YES! VICTORY! Public pushback makes a difference!

#MaineTurnpikeAuthority drops controversial #GorhamConnector project

by WGME Staff Thu, March 6th 2025 at 7:56 PM

GORHAM (WGME) – "The Maine Turnpike Authority is now dropping its controversial Gorham connector project.

"The project would have built a new highway from South Portland to Gorham, with the goal of easing heavy road congestion.

"The MTA paused the project last year after receiving backlash from local residents.

"The project would have required the demolition of nearly a dozen homes and confiscation of #farmland."

"'There was a lot of concern, and people wondered if it's the right-sized tool for the job, a lot of people have concerns that, building another highway, there's concerns that it will just fill up,' MTA Director of Communications Erin Courtney said.

The MTA says it's heading back to the drawing board to re-examine traffic conditions and review past mobility studies to find better ways to ease congestion in the area." [Like #LightRail, #RapidTransitBusLines and more #BikeLanes!]

https://wgme.com/news/local/maine-turnpike-authority-drops-controversial-gorham-connector-project-south-portland
#Maine #SaveSmilingHillFarm #SmilingHillFarm #InducedSprawl #GorhamConnector #MainersForSmarterTransportation #Maine #MaineNews #GorhamBypass #GorhamSpur #Maine #RapidTransit #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #ProtectTheWetlands #BrookTrout #SaveTheForest #Wildlife #HuskyLine #RapidBusTransit

#Scarborough #Maine Land Trust protects 32 acres along #BeaverBrook

The #ScarboroughLandTrust recently purchased and will protect 32 acres along Beaver Brook

January 22, 2025

"In another win for conservation, clean water, wildlife and residents of Scarborough, Scarborough Land Trust recently purchased and will protect 32 acres along Beaver Brook to be named Beaver Brook Preserve.

"The property, formerly part of 80 Beech Ridge Road, consists of mature forests, intermittent streams, wetlands and 1500 ft. along Beaver Brook. The brook flows into the Scarborough Marsh, Maine’s largest contiguous salt marsh and an area of statewide ecological importance. A recent review by Maine Natural Areas Program states that protecting land along Beaver Brook, 'which is within a watershed with increasing development pressure, is beneficial to the ecology of the marsh, its habitats, and the species that depend on it.'

"Conserving the property will protect habitat for #BrookTrout, as well as priority habitat migratory birds and waterfowl, threatened/endangered species, and species of greatest conservation need.

"The owners of the property, sisters Dianne Mills and Karen Lothrop, grew up on the property and wanted to see it conserved. 'As a child, I had fields of green grass and lots of open space to play in, with paths in the woods and a brook to walk down to,' Mills said in a press release. 'To me it would be a shame to see it destroyed and built up. I am happy and at peace with the decision to preserve the land that I enjoyed, and want others to enjoy and see why it’s so important.'"

https://www.pressherald.com/2025/01/22/scarborough-land-trust-protects-32-acres-along-beaver-brook/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/R1SVr
#SolarPunkSunday #PreservingNature #ProtectingNature

Smallmouth Bass, Brook Trout, Walleye (3 Inch Northwoods Fish Set Part 1 by Replica Toy Fish)

I’m back with another look at some Replica Toy Fish models. Last time was the 6″ channel catfish figure, this time I’ll be looking at one of the initial sets of three inch figures. There were two sets of six, but I will split them into two posts of three figures just to keep them a little shorter! The ones today will all be from different clades of fish, the next one will be three very […]

Read more... https://animaltoyforum.com/blog/northwoods-fish-set-part-1-by-replica-toy-fish/

#BrookTrout #Micropterus #MicropterusDolomieu #Salvelinus #SalvelinusFontinalis #Sander #SanderCanadensis #SanderVitreus #Sauger #SmallmouthBass #Walleye #ReplicaToyFish

#ScarboroughMaine Town Council rescinds support for #GorhamConnector

The 6-1 vote on the resolution follows increasing opposition among town residents to the controversial $331 million, 5-mile highway, which would affect 35 property owners in town.

by Drew Johnson
10/2/2024

"The vote was not unexpected; a majority of councilors had voiced support for the resolution at a meeting last month.

"Myles Smith, a member of the #MainersForSmarterTransportation group that organized a rally outside Town Hall Wednesday night, commended the council for taking up the resolution.

"'We’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘There’s nothing we can do about this project,’ ‘It’s a done deal,’ or ‘It’s decided by the state,’ ' Smith said. 'But that’s not true. When people come together and stand up for what they believe in, and our elected leaders listen to their concerns, we can make changes that people want to see in their community.'

