Episode 133: Hardcore Advocacy with Ed Friedman

Restoring Darkness

Beautiful Merrymeeting Bay in Maine, is an important area for wildlife habitat, and for humans. For decades, people have enjoyed a pristine view of the night sky - until the local electrical utility replaced two towers and lit them up, right at the iconic Chops, lighting the area for miles around. Ed and the Friends of Merrymeeting Bay got that changed, but they ended up out of the frying pan and into the fire with an aircraft radar detection system. And the battle continues. On the Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) Steering Committee since the winter of 1993, Ed has been Chair since 1996. In this work he has written major grants and initiated projects in the areas of land conservation, research, advocacy, and education. Two projects, Aquatic & Upland Habitat Assessment of Merrymeeting Bay over time utilizing historical and current aerial photography combined with GIS to look at land use and vegetation changes over time; and Caged Bivalve Studies on the Kennebec and Androscoggin to monitor PCBs and dioxins, have been the first projects of their type in the state of Maine and quite successful. A multi-year Circulation Study of the Bay and six tributaries was also a major accomplishment. Most recently FOMB has been on the cutting edge of affordable PFAS sampling.