The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
Thank you for reading Maine Environmental News. Each year, we post thousands of news summaries, notices, and links related to important environmental issues from across the state (and beyond). If you find this service useful, you can help us continue to provide it by making a donation. Just click on the button below and contribute whatever you can afford. Thanks again for your generous support!
Sincerely,
Jym St. Pierre
Editor, Maine Environmental News
MAINE AUDUBON • March 1, 2026
The third edition of Maine Amphibians and Reptiles explores the lives of 38 fascinating species—from tiny newts to rarely seen sea turtles—found across Maine and the Northeast. Built on 25 years of research, with expanded photos, regional studies, and engaging writing, it’s perfect for scientists and curious readers alike. Join some of the contributors to this fascinating book for a talk followed by a book sale and signing at the Falmouth Memorial Library. Light refreshments will be provided. At Falmouth Memorial Library, 5 Lunt Rd, Falmouth, ME, March 11, 5:30pm.
MAINE AUDUBON • April 1, 2026
Curious about what critters live in your local streams and freshwater marshes? Learn about Maine Marsh and Stream Explorers, a collaborative community science project between Maine Audubon and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). This program trains volunteers to survey for macroinvertebrates, or large aquatic insects, in streams and freshwater marshes statewide. April 22, 7 pm, online, preregister.
MAINE SPORTSMAN • March 2026
If you’re bothered by the idea of coyotes combing the woods of Maine, you aren’t alone. There are a lot of conflicting views surrounding Canis Latrans and the reputation the predator carries in the Pine Tree State.
NEW YORK TIMES • February 27, 2026
It was 1959 in Downtown Manhattan and the area, largely unpoliced and commercially undeveloped, was known for its dirt cheap rent for substandard accommodations. St. Marks Place between Second and Third Avenues, where Charles FitzGerald lived, was boarded up. He threw open the window and started selling wooden kitchenware directly to passers-by. His portfolio would grow from one shop to seven. Over the next half century, the transplant with no real estate aspirations would come to play a central role in transforming the once-derelict street into an international curiosity. Clubs and performance spaces flourished. And at the age of 91, he has no intentions of slowing down. The operation was never managed well. Kate FitzGerald, his 39-year-old daughter who lives on St. Marks, said whatever success the businesses had was largely because of her mother, Kathy Cerick. Rather than money, Mr. FitzGerald said he cared about adventure, culture and trees. The couple raised funds for a dozen saplings that they planted along the street. They also donated $2 million from the sale of two buildings to a nature conservancy they created in Maine.
MAINE PUBLIC • February 27, 2026
For years the state of Maine and local organizations have offered financial incentives to make homes and buildings more energy efficient. That includes rebates and low-income loans for insulation, weatherization and heat pumps through Efficiency Maine. But the process can be overwhelming, said Rozanna Patane, an organizer with York Ready for Climate Action. It can be tough to figure out where your home needs work, let alone hire the right contractor and filing for a state rebate. "It's like a flood of information coming at people," Patane said. "It's more than most people can deal with, just understanding what their options are and how to get things done and who does them." Four years ago, Patane helped organize an energy coach program in an effort to help. The volunteers help guide homeowners through their efficiency options. Similar energy coaching programs are popping up in Mount Desert Island, Camden and Rockport, Falmouth and Yarmouth and in the Kennebunks. Patane said she's working with other organizers to develop best practices for training and coaching to jumpstart new groups across Maine.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 27, 2026
Adrian Boeye, a 21-year-old senior student at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor has upended long-held beliefs about how the Tyrannosaurus rex moved, suggesting the prehistoric predator navigated its world more like a nimble, eight-ton bird than a heavy-footed beast. For decades, the cinematic image of the T. rex has been defined by the earth-shaking, heel-first thuds seen in films like “Jurassic Park.” But new research led by Adrian Boeye, a 21-year-old senior, suggests that the 40-foot-long dinosaur actually sprinted on its tiptoes like that of a modern ostrich or roadrunner.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 27, 2026
The scene this winter, which got off to a cold and snowy start, has gone from hellscape to wonderland and back more than once. And we know, for at least the next month or so, it could happen again anytime.
1. Leave your Bean Boots at home. When you’re going to be navigating an icy or snowy urban environment on foot, choose something with better tread, or at least invest in traction devices to slip over them.
