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
SUN JOURNAL • April 9, 2026
The Optimist Clubs of Maine ask you to join them in picking up roadside trash any time from Earth Day, Wednesday. April 22, through Sunday, April 26. All you have to do to participate is commit to spending at least one hour picking up trash in your neighborhood. By volunteering to help, you could win a restaurant coupon for a meal from a local participating restaurant. Get your family, friends, schoolmates or neighbors to help you, then contact any Optimist Club member, email gwmathews91@gmail.com, or call 783 5269 for more information, to start an Earth Day Cleanup in your community, or to register to win a restaurant gift certificate.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 9, 2026
A developer who explored building a hyperscale data center in southern Aroostook County scrapped the project because of inadequate infrastructure and a temporary ban on the facilities that is advancing through the Maine Legislature. The data center, which has not been previously reported, was proposed for the Houlton area within the last year and was envisioned to use 50-200 megawatts. Data centers have drawn criticism for straining power grids and fresh water supply. A data center that could scale up to 50 megawatts is in the works in a warehouse on the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone. Other proposals in Lewiston, Wiscasset and Jay have been killed or halted because of backlash from residents or legislative initiatives.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 8, 2026
The city of Biddeford is appealing to Maine’s highest court as it challenges a permit that would allow the University of New England to build a controversial research pier on the Saco River. The appeal to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, which the city announced Wednesday, comes weeks after a York County Superior Court justice dismissed the city’s complaint for review. The city alleges that the 2024 decision ignored a long-standing 250-foot vegetative buffer zone on the Saco River. The city also recently denied UNE’s permit applications to cut down trees near the proposed pier site and for a proposed renovation of Decary Hall.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 8, 2026
At the Tremont annual town meeting on May 11, voters will have a historic opportunity to allow regulated deer hunting. If approved, it would reverse Mount Desert Island’s 100-year history of no deer hunting. Last year at this time, a Down East lawmaker sponsored a bill that would have opened all of Mount Desert Island to regulated deer hunting. That bill, unfortunately, never made it out of legislative committee. These deer hunting initiatives on the island have been driven by high deer densities, which have led to more deer-vehicle crashes and growing concern among residents about Lyme disease. Even ardent anti-hunters can have a change of heart when their personal lives and property are affected by deer overpopulation. If passed, the Tremont proposal would allow hunting by archery and shotgun only.
WABI-TV5 • April 8, 2026
The Maine Warden Service held its annual awards ceremony recognizing game wardens for exceptional performance in 2025. Retired Col.
• 2025 Game Warden Of The Year – Game Warden Sergeant Chad Robertson
• 2025 Game Warden Supervisor Of The Year – Game Warden Sergeant Kyle Hladik
• Legendary Game Warden Of The Year – Herbert “Bill” Vernon
• 2025 Special Recognition Award – Game Warden Corporal Chris Dyer
• K9 Search and Rescue Case of the Year – Game Warden Jake Voter
• 2025 Conservation K9 Case of the Year Award – Game Warden Kayle Hamilton
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 8, 2026
Portland Parks Conservancy and city officials will break ground Friday on a 3.5-acre park that they hope will be the first phase of a broader effort to turn the eastern waterfront into public greenspace extending from the Maine State Pier to the new Portland Foreside development. Now known as Portland Harbor Common, the park at the corner of Commercial and India streets will be built on the former queuing lines for the now-defunct Nova Scotia ferry. After more than five years of planning and fundraising, the parking lot at the site will transform into a network of walking and biking trails, with trees, native plantings, lawn areas, space for events or food trucks, lighting, and more.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 8, 2026
A women-led grassroots effort to preserve one of Maine’s most iconic landscapes is gaining momentum in Searsport, where the Wild Blueberry Collective has taken steps toward purchasing 158 acres of blueberry barrens with the goal of returning the land to the community. Formed out of friendship and a shared sense of purpose, the Wild Blueberry Collective began in 2021 when Gloria Pearse and Crystal Vaccaro realized they were not alone in their desire to “do something good for the world.” What followed was the assembling of a small but determined group of eight women, many with professional backgrounds in fields ranging from horticulture to education, united by a commitment to land stewardship, community access and cultural preservation. The group has since evolved into a nonprofit organization focused on protecting wild blueberry barrens, a landscape that is rapidly disappearing across Maine.
MAINE PUBLIC • April 7, 2026
Border crossings into Maine continue to fall, as government statistics show Canadian tourists are shifting their travel away from the U.S. In Maine, there was a 17% year-over-year drop in the number of people crossing the border through the first two months of 2026, continuing a downward trend that began at the start of President Donald Trump's amid fallout from tariffs, immigration crackdowns, and Trump's comments about making Canada the 51st state.
