Environmental Happenings

What's Happening in the Local Environmental Scene and Beyond

In October the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission gave preliminary approval to Plum Creek Timber Company's controversial plan for resorts, homes and conservation affecting more than 400,000 acres around Moosehead Lake. A final vote on the zoning changes is expected in the next few months. Then each resort and subdivision will have to go through a separate permitting review. Construction is likely to be a year or more away. Nonprofit groups must now start raising $35 million before finalizing a deal to protect most of the conservation land.

Thursday, November 6 - Growing Up the Hard Way (Next to Swan Island), 7 pm, Merrymeeting Grange Hall, Bowdoinham. Presentation by Jake Bishop, local historian, sponsored by Friends of Merrymeeting Bay. For more information, visit www.FriendsOfMerrymeetingBay.org

Saturday, November 8 - Go Green Expo, 10 am - 4 pm, Mt. Ararat High School Gymnasium, Topsham. A free consumer expo open to the public, featuring keynote Kurt Adams who will will speak on "Green Energy in Maine: Fighting Climate Change and Growing Our Economy" at noon.

Thursday, November 13 - Preserving the Harvest, 7 - 8:30 pm, F.W. Horch, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Join us for our next Sustainable Living Talk featuring Jeff Burchstead of Buckwheat Blossom Farm. Free and open to the public. Space is limited, so please call 729-4050 to reserve your seat.

Thursday, November 13 - ecomaine's Green Symposium, 9 am - 2 pm, USM Sullivan Complex on 21 Falmouth Street in Portland. Learn insider tips from energy auditors, how to plan and fund wind and solar energy initiatives, best practices in green marketing, and much more. For more information, visit www.MaineGreenSymposium.com

Thursday, November 13 - The Kennebec Estuary: How does it contribute?, 7 pm, Maine Maritime Museum, Bath. How do the natural resources of the estuary contribute to our local economy and quality of life? Speaker: Michael LeVert, Economist Maine State Planning Office Panel: Trevor Hunt, Superintendent Bath Water District; Mike Fear, President Main Street Bath; Dick Lemont, Phippsburg Shellfish Commission Chair, Laura Sewall, Former Executive Director Kennebec Estuary Collaboration Moderator: Bruce Kidman, Director of Communications and Government Relations, The Nature Conservancy.

Thursday, December 4 - The Kennebec Estuary: Health and Sustainability, 7 pm, Long Reach Hall, Maine Maritime Museum, Bath. A presentation of The State of the Kennebec Estuary, a research project contracted by the Kennebec Estuary Collaboration. This report assesses current ecological conditions of the estuary and identifies key challenges and opportunities for conservation of this unique system. Speakers: Slade Moore, Director of Biological Conservation, Jaret Reblin, Biologist. For more information, visit www.kennebecestuary.eventbrite.com or call 442.8400.