Scientists agree that some species of the beloved insect appear to be in decline, most likely due to habitat loss, pesticide use, light pollution and climate change. But they lack the data to know the extent of the threat.
Penelope Overton
Staff Writer
Penny Overton is excited to be the Portland Press Herald’s first climate reporter. Since joining the paper in 2016, she has written about Maine’s lobster and cannabis industries, covered state politics and spent a fellowship year exploring the impact of climate change on the lobster fishery with the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team. Before moving to Maine, she has covered politics, environment, casino gambling and tribal issues in Florida, Connecticut, and Arizona. Her favorite assignments allow her to introduce readers to unusual people, cultures, or subjects. When off the clock, Penny is usually getting lost in a new book at a local coffeehouse, watching foreign crime shows or planning her family’s next adventure.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Assessing Acadia National Park’s future climate: Warm or hot?
A new report from the National Park Service directs Acadia to plan for two different climate futures: warm and dry, or hot and sticky. Only one thing is certain, NPS climate scientists say: The park of the future will look very different.
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Posted inLocal & State, News
As temperatures rise, so do Maine’s mountain tree lines
Climate change fuels an uphill arboreal march at Katahdin and other regional peaks, squeezing out rare alpine ecosystems.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine awarded $69 million grant to address climate change
Funded through the $575 million Climate-Ready Coasts initiative, Maine’s largest ever climate grant will focus on nature-based solutions, shoring up working waterfronts, and building capacity to prepare for climate change.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Maine organic farming group sues EPA over forever chemicals
The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association created a PFAS Emergency Relief Fund in 2022 that has handed out more than $1.5 million in assistance to more than 50 Maine farmers impacted by forever chemical contamination.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Rip currents are on the rise in Maine, along with swimmers in distress
Packing high winds and high seas, last winter’s wallop completely remodeled the underwater topography of the surf zone – leading to dozens of beach rescues this summer.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Pilot program will pay Maine’s big forest owners to increase carbon storage
The foundation estimates the 12,000 enrolled acres have the potential to store an additional 250,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide through the adoption of climate-smart practices.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Launch of Maine research satellite delayed once again
Built by Maine college students, MESAT-1 will collect climate data for Maine students studying urban heat islands, phytoplankton and harmful algae blooms.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine’s first satellite is ready for orbit, but launch is delayed
MESAT-1, one of 8 nano-satellites set to hitch a ride aboard Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket, will collect climate data for experiments designed by Falmouth, Fryeburg and Saco students.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Volume of Maine’s storm and sewage overflows more than doubled in 2023
Heavy rains coming in back-to-back storms, sometimes when the ground was frozen, contributed to high levels of untreated storm and sewer water being washed in Maine’s rivers and bays last year, resulting in shellfish bed and beach closures.