT will launch new examination of traffic issues west of Portland
The state study will focus on Gorham, #ScarboroughME, #SouthPortlandME and #WestbrookME.
Robert Lowell, April 22, 2026
Excerpt: "The announcement of the new study comes just days before Amazon goes to the Gorham Planning Board on May 4, seeking approval for a warehouse and distribution center on Main Street (Route 25). Traffic will likely be one issue fueling concerns about the Amazon project.
"The study also comes in the aftermath of plans the Maine Turnpike Authority shelved last year for a four-lane toll road connector to Gorham. The connector was aimed at reducing commuter rush-hour traffic in the routes 22 and 114 commuter corridor [which the #Maine Legislature failed to make go away!]
"A connector would have linked the roundabout at South Street (Route 114) and the southerly end of Gorham’s Bernard Rines Bypass with the turnpike’s Exit 45 in South Portland. The connector proposal was met with a public outcry because it called for cutting a swath through #SmilingHillFarm in #WestbrookME."
Archived version:
https://archive.md/Rh3bH#MainePol #InducedSprawl #Maine #RuralLife #SaveTheFarms #SaveRedBrook #MainersForSmarterTransportation #Maine #MaineNews #GorhamBypass #GorhamSpur #Maine #RapidTransit #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #ProtectTheWetlands #BrookTrout #SaveTheForest #Wildlife #HuskyLine #RapidBusTransit
-
Oh, and of course, I knew once #AmazonCorp announced plans to build a warehouse in #GorhamME, the #GorhamConnector would rear its ugly head again... And even though #JanetMills' brother #PeterMills is no longer in charge of #MDOT doesn't mean the new director won't be pushing this... Instead of a light rail system or rapid bus transit on the existing roads (and / or safer bike lanes. I knew friends who used to bike from Gorham to Portland, but it got too dangerous because of a lack of dedicated bike lanes and speeders).
#MDOT will launch new examination of traffic issues west of Portland
The state study will focus on Gorham, #ScarboroughME, #SouthPortlandME and #WestbrookME.
Robert Lowell, April 22, 2026
Excerpt: "The announcement of the new study comes just days before Amazon goes to the Gorham Planning Board on May 4, seeking approval for a warehouse and distribution center on Main Street (Route 25). Traffic will likely be one issue fueling concerns about the Amazon project.
"The study also comes in the aftermath of plans the Maine Turnpike Authority shelved last year for a four-lane toll road connector to Gorham. The connector was aimed at reducing commuter rush-hour traffic in the routes 22 and 114 commuter corridor [which the #Maine Legislature failed to make go away!]
"A connector would have linked the roundabout at South Street (Route 114) and the southerly end of Gorham’s Bernard Rines Bypass with the turnpike’s Exit 45 in South Portland. The connector proposal was met with a public outcry because it called for cutting a swath through #SmilingHillFarm in #WestbrookME."
Archived version:
https://archive.md/Rh3bH#MainePol #InducedSprawl #Maine #RuralLife #SaveTheFarms #SaveRedBrook #MainersForSmarterTransportation #Maine #MaineNews #GorhamBypass #GorhamSpur #Maine #RapidTransit #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #ProtectTheWetlands #BrookTrout #SaveTheForest #Wildlife #HuskyLine #RapidBusTransit
-
Oh, and of course, I knew once #AmazonCorp announced plans to build a warehouse in #GorhamME, the #GorhamConnector would rear its ugly head again... And even though #JanetMills' brother #PeterMills is no longer in charge of #MDOT doesn't mean the new director won't be pushing this... Instead of a light rail system or rapid bus transit on the existing roads (and / or safer bike lanes. I knew friends who used to bike from Gorham to Portland, but it got too dangerous because of a lack of dedicated bike lanes and speeders).
#MDOT will launch new examination of traffic issues west of Portland
The state study will focus on Gorham, #ScarboroughME, #SouthPortlandME and #WestbrookME.
Robert Lowell, April 22, 2026
Excerpt: "The announcement of the new study comes just days before Amazon goes to the Gorham Planning Board on May 4, seeking approval for a warehouse and distribution center on Main Street (Route 25). Traffic will likely be one issue fueling concerns about the Amazon project.
"The study also comes in the aftermath of plans the Maine Turnpike Authority shelved last year for a four-lane toll road connector to Gorham. The connector was aimed at reducing commuter rush-hour traffic in the routes 22 and 114 commuter corridor [which the #Maine Legislature failed to make go away!]
"A connector would have linked the roundabout at South Street (Route 114) and the southerly end of Gorham’s Bernard Rines Bypass with the turnpike’s Exit 45 in South Portland. The connector proposal was met with a public outcry because it called for cutting a swath through #SmilingHillFarm in #WestbrookME."
Archived version:
https://archive.md/Rh3bH#MainePol #InducedSprawl #Maine #RuralLife #SaveTheFarms #SaveRedBrook #MainersForSmarterTransportation #Maine #MaineNews #GorhamBypass #GorhamSpur #Maine #RapidTransit #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #ProtectTheWetlands #BrookTrout #SaveTheForest #Wildlife #HuskyLine #RapidBusTransit
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‘The environmental movement needs many hands’: saving Australia’s biodiversity is getting personal
Powered by individual donations and bequests, the country now has one of the world’s largest networks of privately protected and managed land
by James Norman, Fri 17 Apr 2026
Excerpt: "Over three decades later, #BushHeritage today owns and protects 45 bought or gifted bush reserves around #Australia – covering more than 1.4m hectares of land and providing habitat for over 9,000 native species. Working with #FirstNations communities and farmers, it supports the management of an additional 20.5m hectares beyond what it owns directly.
