novaTopFlexHype for the Future 63D: City of Bangor, Maine (and Suburbs, etc.)
Introduction The City of Bangor is the third-largest city in the State of Maine and serves as the county seat of Penobscot County. Though Lewiston and Portland are larger cities, the City of Bangor is the furthest north of the three, and represents the chief settlement along the lower Penobscot River. City of Bangor The City of Bangor is located directly on the west bank of the Penobscot River and served largely by Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1A, as well as by numerous more local routes […]
DoomsdaysCWOne of the folks I had the opportunity to talk to at a #MaineRivers conference some years ago was #PenobscotNation member #JohnBanks. So glad to see him being honored... He has been a tireless advocate for the #PenobscotRiver!
"Banks was the Penobscot Nation’s representative on the Maine-Indian State Tribal Commission from 1987 to 2021, making him its longest-serving member. He also served on many local, regional and national organization boards, including the National Tribal Environmental Council, Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, National Indian Policy Center, and the Tribal Operations Committee with the federal EPA.
"But arguably Banks’ most noteworthy accomplishment involves bringing a Wabanaki voice and leadership to the historic #PenobscotRiverRestorationProject (1999-2016) in which two dams nearest to the sea were removed and a stream-like bypass channel was completed around a third dam at Howland.
"Completed in 2016, the $63 million restoration project opened almost 2,000 miles of habitat for 11 species of sea-run fish that had been choked off from their spawning grounds for almost two centuries by dams across the river.
"Since then, the river has come back alive with millions of river herring joined by Atlantic salmon, shad, sturgeon and other species in numbers that hadn’t been seen on the Penobscot River for nearly two centuries. Laura Rose Day credits Banks with a key intervention in 2002, when it looked like negotiations that had been going on for three years between #EnvironmentalGroups and the #hydro company owner were about to collapse.
" '[John] asked for a few minutes,' she wrote in a 2014 Christian Science Monitor commentary recalling the moment. 'Removing an eagle feather from a cloth wrap, he circled the table, laying the feather on each shoulder. He reminded us that, no matter whom we served, we were also responsible for being the voice for all the creatures of the river – the birds, the fish, and all of the people as well. The common goal had to be the health of the river.' "
Read more:
https://www.wabanakialliance.com/nihkaniyane2025-johnbanks/
#WaterIsLife #WabanakiAlliance #Wabanaki #Nihkaniyane #MaineRivers #DamRemoval #RiverRestoration
Jaime Jesús Carreño RubioEl club de los perdedores
Este dibujo son los "Loser's Club" de la película IT del 2017. Los dibujé según su personalidad.
#JamesPumita - 2021
#losersclub #IT2017 #stephenking #derrymaine #billdenbrough #beverlymarsh #benhanscom #stanleyuris #mikehanlon #richietozier #eddiekaspbrak #reedie #pennywise #itfanart #it2017movie #penobscotriver #derry
#PenobscotNation #Elder ‘Butch’ Phillips dies at 85
A celebrated #CultureBearer and artist, Reuben Elliot 'Butch' Phillips also was part of the team that negotiated the #Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980.
Reuben M. Schafir, July 29, 2025
"Reuben Elliot “Butch” Phillips, a Penobscot elder, artist, culture-bearer and the former lieutenant governor of the tribe, died Sunday at the age of 85.
Phillips was a leader within his tribe, an accomplished birch bark artist known for crafting moose calls adorned with intricate etchings, an athlete and a masterful hunter.
Scott Phillips, one of the elder Phillips’ three sons, said his father was a “very patient, very soulful” hunter who successfully hunted moose until just two years ago.
Phillips was often called upon to perform ceremonies and lead prayers at events. He cherished his role as a tribal elder, family members said, and was a living advocate for Penobscot traditions.
“He was a proponent of the Penobscot Nation,” Scott Phillips said. “All the traditions and customs, he wanted to keep that going for future generations, and he tried to pass a lot of that knowledge on to me and my brothers, his grandchildren and the people of the nation.”
“He never opened a ceremony without recalling the ancestors and ensuring that we honored them in our daily lives,” said #BarryDana, Phillips’ nephew and former two-term chief of the Penobscot Nation. “When you’re an elder and you preserve a value, you repeat it as early and as often as needed, and he didn’t hesitate to repeat it all the time. And now he’s an ancestor.”
#MaulianBryant, Dana’s daughter, recalled her great-uncle as well-spoken, diplomatic and warm, yet stalwart in his convictions. Known for his impeccable presentation, Bryant said he sported a neatly combed coif of dark hair well into old age and was often present at tribal ceremonies in full regalia.