2. Beware of brick. In addition to their smooth surfaces being slicker to walk on than their concrete counterparts, complaints about their incompatibility with winter include that their grooves make them difficult to shovel and uneven spots are hard to see in snow.
3. Avoid steep streets. Seeing the glaze coating Cumberland Avenue from the bottom of Munjoy Hill one year I had to request the shortest-ever Uber ride to my apartment a couple blocks away.
4. Tell on your neighbors. Sidewalks that haven’t been shoveled are less predictable hazards, but there is something you can do about them — complain.
5. Heed the hedges. Some property owners shovel thin paths within the sidewalk, not taking into consideration their overgrown hedges, forcing pedestrians to sideways limbo in order to get by.
6. Work from home. Parking lots as the most common place people fall.
7. Consider the beach. If you still want to get your steps in, you might have better luck at the beach, the preferred winter walking locale of some. Even when snow accumulates there, an outgoing tide will clear a swath by the shore. Although walking on sand is not my idea of a good time, it beats falling on ice.
~ Leslie Bridgers
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 27, 2026
Earlier this month, a friend sent me a photo of Belfast Harbor. On the floats near where I dock my boat was a white seal in a “banana” pose — a C-curve with the flippers up. Instantly, I knew it was a hooded seal from the Arctic. Arctic, or “ice,” seals spend much of their lives around sea ice in colder climates. Hooded and harp seals occasionally migrate to the Gulf of Maine in winter and are typically spotted between December and March. It’s kind of like their Florida. There’s likely little time left to see Arctic seals in Belfast Harbor at this point in the winter. Wanting to mark the visit, I sponsored an ice sculpture of the seal for this weekend’s Belfast Ice Festival. ~ Nicolle Littrell
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 27, 2026
The scrap metal company that owns the landfill which once accepted waste from Bucksport’s paper mill is once again at the center of local concern that it might not comply with state orders to close it by the end of December. After years of attempts to reopen the landfill and with its mandated closure date approaching, the company has explored transferring or, according to Bucksport officials, amending its license. The landfill is owned by Bucksport Mill, LLC, a subsidiary of Montreal-based American Iron and Metal. Its exploratory steps to do so have met with strong local resistance.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 27, 2026
In Rep. Laurel Libby’s opinion column on Feb. 19, she advocated for bringing more natural gas to Maine to produce electricity. This is a bad idea. Natural gas prices are volatile. There are serious health implications to burning fossil fuels and serious climate issues too. Maine can produce its own power and reduce the $4.5 billion drain on our economy each year, money we send out of state to purchase fossil fuels. The Gulf of Maine has been called the Saudi Arabia of wind. ~ David Dietrich, Blue Hill
LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS • February 26, 2026
The League of Conservation Voters has released its 2025 National Environmental Scorecard. It represents the consensus of two dozen experts on environmental, environmental justice, democracy, and conservation issues from across the movement who selected the key votes on which members of Congress should be scored. LCV scores votes on the most important issues of the year, including energy, climate change, public health, environmental and racial justice, worker protection, democracy, public lands and wildlife conservation, and spending for environmental programs. The votes presented members of Congress with a real choice and help distinguish which legislators are working for environmental protection. Maine’s congressional reps got mixed pro-environment scores based on their voting record in 2025 on key issues:
US Sen. Susan Collins (R) 31%
US Sen. Angus King (I) 88%
US Rep. Chellie Pingrie (D) 98%
US Rep. Jared Golden (D) 48%
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 26, 2026
Blue Sky Towers III, LLC, last year applied to build a nearly 200-foot tower on the northern edge of town. The tower would “remedy a significant gap in coverage” along Route 32 and near the narrows of Damariscotta Lake, the company claimed. Though it would be built primarily for Verizon, it could eventually accommodate up to three additional carriers. But Nobleboro’s zoning ordinances prohibit any cell towers from being built more than 300 yards from U.S. Route 1. Last month, the Nobleboro Board of Appeals ruled against approving the tower. In its lawsuit, Blue Sky said that the town’s ordinance and the board’s decision violate federal telecommunications laws.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 26, 2026
