Law targets plastic trash in ocean
ELLSWORTH
Legislation aimed at reducing plastic ocean debris, which was co-sponsored by Maine’s two U.S. senators, was signed into law this month.
The bipartisan Save Our Seas 2.0 Act was introduced in June to tackle the problem of plastic waste on a global scale by spurring innovation and international cooperation. The legislation builds on the Save Our Seas Act, which was signed into law in October 2018 and reauthorized NOAA’s Marine Debris Program.
Save our Seas 2.0, among other provisions, establishes a Marine Debris Foundation and a prize competition to encourage fresh ideas on removing and preventing plastic waste. The law directs federal agencies to prioritize marine debris removal as well as to encourage and advise other nations on their efforts. It also improves domestic infrastructure to prevent marine debris through new grants and studies of waste management and mitigation.
Bangor Savings Bank Foundation makes multiple Midcoast gifts: Rockport library, Recovery Coalition, Waldo Woodshed Mon, 12/14/2020 - 1:30pm
The Waldo County Woodshed is a volunteer-run nonprofit that works to provide free firewood for people in need in the Waldo County. The Woodshed was founded in 2015 and currently operates from eight distribution sites throughout the County. (Photo courtesy Bob MacGregor)
Supporting health and wellness, providing for basic needs, making sure families have enough to eat, and administering mental health are just some of the focal points of 14 Midcoast Maine nonprofits that are receiving a total of $100,000 in grants from the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation through the Damariscotta Bank and Trust Foundation Special Project Fund.
Bangor Savings Bank Foundation makes multiple Midcoast gifts: Rockport library, Recovery Coalition, Waldo Woodshed Mon, 12/14/2020 - 1:30pm
The Waldo County Woodshed is a volunteer-run nonprofit that works to provide free firewood for people in need in the Waldo County. The Woodshed was founded in 2015 and currently operates from eight distribution sites throughout the County. (Photo courtesy Bob MacGregor)
Supporting health and wellness, providing for basic needs, making sure families have enough to eat, and administering mental health are just some of the focal points of 14 Midcoast Maine nonprofits that are receiving a total of $100,000 in grants from the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation through the Damariscotta Bank and Trust Foundation Special Project Fund.
Researchers Reveal How Sea Otter Population Change Impacts the Climate
Researchers Reveal How Sea Otter Population Change Impacts the Climate
Environment
December 11, 2020
The size of the world’s sea otter population, changing because of warming oceans, may accelerate climate change, according to scientists. Limestone reefs that have been a part of Alaskan kelp forests for centuries have started to disappear.
According to an article shared on September 10, 2o20 in Science Daily, the authors believe that predator loss and climate change contribute to the reef destruction.
The research was performed by Douglas Rasher, a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. He led the team alongside coauthors Jim Estes from UC Santa Cruz and Bob Steneck from the University of Maine.
Portsmouth Herald
KENNEBUNKPORT – The Kennebunkport Climate Initiative (KCI) is launching its first-ever webinar series on climate change, starting with a conversation on the warming Gulf of Maine, co-hosted by Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 1 p.m.
The waters in the Gulf of Maine are warming at a rate that is 99% faster than the rest of the global ocean. “Our organization was founded in direct response to the alarming rate of the warming Gulf of Maine,” said Dr. Jono Anzalone, Executive Director at KCI. “Maine is at the forefront of the effects of climate change. We created this webinar series to showcase the organizations and people (adults and youth) that are doing something about it in a nonpartisan way.” Anzalone joined KCI this fall from a global leadership position at the International Red Cross, where he spent over 20 years working in global crisis response.