Phillips was born May 7, 1940, and grew up on Indian Island, the seat of the Penobscot Nation’s government. He served in the U.S. Army and had a lengthy career in telecommunications, in addition to the various positions he held within the Penobscot Nation and associated causes, according to an obituary written by his family. He served as lieutenant governor, a position now known as vice chief, of the Penobscot Nation from 1992 to 1994. He lived in his later years on Penobscot ancestral homelands known today as Milford, across the river from the tribe’s headquarters.
In the 1970s, Philips was one of the Penobscot representatives on the team that negotiated the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement of 1980. The legislation was viewed by many at the time as the only way for tribes to secure limited compensation for stolen land. It also subjected tribal nations to state government control and excepted them from the sovereignty all other federally recognized tribes have.
The law was a divisive topic internally among tribal members during negotiations. Its impacts have shaped the work of Dana and Bryant, who served as Penobscot tribal ambassador before she became executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance in January 2025. Bryant’s work today is largely dedicated to unraveling many of the restrictions imposed by the settlement act. Conversations with her great-uncle caused her to shift her thinking of the law and of the negotiators who partook in its crafting.
“I never wanted those tribal leaders to feel ashamed or that they did a bad thing, because it was a historic thing and there were good things for the tribe and they were between a rock and a hard place,” she said. “I really credit him with me shifting my approach to the whole thing and seeing it in a wholesale way and just remembering the humanity of everyone involved.”
Dana and Phillips never spoke of the negotiations outside of a single town-hall meeting — but Dana said he knew his uncle was fully behind him when he went head-to-head with the state on several occasions.
By working on the negotiating team, Phillips was fulfilling a duty asked of him by his government, said John Dieffenbacher-Krall, the former executive director of the Wabanki Alliance.
“There can be no greater example of citizenship,” he said.
Phillips was also an outspoken advocate of the #PenobscotRiver restoration.
“My generation, we saw the Penobscot River at its worst. It was like an open sewer,” he told #WERU Community Radio and #SunlightMediaCollective in 2018. “And as children, it really didn’t mean too much to us. We still swam in it, we still ate the fish, we still canoed in it and so forth. But I also witnessed the cleansing of the river.”
He was part of a group in 2002 that built the first birch bark canoe on Indian Island in 60 years and helped paddle the boat up the Penobscot River to Katahdin.
Butch Phillips at his Milford home in 1997. (John Ewing/Staff Photographer)
“It was a really strong moment in the revitalization of our culture,” Dana said.
Phillips was married for 40 years to Linda Ann Stewart, who died in 2001. He is survived by his three sons, four siblings and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends.
In his final days, family members say Phillips asked those around him to show love.
“He hoped people would put their differences aside and just love each other,” Scott Phillips said."
Source:
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/07/29/penobscot-elder-butch-phillips-dies-at-85/
Archived version:
https://archive.md/Dmby4
#Penobscot #PenobscotElder #MaineSettlementAct #WaterIsLife #PenobscotRiver #WaterKeeper #NativeAmericanArtist #CultureKeeper
#PenobscotNation citizens rally in opposition to proposed expansion of #JuniperRidgeLandfill
Jul. 18, 2025
OLD TOWN/ALTON, #Maine (WABI) - "Penobscot Nation citizens rallied across the Penobscot County court Friday afternoon in opposition to a proposed expansion to Maine’s largest #landfill.
"The rally was in response to the #ConservationLawFoundation and the Penobscot Nation appealing an expansion to #JuniperRidgeLandfill, which will allow #CasellaWasteSystems to expand Juniper Ridge by 11.9 million cubic yards.
"According to members of the #WabanakiAlliance, the expansion would pose a threat to surrounding #TribalLands due to concerns of air and #WaterPollution surrounding the #PenobscotRiver from the landfill.
"Speakers at the rally represented citizens of the Penobscot Nation, the Wabanaki Alliance, as well as the environmental groups #Slingshot and #DontWasteME.
" 'It is incredibly powerful to see the number of people out here in opposition to this expansion and support of this appeal. We know the time for #EnvironmentalJustice is now. We need to turn the tide towards #ZeroWaste,' said #DanaColihan, Co-Executive Director of environmental group Slingshot.
" 'I just hope that the state can get serious about actual environmental justice, and Casella can implement some practices that it make it so that they don’t have to bring out of state waste to stabilize our sludge, and really find solutions instead of creating more problems with us,' stated #MaulianBryant, Executive Director of the Wabanaki Alliance."
