Hannah McGhee, Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Wed, 04/21/2021 - 10:00am
Dr. Aram Calhoun wades into a vernal pool. Courtesy of Coastal Rivers
Vernal pools, those temporary spring pools of water in the woods, nurture a surprising amount of life. From 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on April 26, Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust is hosting an online program about vernal pools and their importance to wildlife with guest presenter Dr. Aram Calhoun of the University of Maine.
Dr. Calhoun writes, “Vernal pools have a magical quality, likely owing to their small size and ephemeral nature: they fill with water from snow melt and spring rains and generally ‘disappear’ by summer’s end. Like ephemeral spring blooms, you have to know where and when to look to witness the spectacle. The mysterious life of the amphibians tied to vernal pools adds to the pools’ overall mystique.”
Third phase of Gateway Estates OKâd
TRENTON â The application from Gateway Estates, LLC to begin constructing the subdivisionâs third phase was unanimously approved with conditions April 14 by the Planning Board.
The project was presented by engineer Greg Johnston of G.F. Johnston and Associates in Southwest Harbor on behalf of Gateway Estates, LLC.
Located across from the Wild Acadia Fun Park, the plan for the subdivisionâs third phase includes adding six two-family dwellings to the already existing 40 units.
Plans for the third phase were initially presented to the board on Jan. 27. The application was deemed incomplete at the time, a decision that Chairman John Whetstone explained was anticipated by all parties.
In Congress, a bill was recently introduced that would add PFAS to the federal list of hazardous substances and set a national drinking water standard, among other changes.
Maine Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins are among a group of lawmakers that have petitioned the Biden administration to divert some of the $1.9 trillion in recently signed pandemic stimulus package to be expended on PFAS contamination.
Gov. Janet Mills wrote to the state s congressional delegation and the EPA earlier this month asking federal regulators to provide more money and support to the state to help it deal with PFAS contamination.
She also called for adding the chemicals to the EPA s list of hazardous substances and for setting maximum contaminant levels in drinking water.
As space gets tighter for vessel tie-ups, Portland’s working waterfront may get some relief from a proposed $360,000 public boat landing within the Ocean Gateway marine passenger terminal complex.
The landing would include 240 linear feet of floats for short-term public berthing, more than doubling the city’s current capacity, a city memo said last week. The L-shaped landing would be accessed from shore via a 50-foot gangway just east of the terminal, near a building currently used by the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum.
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An aerial rendering shows the location of the proposed public landing along the Portland waterfront.
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