" 'Some of Australia’s most threatened and fragile #ecosystems and #wildlife sit outside of the national reserve system,' says Rachel Lowry, Bush Heritage Australia’s chief executive officer.
" 'They’re found on private land or pastoral country, and they may have deep cultural and ecological values, but they’re not protected from threats such as #LandClearing, #mining or #InvasiveSpecies.'
"The organisation reports a rise in the number of personal bequests, from 2,500 in 2022 to more than 4,600 bequests last year. Lowry puts the increase down to a personal desire to have a meaningful impact on the worsening global climate and #biodiversity crisis.
"Bush Heritage’s model has inspired other groups around Australia to acquire and conserve lands and forests of significant ecological value. One such example is the #NorthEastTasmania #LandTrust (#NETLT), which secretary Dr Christine Hosking describes as 'a microcosm of Bush Heritage'.
"Formed in 2009, the organisation manages donated land through weed control and regeneration of the native environment.
" 'Currently, we have 10 acres [4 hectares] of endangered eucalyptus forest in #BinalongBay that adjoins the #BayOfFires #Conservation Area, and a smaller patch of coastal habitat for the endangered swift parrot,' she says."
#SolarPunkSunday #LandConservation #EndangeredSpecies #ClimateCrisis #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheForests #Regeneration #PreserveNature #Conservationists #IndigenousAustralians #TraditionalLandManagement
-
‘The environmental movement needs many hands’: saving Australia’s biodiversity is getting personal
Powered by individual donations and bequests, the country now has one of the world’s largest networks of privately protected and managed land
by James Norman, Fri 17 Apr 2026
Excerpt: "Over three decades later, #BushHeritage today owns and protects 45 bought or gifted bush reserves around #Australia – covering more than 1.4m hectares of land and providing habitat for over 9,000 native species. Working with #FirstNations communities and farmers, it supports the management of an additional 20.5m hectares beyond what it owns directly.
" 'Some of Australia’s most threatened and fragile #ecosystems and #wildlife sit outside of the national reserve system,' says Rachel Lowry, Bush Heritage Australia’s chief executive officer.
" 'They’re found on private land or pastoral country, and they may have deep cultural and ecological values, but they’re not protected from threats such as #LandClearing, #mining or #InvasiveSpecies.'
"The organisation reports a rise in the number of personal bequests, from 2,500 in 2022 to more than 4,600 bequests last year. Lowry puts the increase down to a personal desire to have a meaningful impact on the worsening global climate and #biodiversity crisis.
"Bush Heritage’s model has inspired other groups around Australia to acquire and conserve lands and forests of significant ecological value. One such example is the #NorthEastTasmania #LandTrust (#NETLT), which secretary Dr Christine Hosking describes as 'a microcosm of Bush Heritage'.
"Formed in 2009, the organisation manages donated land through weed control and regeneration of the native environment.
" 'Currently, we have 10 acres [4 hectares] of endangered eucalyptus forest in #BinalongBay that adjoins the #BayOfFires #Conservation Area, and a smaller patch of coastal habitat for the endangered swift parrot,' she says."
#SolarPunkSunday #LandConservation #EndangeredSpecies #ClimateCrisis #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheForests #Regeneration #PreserveNature #Conservationists #IndigenousAustralians #TraditionalLandManagement
-
‘The environmental movement needs many hands’: saving Australia’s biodiversity is getting personal
Powered by individual donations and bequests, the country now has one of the world’s largest networks of privately protected and managed land
by James Norman, Fri 17 Apr 2026
Excerpt: "Over three decades later, #BushHeritage today owns and protects 45 bought or gifted bush reserves around #Australia – covering more than 1.4m hectares of land and providing habitat for over 9,000 native species. Working with #FirstNations communities and farmers, it supports the management of an additional 20.5m hectares beyond what it owns directly.
" 'Some of Australia’s most threatened and fragile #ecosystems and #wildlife sit outside of the national reserve system,' says Rachel Lowry, Bush Heritage Australia’s chief executive officer.
" 'They’re found on private land or pastoral country, and they may have deep cultural and ecological values, but they’re not protected from threats such as #LandClearing, #mining or #InvasiveSpecies.'
"The organisation reports a rise in the number of personal bequests, from 2,500 in 2022 to more than 4,600 bequests last year. Lowry puts the increase down to a personal desire to have a meaningful impact on the worsening global climate and #biodiversity crisis.
"Bush Heritage’s model has inspired other groups around Australia to acquire and conserve lands and forests of significant ecological value. One such example is the #NorthEastTasmania #LandTrust (#NETLT), which secretary Dr Christine Hosking describes as 'a microcosm of Bush Heritage'.
"Formed in 2009, the organisation manages donated land through weed control and regeneration of the native environment.
" 'Currently, we have 10 acres [4 hectares] of endangered eucalyptus forest in #BinalongBay that adjoins the #BayOfFires #Conservation Area, and a smaller patch of coastal habitat for the endangered swift parrot,' she says."
#SolarPunkSunday #LandConservation #EndangeredSpecies #ClimateCrisis #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheForests #Regeneration #PreserveNature #Conservationists #IndigenousAustralians #TraditionalLandManagement
-
‘The environmental movement needs many hands’: saving Australia’s biodiversity is getting personal
Powered by individual donations and bequests, the country now has one of the world’s largest networks of privately protected and managed land
by James Norman, Fri 17 Apr 2026
Excerpt: "Over three decades later, #BushHeritage today owns and protects 45 bought or gifted bush reserves around #Australia – covering more than 1.4m hectares of land and providing habitat for over 9,000 native species. Working with #FirstNations communities and farmers, it supports the management of an additional 20.5m hectares beyond what it owns directly.
