Friends of Harriet L. Hartley Conservation Area

06/23/2026

A proposed $110 million land-based fish farm in Jonesport may be heading back to voters. The Kingfish Co., a Dutch yellowtail kingfish company, received town and state approval for the facility in Chandler Bay after a year-long local review process — but the project has been tied up in litigation for three years. Now the Planning Board is considering an ordinance change that would give Kingfish 30 more months to break ground, and under Jonesport's rules, any ordinance change requires a townwide vote. The project faces serious headwinds: Kingfish has missed its financial obligations to investors two years running, recently lost a key executive, and scaled back U.S. sales amid tariffs and rising costs. Supporters see the facility as a chance to revive the fishing industry jobs Jonesport lost when its sardine canneries closed; critics question whether the company has the money to build.

Read more:

If the board approves the change, the measure will move to a townwide vote under the town’s ordinance rules.

06/09/2026

Our friends at Sierra Club Maine are hosting a free lunchtime Community Conversation on Monday, June 16 at noon all about Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), networks of home batteries and other devices that can help lower electricity costs during peak demand and strengthen Maine's grid.

The panel features Shannon Anderson (Solar United Neighbors), Ethan Tremblay (Maine Department of Energy Resources), and Josh Castonguay (Green Mountain Power) and includes a look at how Maine is starting to implement a VPP through Efficiency Maine Trust.

If you care about clean energy, resilience, and keeping power affordable, check it out:

Utilities across the US are beginning to design and implement programs around the addition of home batteries as micro-sources of electricity to the grid. These are called virtual power plants (VPPs). Join our panelists to explore what's being done in othe

06/04/2026

Did you know that eels migrate more than 1,000 miles from the Sargasso Sea before arriving in Maine? Join Coastal Mountain Land Trust on the night of Thursday, June 11th for the opportunity to view the elvers as they arrive.

More info:

Calling all eel lovers and the eel-curious! Come learn about the great migrations of the mysterious and awe-inspiring American eel as they arrive in the Camden harbor after being born in the Sargasso Sea over 1,000 miles away. This event is timed with the nocturnal high tide, to facilitate the best....

05/29/2026

Juniper Ridge Landfill receives about 90% of the state's PFAS-contaminated biosolids. Leachate from the landfill flows to a treatment facility that discharges into the Penobscot River -- without PFAS treatment -- before reaching Penobscot Bay.

The landfill is set to reach capacity in 2028. A new biosolids drying facility in Norridgewock may eventually reduce pressure on Juniper Ridge, but experts say longer-term solutions need to address PFAS at the source.

Read more in the Maine Monitor:

Nearly all of the state’s sludge now goes to Juniper Ridge, shifting PFAS pollution from farmland to the Penobscot River.

05/22/2026

Our hearts are with the families, firefighters, and community members affected by the devastating fire and explosion at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont last Friday.

These are our neighbors. These are the people who show up for us. Now it's our turn to show up for them.

If you're able to give, here are a few ways to help those directly impacted:

The Town of Searsmont has an official relief fund: https://searsmont.com/index.asp?SEC=2C276155-7F79-4C51-ADDC-67F1A2DD52DA&DE=3B0E66F3-51B2-4101-9FCD-F240679813F5

Maine Strong Memorial Foundation has created an emergency relief campaign to support those impacted by the explosion. 100% of all donations received during this campaign (May 18–31) will directly support confirmed individuals and families impacted, including those who were injured and the family of firefighter Andrew Cross: https://www.mainestrongfoundation.org/emergencyrelief

Katherine Paige, of the Belmont and Northport Volunteer Fire Departments — GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-firefighter-katherine-paiges-recovery?attribution_id=sl%3Aa755af6c-cef3-401f-98e1-0eb5f14bc362&ts=1779293460529&utm_campaign=natman_sharesheet_dash&utm_content=amp14_t2&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=facebook

Sarah Tompkins, paramedic and chief of Searsmont Rescue — GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sarah-heal-after-the-mill-explosion?attribution_id=sl%3Aaa206252-2811-447b-a124-87b34d09da06&lang=en_US&ts=1779223665&utm_campaign=man_sharesheet_dash&utm_content=amp17_control-amp20_t1&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link&fbclid=IwY2xjawR6wDNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA80MDk5NjI2MjMwODU2MDkAAR4yb_4CJ-g_ZXL22I8ovH1md_AhpDWJ15W_zUxoSnn-Gt54cP-wRTa1i2hB1w_aem_ns1nrkK5BTe09MUpr0fduA&utm_id=97758_v0_s00_e225_tv0

These are the funds we're aware of. Please be aware of fraudulent funds.

