Maine Naturally

What do you love about Maine?

Mike Tetreault — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:18:31 GMT

Let me start by asking you that simple question: What do you love about Maine?

Go ahead, think about it. Maybe write a couple things down. Do you have your answer? I’ll bet you mentioned something related to nature.

In a recent survey, nearly nine out of 10 Mainers identify having clean water, natural areas and wildlife as important to the quality of life in Maine. This enthusiasm extends across all regions, politics and demographics. Nature, it turns out, is a great unifier in the great state of Maine.

That’s what Nature is ME is all about. Funded by a grant from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, this campaign is a celebration of values we all share, and an exploration of the benefits that nature brings to us.

The Nature Conservancy and our partners hope to engage you in things you already love about nature, and inspire you with things you might not yet know.

Here’s how it works: We’ve collected awesome prizes from businesses who share our love for nature.

Every time you take one of our Nature is ME challenges, you’re entered to win.

The challenges are fun: take pictures of yourself experiencing nature, send in recipes with Maine ingredients and take an online quiz. But this is about more than prizes. We hope you’ll be reminded of how deeply nature is intertwined with life in Maine.

Have fun with Nature is ME! From there, check out any one of our partners, your local farmer, fisherman or land trust, or one of the many great groups that work for Maine’s environment and nature-based economy. Together, we can reinforce the fabric of our communities and help care for all the good things that make Maine such a wonderful place to call home.

See you outside!

Maine Can Adapt to Climate Change - If We Act Now

Mike Tetreault — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 16:04:05 GMT

Here in Maine, we sometimes laugh about global warming, wishing for an easier winter or a few more sunny spring afternoons. But extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy, or the Patriots’ Day Storm of 2007, remind us that we are all vulnerable to the quickly spreading effects of climate change.

I received a call yesterday from my colleague, Tom Abello, who brought important news: the climate change adaptation bill (SD 825) will be considered thus week, directing the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to resume its study on climate change. If the pending legisltion is approved, a working group will be established to evaluate and prioritize actions that can help Maine communities and businesses adapt to climate change.

This bill is one large step forward toward responding effectively to climate change. A 2010 report included many proposals for how we can adapt to Maine’s changing climate, reducing harm to nature, our economy and human health.

Healthy ecosystems provide clean drinking water, flood protection, economic commodities and places to play. But weather is growing more extreme, damaging Maine’s towns and fragile ecosystems. A sudden change in climate puts our physical well-being, wealth, and food and water access at risk. We all feel the effects, both directly and indirectly.

Sometimes we forget that a slight change in climate can dramatically affect the environment. These changes may be so small that we barely notice them, but they add up over time until we can finally “see” the outcome. We must understand our interconnectedness with nature and with one another to address the problem.

I believe the working group will make Maine climate change ready. A diverse set of stakeholders must come together to create innovative solutions. People representing all sectors, the north and south, the coastal and inland areas, the urban and rural, must work together. History demonstrates that the bestsolutions are created through great collaboration. We all need a voice in this discussion because we all have a unique perspective to bring to the table. If we better understand the problem of climate change, we can better respond to it.

We should all care about this, because after all, climate change affects us all.

On the Water

Mike Tetreault — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 21:46:16 GMT

I recently spent a long day on the water with a crew from the Maine Department of Marine Resources and National Marine Fisheries Service, getting a first-hand view of the state inshore trawl survey. I only got a little seasick, and it was a very educational day for me.

We were in Muscungus Bay looking to see what fish were around as part of a larger stock assessment for the Gulf of Maine. We saw a lot of juvenile Atlantic herring and alewives. We saw some lobster as well, but not much else.

It was encouraging to see the juvenile alewives given our river restoration efforts on the Penobscot. These small sea-run fish feed our groundfish and thus, support our commercial fisheries. The health of the whole Gulf of Maine is affected when they're not present.

But it was discouraging that we did not see many larger fish of any kind.

I've spent a lot of time over the past year speaking with fishermen and with fisheries managers. I've heard their personal stories, and I know that the situation is serious. But seeing for myself really helped to bring the immediacy of this issue to life.