" 'Some of Australia’s most threatened and fragile #ecosystems and #wildlife sit outside of the national reserve system,' says Rachel Lowry, Bush Heritage Australia’s chief executive officer.
" 'They’re found on private land or pastoral country, and they may have deep cultural and ecological values, but they’re not protected from threats such as #LandClearing, #mining or #InvasiveSpecies.'
"The organisation reports a rise in the number of personal bequests, from 2,500 in 2022 to more than 4,600 bequests last year. Lowry puts the increase down to a personal desire to have a meaningful impact on the worsening global climate and #biodiversity crisis.
"Bush Heritage’s model has inspired other groups around Australia to acquire and conserve lands and forests of significant ecological value. One such example is the #NorthEastTasmania #LandTrust (#NETLT), which secretary Dr Christine Hosking describes as 'a microcosm of Bush Heritage'.
"Formed in 2009, the organisation manages donated land through weed control and regeneration of the native environment.
" 'Currently, we have 10 acres [4 hectares] of endangered eucalyptus forest in #BinalongBay that adjoins the #BayOfFires #Conservation Area, and a smaller patch of coastal habitat for the endangered swift parrot,' she says."
#SolarPunkSunday #LandConservation #EndangeredSpecies #ClimateCrisis #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheForests #Regeneration #PreserveNature #Conservationists #IndigenousAustralians #TraditionalLandManagement
-
‘The environmental movement needs many hands’: saving Australia’s biodiversity is getting personal
Powered by individual donations and bequests, the country now has one of the world’s largest networks of privately protected and managed land
by James Norman, Fri 17 Apr 2026
Excerpt: "Over three decades later, #BushHeritage today owns and protects 45 bought or gifted bush reserves around #Australia – covering more than 1.4m hectares of land and providing habitat for over 9,000 native species. Working with #FirstNations communities and farmers, it supports the management of an additional 20.5m hectares beyond what it owns directly.
" 'Some of Australia’s most threatened and fragile #ecosystems and #wildlife sit outside of the national reserve system,' says Rachel Lowry, Bush Heritage Australia’s chief executive officer.
" 'They’re found on private land or pastoral country, and they may have deep cultural and ecological values, but they’re not protected from threats such as #LandClearing, #mining or #InvasiveSpecies.'
"The organisation reports a rise in the number of personal bequests, from 2,500 in 2022 to more than 4,600 bequests last year. Lowry puts the increase down to a personal desire to have a meaningful impact on the worsening global climate and #biodiversity crisis.
"Bush Heritage’s model has inspired other groups around Australia to acquire and conserve lands and forests of significant ecological value. One such example is the #NorthEastTasmania #LandTrust (#NETLT), which secretary Dr Christine Hosking describes as 'a microcosm of Bush Heritage'.
"Formed in 2009, the organisation manages donated land through weed control and regeneration of the native environment.
" 'Currently, we have 10 acres [4 hectares] of endangered eucalyptus forest in #BinalongBay that adjoins the #BayOfFires #Conservation Area, and a smaller patch of coastal habitat for the endangered swift parrot,' she says."
#SolarPunkSunday #LandConservation #EndangeredSpecies #ClimateCrisis #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheForests #Regeneration #PreserveNature #Conservationists #IndigenousAustralians #TraditionalLandManagement
-
I saw this on the local news today... 177 acres of woods!!! WTF! Gorham Sand and Gravel doesn't care about environmentally sensitive areas, or areas with children! They pushed to get mining in nearby #LimingtonME, despite the objections of the residents (and it being next to a State of Maine Nature Preserve)!
Neighbors in #AlfredME discuss controversial quarry proposal
by Julia Simone,WGME
Tue, April 7, 2026ALFRED (WGME) - "Alfred residents said they feel stuck between a rock and a hard place, voicing frustration to the town’s planning board Monday night over plans for a new quarry in their neighborhood.
"The entrance and exit of the proposed quarry would be off of Route 202 in Alfred and the site would be 177 acres.
"#GorhamSandAndGravel are the developers behind the project."
[...]
"If constructed, developers say the project would involve blasting and dozens of dump trucks operating six days a week.
"But the project was put on hold last summer after residents in the area voiced concerns about noise, dust, and environmental impacts.
"Now, the potential quarry and the concerns are back.
" 'The noise, the fly rock, the #SilicaDust, and we have an #ElementarySchool that is 1.6 miles away,' Alfred resident Ralph Dean said.
" 'Gorham Sand and Gravel is willing to risk our safety to make money, our kids safety, our families safety, our community's safety, and safety should never come second,' Alfred resident Shannon Stevens said.
"Another resident says a third-party review revealed holes in the quarry plan that haven't been addressed.
" 'These big company they take advantage of these small towns that don’t have good strong ordinances and a professional planning board. These guys are all volunteers and it’s a lot,' Alfred resident Lauren Carroll said."
Read more:
https://wgme.com/news/local/neighbors-in-alfred-discuss-controversy-quarry-proposal#NoisePollution #MainePol #Mining #ProtectTheForest #Pollution
-
I saw this on the local news today... 177 acres of woods!!! WTF! Gorham Sand and Gravel doesn't care about environmentally sensitive areas, or areas with children! They pushed to get mining in nearby #LimingtonME, despite the objections of the residents (and it being next to a State of Maine Nature Preserve)!
