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Maine researchers tag their 1st white shark

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 14, 2026

Maine researchers have tagged an 8-foot juvenile white shark, their first, as part of a new effort to better understand how young white sharks use the Gulf of Maine. The female shark was tagged Wednesday night by shark researcher Matt Davis and University of Maine Associate Professor of Marine Science Walt Golet. The shark’s capture comes amid a shark-spotting frenzy in Maine waters this summer. The research is part of two projects being conducted this year to study shark presence, distribution and habitat use in the Gulf of Maine.

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument celebrates 10th anniversary this weekend

MAINE PUBLIC • August 14, 2026

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument celebrated its 10th anniversary this weekend. Visitation to the monument has fluctuated in recent years. Its busiest was 2022 with about 43,000 visitors. Nearly 34,000 people visited the monument last year, according to federal data. Brian Hinrichs, executive director of Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters, said the numbers have been highly weather dependent. This summer has been busier than usual. Federal data show that visitation was up more than 32% this June compared to the previous one. The National Park Service and the non-profit Friends group are hosting several events this weekend to commemorate the monument's 10th year.

White shark spotted feeding on seal off MDI

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 14, 2026

A great white shark was spotted Thursday in Frenchman Bay off Bar Harbor feeding on a seal, according to an Ellsworth man. John DeRaps posted on Facebook, “I’ve been on the water my whole life and I have never seen a great white, this one was feasting on a seal today.” DeRaps posted a photo of the shark.

How a global fluoride shortage is affecting Maine’s water systems

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 14, 2026

Global supply chain disruptions have forced several Maine water districts, including the state’s largest public water supply, to temporarily stop adding cavity-fighting fluoride to local drinking water. In Lewiston and Auburn, storage tanks that usually hold thousands of gallons of their fluoride mixture liquid sit empty. But they aren’t the only ones to fall victim to the shortage — Portland and Waterville-area systemstemporarily halted fluoridation last month. Although both have since resumed normal operations, Portland Water District was forced to stop fluoridation for two weeks and Kennebec Water District for 24 days while waiting for their next shipment of the mineral to arrive.

Downeaster gets millions to relocate Portland train station

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August14, 2026

The operators of the Downeaster have received $48 million in federal funding to relocate the train service’s Portland station to a main line of the railway along St. John Street. City officials and staff had argued that another spot should be chosen. Now, city leaders will have to agree with the rail authority’s preferred location.

Help Wanted: Friends of Baxter State Park Executive Director

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • August 14, 2026

Friends of Baxter State Park is a non-profit organization that strives to inspire passion for the Park's wild character in the spirit ofPercival Baxter. We promote exemplary use, natural resource stewardship, and a healthy Katahdin region to ensure the Park forever remains a refuge. The Executive Director will lead the organization during an exciting time as it embarks upon a new stage of growth. Application materials should be submitted by September 18, 2026 to search@friendsofbaxter.org.

Shark sighting shuts down swimming at Biddeford beaches

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 13, 2026

A great white shark was spotted near Biddeford beaches Thursday, shutting down swimming in some areas — the latest in a string of shark sightings along Maine’s coast. Swimming is prohibited between Fortunes Rocks Beach and Biddeford Pool for the rest of the day. The shark was spotted in the area of Granite Point and Timber Point.

Westbrook teen drowns at Tumbledown Pond near Farmington

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 13, 2026

A 19-year-old from Westbrook died Wednesday in the pond on Tumbledown Mountain. Bogdan Dosov was swimming with a camp group in Tumbledown Pond that afternoon when he started having difficulty swimming and slipped beneath the water’s surface. Minutes later, witnesses recovered Dosov from about 12 feet of water and pulled him onto an island in the pond. They started CPR and called 911. About 40 emergency responders from various agencies were involved in the response, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

Maine shifts focus to mental health as PFAS crisis deepens

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 13, 2026

Maine is launching a mental health network to help local farmers survive the emotional trauma of forever chemical contamination, which threatens the long-term financial and physical health of rural families as well as poisons their soil and water. Maine taken a leadership role in the national PFAS farm crisis, conducting a statewide review to find farms tainted by sludge-derived fertilizer and banning its use going forward. Now, it is shifting its focus from protecting the land to protecting the people who work it.

Scarborough to celebrate inaugural Marsh Day

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 12, 2026

It’s difficult to think about Scarborough without thinking of the Scarborough Marsh. Maine’s largest salt marsh serves as the background of the town’s website, its waterways snake into the center of town, and marsh grasses adorn Scarborough’s logo. Residents and visitors flock to the marsh in all seasons to take photos of wildlife, watch birds, cross-country ski, kayak or just enjoy a nice walk. To celebrate this key feature in town, the Scarborough Land Trust organized the inaugural Marsh Day. From 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, residents can explore the marsh, learn about its wildlife, and discover the conservation efforts that protect it.