"The resolution rescinds the council’s support for the connector, citing the failure of the #MaineTurnpikeAuthority to fulfill the terms of its agreement with Scarborough and three other communities, as well as town residents’ widespread opposition to the project.

"The resolution is not binding on future councils and leaves open the possibility of collaborating with state and regional transportation groups to resolve traffic issues should such efforts garner significant public support.

"The Maine Turnpike Authority, Scarborough, Gorham, South Portland and Westbrook signed an agreement in May 2022 pledging support for the project. While those other communities have not officially considered withdrawing their support, officials in the other municipalities have been watching the Scarborough council’s deliberations closely as public opposition to the project mounts.

"The project, estimated to cost at least $331 million, was proposed by the turnpike authority to alleviate traffic congestion through the Gorham area and has been contentious from the outset.

"The four-lane, 5-mile connector would stretch from Route 114 at the Gorham Bypass into Scarborough with interchanges at County and Running Hill roads before linking up with Interstate 95 at Exit 45 in South Portland. It’s designed to alleviate traffic in other parts of those communities, such as on Route 114 and Route 22, which provide connections to the highway.

"According to a turnpike authority presentation to the Scarborough council in February, about 50 landowners would be impacted by the project via easements, 35 of them in Scarborough. The connector also would weave through #wetlands in the northern portion of town, sparking #environmental concerns.

"The preferred path also is set to cut through a portion of #SmilingHillFarm in #WestbrookMaine, a family-owned farm on 500 acres that has been in the Knight family for 13 generations, which spurred widespread opposition to the project.

"'I’m hoping today that the Town Council members decide to put a pause on this and to talk to the MTA about finding alternate routes or scrapping this project altogether,' Ben Wallace, a 12th-generation farmer at Smiling Hill Farm, said ahead of the vote."

Original article:
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/10/02/scarborough-town-council-votes-to-rescind-support-for-gorham-connector-project/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/dkvkB#selection-2485.0-2541.254

#Maine #MaineNews #SaveSmilingHillFarm #GorhamBypass #SaveSmilingHill #GorhamSpur
#Maine #RapidTransit #LightRail #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #ProtectTheWetlands #BrookTrout

Sinking in Saltwater: #Maine’s #coastal #marshes at risk as sea levels rise

Between 28 and 57 percent of the state’s coastal marshes could disappear by the end of the century, victims of a rising sea, coastal #development and #PollutedRunoff.

By
Kate Cough
July 28, 2024

PORTLAND — "It takes hundreds of years for a #SaltMarsh to form, for fine sediment brought in on the tides to settle in sections of shoreline sheltered from the worst of the wind and waves. As salt-tolerant plants — smooth #cordgrass, #SaltmarshHay, #saltgrass, #BlackRush — begin to grow, their dense stems and roots trap more sediment, and the marsh builds more rapidly, up and out.

"#Crabs, #shrimp and #worms arrive, drawn to the rich food of dying marsh grasses, followed by a variety of #fish — #alewives, #StripedBass, #smelt and Sea-run #BrookTrout among them — many of which eventually migrate between the marsh and the sea.
logo for the sinking in saltwater series

"Acre by acre, a healthy salt marsh anchors a #FoodWeb 'more productive than most midwestern #farmland,' according to a 2003 paper published by the University of Maine.

"The same dense grasses that are so good at trapping silt also excel at ensnaring pollutants, pulling out nitrogen and nutrients that cause #AlgalBlooms, and burying #toxic #contaminants in the peat.

"Once established, plants in salt marshes grow quickly, fed by the rich soil, and pull #carbon from the atmosphere. Salt marshes are ten times more effective at storing carbon than tropical forests, and, left undisturbed, can trap the gas in the ground for centuries, a phenomenon scientists refer to as 'blue carbon.'

"Maine has some of the most extensive blue carbon reservoirs in the northeast — second only to Massachusetts, according to a study published by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2023.

"But as sea levels rise and development presses in, these reservoirs, and the habitats they create, are at risk of disappearing.

"An analysis by the University of Maine suggests that a significant portion of the Maine’s salt marshes — between 28 and 57 percent, depending on the sea level rise scenario — could be gone by the end of the century. They are also threatened by polluted runoff from #pesticides, #septic systems and #AgriculturalWaste.

"'The decisions Mainers make over the next 10 years are going to determine whether these important ecosystems persist,' said Bates professor Beverly Johnson, who has been studying blue carbon for years, speaking to The #MaineClimateCouncil in December.

"Over the past 25 years, nearly 300 acres of Maine’s wetlands — both fresh and saltwater — have been impacted by or lost to development, according to a Press Herald/Maine Monitor analysis of data from the state’s In Lieu Fee Compensation Program. The program allows developers to fill or convert certain #wetlands if they pay a fee, money that is used for conservation projects elsewhere."