Neighbors in #AlfredME discuss controversial quarry proposal
by Julia Simone,WGME
Tue, April 7, 2026ALFRED (WGME) - "Alfred residents said they feel stuck between a rock and a hard place, voicing frustration to the town’s planning board Monday night over plans for a new quarry in their neighborhood.
"The entrance and exit of the proposed quarry would be off of Route 202 in Alfred and the site would be 177 acres.
"#GorhamSandAndGravel are the developers behind the project."
[...]
"If constructed, developers say the project would involve blasting and dozens of dump trucks operating six days a week.
"But the project was put on hold last summer after residents in the area voiced concerns about noise, dust, and environmental impacts.
"Now, the potential quarry and the concerns are back.
" 'The noise, the fly rock, the #SilicaDust, and we have an #ElementarySchool that is 1.6 miles away,' Alfred resident Ralph Dean said.
" 'Gorham Sand and Gravel is willing to risk our safety to make money, our kids safety, our families safety, our community's safety, and safety should never come second,' Alfred resident Shannon Stevens said.
"Another resident says a third-party review revealed holes in the quarry plan that haven't been addressed.
" 'These big company they take advantage of these small towns that don’t have good strong ordinances and a professional planning board. These guys are all volunteers and it’s a lot,' Alfred resident Lauren Carroll said."
Read more:
https://wgme.com/news/local/neighbors-in-alfred-discuss-controversy-quarry-proposal#NoisePollution #MainePol #Mining #ProtectTheForest #Pollution
-
I saw this on the local news today... 177 acres of woods!!! WTF! Gorham Sand and Gravel doesn't care about environmentally sensitive areas, or areas with children! They pushed to get mining in nearby #LimingtonME, despite the objections of the residents (and it being next to a State of Maine Nature Preserve)!
Neighbors in #AlfredME discuss controversial quarry proposal
by Julia Simone,WGME
Tue, April 7, 2026ALFRED (WGME) - "Alfred residents said they feel stuck between a rock and a hard place, voicing frustration to the town’s planning board Monday night over plans for a new quarry in their neighborhood.
"The entrance and exit of the proposed quarry would be off of Route 202 in Alfred and the site would be 177 acres.
"#GorhamSandAndGravel are the developers behind the project."
[...]
"If constructed, developers say the project would involve blasting and dozens of dump trucks operating six days a week.
"But the project was put on hold last summer after residents in the area voiced concerns about noise, dust, and environmental impacts.
"Now, the potential quarry and the concerns are back.
" 'The noise, the fly rock, the #SilicaDust, and we have an #ElementarySchool that is 1.6 miles away,' Alfred resident Ralph Dean said.
" 'Gorham Sand and Gravel is willing to risk our safety to make money, our kids safety, our families safety, our community's safety, and safety should never come second,' Alfred resident Shannon Stevens said.
"Another resident says a third-party review revealed holes in the quarry plan that haven't been addressed.
" 'These big company they take advantage of these small towns that don’t have good strong ordinances and a professional planning board. These guys are all volunteers and it’s a lot,' Alfred resident Lauren Carroll said."
Read more:
https://wgme.com/news/local/neighbors-in-alfred-discuss-controversy-quarry-proposal#NoisePollution #MainePol #Mining #ProtectTheForest #Pollution
-
I saw this on the local news today... 177 acres of woods!!! WTF! Gorham Sand and Gravel doesn't care about environmentally sensitive areas, or areas with children! They pushed to get mining in nearby #LimingtonME, despite the objections of the residents (and it being next to a State of Maine Nature Preserve)!
Neighbors in #AlfredME discuss controversial quarry proposal
by Julia Simone,WGME
Tue, April 7, 2026ALFRED (WGME) - "Alfred residents said they feel stuck between a rock and a hard place, voicing frustration to the town’s planning board Monday night over plans for a new quarry in their neighborhood.
"The entrance and exit of the proposed quarry would be off of Route 202 in Alfred and the site would be 177 acres.
"#GorhamSandAndGravel are the developers behind the project."
[...]
"If constructed, developers say the project would involve blasting and dozens of dump trucks operating six days a week.
"But the project was put on hold last summer after residents in the area voiced concerns about noise, dust, and environmental impacts.
"Now, the potential quarry and the concerns are back.
" 'The noise, the fly rock, the #SilicaDust, and we have an #ElementarySchool that is 1.6 miles away,' Alfred resident Ralph Dean said.
" 'Gorham Sand and Gravel is willing to risk our safety to make money, our kids safety, our families safety, our community's safety, and safety should never come second,' Alfred resident Shannon Stevens said.
"Another resident says a third-party review revealed holes in the quarry plan that haven't been addressed.
" 'These big company they take advantage of these small towns that don’t have good strong ordinances and a professional planning board. These guys are all volunteers and it’s a lot,' Alfred resident Lauren Carroll said."
Read more:
https://wgme.com/news/local/neighbors-in-alfred-discuss-controversy-quarry-proposal#NoisePollution #MainePol #Mining #ProtectTheForest #Pollution
-
I saw this on the local news today... 177 acres of woods!!! WTF! Gorham Sand and Gravel doesn't care about environmentally sensitive areas, or areas with children! They pushed to get mining in nearby #LimingtonME, despite the objections of the residents (and it being next to a State of Maine Nature Preserve)!
