Fish hatchery may close

MaineToday.com:

"Proposed state budget cuts could claim a historic fish hatchery that has produced salmon for Grand Lake Stream and other top Maine fishing destinations.

The Grand Lake Stream Fish Hatchery, which dates back to the 1870s, has been included on a list of proposed cuts aimed at eliminating an estimated shortfall of $500 million in the upcoming two-year budget that lawmakers will face in January.

Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Roland 'Danny' Martin says something has to give. Other proposals include eliminating 10 game warden positions and three biologist positions.

Every department throughout the state bureaucracy has prepared similar plans to reduce spending by 10 percent for the two-year budget that begins on July 1."

Lobster update

MaineToday.com:

"YORK -- Gov. John Baldacci says the tanking price of lobster underscores how the market is interconnected with the global economy in ways that weren't understood previously.

A combination of consumers' declining appetite along with tight credit that killed demand from Canadian processors caused a drastic reduction in value of Maine's signature seafood.

Baldacci says new figures from the Department of Marine Resources illustrate the severity of the problem: Maine lobstermen received less than $20 million for their catch in October, compared to more than $60 million in the same month in 2005, which was a record year for value."

'Backyard Wind Power'

SunJournal.com :

"In Maine it can be hard to find spots with enough wind. The coast is good. Hilltops are good. Valleys and wooded areas aren't so good.

Still, Mainers are finding places for them.

According to a report from the Governor's Task Force on Wind Power Development, more than 50 small and residential-scale wind turbines were installed in 2007, including one at the Kennebunkport home of former President George H. W. Bush. The group expects 150 to be installed this year, a three-fold increase." ... more

Sail Inn taking settlement

MaineToday.com:

"The Maine Department of Transportation and the Dyer family have settled a lawsuit involving the former Sail Inn restaurant in Prospect.

Lawyers for the state and Paul and Robert Dyer announced Thursday that the Dyers will receive $725,000.

The dispute began in 2003 when the state took the former restaurant by eminent domain. The property consisted of the restaurant and four acres of riverfront land. The taking was necessary to allow construction of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge.

Both sides disagreed on the value of the land, which is why the Dyers filed a lawsuit. At one point, the Dyers said they should have received $2 million.

After years of legal wrangling, a judge in September ordered the sides into mediation, which led to the settlement."

Vinalhaven student's sustainability research

Working Waterfront:

"For the past three years, students at the Vinalhaven School have been studying the question of whether the year-round community on Vinalhaven will be able to sustain its existing way of life in the future; and as a subset of that, how the fishing industry and working waterfront access on Vinalhaven have changed over time.

They are using technologies they have learned through CREST-an Island Institute project funded by the National Science Foundation that uses placed-based education to provide opportunities for hands-on technology education -to examine this question."

Latest housing numbers

MaineToday.com:

"The median sales price of a single-family home in Maine fell more than 6 percent in September compared to a year ago, to $177,750, according to data released today by the Maine Real Estate Information System.

Statewide sales were off nearly 10 percent during the month, compared to 2007, with 928 homes sold."

Lobster Industry Task Force

Mainebiz:

"Gov. John Baldacci on Friday created a task force to study the ailing lobster industry, which has seen prices fishermen receive at the dock for their catch drop drastically over the past month.

The Task Force on the Economic Sustainability of Maine's Lobster Industry will make a comprehensive study of the industry and recommend specific strategies to help maintain the viability of the lobster industry in Maine, according to a press release from the governor's office. The group will attempt to identify opportunities to expand and diversify both live and processed markets for Maine lobster, to increase product quality and profitability, expand marketing initiatives and alternative business models.

The task force will deliver its recommendations no later than April 15, 2009, the release said."

Lincoln Group Opposes Wind Power

Mainebiz:

"A group of residents in Lincoln opposed to a proposed $120 million wind farm are pushing for a moratorium to block the project.

Friends of Lincoln Lakes plans to ask the town council and planning board next week for a moratorium on all pending wind projects, saying that the town hasn’t had enough time to study the wind farm’s potential impact on wildlife, according to the Bangor Daily News. Developer Evergreen Wind Power, a subsidiary of Massachusetts-based First Wind, is proposing a 40-turbine wind farm that stretches along a ridge through Burlington, Lincoln, Lee and Winn, and plans to apply for building permits with Lincoln’s planning board by the end of the year." (more)

“Maine Street Station”

Charting Maine’s Future:

"Maine Street Station will fill an empty lot in the middle of downtown Brunswick with over 40,000 square feet of new retail and office space adjacent to Brunswick’s planned passenger rail stop and Bowdoin College. A future phase of the project proposes to add a 75-room inn, another 18,000 square foot commercial building, and 16 units of housing.

The Downeaster passenger rail service is now moving forward with
expansion plans that will bring two trains a day from Portland north to Brunswick by
summer 2010. The first phase of construction at Maine Street Station is
expected to be complete sometime next year."

Lobster Prices Fall Futher

Portland Press Herald:

"The wholesale price of Maine lobster, considered low all summer, has plunged more than 20 percent in the past week to as little as $2.60 per pound in some harbors. Dealers say falling financial markets have ruined consumers' appetite for luxury items such as lobster, and the international credit crisis has effectively shut off orders from major processors in Canada.

Those and other factors undercut demand just as Maine entered its peak lobster season – and as fishermen are paying near-record prices for fuel and bait."

blueberry capital

"Every August, Wyman harvests its roughly 10,000 acres of blueberry fields along the coast of Down East Maine and in the Canadian Maritimes. It’s a big job, requiring 130 year-round employees and some 500 seasonal workers, the majority of whom are migrants. From early August through Labor Day, Wyman’s two processing factories in DeBlois and Cherryfield sift, sort, rinse, and box up to 1.5 million pounds of blueberries a day to satisfy customers like General Mills, Sysco, Sara Lee and Wal-Mart."

- Mainebiz

Free Electricity

"Former Gov. Angus King is one of the principals of Independence Wind LLC, which needs a zoning change to put wind turbines on the town's hills.

In a letter, King says Independence Wind is prepared to offer every household free electricity equal to the amount consumed by a typical Maine household. That represents 500 kilowatt hours per month for each of 200 households that were CMP customers as of Sept. 1."

- MaineToday.com

Windmill Moratorium Saught

Bangor Daily News:

"The group has gathered roughly 220 signatures on a petition seeking a 180-day moratorium on construction of commercial wind power facilities as well as processing of any applications. The petition would allow the Town Council to extend the moratorium or cancel it once Fort Kent’s zoning and land-use ordinances have been amended to address wind power facilities.

The petition is a response to a Texas-based company, Horizon Wind, which has been negotiating lease agreements with landowners in the Fort Kent area and in other parts of Aroostook County."