Read more:
https://themainemonitor.org/sinking-in-saltwater/

#BlueCarbon #SeaLevelRise #SaveTheMarshes #SaveTheWetlands #SaveSearsIsland #ScarboroughMarsh #SaveSmilingHillFarm #GorhamConnector #RedBrook #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #PesticideRunoff #SewageRunOff #Pollution #WebOfLife

So, ignoring the elephant in the room (that #PFAS is EVERYWHERE), apparently, the state of #Maine has been restocking fish in ponds and lakes that have known PFAS contamination...

Maine stocks PFAS-laden waters with fish, warns ‘do not eat’

Scientists worry that some anglers will still consume the #trout tainted by #ForeverChemicals. One environmental watchdog group calls the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife practice 'super disturbing.'

by Penelope Overton, June 2, 2024

"Chock-full of forever chemicals, the #FishingHoles next to Fairfield’s youth athletic complex on Industrial Drive are believed to be some of the most #polluted waters in #Maine – yet the state still stocks these ponds every year with hatchery-raised #BrookTrout for local children to catch.

"The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife [#MaineDIFW] said it puts brook trout in the ponds for kids to catch for fun, not for sustenance, and that it warns against eating anything caught from these waters. A fish doesn’t have to be eaten to be enjoyed, said state fisheries director Francis Brautigam."

Relevant quotes:

Sarah Woodbury, Defend Our Health: “This is super disturbing to me that they are intentionally stocking areas they know are contaminated. Folks that depend on fish to feed their families shouldn’t have to be worried about additional contamination.”

Michelle Flewelling, #FairfieldMaine Town Manager: "“Forever chemicals have done a number on this town. We’ve got the highest numbers in the state, maybe the country. We all know it. It’s no secret. It’s in our drinking water, our ponds, our fields. It’s white noise at this point. We’ve lost so much. Why let it take one more thing from these kids?”

Read more [may be behind a paywall]:
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/06/02/state-stocks-contaminated-waters-with-fish-then-warns-against-eating-them/

#WaterIsLife #PFOS #PFASContamination #WaterPollution #PFASPollution #PFOA #PTFE #Wildlife #Cancer #Contamination #Chemicals #Environment #GenXChemicals
#Toxic #Capitalism #Crapitalism

All of the adult fish that I caught this weekend were brook trout. They must be stocked because I've not seen them in this creek before. This is the stream that I got my new-to-me Tenkara Rod Company Kita, and it worked really well on this trip. I was fishing with size #12 and #14 unweighted wet flies.

#fishing #FlyFishing #Tenkara #wetfly #trout #brooktrout

#canada #yyc #alberta #fishing #lures #fishinglures #TroutFishing #BrookTrout #rainbowtrout

🇨🇦 🐟 🎣

https://rockyviewlures.ca/

Give the fish something new to talk about this summer. A new lure might just do the trick.

[Video + gift article] Plan to extend turnpike through #farmland gets slammed before first public meeting

The #MaineTurnpikeAuthority is hosting a public meeting Monday evening on the #GorhamConnector, its plan to build a 5-mile, 4-lane highway spur from the turnpike in #SouthPortlandMaine to the #GorhamBypass.

by Kelly Bouchard
March 25, 2024

"Speakers at the press conference said the connector would worsen or simply relocate #TrafficCongestion and exacerbate #pollution and other #environmental problems.

"Warren Knight, one of six siblings involved in the farm, questioned whether the authority chose to build the connector through the farm because it was easier to cross and the cheapest alternative for a project expected to cost well over $200 million.

"'We don’t think that’s right or fair,' Knight said. 'Why should #OpenSpace and farmland be considered expendable?”

"Tuck O’Brien, a Portland resident and representative of Trout Unlimited, a nonprofit that works to preserve and restore fish habitat, said the connector would jeopardize the clean, cool headwaters of #RedBrook, a tributary to Clarks Pond in South Portland that is [one of the last] active habitats for #BrookTrout.

"Sadie Donnell, a #GorhamMaine resident, said the region’s traffic challenges present a 'huge opportunity' to expand public transportation and reduce the number of cars on the road, rather than move them from one road to another."

https://www.pressherald.com/2024/03/25/plan-to-extend-turnpike-through-farmland-gets-slammed-before-first-public-meeting/?uuid=8b2a17c3-31d3-4227-bd05-14439d676b71&lid=10425

#SaveSmilingHill #GorhamConnector #GorhamSpur #Maine #MaineTurnpikeAuthority #RapidTransit #LightRail #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl