Stories

Marsden Brewer with his son and business partner Bobby, hauling Japanese-style "lantern nets" full of scallops -- worth $1.50 and more each, once full grown. Photo by Fred Bever for Maine Public

Why Maine Lobstermen Are Looking To Farmed Scallops To Stay Afloat

October 2, 2018

Marsden Brewer is a third-generation Maine fishermen who docks in Stonington.

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Author Porter Fox in the Boundary Waters. Photo by Sara Fox

Traveling Along America’s ‘Forgotten Border’

September 28, 2018

The northern border, and the unique landscape of the Northern United States that surrounds the border, is the subject of Porter Fox’s new book: Northland: A 4,000-Mile Journey Along America’s Forgotten Border. In it, Fox details his own travels along our Northern border, a trip he made on foot, by boat and by car along the winding, often remote, U.S.-Canada border, starting in the state where he grew up, Maine.

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Central Bridge washout. Photo courtesy of the Rhode Island State Archives

Remembering The 1938 Hurricane, 80 Years Later

September 21, 2018

In the afternoon of September 21, 1938 without warning, winds more than 100 miles an hour whipped the region and tidal waves about 30 feet high destroyed homes and cottages. Hundreds of people lost their lives, and when it was all over, millions of dollars worth of damage was left behind.

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A stretch of the Housatonic River that under an EPA proposal would be dredged to remove PCBs. Photo by Nancy Eve Cohen for NEPR

All The Players But Massachusetts Join Housatonic River Cleanup Mediation

September 12, 2018

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric Co. are funding a new approach to negotiating an agreement on the cleanup of the Housatonic River. Just last week, many of the stakeholders met with an independent mediator. But one key player is choosing not to participate.

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Mike Sullivan, the general manager at Hardwick Electric, says net-metered solar projects could lead to a rate increase for his rural utility. Photo by John Dillon for VPR

Small Utilities Say Subsidized ‘Net-Metering’ Projects Could Trigger Rate Increases

September 11, 2018

Small electric utilities around Vermont are concerned their customers will face higher bills to pay for a boom in solar projects. Last month, the utilities complained to regulators about the subsidies they have to pay for certain solar projects.

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A 4-year-old right whale entangled in heavy fishing rope 40 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida, in Feb. 2014. Photo courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, taken under NOAA Research Permit #15488

As Right Whale Population Plummets, Focus Turns To Their Falling Birth Rates

August 21, 2018

For many decades, the North Atlantic right whale was a conservation success story. After being hunted to near extinction, a series of protective actions that began in the 1930s, and accelerated in the 1960s, helped the population begin to rebound.

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Solar panels at Shaker Woods Farm. Photo by Keith Shields for NHPR

Sam Evans-Brown Talks Behind-The-Meter Solar’s Impact On The Region’s Grid

August 9, 2018

Our growing need for energy – and our desire to make more of it renewable – has set up other tensions, beyond where to put big power lines. There’s long been a dispute over how to account for so called “Behind-the-Meter” solar – the kind you might put on your home or business to try and get “off the grid.” Energy analysts are seeing that – especially during heat waves like the one that’s gripped New England for much of the summer – this rooftop solar can actually have a big impact on our energy needs.

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Water well. Photo by Juan Rodriguez for RIPR

As Storms Become Stronger, What’s In Store For Coastal Drinking Wells?

August 3, 2018

Hurricanes can push extra sea water toward the shore. And that water, called storm surge, can flood streets and basements. But scientists at the University of Rhode Island are wondering, how can that water impact coastal drinking wells?

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Bales of recyclable aluminum and steel cans ready to be shipped at the Chittenden Solid Waste District. Photo by John Dillon for VPR

Changes In Global Markets Mean Higher Recycling Costs In Vermont

August 2, 2018

Upheavals in global markets will soon be felt in Vermonters’ pocketbooks. The international market for some recyclable material has crashed, and that has forced some municipalities and solid waste companies to start charging for recycling.

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A beaver. Photo by Erin Kohlenberg, Flickr

Author Ben Goldfarb Discusses The History Of Beavers In New England

August 2, 2018

Ben Goldfarb tracks the environmental effect that beavers have on the world around them, as well as their unique history, in his new book, Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter. He joined us to tell us all about the animals and why we should prioritize beaver restoration as a key to creating healthy ecosystems.

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