Neighbors in #AlfredME discuss controversial quarry proposal
by Julia Simone,WGME
Tue, April 7, 2026ALFRED (WGME) - "Alfred residents said they feel stuck between a rock and a hard place, voicing frustration to the town’s planning board Monday night over plans for a new quarry in their neighborhood.
"The entrance and exit of the proposed quarry would be off of Route 202 in Alfred and the site would be 177 acres.
"#GorhamSandAndGravel are the developers behind the project."
[...]
"If constructed, developers say the project would involve blasting and dozens of dump trucks operating six days a week.
"But the project was put on hold last summer after residents in the area voiced concerns about noise, dust, and environmental impacts.
"Now, the potential quarry and the concerns are back.
" 'The noise, the fly rock, the #SilicaDust, and we have an #ElementarySchool that is 1.6 miles away,' Alfred resident Ralph Dean said.
" 'Gorham Sand and Gravel is willing to risk our safety to make money, our kids safety, our families safety, our community's safety, and safety should never come second,' Alfred resident Shannon Stevens said.
"Another resident says a third-party review revealed holes in the quarry plan that haven't been addressed.
" 'These big company they take advantage of these small towns that don’t have good strong ordinances and a professional planning board. These guys are all volunteers and it’s a lot,' Alfred resident Lauren Carroll said."
Read more:
https://wgme.com/news/local/neighbors-in-alfred-discuss-controversy-quarry-proposal#NoisePollution #MainePol #Mining #ProtectTheForest #Pollution
-
How #Guatemala, #Mexico, and #Belize plan to protect 14 million acres of #Mayan #forest
Mexico, Guatemala and Belize have announced plans to create a huge reserve of tropical forest spanning across the three countries. Pushing out criminal gangs and protecting the land from ranchers, miners and loggers won’t be easy.
Aug. 21, 2025
Excerpt: "One proposal from Mexico is the expansion of its '#PlantingLife' program, which offers landowners money to grow certain kinds of trees either for fruit or timber. The program has a $2 billion budget, Bárcena said.
"But the program, which dates to ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has faced criticism. In 2021, the World Resources Institute reported that it had actually incentivized deforestation in Campeche state. Bárcena said the program is being adjusted to better meet environmental objectives.
"Mexican sustainability and climate action expert Juan Carlos Franco, who works in southern Mexico, said security is crucial and requires the government to act as 'guarantor.' But the work has to be carried out with civil society in the local communities, including in places where locals have found ways to coexist with the illegal activity surrounding them, he said." 'Communities oriented toward the #biocultural management of the territory can overcome despite the crime, that’s the most revealing message,' he said.
No #megaprojects"Another challenge will be holding governments over the long term to commitments to forgo big projects that promise economic development but threaten #EnvironmentalDamage, such as Mexico’s tourist rail operation, the Maya Train, which Belize is interested in extending to its territory.
"Orantes, the Guatemala minister, said that Guatemalan President #BernardoArévalo would not allow megaprojects in the reserve because when access is opened in the forest it becomes difficult to control everything that follows.
"Arévalo recently declined to renew the contract of a #petroleum company that had been operating for 40 years in a Guatemalan reserve known as the #MayaBiosphere.
"Guatemala is making the largest land contribution to the reserve, encompassing 27 existing protected areas. Arévalo had already made clear that he would not run an extension of the Maya Train proposed by Mexico’s last president through protected areas.
"In Mexico, Bárcena noted that the 950-mile (1,500-kilometer) train line, which started running in late 2023 and goes in a rough loop around the Yucatan Peninsula, lies outside the new reserve’s territory.
She said her agency was working to alleviate some of the environmental impacts of the train line, in collaboration with companies operated by the Mexican Army, which built a large portion of the rail line and operates the train.
"To avoid destructive projects in the new reserve, the three governments agreed to create a council made up of environmental authorities, as well as an #Indigenous advisory council, Bárcena said. Any proposed projects in the reserve would have to pass through them."Archived version:
https://archive.ph/GyXR8#SolarPunkSunday #ProtectTheForest #IndigenousPeople #CommunityActivism
-
How #Guatemala, #Mexico, and #Belize plan to protect 14 million acres of #Mayan #forest
Mexico, Guatemala and Belize have announced plans to create a huge reserve of tropical forest spanning across the three countries. Pushing out criminal gangs and protecting the land from ranchers, miners and loggers won’t be easy.
Aug. 21, 2025
Excerpt: "One proposal from Mexico is the expansion of its '#PlantingLife' program, which offers landowners money to grow certain kinds of trees either for fruit or timber. The program has a $2 billion budget, Bárcena said.
"But the program, which dates to ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has faced criticism. In 2021, the World Resources Institute reported that it had actually incentivized deforestation in Campeche state. Bárcena said the program is being adjusted to better meet environmental objectives.
"Mexican sustainability and climate action expert Juan Carlos Franco, who works in southern Mexico, said security is crucial and requires the government to act as 'guarantor.' But the work has to be carried out with civil society in the local communities, including in places where locals have found ways to coexist with the illegal activity surrounding them, he said." 'Communities oriented toward the #biocultural management of the territory can overcome despite the crime, that’s the most revealing message,' he said.
No #megaprojects"Another challenge will be holding governments over the long term to commitments to forgo big projects that promise economic development but threaten #EnvironmentalDamage, such as Mexico’s tourist rail operation, the Maya Train, which Belize is interested in extending to its territory.
