Environmental Happenings

What's Happening in the Local Environmental Scene and Beyond

Brunswick now has two winter farmers markets!

The Granite Farm Winter Market is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at 93 Casco Road in Brunswick with several vendors from the Crystal Spring Farm market offering eggs, poultry products, pies, whole birds, soy candles, canvas bags, goat meat, herbs, vegetables, frozen soups and vegetables, baked goods, maple syrup, honey, apples, flowers and wreaths. Vendors interested in this market can call Debbie Cupo of Granite Farm at 729-5275.

The Brunswick winter farmers market has opened in Fort Andross in Brunswick, just a block away from F.W. Horch. From January through April, every Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon, market vendors will offer baked goods, dairy products, vegetables, turkey, chicken, pork, eggs, beef, seafood, honey, candles, crafts and alpaca wool. To find the farmers market, use the west tower entrance toward the left of the building, near the antique store and flea market. Vendors interested in the winter market at Fort Andross can call Dean Zoulamis of Mother Oven Bakery at 837-9028.

According to an article in the Times Record, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection fined M.W. Sewall & Co. $6,247 in connection with a West Bath development near Long Cove Brook. No state permit for the development had been issued, and DEP staff observed that a single-family home had been built within 75 feet of the brook and "erosion controls were not adequate or properly installed to prevent erosion and that sediment had been discharged into the brook." The developer agreed to "restore buffer areas" and "remove the remaining sediment from areas in and adjacent to Long Cove Brook, and permanently stabilize all disturbed areas."

Thursday, January 8 - Seed Starting: Grow Your Own Organic Food, 7 pm, F.W. Horch, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Learn how to start seeds, build your own light stand, and make paper pots. Space is limited! To reserve a spot, please call us at 729-4050.

Thursday, January 8 - Land for Maine's Future: Protect It While We Can, 7 pm, Cram Alumni House, 83 Federal St., Bowdoin College, Brunswick. Join Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) on Thursday, January 8 at 6 pm for our annual potluck supper, brief annual business meeting and election and at 7 pm the featured presentation, 4th in this season’s Winter Speaker Series: Land for Maine’s Future: Protect It While We Can. The evening presentation features Tim Glidden, Director of the Land for Maine’s Future program.

Saturday, January 10 - Saving Money, Energy and the Environment, 9 am, Woodfords Congregational Church, Portland. Learn how to identify and eliminate energy waste. This free workshop is a 'how to' class for performing basic energy audits for congregations. For more information, call Maine Interfaith Power and Light at 721-0444.

Tuesday, January 13 - Whale Research and Conservation, 7 pm, Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick. Nan Hauser, President and Director of the Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation and Principal Investigator of the Cook Islands Whale Research Project, will give a multimedia presentation that includes amazing photos, video, recordings of humpback whale songs and tales about her field work with dolphins and whales. For more information about Nan and the Center for Cetacean Research visit whaleresearch.org

Thursday, January 15 - Sustainable Portland by 2030! How Do We Get There?, 4:30 pm, Portland Museum of Art, Portland. Join Portland Society of Architects and The Urban Land Institute at a forum to identify and discuss strategies for achieving a sustainable Portland. This open forum brings together community leaders, citizens and Gary Lawrence, an expert on developing communities that address human need and environmental limitations. Free admission. For more information, visit portlandarchitects.org

Sunday, January 18 - Children's Ice Fishing Derby, Lake St. George State Park, Liberty. Experience ice fishing as a family, thanks to the "Take It Outside" initiative. The Maine Department of Conservation Bureau of Parks and Lands will provide everything you need, including traps, bait and instruction. To preregister and for more information, call Lake St. George State Park at 589-4255.

New store hours at F.W. Horch in Brunswick: we're now open on Mondays!

Store hours: Mon 9:30-4, T-F 9:30-7, Sat: 9:30-6, Sun Closed.