The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
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Jym St. Pierre
Editor, Maine Environmental News
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 8, 2026
A hike over Morse Mountain to Seawall Beach in Phippsburg is one of the most unique treks in midcoast Maine. If you extend the outing with a walk on the beach, the journey approximates five miles and travels through multiple ecosystems. Bates College manages the conservation area and maintains a public parking lot. Public access is limited and visitors should familiarize themselves with the rules. Only foot traffic is permitted and pets are prohibited.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 8, 2026
When the Bar Harbor Town Council authorized new paid parking kiosks in March, it opened the door to local residents possibly getting free parking downtown even during the height of the tourism season. “It opened up potential options for what I deemed an enhanced residential parking program,” Bar Harbor Town Manager James Smith said during a Town Council workshop Tuesday. Now, Smith said, town staff was trying to find out what those options would look like.
MAINE MORNING STAR • May 8, 2026
For years, community solar in Maine grew at a breakneck pace, elevating the state to the top of the list for most capacity per capita in the U.S. Now, however, development has slowed to a standstill, and the industry faces an uncertain future. “We saw a very swift rise, and it has now come to an end,” said Eliza Donoghue, executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association. “There is no opportunity for growth.” Community solar — larger arrays that sell power to multiple users — took off in Maine after the state expanded the program supporting it in 2019. By the end of 2025, Maine had 694 watts of community solar capacity per person, far and away the most of any state. Then, last year, lawmakers passed, and the governor signed, a law that brought that momentum to a screeching halt. First, it prohibits any larger new projects — residential solar is still OK — from enrolling in net energy billing, the system that allows solar producers to get paid for the energy they send to the grid. It is the backbone of community solar’s financial model. Second, the law imposes hefty new fees on community solar installations that are already up and running.
ADVERTISER DEMOCRAT • May 8, 2026
Oxford will be the home of Hancock Lumber’s new truss manufacturing facility, which is under construction and projected to open early next year. The company is holding a formal groundbreaking ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, May 21. Oxford was chosen due to its central Maine location and access to Interstate 95, which connects Kittery with Houlton and beyond into Canada. Hancock Lumber was established in 1848 when it purchased a 400-acre timber stand in Casco and opened a sawmill. It operates sawmills in Casco, Bethel and Pittsfield; 12 lumberyards in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts; and nine kitchen-design showrooms in Maine and New Hampshire.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 8, 2026
The Penobscot River is our oldest citizen. It is our heart. As the original stewards, our connection to this water is our identity. Our sovereignty is rooted in the health of this river; without the ability to safely practice our sustenance rights, to fish and gather as our ancestors did, our self-determination is unrealized. On May 15, 2023, a massive fire erupted at the Juniper Ridge Landfill, just a few miles from where my three daughters sleep. We saw the smoke. We felt the heavy, acrid weight in the air. But on the Island, we were left in the dark. We are ready for a partnership built on true consultation, not just notification. We envision an administration that understands that protecting the Penobscot River is not a burden to the economy, but a foundational duty to the people. We look forward to working with leaders who recognize that Wabanaki sovereignty and environmental health are two sides of the same coin. ~ Maulian Bryant, Wabanaki Alliance
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 8, 2026
Two years after it was severely damaged in back-to-back winter storms, Seawall Road on Mount Desert Island has yet to be fully repaired as varying government entities have yet to reach an agreement on a final fix. The road has been the subject of a yearlong dispute among the Maine Department of Transportation, the town of Southwest Harbor and Acadia National Park — through which part of Seawall Road runs — over who should pay for repairs and future maintenance, and when those repairs would ultimately happen.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 7, 2026
An earthquake shook Wesley early Saturday morning. The magnitude 1.3 temblor shook the ground at a depth of more than 5.6 miles about 4.3 miles northwest of the Washington County town about 4:30 a.m., the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed this week. Since 1997, there have been more than 170 recorded earthquakes in the state.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 7, 2026
New England Forestry Foundation has signed its first contract in a new initiative that will help protect some of the oldest forests in Maine while exploring long-term conservation options. The contract protects 23 acres of forestland in Naples owned by Chaplin Logging, INC., a 39-year-old logging company. The protected trees are approximately 150 years old and are especially valuable for their exceptional ability to capture and store carbon – an important benefit in the fight against climate change. This project marks the launch of NEFF’s new effort to conserve Late Successional Old Growth forests across Maine. LSOG forests can store up to five times more carbon than the average forest in the state. This project is made possible through a $4.3 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service.
SUN JOURNAL • May 7, 2026
Tick-borne diseases have become an increasing public health hazard in the state and across the country. Lyme disease cases in Maine have risen every year for the past five years, with a record 4,257 cases logged in 2025. Coastal Maine, especially areas like Hancock, Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties, have been hot spots for deer tick activity, but the range of the deer tick has extended inland and farther north. Before going outdoors, apply tick repellant, wear long-sleeved clothing when hiking and tuck pants into socks, according to the Maine CDC. Once inside, check clothing for ticks and put clothes immediately into the dryer on high heat when returning.