"Orantes, the Guatemala minister, said that Guatemalan President #BernardoArévalo would not allow megaprojects in the reserve because when access is opened in the forest it becomes difficult to control everything that follows.
"Arévalo recently declined to renew the contract of a #petroleum company that had been operating for 40 years in a Guatemalan reserve known as the #MayaBiosphere.
"Guatemala is making the largest land contribution to the reserve, encompassing 27 existing protected areas. Arévalo had already made clear that he would not run an extension of the Maya Train proposed by Mexico’s last president through protected areas.
"In Mexico, Bárcena noted that the 950-mile (1,500-kilometer) train line, which started running in late 2023 and goes in a rough loop around the Yucatan Peninsula, lies outside the new reserve’s territory.
She said her agency was working to alleviate some of the environmental impacts of the train line, in collaboration with companies operated by the Mexican Army, which built a large portion of the rail line and operates the train.
"To avoid destructive projects in the new reserve, the three governments agreed to create a council made up of environmental authorities, as well as an #Indigenous advisory council, Bárcena said. Any proposed projects in the reserve would have to pass through them."Archived version:
https://archive.ph/GyXR8#SolarPunkSunday #ProtectTheForest #IndigenousPeople #CommunityActivism
-
How #Guatemala, #Mexico, and #Belize plan to protect 14 million acres of #Mayan #forest
Mexico, Guatemala and Belize have announced plans to create a huge reserve of tropical forest spanning across the three countries. Pushing out criminal gangs and protecting the land from ranchers, miners and loggers won’t be easy.
Aug. 21, 2025
Excerpt: "One proposal from Mexico is the expansion of its '#PlantingLife' program, which offers landowners money to grow certain kinds of trees either for fruit or timber. The program has a $2 billion budget, Bárcena said.
"But the program, which dates to ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has faced criticism. In 2021, the World Resources Institute reported that it had actually incentivized deforestation in Campeche state. Bárcena said the program is being adjusted to better meet environmental objectives.
"Mexican sustainability and climate action expert Juan Carlos Franco, who works in southern Mexico, said security is crucial and requires the government to act as 'guarantor.' But the work has to be carried out with civil society in the local communities, including in places where locals have found ways to coexist with the illegal activity surrounding them, he said." 'Communities oriented toward the #biocultural management of the territory can overcome despite the crime, that’s the most revealing message,' he said.
No #megaprojects"Another challenge will be holding governments over the long term to commitments to forgo big projects that promise economic development but threaten #EnvironmentalDamage, such as Mexico’s tourist rail operation, the Maya Train, which Belize is interested in extending to its territory.
"Orantes, the Guatemala minister, said that Guatemalan President #BernardoArévalo would not allow megaprojects in the reserve because when access is opened in the forest it becomes difficult to control everything that follows.
"Arévalo recently declined to renew the contract of a #petroleum company that had been operating for 40 years in a Guatemalan reserve known as the #MayaBiosphere.
"Guatemala is making the largest land contribution to the reserve, encompassing 27 existing protected areas. Arévalo had already made clear that he would not run an extension of the Maya Train proposed by Mexico’s last president through protected areas.
"In Mexico, Bárcena noted that the 950-mile (1,500-kilometer) train line, which started running in late 2023 and goes in a rough loop around the Yucatan Peninsula, lies outside the new reserve’s territory.
She said her agency was working to alleviate some of the environmental impacts of the train line, in collaboration with companies operated by the Mexican Army, which built a large portion of the rail line and operates the train.
"To avoid destructive projects in the new reserve, the three governments agreed to create a council made up of environmental authorities, as well as an #Indigenous advisory council, Bárcena said. Any proposed projects in the reserve would have to pass through them."Archived version:
https://archive.ph/GyXR8#SolarPunkSunday #ProtectTheForest #IndigenousPeople #CommunityActivism
-
How #Guatemala, #Mexico, and #Belize plan to protect 14 million acres of #Mayan #forest
Mexico, Guatemala and Belize have announced plans to create a huge reserve of tropical forest spanning across the three countries. Pushing out criminal gangs and protecting the land from ranchers, miners and loggers won’t be easy.
Aug. 21, 2025
Excerpt: "One proposal from Mexico is the expansion of its '#PlantingLife' program, which offers landowners money to grow certain kinds of trees either for fruit or timber. The program has a $2 billion budget, Bárcena said.
"But the program, which dates to ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has faced criticism. In 2021, the World Resources Institute reported that it had actually incentivized deforestation in Campeche state. Bárcena said the program is being adjusted to better meet environmental objectives.
"Mexican sustainability and climate action expert Juan Carlos Franco, who works in southern Mexico, said security is crucial and requires the government to act as 'guarantor.' But the work has to be carried out with civil society in the local communities, including in places where locals have found ways to coexist with the illegal activity surrounding them, he said." 'Communities oriented toward the #biocultural management of the territory can overcome despite the crime, that’s the most revealing message,' he said.
No #megaprojects"Another challenge will be holding governments over the long term to commitments to forgo big projects that promise economic development but threaten #EnvironmentalDamage, such as Mexico’s tourist rail operation, the Maya Train, which Belize is interested in extending to its territory.
"Orantes, the Guatemala minister, said that Guatemalan President #BernardoArévalo would not allow megaprojects in the reserve because when access is opened in the forest it becomes difficult to control everything that follows.
"Arévalo recently declined to renew the contract of a #petroleum company that had been operating for 40 years in a Guatemalan reserve known as the #MayaBiosphere.
