Do you get those flyers in the mail for “community solar farms”? Do they sound too good to be true? We thought so, too. That’s why we sat down, took a closer look, asked around, and figured out how the farms work to see how much money you’d really save. Here’s what we learned: The… Read more
What is the winter solstice? The earth travels around the sun once each year. The tilt of the earth is what gives us seasons. When the Northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, we have winter in Maine. During this time, the sun is lower in the sky and days are shorter. The winter… Read more
Flying squirrel (Photo by EEI Tony, iStock) The saw cut was challenging since the sizable limb forked off the main trunk of the maple tree near shoulder height. I let the sharp chain do its job, ensuring that my footing was secure and maintaining a firm hold on the powerful machine. With the cut nearly… Read more
By Rep. Jay McCreight On July 8, 2021, Governor Mills signed into law a bill that establishes regular mapping of eelgrass beds and salt marsh vegetation in the state. In five-year cycles, each segment of the coast from Southern Maine to Downeast Maine will be mapped, providing up-to-date information about the presence and health of… Read more
See below for video recordings of past webinars in our 2021 “Stories of Change” series. Rockweed Research from the Bottom up with Hannah Webber Click here to watch a webinar recording from October 26, 2021. Rockweed, Ascophyllum nodosum, covers much of the rocky intertidal in Maine; it is ecologically and economically important. This talk… Read more
By Melinda Small Nothing has been as satisfying as my trips to the dump (aka Harpswell Recycling Center and Transfer Station). Despite her sometimes gruesome masks, Donnette’s greeting was always welcoming. And once again, I had finished a task that is a grateful diversion from my isolation. At the Center, a very visible sign lists… Read more
The history of Maine, including Harpswell, is tied to the sea. Indigenous people are known to have harvested the bounty of the ocean for thousands of years. Their population was quite small and their technology was limited, so they had little impact on the resource. When Europeans first arrived on these shores, they were astonished… Read more
By Patti Neuhof Today, barely a news cycle passes without a story tied to the impact and challenges communities across the country face as a result of climate change. Some of these impacts are immediately clear and heartbreaking, like the destruction attributed to the wildfires in the West or the flooding and devastation caused by… Read more
“Just one word. Plastics.” So said neighbor Mr. McGuire with great conviction. But young Benjamin Braddock was far more interested in the career advice from Mr. Robinson, another neighbor, to “…sow a few wild oats” particularly with Mrs. Robinson in the classic 1967 movie “The Graduate.” Since 1967 the world has certainly embraced the use… Read more
Using their backyards as laboratories, participants in the Signs of the Seasons program help scientists document the local effects of global climate change. Hundreds are trained to observe and record the phenology (seasonal changes) of common plants and animals living in their own communities — a citizen science project that fills a gap in regional… Read more