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Gorham will get a new public trail this fall

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 24, 2026

Work began early this summer on a public trail through 53 acres of recently conserved land called the Gorham Community Forest. The trail will be a three-quarters of mile long and suitable for walking, running, biking, snowshoeing and cross country skiing. The Robie family donated the forest adjacent to its planned Robie Street housing development to the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust years ago, but officially closed the deal through the developer KV Enterprises this spring. The trail and conservation work is funded by a $237,000 Maine Trails Program grant.

Towns join path to building first 10 miles of Casco Bay Trail

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 24, 2026

Construction of the Casco Bay Trail, a planned 72-mile multiuse trail loop from Portland to Auburn and over to Brunswick, is inching closer to starting as towns commit to matching initial funds and joining a regional board. The trail, which would be built on the state-owned St. Lawrence and Atlantic Rail corridor, has been gaining support for years. Last June, Maine passed a law authorizing the conversion of a 26-mile corridor from Portland to Auburn into an interim trail.

Action: Tell Congress to Stop the Attack on Endangered Species Habitat

ENDANGERED SPECIES COALITION • July 24, 2026

The federal government finalized a rule removing the long-standing definition of "harm" under the Endangered Species Act, an important safeguard that recognized habitat destruction is harmful to endangered wildlife. If allowed to stand, the rule would make it harder to stop activities that destroy nesting beaches, breeding grounds, migration corridors, wetlands, forests, and other habitats essential to the survival of endangered and threatened species. Tell your members of Congress to support Rep. Fitzpatrick and Quigley’s bipartisan legislation to block this harmful rule and defend the Endangered Species Act.

Dam removal begins on the Royal River

FRIENDS OF CASCO BAY • July 24, 2026

The residents of Yarmouth, Maine have begun imagining what it might be like to stand beside a Royal River abundant with blueback herring, alewives, sea-run trout, eels—and maybe even salmon. To see the river flowing naturally over ledge rocks. The water clear, cold, and in rhythm with the landscape once again, after being dammed and impounded for more than 250 years to power mills and industry. This vision of a healthy river is the goal behind the Bridge Street Dam removal in Yarmouth, where preparatory work began this week. 

Want to know if your nonstick pan contains PFAS? A new searchable database has the answer

MAINE MORNING STAR • July 24, 2026

A new searchable database highlights the smooth rollout of Maine’s ban on forever chemicals — at least when it comes to cookware. After reviewing more than 200 cookware brands for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, Defend Our Health, a Maine-based nonprofit, found that most companies were quick to remove products from Maine after the state’s sales ban on many consumer products with intentionally added PFAS took effect in January. “Companies had really broadly pulled PFAS-containing products from physical stores in Maine, but we did find online sales compliance issues,” executive director Carey Perez de Alejo said.

Opinion: Energy affordability should be at the center of Maine political debates

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 24, 2026

We need to address the cost of staying warm, keeping the lights on, and reducing dependence on fuels we do not control. Wood pellets for a boiler cost about $30.23 per million Btu. By comparison, an air-source heat pump runs about $23.88 to $34.83 per million Btu, heating oil about $40.61 to $45.17, propane about $41.39 to $46.57, and electric baseboard heat about $75.23. Prices vary, but the trend is clear: pellets are a practical, lower-cost option compared with heating oil, propane, heat pumps, and electric resistance heat. We have forests, workers, mills, pellet producers, truckers and technicians who can help keep more energy dollars here at home. ~ Les Otten, Bethel

The best place to see a moose in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 24, 2026

As our summer in Maine winds down and we continue our photographic quest for moose while exploring the state, we recently stumbled on the captivating village of Kokadjo on the eastern side of Moosehead Lake. Shortly after passing the park at around 2 p.m., we spotted our first moose of the trip, leisurely strolling across the road. Proceeding north, the paved road soon turned to dirt. After about a mile, we turned left onto Spencer Bay Road where we soon came upon Lazy Tom Bog, reportedly a hot spot for sighting moose. despite multiple trips to the picturesque area during the day and evening, our efforts to spot moose there remained unrewarded. the Kokadjo deer proved more cooperative. We saw many grazing in the shrubs along Lily Bay Road. ~ Nick Thomas

How to set up a successful bear bait site in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 24, 2026

While hunters will not be ascending tree stands until the last Monday in August, the bear baiting season gets underway on August 1. Here are a few tips if you are trying bear baiting for the first time.
• Avoid areas with any human activity nearby
• Pastries, pop-tarts and cookies all provide the sweetness bears crave
• Use frying oil spread liberally around the bait site as lure
• Replenish your site every 1 to 3 days
• Replicate your baiting process every trip to build a routine bears get used to
~ John Floyd

Conserving Habitat Has Always Been Central to the Endangered Species Act

AUDUBON • July 23, 2026

For more than 50 years, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has helped conserve both imperiled species and the habitats they depend on, making it one of America’s most successful conservation laws. Through science-based decision-making, planning, collaboration, and sustained investment, the ESA has protected birds while providing practical tools that encourage partnership, regulatory certainty, and long-term recovery. However, a new rule rescinds the longstanding, bipartisan regulatory definition of “harm,” which for decades recognized that significant habitat destruction resulting in the death or injury of protected wildlife could violate the ESA. Audubon, together with more than 160 affiliated chapters and thousands of members and supporters, urged the agency in 2025 to retain the longstanding definition. We will continue engaging decision-makers to advance the bipartisan conservation principles that have made the Endangered Species Act one of our nation's most successful conservation laws.