Across Maine, conservation is often considered in the context of protecting wildlife, safeguarding clean air and water, preserving working lands and waterfronts and providing access to outdoor recreation. Increasingly, conservation is also being evaluated through an economic lens. Each year, trail-related activity supports 900+ jobs and generates over $42 million in worker earnings, as well as nearly $113 million in sales in Greater Portland alone. When accounting for ripple effects across the state, these numbers increase to over 1,200 jobs, $54 million in worker earnings and nearly $142 million in total sales in Maine annually. Also, economists estimate the ecosystem services provided by land along the Portland Trails network, such as stormwater absorption, carbon sequestration and air filtration, may be worth $2-5 million annually. Conserved lands generate hundreds of millions of dollars in annual benefits to the Downeast region. The best investments we can make are those that keep the landscapes, and the communities they support, thriving for the long term. ~ Jon Kachmar, Portland Trails, and Erin Witham, Downeast Conservation Network
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 26, 2026
Gov. Paul LePage turned against wind energy projects. Turbine developers shifted to the Great Plains. Maine didn’t achieve its 3,000-megawatt goal. The state has 923 megawatts in place. Now, Maine has the opportunity for a giant leap forward. Aroostook Wind, at an initial size of 1,200 megawatts, would equal Hydro Quebec’s contribution to the Massachusetts grid. Maine has an ambitious renewable energy mandate — 100% carbon-neutral electricity by 2040. Aroostook Wind and other potential projects are by far the cheapest and fastest way of meeting the requirement. Yet only a small fraction of these public benefits will be realized under the request for proposal put out to bid by the Maine Public Utilities Commission. When the news spreads the Maine PUC plans to export most of Aroostook Wind’s power without significant benefits to the state responsible for hosting the turbines and transmission lines, public reaction is likely to be fiery and negative. ~ Douglas Rooks
CENTRAL MAINE • February 26, 2026
A Feb. 2 op-ed, arguing that crypto mining could support Maine’s aging energy grid, overlooks realities. Bitcoin mines operate like energy-intensive data centers, with continuous demand and lasting community impacts. The proposal to offer cryptominers electricity at 4 to 6 cents per kilowatt-hour raises fairness concerns. Maine households pay about 24 cents per kilowatt-hour, well above the national average. Nationwide, proof-of-work crypto mining accounts for up to 2.3% of total electricity consumption and could add over $1 billion annually to ratepayer bills. Most of the so-called “stranded energy” it relies on comes from fossil fuels, generating significant carbon pollution as well as noise pollution. Energy policy should serve communities, not ask them to absorb the costs of unchecked industries. ~ Jane Brekke, South Berwick
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 26, 2026
A major theme of Earth Day this year is the need to reduce plastic. Scientists estimate that humans consume a credit-card size of plastic a week. Most plastic is derived from fossil fuels. The major oil companies know that in order to sell plastic to consumers, they need to convince people that it can be recycled. Sadly, 91% of plastic cannot be recycled. Plastic fabrication must be reduced. This can be achieved by limiting the production of oil, and the best way to accomplish that is with a carbon fee and dividend: placing a fee on fossil fuels at their source, such as a well or a mine, and returning the money collected to American households in monthly dividend checks to spend as they wish. ~ Kimberlee Hammond, Frankfort
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 26, 2026
Ten Maine Maritime Academy students have had their Coast Guard licensing exams canceled due to the partial government shutdown, and 16 more might if the shutdown doesn’t end next week. The partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security also impacts the Coast Guard, which has closed its exam centers as a result. That could mean delayed graduation and work opportunities for students at the Castine school amid a nationwide mariner shortage that has raised alarms in recent years for the future of international trade and national defense.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 26, 2026
Building a local trailhead is the first step in expanding a southern Aroostook town’s outdoor economy and infrastructure, according to planners. As part of a multi-year outdoor economic development initiative, the Houlton Rotary is asking for community input on developing a trailhead that will add an access point to northern Maine’s thousands of interconnected snowmobile and ATV trails. The initiative is part of a broader regional focus to boost the outdoor recreation infrastructure across southern Aroostook and neighboring Penobscot and Washington counties. Island Falls and Patten are already tackling outdoor trails projects. Communities across Maine have seen that improving infrastructure around existing trail systems strengthens their ability to capture visitor spending that might otherwise pass them by.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 25, 2026
More than 121,000 Maine households moved during and in the years following the pandemic, newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau revealed. The data, which comes from the American Community Survey, shows how many residents in different parts of Maine moved during and immediately following the pandemic when the state’s housing market reached a fever pitch. Meanwhile, more than 75,000 others have lived in their homes for more than 30 years.