05/15/2026

Curious about the history of land use proposals on Sears Island? Check out this event!

One week from today! We hope to see you at Carver Memorial Library next Thursday evening!

Friends of Sears Island and Carver Memorial Library will be hosting a presentation given by Julia Hiltonsmith titled “Historical Memory of Land Use Proposals at Sears Island” on Thursday, May 21, at 6:30pm.

UM doctoral student Julia Hiltonsmith explored the history of how people have used Sears Island, from time before the arrival of European colonists through the many attempts to industrialize the land since the 1960s. Informed by local news archives and conversations with community members and state planners, this talk provides a brief history of Sears Island ranging from pre-settler contact to the most recent plan for a floating offshore wind port. With this historical context in mind, this presentation will explore how persistent tensions around land-use proposals are shaped by historical precedent, contested meanings of progress, and differing visions for the future of the island.

Julia Hiltonsmith is an energy anthropologist who holds a PhD in Anthropology and Environmental Policy from the University of Maine. Her dissertation work explored how modernist logics shape ongoing environmental conflicts related to energy transitions at Sears Island. Currently, Julia helps to coordinate the Offshore Wind Research Consortium for the Maine Department of Energy Resources.

This program will be held at Carver Memorial Library at 12 Union Street in Searsport, Maine, and is free and open to the public. Advance registration is not required.

05/08/2026

We believe in the impact of individual actions. Next Tuesday the 12th, go to Colonial Theatre to watch the short documentary "Scale of Change" to see how small actions shift the future for Atlantic salmon.

05/04/2026

Americans generate an average of 4.5 pounds of trash per day, and plastic makes up a staggering share of it. The U.S. tosses more than 300 million tons of waste annually, yet we recycle less than 10% of all plastic. Globally, 91% of plastic is never recycled, ending up in landfills, incinerators, or the environment. With plastic production expected to rise 70% by 2040, the scale of the problem is hard to ignore.

The good news? Consumers hold real power to push back.

The familiar mantra, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, is a useful framework, but the first two steps are where the biggest impact lives. Refusing and reducing means breaking habits we didn't know we had.

Start in your bathroom. Pull everything out and ask how much of it is plastic. Toothbrushes, deodorant, razors, shampoo bottles: most of it. Then ask what alternatives exist. Mark anything you're willing to replace when it runs out. You've already started reducing.

Move to the kitchen. Buy fresh or in bulk. Use glass or silicone containers for storage. Skip the dishwasher pods, since many contain polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a chemical polymer scientists believe contributes to microplastic pollution despite being marketed as "green."

In the laundry room, buy detergent in bulk powder or liquid, use wool dryer balls, and choose clothing made from natural fibers like cotton, linen, or wool. Synthetic "fast fashion" is one of the largest contributors to microplastic contamination worldwide.

When you're out, carry a travel kit with reusable cutlery, a travel mug, and a container for leftovers. Politely decline single-use lids, straws, and cutlery. Each refusal is a small act of awareness that adds up.

Change doesn't have to be all-or-nothing. Every habit shifted is a step in the right direction. Find a list of plastic alternatives here:
https://www.harriethartley.org/latestnews/alternatives-to-plastics

Thanks to Treasurer Ellie Daniels for these tips!

Bathroom: Bamboo or other biodegradable toothbrush Toothpaste tablets, tooth powder, mouthwash tablets Silk or bamboo floss in a glass container with refills Cardboard tubes for lip balm, deodorant, powder, sunscreen, bug balm, Glide Deodorant stones Alternative packaging, tins an

04/15/2026

The Shaw Institute’s Environmental Education Center in Blue Hill PFAS exhibit, Forever Ours: PFAS and Plastics, brings together the work of 11 environmental artists exploring our relationship with PFAS, microplastics, and other persistent materials that have become deeply intertwined with the natural world.

Through visual and mixed-media work, the exhibit invites reflection on both the beauty and the burden of these materials. This exhibit will be open Thursday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., excluding holidays, through summer 2026.

More info:

The Shaw Institute presents an opening night reception for the Forever Ours: PFAS and Plastics Art Exhibit, on November 22, 2025.