BETHEL — Scott Vlaun, on the stage in Theater One at The Gem, said that this part of Maine is one of the fastest warming places in the United States. He handed around sourced data, a 2020 study from Maine’s Climate Future, “The average annual temperature in interior Maine has increased 3.3 degrees Fahrenheit since 1895.”
About 15 Hanover residents were there to listen and later discuss how their town might use up to $50,000 in state grant monies to study resiliency in the face of climate change. The Community Resilience Partnership requires townspeople meet as the first step to enroll in the program.
Two representatives guiding the conversation were from Norway’s Center for an Ecology-Based Economy, Vlaun and Claire McGlinchey, Climate Resiliency Project Manager. Vlaun said as a first-time community applying for the grant, Hanover has a good shot of getting the money and McClinchey will write the grant.
The group talked about the current climate situation. “Ice-out for the Androscoggin used to be in May and now its April,” said longtime Select Board Chair Brenda Gross.
Vlaun said they have written data that ‘ice-out’ (or thaw) dates at Norway’s Lake Pennesseewassee were traditionally around the first of May. “Starting in the 1970’s the ice-out days have been coming earlier and earlier,” he said.
“The lakes are warming really fast. Algae grows faster because the water is warmer,” he said, which adds an issue of safe swimming. On the distributed paperwork, it said, “harmful blue-green algae blooms are expected to become frequent in Maine lakes as temperatures warm.” (Source: Gulf of Maine Warming Update 2021. Maine’s Climate Future 2020).
Vlaun said skiers and gardeners are most acutely aware of temperature changes. “Have you noticed [climate] changes?” he asked the group.
One resident mentioned seeing birds that aren’t typically around in the winter.
Vlaun said they see fluctuating temperatures and more precipitation coming as deluges, but also more drought.
Select board member Jim Baker said he’d like to look at the viability of producing power from Howard Pond as a resource of potential energy. List pointed out that there were once seven mills on Howard Pond.
Vlaun and McGlinchey split the 15 residents into groups of four each to discuss what community actions might make the most sense for Hanover.
Residents Henrietta List, Deputy Town Clerk Ellie Andrews, Bruce Powell and Irv Iverson were tasked with discussing the action, “Grow Jobs and Protect Natural Resource Industries,” Agreeing they had no, or few, farms, they moved on.
List who had first brought the idea of applying for the grant forward at a select board meeting, suggested that some of the open logged areas if categorized as “disturbed” might make a good site for a solar field. Vlaun asked if the land was town-owned. “The town doesn’t own much of anything,” said List. Vlaun said if they decided to map the land’s solar potential, it would not eat away too much of their budget.
Powell suggested they discuss a different action, “increasing community-level resilience to mosquito-borne diseases by implementing vector controls to decrease mosquito habitat.” List suggested the town buy a flock of turkeys [to eat the mosquitos]. “We’ll have a heck of a Thanksgiving,” said Andrews.
Invasive species, ticks and wildfire are three areas where List said she’d like to see more education for land owners, “particularly for those that are new, moving to the area,” she said.
Iverson said, “we’d need to learn how to communicate within the community.”
Andrews suggested a flyer could go out with a building permit. List said, “or with the tax bills.”
They discussed better town communication, List said in order to build healthy and resilient communities it’s helpful to have a communications’ plan. She suggested a flyer or email.
The select board will make the final decision regarding what the grant money, if approved, will fund.
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