Fire damages Farmingdale firewood business

CENTRAL MAINE • July 23, 2026

Fire destroyed the kiln at a Farmingdale firewood business Thursday morning, drawing a response from several area fire departments. Farmingdale fire Chief Dana Mealey said the kiln at A.W. Allen Firewood was destroyed by the fire, as were the 10 baskets of wood inside the kiln at the time. However, other buildings on the site were saved.

Juniper Ridge expansion opponents argue state again failed to consider environmental justice

MAINE MORNING STAR • July 23, 2026

Opponents of the Juniper Ridge Landfill expansion returned to Penobscot Superior Court Thursday to argue that the state has continued to fail to meet environmental justice standards when considering whether the project would benefit the public. The Penobscot Nation and Conservation Law Foundation argued in a hearing that even in its second public benefit determination, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection failed to truly meet the required environmental justice criteria. But Jack Dafoe, attorney for DEP, said the state has closely scrutinized the project.

State plan to expand Maine’s biggest landfill back in court

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 23, 2026

A state judge is questioning whether environmental regulators are equipped to weigh the cultural survival of the Penobscot Nation against the expansion of the largest landfill in Maine. During oral arguments in Bangor on Thursday, Superior Court Justice Bruce Mallonee signaled skepticism over how the Department of Environmental Protection determines environmental justice for a people burdened by a century of industrial pollution. The proceeding is the latest development in the Penobscot Nation and Conservation Law Foundation’s effort to block a 61-acre expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town, which is located just northwest of the Penobscot River and the tribe’s reservation islands.

Gorham residents urge DEP to slow down assessment of proposed Amazon site

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 23, 2026

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection on Wednesday hosted a rare public meeting to hear comments on Amazon’s application for its proposed warehouse and distribution facility near Gorham’s town center. The two-hour meeting, which had to be moved to a larger room to accommodate the approximately 65 attendees, was the second public meeting concerning the project this week. It followed a public hearing on the most recent plan before the town Planning Board on Monday, where residents largely opposed the project.

Juniper Ridge expansion returns to court to face questions of environmental health

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 23, 2026

The state still hasn’t given adequate weight to how more than doubling the size of an Old Town landfill would hurt Penobscot Nation, a lawyer argued Thursday. The Conservation Law Foundation and Penobscot Nation sued the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in November 2024 over the proposed expansion of Juniper Ridge, citing environmental justice. Lawyers for both sides argued for about two hours Thursday regarding the proposal. The ongoing lawsuit is the first test of a 2021 state law that says all people have the right to be protected from pollution and “to live in and enjoy a clean and healthful environment.”

Maine island official asks residents to conserve water amid shortage

MIDCOAST VILLAGER • July 23, 2026

At the height of Maine’s summer tourist season, when ferries arrive full of seasonal residents and visitors eager to enjoy the island’s beaches, trails and quiet coastal charm, Islesboro officials are confronting a challenge that affects everyone who calls the island home, even temporarily: water. Fire Chief Murton Durkee issued a public appeal Friday asking residents to conserve water as the island continues to experience a groundwater shortage brought on by an extended stretch of dry weather.

Blue Hill hospital will use a tanker and bottled water after finding excessive PFAS in its well

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 23, 2026

Northern Light Health’s Blue Hill Hospital will use a tanker truck and bottled water after recent testing found excessive “forever chemicals” in its well. Those tests found concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds at 20.1 parts per trillion, just over the state mandated maximum of 20 parts per trillion.

‘Teddy’s Travels’: An intern’s guide to exploring Maine through his lens

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 23, 2026

Breaking news intern Teddy Almond spent much of his first time in Maine exploring. Here are the spots he loved — and the tips and tricks he picked up.

This guide will help you paddle your way through western Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 23, 2026

Western Maine has an abundance of lakes, ponds and rivers, but public boat rentals are concentrated in only a few communities. Wilton offers equipment beside Wilson Lake, Farmington and Bethel have carry-away rentals, Bethel outfitters run shuttle-supported trips on the Androscoggin River, and Rangeley-area businesses offer rentals lasting from an hour to several days.

More than half of Earth’s migratory bird species are declining

THE CONVERSATION • July 23, 2026

Every year, billions of migratory birds connect the world’s continents, oceans and ecosystems as they undertake epic journeys between their foraging habitats and their breeding grounds. Today, many species are in trouble. Their migrations remain among nature’s greatest spectacles, but the birds themselves are increasingly at risk as the habitats and ecological connections they depend upon are lost or degraded and threats to their survival and ability to reproduce increase. We just published a comprehensive assessment of the status, threats and conservation efforts involving more than 3,380 of Earth’s migratory bird species. The results are sobering. We found that more than half of the world’s migratory bird species are declining because of an array of threats.