Ospreys return to Bath roadside 2 years after CMP removes nest, erects platform

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 12, 2026

In spring 2024, Bath birders were disturbed to learn that Central Maine Power removed a long-established osprey nest from atop a utility pole off Route 1, installing bright yellow spikes to prevent future nesting. Though the utility company erected a nesting platform as a safer alternative for the raptors to build a home, years passed without any little heads poking out of nests high above the highway. That was, until this April, when birder and osprey advocate Joanne Adams spotted a breeding pair getting to work on their new home. Then she didn’t see them for several weeks, and feared they’d left — until she noticed four birds in the nest in June. “Suddenly, they had two chicks,” said Adams.

Byron, the Maine Wildlife Park moose, dies at 13

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 12, 2026

The Maine Wildlife Park announced this week that its “beloved resident moose,” Byron, died over the weekend at the age of 13. Byron’s death was due to natural causes “related to his advanced age,” the park said in a social media post on Monday, which included a video tribute.

NEFSA's 4th Annual Save Our Fisheries Summer Bash, August 15

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • August 12, 2026

Join hundreds of your neighbors, families, and the commercial fishermen who put seafood on Maine tables every day for a summer evening you won't forget. All proceeds support the work of the New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association to protect American commercial fisheries and the coastal communities that depend on them. At Cook's Lobster & Ale House, Bailey Island, August 15, 2026, 5:30–9:30 pm. Pre-register $30 per ticket, at the door, $35 per ticket, kids under 10 free.

Letter: Relegate fossil fuel to the past

CENTRAL MAINE • August 12, 2026

Fossil fuels helped to build our amazing and complex world. Now, however, their time is up. Here are some of the ways burning fossil fuels affect Mainers. Renewables are cheaper than fossil fuels and their use is increasing. Nevertheless, the world is burning more fossil fuel than ever before. Americans need to face these facts and act now. Let our senators and representatives know we understand what fossil fuels are doing to our world and the we expect them to act to protect our way of life. ~ Nancy Hasenfus, Brunswick

He went looking for sharks in Saco Bay. He found something else instead.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 12, 2026

Great white sharks have been turning up along the southern Maine coast in recent weeks, from Scarborough to Georgetown, and one Saco photographer wanted to see them for himself. Instead, Bob Wiegers found thousands of striped bass slowly circling in what he called a mesmerizing ball. The sight left him wondering whether the bass were reacting to sharks in the area. “It seems clear enough the striped bass are schooling in a defensive posture with sharks in the area, but I’m neither a scientist nor much of a fisherman,” he wrote.

Katahdin Woods and Waters is celebrating 10th anniversary this weekend

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 11, 2026

Katahdin Woods and Waters is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a long list of weekend events including ranger-led paddles, dark sky viewing and Indigenous earring-making demonstrations. The area was designated a national monument in August 2016. Rangers have been adding features to make the monument more accessible to visitors, and this weekend will unveil the new Katahdin Loop Road Overlook, which has been rehabilitated with a new picnic area and shelter. Last year the 7,900-square-foot Tekαkαpimək Contact Station opened. The $31 million center was funded privately through a capital campaign by Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters, a nonprofit philanthropic group. It was donated to the American people and is operated by the National Park Service.

Demand for Maine trails grants remains high in second round of funding

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 11, 2026

For the second year in a row, demand for grants from the Maine Trails Program far exceeds the amount of money available. In 2024, voters overwhelmingly supported a $30 million bond for the design and development of trails for outdoor recreation and active transportation. The state has until 2034 to spend the money and can allocate up to $7.5 million in grants every year. If the high level of interest continues, however, the money will likely be gone by 2029.

Fate of UNE pier project to be considered at Saco River Corridor Commission meeting

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 11, 2026

The question of whether the University of New England’s pier proposal can proceed will be up for debate at a public hearing of the Saco River Corridor Commission at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Saco Community Center. The pier would be located on the Saco River, adjacent to the Arthur P. Girard Marine Science building, and would be used for year-round research and aquaculture projects, the university has said. Some city officials and residents have raised concerns that the project contradicts a previous SRCC decision and could harm residents who hold moorings on the river.

Lakes Region tourism numbers remain steady

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 11, 2026

Tourism numbers in the Lakes Region appear to have remained steady two months into the summer tourist season. Billi “Tux” Burke serves as executive director of the Maine Lakes Chamber, said the Maine Lakes Chamber has undergone a complete rebrand and rebuilding over the past few years and strives to serve as an alternative to mainstream travel recommendation sites. Data in Maine indicate that tourism, and the economic benefits that come from it, has stayed level compared to previous years, if not slightly increasing.