#Patna #BirdSanctuary and #Gujarat’s #ChhariDhand get Ramsar tag, India’s #wetland count rises to 98

Patna Bird Sanctuary in #UttarPradesh and Chhari-Dhand in Gujarat have been added to India’s Ramsar Sites list, taking the country’s total wetlands of international importance to 98 ahead of #WorldWetlandsDay.

MC Travel Desk
February 02, 2026 / 10:36 IST

"India has added two more ecologically significant #wetlands to its #RamsarSites network, strengthening the country’s global conservation footprint just ahead of World Wetlands Day on February 2. Patna Bird Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district and Chhari-Dhand in Gujarat’s Kutch district have been officially designated as Wetlands of International Importance under the #RamsarConvention.

"The announcement was made by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on social media platform X, where he underscored the importance of these wetlands as critical habitats for migratory birds, resident species, and rare wildlife."

Read more:
https://www.moneycontrol.com/travel/patna-bird-sanctuary-gujarat-s-chhari-dhand-get-ramsar-tag-india-s-wetland-count-rises-to-98-article-13804731.html

#SolarPunkSunday #WaterIsLife #Wildlife #WetlandPreservation #India

via @MaineMonitor

A shady land deal in #BelfastME as a #ConservationEasement goes missing

A wetland in Belfast was supposed to be conserved “in perpetuity.” Instead it’s being sold as commercial property. DEP is investigating.

By Murray Carpenter
July 13, 2025

Excerpt: "#BankOfAmerica became the owner of the lot in 2006, when it bought #MBNA for $34 billion. In January 2025, Bank of America sold the lot at auction to #WeBuyAndResellHomesLLC, a Georgia company. According to Belfast Assessor’s Office, the lot sold for $15,750, and is assessed at $404,800.

"The new owner promptly listed the property for sale for $295,000, with no mention that it is a #wetlands #mitigation site. The ad, at CORE real estate, reads, 'Zoned commercially, the land is positioned for a variety of business ventures. Belfast is expanding, making this an ideal location for retail, office, or mixed-use development.'

"It’s hard to know how the wetland conservation project seeped through the cracks. Among the banker’s boxes of documents related to MBNA permitting in the #DEP archives, is an unsigned draft of the deed restriction, from 1997. The draft would not be enforceable, however, until it was signed and filed with the deed.

"#MaineDEP spokesman David Madore said the agency is investigating the matter.

" 'The Department’s approval of the 1997 development was contingent on the restoration and preservation of wetland functions and values on the compensation parcel,' Madore said in an email. 'The parcel was intended to be permanently preserved.'

"A Bank of America spokesperson declined to comment on the story, as did the Army Corps.

"These days, it’s an overlooked and forgotten lot adjacent to a bustling area. Someone is using an area near the road as a toilet.

"But back in the wetland, the #alders and #cattails have grown in as intended. On a warm July day, red-winged #blackbirds, common yellowthroats, and #RedEyedVireos sing. And, from deep in the wetland, comes the croaking of a #GreenFrog."

https://themainemonitor.org/belfast-conservation-easement-missing/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

#SaveTheWetlands #BankOfAmericaSucks #Conservation #MaineNews #WetlandPreservation #ShadyDeals #SaveTheLittleRiverWatershed

#Contamination warnings issued for 5 #MaineBeaches heading into Labor Day weekend

John Terhune, Portland Press Herald, Maine
September 1, 2023

"Contaminated waters could hinder #beach adventures from York to Camden this Labor Day weekend.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has issued contamination warnings for five Maine beaches after finding elevated levels of #fecalbacteria.

"The affected beaches are #WillardBeach in #SouthPortland, #GooseRocksBeach in #Kennebunkport, #GoochsBeach in #Kennebunk, #CapeNeddickBeach in #YorkMaine and #LaiteBeach in #CamdenMaine. Total beach closures are rare in Maine, and as of Friday night all five affected beaches remained open.

"The presence of enterococci bacteria suggests water also may contain other harmful bacteria, #viruses or #parasites, according to the DEP's Maine Healthy Beaches program, which tracks water quality at public beaches from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Contact with contaminated water can cause flu-like symptoms, #gastrointestinal issues, rashes and #infection.

"Beachgoers are advised to avoid areas with contamination warnings.

"Laite Beach in Camden, which had more than 26 times more fecal bacteria than the threshold deemed safe, was the most contaminated beach on Friday night, according to DEP data."

https://news.yahoo.com/contamination-warnings-issued-5-maine-035900165.html

#Maine #WetlandPreservation #SewageInfrastructure #WaterIsLife #ExtremeRain
#ExtremeWeather #ClimateChange

Group warns of potentially polluted water identified at #MaineBeaches

Maine Public | By Caty DuDevoir
Published July 11, 2023 at 2:39 PM EDT

"Thirty-six beaches in Maine were considered potentially unsafe for swimming on at least one day of #bacteria testing in 2022, according to a recent report.

"Sewage overflows and runoff pollution contaminated the waters surrounding multiple popular swimming spots such as #GoochsBeach in #Kennebunkport and #FerryBeach in #Scarborough.

"John Rumpler is the clean water director at the Environment Maine Research & Policy Center who co-authored the report.

"When we pave over everything with #ParkingLots, #StripMalls and big #roadways, that water has nowhere to go, so it sweeps up all the #pollution on the surface and pulls it right into nearby #rivers, #streams, and #coastalwaters, or overwhelms our combined sewage systems,' Rumpler says.

"Rumpler says that preserving the state's #wetlands can restore and expand the land's natural capacity to absorb rain water, and continuing to repair #sewage #infrastructure across the state is a step in the right direction.

"With the heavy precipitation these last few weeks, Rumpler is worried that pollution levels may be higher.

"Beach water quality updates can be found on the Maine Department of Environmental Protection website."

https://www.mainepublic.org/environment-and-outdoors/2023-07-11/group-warns-of-potentially-polluted-water-identified-at-maine-beaches

#Wetlands #WetlandPreservation #SewageInfrastructure #WaterIsLife #ExtremeRain #ExtremeWeather #ClimateChange