The world is a big place and at times can make us feel very small. The network of oceans and rivers and the earth itself is a massive, untamed, and wholly unmanageable place.

Climate-change theorists believe mankind is having a negative impact, while others believe the vastness of the planet can handle anything people and their machines throw at it. Wherever you fall on that divisive argument, one thing is true: People can impact their environment on the local level. Mainers, who used to watch their mill-sustaining rivers flow black, brown – and tannery red, even – know that more than most. Mainers righted that wrong through grassroots action decades ago and, in 2013, we’re seeing that passion bubble to the surface again.

The stewardship movement in Maine is large-scale. The more publicized efforts, which are getting lots of bandwagon support, include tar-sands activists doing their best to stop the heavy form of crude oil from being pumped into the state via the Portland-Montreal pipeline. At the same time, we’re also seeing impressive small-scale efforts to improve our land and waters.

Last week, we learned about the efforts of Rona Fried of Casco, who single-handedly is taking on the terrestrial invasive Oriental bittersweet, a vine that can choke off native trees, shrubs and plants. Fried isn’t working with a company or a group, she’s just going around with a tool box of pruning clippers, Roundup, and a huge amount of desire to do something about a vicious weed that could take over if left to fester.

Milfoil, an aquatic invasive plant that can ravage water bodies, is another foreign enemy that has entered our state. If left unchecked, milfoil can form mats on lakes, which in turn lowers oxygen levels in the water killing off fish. Many groups, including Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program based in Auburn and Lakes Environmental Association in Bridgton, have taken the challenge to keep milfoil in check. For the past eight summers, Raymond resident Gordon Strout has slowly chipped away at the milfoil infestation in front of his Panther Run home. The persistent Strout, on his own, removed 2 acres of Eurasian milfoil. That’s dedication. And he vows to remain vigilant to prevent the inevitable regrowth, saying milfoil “makes my blood boil.”

Invasive green crabs native to Europe have made news for causing havoc in Casco Bay and all along the Maine coast. Officials say the crabs could eventually eliminate the soft-shell clamming industry in Maine, which is the state’s third-most valuable seafood species. Freeport fishermen have long known that the crabs are making inroads into the region’s clam flats and convinced the government, at the local and state levels, to take action. Freeport has donated $100,000 to the research effort and the Department of Marine Resources announced a study last week involving 31 Maine towns from Ogunquit to Lubec to further understand the extent of the invasion, which has devastated the stock of young clams and, some fear, could impact the lobster population.

All of these individuals and groups are making a real difference in our little area of the globe. They are taking it upon themselves to do something to preserve the environment by making it cleaner, more beautiful and pristine. They prove that taking action can be an individual or group effort. One size does not fit all, and one person can make a difference.

They also show to the rest of us that the battle is ongoing.

–John Balentine, managing editor

Copy the Story Link