"Guatemala is making the largest land contribution to the reserve, encompassing 27 existing protected areas. Arévalo had already made clear that he would not run an extension of the Maya Train proposed by Mexico’s last president through protected areas.
"In Mexico, Bárcena noted that the 950-mile (1,500-kilometer) train line, which started running in late 2023 and goes in a rough loop around the Yucatan Peninsula, lies outside the new reserve’s territory.
She said her agency was working to alleviate some of the environmental impacts of the train line, in collaboration with companies operated by the Mexican Army, which built a large portion of the rail line and operates the train.
"To avoid destructive projects in the new reserve, the three governments agreed to create a council made up of environmental authorities, as well as an #Indigenous advisory council, Bárcena said. Any proposed projects in the reserve would have to pass through them."Archived version:
https://archive.ph/GyXR8#SolarPunkSunday #ProtectTheForest #IndigenousPeople #CommunityActivism
-
How #Guatemala, #Mexico, and #Belize plan to protect 14 million acres of #Mayan #forest
Mexico, Guatemala and Belize have announced plans to create a huge reserve of tropical forest spanning across the three countries. Pushing out criminal gangs and protecting the land from ranchers, miners and loggers won’t be easy.
Aug. 21, 2025
Excerpt: "One proposal from Mexico is the expansion of its '#PlantingLife' program, which offers landowners money to grow certain kinds of trees either for fruit or timber. The program has a $2 billion budget, Bárcena said.
"But the program, which dates to ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has faced criticism. In 2021, the World Resources Institute reported that it had actually incentivized deforestation in Campeche state. Bárcena said the program is being adjusted to better meet environmental objectives.
"Mexican sustainability and climate action expert Juan Carlos Franco, who works in southern Mexico, said security is crucial and requires the government to act as 'guarantor.' But the work has to be carried out with civil society in the local communities, including in places where locals have found ways to coexist with the illegal activity surrounding them, he said." 'Communities oriented toward the #biocultural management of the territory can overcome despite the crime, that’s the most revealing message,' he said.
No #megaprojects"Another challenge will be holding governments over the long term to commitments to forgo big projects that promise economic development but threaten #EnvironmentalDamage, such as Mexico’s tourist rail operation, the Maya Train, which Belize is interested in extending to its territory.
"Orantes, the Guatemala minister, said that Guatemalan President #BernardoArévalo would not allow megaprojects in the reserve because when access is opened in the forest it becomes difficult to control everything that follows.
"Arévalo recently declined to renew the contract of a #petroleum company that had been operating for 40 years in a Guatemalan reserve known as the #MayaBiosphere.
"Guatemala is making the largest land contribution to the reserve, encompassing 27 existing protected areas. Arévalo had already made clear that he would not run an extension of the Maya Train proposed by Mexico’s last president through protected areas.
"In Mexico, Bárcena noted that the 950-mile (1,500-kilometer) train line, which started running in late 2023 and goes in a rough loop around the Yucatan Peninsula, lies outside the new reserve’s territory.
She said her agency was working to alleviate some of the environmental impacts of the train line, in collaboration with companies operated by the Mexican Army, which built a large portion of the rail line and operates the train.
"To avoid destructive projects in the new reserve, the three governments agreed to create a council made up of environmental authorities, as well as an #Indigenous advisory council, Bárcena said. Any proposed projects in the reserve would have to pass through them."Archived version:
https://archive.ph/GyXR8#SolarPunkSunday #ProtectTheForest #IndigenousPeople #CommunityActivism
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This summer, Indigenous land defenders in “Quebec” made the logging lobby eat shit—blockades, pressure, the whole nine. But the state will try again. The Atikamekw are digging in for winter with a permanent camp to watch their forests and stop illegal cuts. Cold’s coming fast. Kick in so they’ve got what they need to hold the line.
Donate: https://gofund.me/fd5d9f6e2
#Atikamekw #LandBack #ProtectTheForest #StopLogging #Quebec #NoConsentNoContract
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This summer, Indigenous land defenders in “Quebec” made the logging lobby eat shit—blockades, pressure, the whole nine. But the state will try again. The Atikamekw are digging in for winter with a permanent camp to watch their forests and stop illegal cuts. Cold’s coming fast. Kick in so they’ve got what they need to hold the line.
Donate: https://gofund.me/fd5d9f6e2
#Atikamekw #LandBack #ProtectTheForest #StopLogging #Quebec #NoConsentNoContract
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This summer, Indigenous land defenders in “Quebec” made the logging lobby eat shit—blockades, pressure, the whole nine. But the state will try again. The Atikamekw are digging in for winter with a permanent camp to watch their forests and stop illegal cuts. Cold’s coming fast. Kick in so they’ve got what they need to hold the line.
Donate: https://gofund.me/fd5d9f6e2
#Atikamekw #LandBack #ProtectTheForest #StopLogging #Quebec #NoConsentNoContract
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This summer, Indigenous land defenders in “Quebec” made the logging lobby eat shit—blockades, pressure, the whole nine. But the state will try again. The Atikamekw are digging in for winter with a permanent camp to watch their forests and stop illegal cuts. Cold’s coming fast. Kick in so they’ve got what they need to hold the line.
Donate: https://gofund.me/fd5d9f6e2
#Atikamekw #LandBack #ProtectTheForest #StopLogging #Quebec #NoConsentNoContract
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This summer, Indigenous land defenders in “Quebec” made the logging lobby eat shit—blockades, pressure, the whole nine. But the state will try again. The Atikamekw are digging in for winter with a permanent camp to watch their forests and stop illegal cuts. Cold’s coming fast. Kick in so they’ve got what they need to hold the line.