Read more:
https://www.wabi.tv/2025/07/18/penobscot-nation-citizens-rally-opposition-proposed-expansion-juniper-ridge-landfill/
#AirIsLife #WaterIsLife #MaineResists #PFAS #PenobscotRiver #Casella #ProtectTheSacred #Wabanaki #Wabanakik #NativeAmericanNews #MaineNews
Oh yeah. #JuniperRidgeLandfill is NOT a solution!
Time is running out to find new solutions to manage #biosolids in Maine
A new report shows that capacity at a state-owned #landfill will run out in 2028.
PORTLAND, Maine — "There are growing concerns about the state's ability to handle waste and the impact it could have on wastewater treatment facilities in just a few years. Tons of wastewater #sludge, or #biosolids, are shipped to a state-owned landfill every day. That sludge is laced with #PFAS.
"State regulators say if investments aren't made to manage it, the landfill could be at capacity by 2028. The Portland Water District's East End plant takes in 25,000 pounds of solid waste daily.
"'What comes in has to go out, so when we have interruptions in the ability to manage biosolids, that is a huge challenge,' Scott Firmin, director of Portland Wastewater Services with the Portland Water District, explained.
"The utility has nearly 100,000 customers in the Greater Portland area and ships the byproduct of that waste, known as sludge or biosolids, to the #JuniperRidgeLandfill near #OldTownMaine.
"Last summer, it was left scrambling after #Casella Waste Systems said it could not safely accept municipal #sludge at #JuniperRidge after shipments of construction debris needed to stabilize the site were banned.
"'Ninety percent of the biosolids generated in Maine go to that landfill,' Firmin said."
https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/tech/science/environment/pfas/time-is-running-out-to-find-new-solutions-to-manage-biosolids-in-maine-waste-pfas/97-0e674c1a-6c51-40a6-b297-5438e2cda549
#WaterIsLIfe #CompostingToilets #JuniperRidge #EnvironmentalDestruction #PenobscotRiver #PenobscotNation #EnvironmentalRacism #ProtectTheSacred
This is the kind of BULLSHIT that the #PenobscotNation have been dealing with for years! WTF!
#Maine opens door for #landfill expansion despite community objections
By: Emma Davis - October 3, 2024
"The #JuniperRidgeLandfill is a step closer to an expansion that would allow for roughly 11 more years of use, despite continued objections from local residents and advocates concerned about the landfill’s impact on air and water quality in the region.
"In a decision released Wednesday, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection Melanie Loyzim determined there is a substantial public benefit from a proposal to increase the capacity of the facility in #OldTown and Alton, which means the #Casella subsidiary that operates it can now submit an application for a license to expand the facility.
"The decision has not stymied opposition. The #ConservationLawFoundation, an environmental advocacy organization, is prepared to challenge the determination, according to director of communities and toxics Alexandra St. Pierre.
"'This decision recklessly gambles with public health and the environment,' St. Pierre wrote in a statement following the decision. 'It dismisses the serious concerns raised by the Penobscot Nation and other nearby residents about the harmful effects this expansion will have on their health and community. We refuse to allow this dangerous expansion to proceed unchecked.'
"Juniper Ridge Landfill is owned by the state but managed by the Bureau of General Services, which contracts with #NEWSMELandfill Operations, LLC, a subsidiary of the waste management company #CasellaWasteManagement.
"Opened in 1993 and last expanded in 2017, the landfill currently disposes of just over half of landfill waste in Maine and is expected to exhaust its current capacity by 2028. BGS has proposed expanding the landfill by 61 acres, which at the current fill rate of about 1 million cubic yards of waste per year, would allow for roughly 11 more years of use.
"The #MaineDEP concluded that Casella’s proposed expansion is needed to meet Maine’s short- and long-term waste capacity needs and is consistent with the state’s waste reduction plans. From 2018 to 2022, Maine’s landfill waste increased by 24%. Waste generation continues to increase at approximately 5.6% per year.
"Further, the DEP determined that the expansion doesn’t conflict with #EnvironmentalJustice [BULLSHIT] — a new factor that had to be considered under a state law passed in 2021 — that is, as long as Casella meets a few conditions.
Environmental justice was among the concerns raised by environmental groups, local residents and the Penobscot Nation during public comment.
"The public argued there was insufficient treatment of landfill leachate — water that collects chemicals after passing through the waste — specifically for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS, which runs into the #PenobscotRiver.
"The Penobscot Nations’s reservation at Indian Island is located FIVE MILES from the landfill and also includes the Penobscot River, along which Juniper Ridge is located."
