ELLSWORTH — Nearly two dozen advocates and opponents — environmentalists, attorneys and unorganized territories camp owners among them — argued Feb. 7 over a proposed ordinance to protect water by prohibiting construction of an East-West highway in the unorganized territories. The venue was a special meeting of the Hancock County Commission. An East-West highway (one …
ELLSWORTH — Georges River Trout Unlimited will host a Downeast Chapter meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at Pat’s Pizza in Ellsworth. Jacob van de Sande, land protection project manager for Maine Coast Heritage Trust, will give a presentation at 7 p.m. titled “H2O – Headwaters to Ocean, Maine Coast Heritage Trust Rivers Initiative.” The talk …
STONINGTON — Imagine a house where an incoming ocean tide laps over the living room floor. Deer Isle visual artist Jeffrey Becton has created such scenes in his work, which one art critic has described as “serene and treacherous.” Is Becton exercising artistic license or prescience? Rising sea tides are a concern for the town …
ELLSWORTH — It’s all a matter of perspective. Last November, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a 400-plus-page draft environmental assessment for the application by Black Bear Hydro Partners LLC to renew its license to operate a hydroelectric project with two dams on the Union River. One is in downtown Ellsworth and impounds Leonard …
ELLSWORTH — Ellsworth residents are taking steps to join at least 19 communities, including Bar Harbor, Blue Hill and Belfast, that have regulated single-use plastic bags. At a City Council meeting on Feb. 11, members of the Ellsworth Green Action Team (EGAT) will present a draft ordinance that would ban single-use carryout plastic bags at …
SULLIVAN — For the first time in more than half a century, tomcod have returned to Smelt Brook in Sullivan. Last year, the Downeast Salmon Federation (DSF) removed the 50-year-old dam that kept fish out of the stream and nutrients from flowing into Smelt Cove at the head of Frenchman Bay. “We found a few …
ELLSWORTH — Twenty-three municipalities in Hancock County that belong to the Municipal Review Committee (MRC) are reluctantly taking their waste to landfills. By this summer, that should change. Fiberight’s long-delayed Coastal Resources of Maine waste processing plant in Hampden plans to open its doors for the first time this spring. “The bottom line is that …
ELLSWORTH — As the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) moves closer to granting a new license for the hydroelectric dam system on the Union River, two issues remain unresolved. Still a focus of concern are controlling the water level of Graham Lake and providing adequate upstream and downstream passage for eels, alewives and other fish …
AURORA — Residents made more noise than the quiet wind on Wednesday as stakeholders met at the Airline Community School to discuss a proposal for a 22-turbine wind farm under review by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Close to a dozen speakers commented during the meeting, which was hosted by the DEP, one …
HANCOCK — As the market for recyclables dries up, it’s become increasingly difficult to make money off glass bottles, aluminum cans and cardboard boxes. As a result, there’s one fewer recycling option in the county. Hancock-based nonprofit Coastal Recycling will be closing. Coastal Recycling, which serves five towns, will stop accepting waste material after April …