Donate: https://gofund.me/fd5d9f6e2
#Atikamekw #LandBack #ProtectTheForest #StopLogging #Quebec #NoConsentNoContract
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#EmeraldAshBorer and Other #TreeHealth Concerns
#Maine #DACF Update for Cities and TownsSeptember 11, 2025
#MaineForestService"On September 11, 2025, The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and the City of Belfast hosted a workshop to update city and town tree and forest managers and public works staff along with interested community members on the known status of emerald ash borer in Maine, local and state management efforts, municipal support opportunities, as well as a Q&A session."
Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXFuktJRzSM#SaveTheForests #SaveTheAshTrees #Basketry #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #AshTrees #MaineForests #MaineDepartmentOfAgriculture #MaineDepartmentOfAgricultureConservationAndForestry
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#EmeraldAshBorer and Other #TreeHealth Concerns
#Maine #DACF Update for Cities and TownsSeptember 11, 2025
#MaineForestService"On September 11, 2025, The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and the City of Belfast hosted a workshop to update city and town tree and forest managers and public works staff along with interested community members on the known status of emerald ash borer in Maine, local and state management efforts, municipal support opportunities, as well as a Q&A session."
Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXFuktJRzSM#SaveTheForests #SaveTheAshTrees #Basketry #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #AshTrees #MaineForests #MaineDepartmentOfAgriculture #MaineDepartmentOfAgricultureConservationAndForestry
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#EmeraldAshBorer and Other #TreeHealth Concerns
#Maine #DACF Update for Cities and TownsSeptember 11, 2025
#MaineForestService"On September 11, 2025, The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and the City of Belfast hosted a workshop to update city and town tree and forest managers and public works staff along with interested community members on the known status of emerald ash borer in Maine, local and state management efforts, municipal support opportunities, as well as a Q&A session."
Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXFuktJRzSM#SaveTheForests #SaveTheAshTrees #Basketry #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #AshTrees #MaineForests #MaineDepartmentOfAgriculture #MaineDepartmentOfAgricultureConservationAndForestry
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#EmeraldAshBorer and Other #TreeHealth Concerns
#Maine #DACF Update for Cities and TownsSeptember 11, 2025
#MaineForestService"On September 11, 2025, The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and the City of Belfast hosted a workshop to update city and town tree and forest managers and public works staff along with interested community members on the known status of emerald ash borer in Maine, local and state management efforts, municipal support opportunities, as well as a Q&A session."
Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXFuktJRzSM#SaveTheForests #SaveTheAshTrees #Basketry #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #AshTrees #MaineForests #MaineDepartmentOfAgriculture #MaineDepartmentOfAgricultureConservationAndForestry
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#EmeraldAshBorer and Other #TreeHealth Concerns
#Maine #DACF Update for Cities and TownsSeptember 11, 2025
#MaineForestService"On September 11, 2025, The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and the City of Belfast hosted a workshop to update city and town tree and forest managers and public works staff along with interested community members on the known status of emerald ash borer in Maine, local and state management efforts, municipal support opportunities, as well as a Q&A session."
Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXFuktJRzSM#SaveTheForests #SaveTheAshTrees #Basketry #ProtectTheSacred #ProtectTheForest #AshTrees #MaineForests #MaineDepartmentOfAgriculture #MaineDepartmentOfAgricultureConservationAndForestry
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Love nature,keep it natural and plastic free always 🌳❤️
#protecttheforest #leavenotrace #nude #naked #plasticfree #bare #clothesfreeliving #naturism #happy #bodypositive #naturalhumanbodies #nonsexualnudity #absolutelynormal #jointhenaturistway #naturalmale #cleanuptime #Iamthefaceofnaturism -
Love nature,keep it natural and plastic free always 🌳❤️
#protecttheforest #leavenotrace #nude #naked #plasticfree #bare #clothesfreeliving #naturism #happy #bodypositive #naturalhumanbodies #nonsexualnudity #absolutelynormal #jointhenaturistway #naturalmale #cleanuptime #Iamthefaceofnaturism -
Love nature,keep it natural and plastic free always 🌳❤️
#protecttheforest #leavenotrace #nude #naked #plasticfree #bare #clothesfreeliving #naturism #happy #bodypositive #naturalhumanbodies #nonsexualnudity #absolutelynormal #jointhenaturistway #naturalmale #cleanuptime #Iamthefaceofnaturism -
The consent check aims to ensure that timber from unsustainable sources does not enter the company's normal product flow. Such timber cannot be sold as sustainable or certified.
Let’s tell the shareholders the real story, not the SCA greenwashed version of events.
-
The consent check aims to ensure that timber from unsustainable sources does not enter the company's normal product flow. Such timber cannot be sold as sustainable or certified.
Let’s tell the shareholders the real story, not the SCA greenwashed version of events.
-
The consent check aims to ensure that timber from unsustainable sources does not enter the company's normal product flow. Such timber cannot be sold as sustainable or certified.
Let’s tell the shareholders the real story, not the SCA greenwashed version of events.
-
The consent check aims to ensure that timber from unsustainable sources does not enter the company's normal product flow. Such timber cannot be sold as sustainable or certified.
Let’s tell the shareholders the real story, not the SCA greenwashed version of events.
-
The consent check aims to ensure that timber from unsustainable sources does not enter the company's normal product flow. Such timber cannot be sold as sustainable or certified.
Let’s tell the shareholders the real story, not the SCA greenwashed version of events.
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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