Read more:
https://mainemorningstar.com/2024/10/03/maine-opens-door-for-landfill-expansion-despite-community-objections/
#WaterIsLife #PFAS #PenobscotRiver #Biosolids #WabanakiConfederacy #EnvironmentalDestruction #EnvironmentalRacism
Still reeling from #PFAS spill, #BrunswickMaine residents push back on plans for #sludge treatment plant
by AnnMarie Hilton, Tue, January 28, 2025
"Brunswick resident Sandra Carslick said she and her neighbors have been living in a 'bad dream' for the five months since 1,600 gallons of toxic foam spilled so-called forever chemicals at the already contaminated former Naval Air Station nearby.
"At a Brunswick Town Council meeting on Monday night, Carslick said that bad dream could soon become residents’ 'worst nightmare,' if the town reopens a processing site for chemical-laden [#Biosolids] sludge from sewer treatment plants across Maine, and potentially beyond.
"The residents were responding to plans from Delaware-based #ViridiEnergy to update and expand #BrunswickLanding’s anaerobic digester, which converts sewage sludge — also referred to as #biosolids — into renewable natural gas and byproducts that get sent to landfills.
"During Monday’s presentation to the town council, company representatives explained how the facility would work and what local residents could expect. Several councilors said they would like to see additional data before deciding, but some already expressed concerns that the project isn’t right for Brunswick, particularly at this time. Members of the public also spoke for more than an hour, overwhelmingly concerned about the project and its potential to bring more #HarmfulChemicals into the area.
"The town is still dealing with the accidental discharge last summer of #firefighting foam containing #perfluoroalkyl and #polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as #PFAS, at a hangar at #BrunswickExecutiveAirport, which is also situated at Brunswick Landing.
"The spill has prompted environmental and public health concerns over the PFAS, which have been linked to serious long-term health problems including #cancer, weakened #immune systems, developmental issues, and more. Since it started surveying and reviewing the material in the late 1980s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [#EPA] has found more than 700 chemicals in sewage sludge, including PFAS.
"Chet Benham, a senior advisor and one of the founders of Viridi, tried to address those concerns during the meeting, telling residents the facility will operate according to all state and local requirements. He said there are protocols to prevent spills of the sludge that will move through the closed-loop facility.
"'We feel really, really good about it,' Benham said. 'We wouldn’t be standing here before you if we didn’t.' [Typical #Greenwashing #Bullshit]
"According to Viridi’s plan, the facility would take in about 85,000 tons of biosolids per year, which would be processed into renewable natural gas that would feed into Maine Natural Gas. About 10,000 tons of solid material byproduct would be sent from the plant to the #JuniperRidgeLandfill in Old Town. Over the course of the discussion, it came to light that Viridi would also likely bring in sludge from outside of Maine in order to run their facility at full capacity."
Read more:
https://news.yahoo.com/news/still-reeling-pfas-spill-brunswick-145952948.html
#WaterIsLife #PenobscotRiver #PenobscotNation #AndroscogginRiver #CascoBay
[Thread] What to do with all those #Biosolids? (And why are they full of #PFAS in the first place, I wonder.) Talk of building a Biosolid to Energy plant in #BrunswickMaine but the leftover ick will be dumped at #JuniperRidge -- where it can leech into the #PenobscotRiver where the #PenobscotNation live and fish! (And talk about treating #SacredPlaces the way they should be -- the Penobscot River is one of those places that should be granted #Personhood)!
Alrighty then. This article is a good segue into today's #SolarPunkSunday session! Tune in for posts about #Sustainability, #SolarPunk, #RightToRepair, and related topics!
#Wabanaki Sustenance and Self-Determination, by Jillian Kerr, November 7, 2024
"Before #colonization, the Wabanaki region was rich in food; Wabanaki Tribes had excellent knowledge of their environment and knew where to find each resource, when it was abundant, and in what quantities. They utilized natural resources and foods respectfully, creating little or no waste. This sustainable approach to food and natural resources made the Wabanaki among the healthiest people in the world. However, the arrival of Europeans disrupted this harmony, forcing the Wabanaki out of their homelands. Europeans imposed a different understanding of nature and harvesting, which led to unhealthy and unsustainable practices. The Wabanaki continue to strive for the restoration of their traditional foodways as a way to practice food sovereignty.
"To develop food sovereignty and economic stability, the Mi’kmaq Nation in Aroostook County constructed an indoor fish hatchery on the site of Micmac Farms in Caribou, Maine. This farm, which previously only grew and sold fresh or preserved fruits and vegetables, now receives Nesowadnehunk Brook Trout eggs from the Maine State Hatchery in Enfield, Maine. The grown fish are then sold back to Maine’s Soil and Water Conservation District for public consumption throughout the state. In addition, they generously donate food to the local food bank and provide discounts for Tribal members, demonstrating a sustainable model for food sovereignty for the Mi’kmaq Nation.
