Below
you will find links to press releases that relate to the York Rivers
Association. If you have anything About York's Riverss Association
that is not posted here and would like to contribute it, please
contact us. You can also review our archive
for older news and press releases.
Pollution
problem: High bacteria counts in river
April 9, 2008, York Weekly
Creeks and streams spilling into the Cape Neddick River have shown
consistently high counts of enterococcus bacteria, and faulty septic
tanks could be to blame.
 Storm
damage inspires preparation for next one
April 29, 2007, Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram
After the Mother's Day floods last year, the town of York didn't
simply rebuild a couple of washed-out roads. Crews installed larger,
natural-bottom culverts designed to better handle future storms.
That decision paid off sooner than expected when this year's Patriot's
Day nor'easter flooded York county for the second time in 11 months.
Those culverts and roads survived while many others did not.
Local
effort wins EPA conservation award
April 25, 2007, Portsmouth Herald
The Mount Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative, a coalition
committed to preserving land in the six-town area between the Tatnic
Hills of Wells and Gerrish Island in Kittery Point, has been honored
with an Environmental Merit Award.
Students
tend marsh
June 8, 2005, Portsmouth Herald
Educational, environmental and community interests merged at the
Wheeler Wildlife Refuge last Wednesday (June 1) when 10 students
from York High School teamed with officials from the Wells National
Estuarine Research Reserve to measure fish populations in salt pannes
there.
Bill
includes ‘Mount A’ funds
November 26, 2004, Portsmouth Herald
Members of the Mount Agamenticus to the Sea coalition say they’ll
have no problem spending $1 million alloted to them recently by
the federal government.
Cook’s
Bridge reincarnated
November 10, 2004, The York Weekly
It was a win for the turtles. As it was also a win for the neighbors
who’d adopted the turtles’ cause - and the causes of
boaters and joggers and scenery-lovers and swimmers of all stripes,
human and otherwise. Cook’s Bridge spans one branch of the
York River about six miles inland from the ocean in the salt marshes
crossed by Birch Hill Road.
Lobsterman
speaks about health of ocean, fishing
November 3, 2004, The York Weekly
Addressing this season’s second meeting of the Issues Forum
of St.George’s Episcopal Church on Sunday, Oct. 31, Patten
(Pat) White spoke of the human effect upon the world’s oceans.
Pat White, a York resident and chief executive officer of the Maine
Lobsterman's Association, speaks Sunday to a crowd at St. George's
issues Forum about the health of oceans and the survival of the
fishing industry.
Sixty
Years of Fishing Opportunity for Maine Saltwater Anglers
Fall 2004, Maine Tides
It isn’t every day that CCA Maine has the opportunity to ensure
saltwater anglers great fishing access for at least the next sixty
years, but we did just that when Rice’s Bridge over the York
River was reconstructed in 2004.
Local
rivers face many sources of pollution
September 15, 2004, The York Weekly
Selectmen’s decision last month to augment the Planning Department
by a half-time staffer came after a group of private citizens persisted
in directing public attention to possible sources of pollution in
the Cape Neddick River. The new code enforcement officer will concentrate
on the enforcement of shoreland zoning regulations townwide, however,
and that effort will include a focus on the much larger York River
watershed. That effort is proving timely.
Saving
Space: Sewall's Bridge
September 2004,
Public Radio Exchange
Maine's working waterfronts are threatened. As property taxes soar
and fishing opportunities dwindle, communities in Maine are seeking
ways to preserve a way of life. The York Land Trust found a unique
way to preserve open space and an historic landmark while expanding
their harbor's working waterfront.
Placing
water-quality responsibilities
August 25, 2004, The York Weekly
The
"Homeowner’s Guide to Environmental Laws Affecting Shorefront
Property in Maine’s Organized Towns," prepared in 2000
by Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection, acknowledges
that nobody wants to live beside a polluted waterbody.
Growth
bears down on York River
August 22, 2004, Portland Press Herald
As a boy, John Zacharias hunted on the land near the York River
that he would grow up to own and farm. "When I grew up here,
there were probably three to four thousand people - everyone knew
everybody," he said. "On a good day, you'd count maybe
five cars out on Route 91."
