Stories

They Were Asked To Stay Home. But Some Thru-Hikers Insisted On Finishing The Appalachian Trail

July 10, 2020

Every year, several thousand adventurous souls set out to hike all 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail. But this year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, thru-hikers have been advised to put their dreams on hold. Some have refused. That refusal has created tension between those who want to push personal boundaries and those who say…

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In A Time Of Uncertainty, Bostonians Embrace Their Community Gardens

July 9, 2020

In Dorchester, where the clatter of a passing train gives way to the scrape of a rake, the Greenwood Street Community Garden is thriving. It’s one of roughly 175 community gardens scattered like jewels through the city of Boston. And at this time of pandemic and social upheaval, these gardens are being treasured. On a…

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Trump Opens Atlantic Marine Monument To Fishing During Maine Roundtable

June 5, 2020

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation in Bangor on Friday that he says will undo most of the fishing restrictions President Barack Obama ordered for a 5,000-square-mile swath of submerged canyons and mountains off the Atlantic coast that’s prized for its biological diversity. A legal battle is expected. Obama established the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts…

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‘Mother of Purple Martins’ Restores Cape’s Bird Population

May 14, 2020

Every morning from April to August, Mary Keleher puts her hair up in a ponytail and heads out to a Mashpee golf course, where she uses a rope-and-pulley system to lower white plastic gourds from trees. Inside each gourd is a nesting pair of birds. “They are a little antsy today. They fly off, they…

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Maine Farms Welcome A Surge In CSA Membership Sales

May 14, 2020

With the depletion of certain items on grocery store shelves and the disruption to the supply chain, there is one thing the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted, and that is the importance of locally grown food. In Maine and around the country, small farms in particular are seeing a surge of interest in what they have…

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As Coronavirus Impacts Meat Supply, Can Local Producers Fill The Void?

May 11, 2020

At Codman Community Farms in Lincoln, the beef cattle are grass-fed, pasture-raised and ultimately available for purchase at the farm store. Demand for the farm’s beef, along with free-range chicken and pork, has never been higher. “People are really coming out of the woodwork and really demanding this product,” said Jennifer Hashley, who manages the…

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As Summer Nears, Seacoast Grapples With Extended COVID-19 Beach Closures

May 7, 2020

When New Hampshire reopens parts of its economy in the next couple of weeks, the public beaches on the Seacoast will stay closed. It’s sparked debate in seaside towns like Rye over what restrictions are warranted. Last Sunday, on the first warm weekend of spring, the coastal Route 1A or Ocean Boulevard in Rye looked…

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Recycling’s COVID Concerns: Haulers Seek Flexibility On Mandates

April 30, 2020

Citing the risks posed by the coronavirus, the Scott administration has joined with waste haulers around Vermont to press for flexibility with the state’s recycling laws. In normal, pre-COVID times, recycling was something most of us took for granted. We separated our trash, and took it to the curb or transfer station. But studies have…

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Mavericks Pitch Novel Buyout Plan For Flood-Prone Warren

April 22, 2020

Tidal rivers and bays surround Warren. The Palmer River runs up the town’s west side, Belcher Cove curls around the town center, and the Kickemuit River and Mount Hope Bay hug the eastern part of town. This makes Warren vulnerable. If a major storm were to hit today, the town projects almost half of the…

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With Schools Closed, Science Teachers and Students Look to the Outdoors

April 22, 2020

Before school closure, Dr. Susan Pike’s classrooms were loud, and she prided herself on it. Students in her high school science classes at the private school St. Thomas Aquinas High School, in Dover, would do calculations together on the white board, bounce between group experiments, and crowd over microscopes to inspect pond scum. “One of…

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