"The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians launched a food sovereignty initiative to increase access to nutritious food, improve food sovereignty, and strengthen connections to Wabanaki culture by sharing traditional food production, storage, and preparation approaches. The lessons learned add to current knowledge about developing, implementing, and evaluating a model rooted in the principles of food sovereignty. Opportunities to learn and share knowledge about traditional storage and recipes are provided to community members, and existing partnerships have been leveraged to develop a sustainable model. Additional community gardens were also created to increase food production capacity, increasing food sovereignty for the Maliseet.
"One way the Passamaquoddy Tribe fights for food sovereignty is by restoring the watershed of the Skutik River, which was renamed the St. Croix River by colonists. The Skutik River is at the heart of the ancestral home of the Passamaquoddy Tribe.. This crucial watershed is the natural spawning ground and ancient homeland for many species of sea-run fish, including Atlantic salmon and sea-run alewife (river herring), a vital food source. Historically, the number of fish swimming up the Skutik River was massive and sustained the Passamaquoddy for thousands of years. Yet now, the alewife population is too small to feed or sustain the Tribe.
"The large amount of pollution produced by colonization upset the productivity and natural balance of the Skutik River and the life cycles of the native fishery, straining the river’s ecosystem. For many years, Maine law blocked sea-run alewives from accessing their natural and ancient spawning ground in the Skutik watershed, which diminished this important traditional sustenance food source and disturbed the cultural practices of Passamaquoddy Tribal members. The Passamaquoddy established the Skutik Watershed Strategic Sea-run Fish and River Restoration Plan to mitigate the damage and find a better way forward. They developed a collaborative of Skutik stewards, also known as the Skutik River Keepers, who work with various agencies to give the river the best chance at restoring the watershed, thereby giving the Passamaquoddy more access to traditional foods and strengthening their food sovereignty.
"The Penobscot Nation fights for food sovereignty in various ways, including rebuilding outlets on Tribal trust lands. The Penobscot ancestral homeland is located within the drainage area of the Penobscot River and its many tributaries, lakes, and ponds. The area was the fishing place for spearing and netting fish, like salmon and alewives. It was a primary nourishing source of food, medicine, connection, joy, and spirituality for the Penobscot during spring and early summer. The mills and mill dams built by colonizers upset the river's natural ecosystem, cutting off fish from places required to complete their life cycle. As a result, the river no longer contained the fish that had historically fed the Penobscot Tribe. The Penobscot successfully rebuilt outlets on Tribal trust lands in Mattamiscontis Stream, and they have completed many stream connectivity projects. This resulted in growing populations of alewives and blueback herring in the newly restored system, making more fish available as a food source for the Tribe.
"The land is a cornerstone of Native life. Before colonization, Wabanaki Tribes had developed an environmentally friendly and communal food system to protect the land and environment, using natural resources without harming the environment that provided bountiful food sources. However, centuries of colonization have separated the Wabanaki and other Native communities from their homelands and traditional foods. Natives were physically, culturally, and spiritually tied to their homelands, and forced relocation into unknown lands made it impossible to access traditional foods and harvest adequate nutrition from the land for survival. The lack of knowledge of unknown lands led to a dependence on government-issued rations and commodities. These rations and commodities consisted of dairy, processed wheat, sugars, etc., all foreign to the Native diet. The government's aim in providing these rations and commodities to Natives was not to provide nutrition but to prevent starvation.
"Forced relocation and other federal policies devastated many Tribes’ food systems, disrupting their hunting, fishing, farming, and harvesting traditions. The disruption continues today as the federal government still decides what foods they will distribute to Native communities. The government also makes agreements with the producers, a system that favors large-scale vendors, leading to missed opportunities for Native farmers. Problems with food quality also still exist; many traditional foods are still unavailable, and it is not uncommon for produce to travel long distances and arrive spoiled. Despite this upheaval, the Wabanaki have shown remarkable resilience and are determined to restore their traditional food practices and reclaim their food sovereignty."
Original article (includes sources):
https://www.wabanakireach.org/wabanaki_sustenance_and_self_determination_by_jillian_kerr
#FoodSovereignty #WabanakiConfederacy #PenobscotNation #PassamaquoddyTribe #HoultonBandOfMaliseets #AroostookCountyMikmaqNation #Mikmaq #Maine #MaineTribes #NativeAmericanKnowledge #TraditionalKnowledge #WaterIsLife #Wabanaki #EnvironmentalStewards #PenobscotRiver #CaribouMaine #ForcedRelocation #LandBack #OceansAreLife #CommunityGardens #MicMacFarms #Decolonize #Colonialism #SettlerColonialism