Sue- Thanks very much for this, Ken Curits is coming to a KLT event on Oct 18th, - this will be something people will ask about due to his support for the casino. How is Jackson doing at Kents Hill? TK --- Sue Gawler <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi Josses - > > Thought you might appreciate seeing this news item > from the 9/24 York County > Journal Tribune - I added the scientific names, but > that's it. (If you want > the original item, go to > http://www.journaltribune.com/wednesday/news2.html) > Hope you are all enjoying this lovely fall > botanizing-or-anything-else-outdoors weather! > > Sue Gawler > > > Rare plants on casino property > By TAMMY WELLS/Journal Tribune > [log in to unmask] > SANFORD — A day after Gordon “Bud” Johnston told the > town’s casino task > force he hadn’t found endangered plant life on the > proposed casino property > last month, he walked the land again and found four > threatened species. > > Johnston found white-topped aster (Sericocarpus > asteroides) and hollow > joe-pye weed (Eupatorium fistulosum), listed as > “critically imperiled” and > “imperiled,” respectively, on the state’s list of > endangered plants. > > He also found Schreber’s aster (Aster schreberi) and > late purple aster > (Symphyotrichum patens), listed as “extirpated” – > which means the plants are > an historically occurring species for which habitat > no longer exists in > Maine and hasn’t been documented in 20 years. > > Johnston has walked the 360-acre site half a dozen > times since it was > identified as the location for the proposed casino, > hotel and golf course. > “If I spent time there in four seasons, I’m > confident I could find dozens of > (threatened) plants,” he said. > > As a scientist and environmental consultant for the > town, Johnston said his > job is to be objective; he hasn’t taken a public > stand on the issue. > > “My purpose was to walk the land and review it,” > Johnston said. > > If Mainers vote on Nov. 4 to allow the Passamaquoddy > and Penobscot Indians > to operate the $650 million casino, and if Sanford > approves the > construction, about 40 acres of the heavily wooded > tract will be stripped > for buildings, Johnston estimated. Another 80 to 100 > acres will become a > golf course. > > A longtime naturalist and horticulturist, he said > his concerns include loss > of plant and animal habitat, impact of vegetation > removal and wastewater > management. The land is one of the largest > undisturbed tracts within the > town limits, Johnston said. > > One inch of rain results in 10 million gallons of > water on the site, he > estimated. Because its heavily forested, the land > now absorbs the rainfall. > And while project plans include a pond to deal with > the water that > accumulates after paving or construction, Johnston > believes runoff from > parking lots and roofs – and the pollutants that > come with them – could end > up in groundwater. > > “Any dissolved substances such as salts, gasses or > ions will move freely > with overflow water or percolate through the bottom > of the pond to the water > table,” he said. Open space created by the golf > course will alter > temperature and humidity of the land, he added. > > Johnston, a former Nasson College ecology professor, > retired environmental > science teacher and a longtime radio and television > authority on plant life, > outlined his findings to the Citizens Casino > Advisory Task Force last month. > He is scheduled to do a further environmental > assessment for the town. > > Meanwhile, he has found peat bogs, clumps of lilac > bushes and a cemetery. He > knows how water drains off the property toward > Perkins Marsh Brook and > eventually the Mousam River. Johnston has seen > evidence of deer and moose, > including what may be a deer wintering yard. A > discontinued road through the > property dates from before the Revolutionary War, he > estimated. > > The land first came under public scrutiny in the > mid-1970s, when Gibbs Oil > Co. planned a refinery there and on another adjacent > 900 acres. The proposed > casino site was to be undeveloped, a buffer between > oil company operations > and the Rosenfield housing development, Johnston > recalled. Ultimately, he > said, Gibbs Oil went bankrupt and the plan was > scrapped. > > Johnston isn’t the only one concerned about the > project’s environmental > impact. > > Maine Audubon Society two weeks ago announced its > opposition to the casino, > partly because Audubon trustees fear it will spur > other development and > increase the threat to wildlife areas near the site, > Audubon conservation > Director Sally Stockwell said. > > Southern Maine has the greatest species diversity > and largest number of rare > species in the state, she said. Nearby is the > southern portion of the > Massabesic Experimental Forest, Sanford Ponds and > the Sanford and Wells > barrens. > > Kennebunk Kennebunkport & Wells Water District > trustees will likely discuss > their position on the casino tonight, Superintendent > Norman Labbe said. KK&W > owns 500 acres of land, bought a few years ago to > protect its Branch Brook > water supply. But while the brook itself is about a > mile away, the watershed > is in a portion of the property outlined as a buffer > zone between the > Rosenfield subdivision and the proposed main > entrance into the casino land. > > “The protection of the watershed is our primary > concern,” Labbe said. > > Johnston, meanwhile made this conclusion in his > report to the casino panel: > > “Conversion of forest land into pavement and > buildings,” he said, “is an > environmental whammy.” > > > ----------------------------------- > Susan C. Gawler > Gawler Conservation Services > 256 Guptill Road > Belgrade, Maine 04917 > (207) 495-3513 phone > (207) 495-3444 fax > [log in to unmask] __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com