York
River grant nets insight, planning into watershed
August 18, 2004, The York Weekly
The town will soon know a lot more About York's Rivers and its
watershed, thanks to a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Board of Selectmen has unanimously accepted the $60,000 EPA
grant as part of the York River Comprehensive Wetland Program. The
grant will fund extensive study in the tidal areas around the river
and will culminate with recommendations about protection of the
river’s health and preservation of the watershed. It does
not include any mandates for future town action.
York
confronts pollution problems in its rivers
Aug 18, 2004, The York Weekly
"We’re thrilled." Linda Scotland was responding
this week to a decision made by selectmen on Tuesday, Aug. 10, to
hire a part-time code enforcement officer to enforce shoreland zoning
regulations in the York and Cape Neddick River watersheds.
Trying
to get a grip
July 18, 2004, Maine Today
Mark Sewall remembers roaming his hometown of York as a boy. He
could wander the commercial docks in York Harbor at will. The woods
and fields around town were his playgrounds. Everyone waved. The
York of his boyhood is long gone, said the 42-year-old lobsterman.
Today, Sewall says, the public has been locked out of much of the
town. Many of the commercial docks have been torn down and replaced
by homes and private docks. The woods and fields have been carved
up into house lots. People have stopped waving.
All
eyes on marsh
June 16, 2004, York Weekly
Now that the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge restoration project is over,
local environmental groups are keeping a close eye on its marshes
to learn about the progress it makes.
Shoreland
coordinator to be hired
May 19, 2004, York Weekly
If onlookers had any doubts that issues having to do with water
and the environment are interrelated and far-reaching, they would
have been dispelled at a recent business meeting of the York Rivers
Association, held on Friday morning, May 7, in Moody Hall of the
First Parish Church.
Behind
every fishing boat is a strong working waterfront
February 29, 2004, Village Soup
Rep. Deb McNeil remembers the working piers, the sounds and smells
of the Rockland fishing fleet unloading swelled holds of herring
and redfish. Though
offensive to some, those smells and sounds of commercial fishing
meant business was good for local harvesters. As
a member of the Legislature's Marine Resources Committee, McNeil
has been an advocate and sounding board for issues affecting the
local fishing industry.
Marsh
repair is under way
February 18, 2004, York Weekly
With a little help from a lot of friends, the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge
should be a whole lot greener this spring. The marsh’s Enhancement
and Restoration Program has been in the works for about eight years,
but after the funding was secured and the permits approved, the
actual construction phase began early last week.
Study
opens eyes to watershed pollution in York River
February 17, 2004, Portsmouth Herald
Two years ago the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve embarked
on a project to identify non-point sources of pollution and to develop
a plan to cleanup and protect the York River Watershed area.
Project
under way to enhance marsh
Feb 17, 2004, Portland Press Herald
For 40 years, Wheeler Marsh has struggled in its evolution from
a mud flat to a saltwater marsh. The area developed into a marsh
after dredge spoils from the York River were pumped into roughly
20 acres between Route 103 and Harbor Road in 1961.
Project
to improve Wheeler Marsh underway
February 12, 2004, Portsmouth Herald
Construction work to restore the Wheeler Marsh between Route 103
and Harbor Road on the south side of the York River is scheduled
to begin Feb. 9. The project will enhance the vitality of marsh
plants by improving tidal flow and constructing channels and pools.
Fish, bird and shellfish habitat will be improved. The York Conservation
Commission is sponsoring the project in collaboration with the York
Rivers Association.
Wheeler
Marsh project to begin
February 4, 2004, The York Weekly
Construction work to restore the Wheeler Marsh between Route 103
and Harbor Road on the south side of the York River is scheduled
to begin Feb. 9.
Working
Watefronts: The Land Trust Solution
February 2004, The Working Waterfront
Jeff Donnell and Mark Sewall, two lobstermen whose families
have been fishing from York Harbor for generations, recently purchased
a dock near historic Sewall's Bridge on the York River. Much can
be learned from this experience that could benefit other communities
struggling with preserving access to the sea.
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