TIMES RECORD • May 7, 2026
A small town sitting along the Cathance River has received a large federal contribution to a nearly two-decades-long trail project that officials hope will boost tourism and outdoor recreation in central Maine. Bowdoinham’s $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation is meant to improve connectivity on the 26-mile Merrymeeting Trail that runs through Topsham, Bowdoinham, Richmond and Gardiner. Yvette Meunier, Bowdoinham’s director of planning and development, said, “This is a major milestone for the Merrymeeting Trail. It’s going to allow Bowdoinham and Richmond to complete the full design and engineering work to move the trail forward.”
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 5, 2026
Several places throughout the Midcoast region offer discounts on seedlings this time of year, from small farms to nonprofits like the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust. Seed sales typically start in late April and run through late May:
• Villageside Farm, 122 Belfast Road, Freedom
• Sound Pine Farm, 47 Pennellville Road, Brunswick
• Farthest Field Farm, 3 Prout Road, Freeport
• Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust, Tom Settlemire Community Garden, Maurice Drive, Brunswick
• Dandelion Spring Farm and The Hive, 961 Ridge Road, Bowdoinham
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 7, 2026
Mainers should expect to see another dry summer — and along with it another year with low numbers of browntail moths, which as caterpillars shed tiny hairs that can cause itchy rashes and respiratory problems. Thomas Schmeelk, an entomologist for the Maine Forest Service, said Mainers statewide who have been experiencing high levels of browntail moths will not have to worry about seeing these as often this year. Although he expects there to be a population drop, the state has identified two hot spots that could see some browntail moth activity: west of Sebago Lake and the Turner/Livermore Falls area.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 6, 2026
The Cape Elizabeth Land Trust is hosting a trail opening on Saturday, the first opportunity for the public to explore the 0.7 mile new trail on the 32.5-acre addition to the Davis Forest on Spurwink Avenue, which brought the wooded parcel up to 47.88 acres and 1.3 miles of trails. The land trust also added two trails to connect the new section with abutting conserved lands.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 6, 2026
Ted Turner, the media mogul, philanthropist and conservationist who built CNN and was once the nation’s largest private landowner, is being remembered by a Maine outdoors writer for his work protecting trout habitat in the western United States. Turner died Wednesday at 87. Paul Guernsey, a Maine author and former editor of Fly Rod & Reel magazine, said Turner’s environmental efforts were significant enough that the publication once honored him with its Angler of the Year award. The magazine, published in Rockport by Down East, ceased publication in 2017. The magazine recognized Turner for efforts to restore Westslope cutthroat trout habitat. Some anglers opposed the move because they enjoyed fishing for the non-native trout. Fly Rod & Reel later received a flood of letters criticizing the award decision.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 6, 2026
On the day before he died, Robert R. Young appeared to have made a dramatic change to his will to to auction off his family’s seafood restaurant in Belfast. The new will would have meant disinheriting Young’s son, Raymond, who sued his siblings. Maine’s highest court will weigh in on the future of Robert Young’s estate and restaurant. One lawyer says the appeal highlights tension between the roles of the superior and probate courts, after 2 judges reached different rulings in the lawsuit.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 5, 2026
The Biddeford Zoning Board of Appeals has rejected an appeal by the University of New England to allow the school to cut down dozens of trees as part of its proposed Saco River pier project. UNE wanted to remove the 49 trees from its property to clear the path of the access road to the planned pier, university staff said. The university applied for a permit to clear the trees in March, which was initially denied by the city in April. Zoning board members said Monday that because of a moratorium adopted in January that pauses UNE developments for 180 days, the tree-cutting project could not move forward.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 5, 2026
The city of Belfast wants to generate more solar power to offset its rising municipal electricity consumption, driven by a transition from heating oil to heat pumps. Since 2014, Belfast has built three solar arrays. The largest, located near the Public Works Department on Crocker Road, went into service in 2019. For a period of time, the three arrays offset nearly all of the city’s electricity consumption and delivery costs. “As we’ve increased the amount we use, the solar doesn’t cover as much,” City Manager Erin Herbig said.
SUN JOURNAL • May 5, 2026
Protecting the Lake Auburn watershed is critical to the future health and financial well-being of Lewiston-Auburn and greater Androscoggin County. That was the word from local officials Tuesday at the Androscoggin River Watershed Council’s annual conference in Auburn. The conference focused on topics, including shoreland stabilization, PFAS and climate change. Planning for resilient water supplies and lake protection, particularly Lake Auburn, were also topics of conversation.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 5, 2026
A contractor has been chosen to permanently close a troubled Bucksport landfill that once took waste from a local paper mill, almost three years after the state ordered the scrap metal company that owns it to shut it down. That’s a big step toward closing the site permanently and is an indicator that continued attempts to reopen it have come to an end. Orono-based Sargent Corp. was chosen to do the work for American Iron and Metal, a subsidiary of which bought the Verso mill site and its holdings in 2015. Engineers hired by AIM estimated last year that the closure would cost more than $13.4 million, according to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
