Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com
Penobscot River is traditional territory
Let us remember that, in 2008, the Maine Legislature unanimously approved the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which makes plain in Article 26 that “Indigenous peoples have the right to own, use, develop, and control the lands, territories and resources that they possess by reason of traditional ownership or other traditional occupation or use, as well as those which they have otherwise acquired.”
A scant four years later, the state of Maine unilaterally revoked this right of ownership and control of the river, leading to litigation by the Penobscot Nation, and the recent federal appeals court en banc decision in favor of the state. As long as Maine continues to oppose legitimate Indigenous rights, we will never have peace and — importantly for all of us — we will never be assured that our natural resources are being truly protected.
On Sunday, many of us stood in solidarity with the Penobscot Nation, on its riverbank, bearing witness to this inextinguishable relationship between the Penobscot Nation and its river.
Gov. Janet Mills has the ability to stop this taking in its tracks. We ask that she abandon what appears to be a will to control what does not belong to her and the state. We ask her to do the right thing, and stop squandering everyone’s time and talent. We all have such better things to do!
Diane Oltarzewski
Belfast
Protect the Arctic
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska is home to awe-inspiring, ecologically significant wildlife. Right now, the habitat — and therefore the continued existence — of these animals is at risk until Congress protects the Arctic refuge from oil and gas development.
In Maine, we appreciate the value of fish and wildlife. Gulf of Maine fisheries are the lifeblood of towns up and down the coast. Hunting provides food for thousands of Mainers every year. And wildlife in the North Woods, from lynx to loons to moose, embody the natural beauty of our state.
Both personally and professionally, I can especially appreciate that the Arctic refuge serves as habitat for hundreds of migratory bird species because Maine is on the Atlantic flyway. In that way, the threat posed to the Arctic refuge, though far away, hits close to home.
Oil drilling in the Arctic refuge would damage polar bear dens, placing yet another strain on a species fighting for life in the face of climate change. It would fragment the calving grounds for the Porcupine caribou herd, a critical resource for the Gwich’in people. Muskoxen, numbering only 350 after bouncing back from near-extinction 50 years ago, would be forced into unsuitable habitat.
Despite recent action by the Biden administration to suspend oil and gas leases, only Congress can permanently protect America’s last great wilderness. Congress, including Maine’s delegation, must act now to protect the Arctic.
Melanie Sturm
Forests and wildlife director
Natural Resources Council of Maine
Brunswick
Disappointed in Waterfront Concerts
Alex Gray and the Waterfront Concerts ( from the BDN on Aug. 4) are foregoing mask and vaccine requirements and leaving people to assess their own COVID-19 risks while at the same time apparently hoping there aren’t any more pandemic curveballs thrown our way, according to the story. It may be an outdoor facility, but anyone who has attended a concert there knows that distancing is not likely to occur.
I think they’re playing Russian roulette with their ability to have a successful season and with the health of the area community. If one of their concerts ends up being the source of an outbreak, they will have welcomed their own “pandemic curveball” to interfere with their success and helped to continue the cycle of virus exposure, infection and replication.
My family has enjoyed concerts there several times. Never again. We will support businesses that demonstrate that they value the health of their customers.
Patricia Jenkins
Bangor