FRIENDS OF CASCO BAY • April 8, 2026
Over the past several months, students have stepped outside the studio to experience the Bay by participating in a shoreline cleanup, visiting Little Diamond Island, and learning about the dirty history of Casco Bay with our staff. Along the way, they’ve explored the science, stories, and environmental challenges affecting our coastal waters, from pollution and climate change to habitat health. This exhibit showcases how those experiences took shape in their creative work—offering fresh perspectives on the waters that define our region and inviting viewers to see Casco Bay through a new lens. April 8, 2026, 5:30-6:30 p.m., at Maine College of Art & Design, Congress Street Lobby, 522 Congress Street, Portland, Maine, free
MAINE MORNING STAR • April 8, 2026
The emerald ash borer, an invasive species of beetle, is creeping across Maine, bringing the possibility of near-total extinction for the state’s ash species, and a potentially devastating loss to what Richard Silliboy, a member of the Mi’kmaq tribe and a master basketmaker, calls “the oldest art in the Northeast.” But so far, a majority of Maine’s trees are alive and healthy, and tribe members, scientists and government officials are trying to keep it that way. Basketmakers favor brown ash because of the way its rings grow, without fibers connecting them. When a log is pounded with a mallet or axe the rings split easily and can be shaved thinner and cut into strips for weaving. A 2023 study predicted that 95 percent of Maine’s ash trees will be dead by 2040. Combining forestry science with native knowledge is at the heart of the “all-hands-on-deck” approach to protection and restoration.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 8, 2026
This March, Ahold Delhaize, owner of Hannaford and four other grocery chains in the U.S., committed to switching to 100% cage-free eggs by 2032 in all its stores. The company has clearly laid out a path to get there and agreed to show its progress along the way. This is groundbreaking. For hens, the difference is real. In cage systems, birds are kept in spaces so small they can’t spread their wings. Cage-free systems give hens more room to move and live more naturally. Maine is not one of the 11 tates have banned raising hens in battery cages. But Mainers don’t need to go vegan today to make a difference. A good start would be to purchase cage-free eggs and help Hannaford go cage-free by 2032. ~ Beth Gallie, Maine Animal Coalition, South Portland
CENTRAL MAINE • April 8, 2026
Warming temperatures means birds will be looking for places to nest, lay eggs, and raise their young. Some of the places they choose may not be good, for birds or humans. So what can you do? In Maine it is illegal to take, possess, or needlessly destroy the nest or eggs of a wild bird, except for a handful of birds that are considered nonnative species. The federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 prohibits moving or destroying a nest with eggs or chicks in it without a federal permit. Further, adult birds will usually abandon a nest, and the eggs or babies in it, if it’s moved even a short distance. A strip of aluminum foil tacked up nearby usually dissuades birds from persisting in a spot. Make another part of your property more desirable to the birds. If prevention doesn’t work and birds have moved in, have patience with your new feathered friends, and try to enjoy watching the birds grow up. They won’t be there long, usually only two or three weeks. North America has lost nearly three billion breeding birds since 1970, which is roughly one out of every four birds.
REUTERS • April 7, 2026
House Democrats questioned the legality of the Trump administration's deal to return nearly $1 billion to TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), opens new tab to stop the development of two U.S. offshore wind farms, according to letters sent to administration officials and the French energy company.
MAINE MORNING STAR • April 7, 2026
After failing to get the necessary votes to advance a multi-bond package last week, Maine lawmakers are taking another crack at it, this time trying for only one agriculture bond. The Senate took the bond bill, LD 2094, up again Monday, and approved a floor amendment that stripped it down to just the $45 million bond for agriculture, farming and forestry programs. One day later, the majority of the House of Representatives agreed to the changes, though it remains unclear if enough lawmakers will support the proposal for the bond to ultimately be sent to voters. The amendment came after farmers returned to the State House Monday, for the second time in three weeks, to rally in support of the funding.
NATIONAL PARKS TRAVELER • April 7, 2026
For nearly 21 years, the National Parks Traveler has served as a public messenger alerting Americans to the wonders of the National Park System … and the threats that plague them. But now, at a time when we need more journalists to follow what’s going on in the parks and with the National Park Service, the Traveler is at a crossroads. Without the arrival of a patron saint of both the parks and the journalism that chronicles them, one with the resources who will commit to continue the Traveler’s mission and evolution, the operation will go dark this summer. This is a plea for someone who can embrace the Traveler’s mission and has the financial resources, or access to them, to install the next editorial generation at the news organization. After operating this content-rich news outlet year after year with the faintest of shoestring budgets, shuttering the Traveler appears to be the only option unless a sustainability path appears. ~ Kurt Repanshek, National Parks Traveler’s Founder and Editor in Chief
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY • April 7, 2026
President Trump just released his annual proposed budget, which includes severe cuts to conservation and climate programs. These significant cuts to safeguarding nature are similar to drastic reductions proposed to many of these programs last year. And we simply can't let them happen. Especially since we now have hard data showing that investing in nature is one of the smartest investments our government can make because of the tangible benefits it creates. The next steps in setting the federal budget now sit with Congress. We need to show them that the return on investment in conservation programs is huge — an average return of $4 for every $1 spent. In some cases, it's even higher, like saving $7 in future disaster costs for every $1 spent on conservation.
MAINE AUDUBON • April 7, 2026
There is always something special happening at Fields Pond Audubon Center. Nestled on 230 acres of varied habitat, our center hosts day camp programs that are rooted in connecting local youth to the natural world through curiosity, exploration, and hands-on discovery. Recently that mission has come to life in some truly inspiring ways. One highlight from our recent vacation camps has been a new activity developed in partnership with the Maine Forest Service. Campers were introduced to the invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA), a tiny insect with a big impact on Maine hemlock trees. Equipped with dichotomous keys (tools used to identify species using paired choices), magnifiers, and data sheets, the campers took to the woods where they identified hemlock trees and searched for signs of HWA. The kids then contributed their findings to a real community scientific effort through the Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s ongoing HWA monitoring project. Another exciting collaboration has been with Bangor’s Husson University, where pre-service educators are joining us at camp! This gives campers an opportunity to work with and learn from university students, and provides Husson students invaluable hands-on environmental education experience.
UMAINE • April 7, 2026
The UMaine Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Conservation Biology, one of the oldest programs of its kind in the country with origins dating to the 1930s, prepares students to manage fish and wildlife resources while supporting Maine’s outdoor economy and natural heritage. “Our mission is to advance fish and wildlife management and promote the conservation of biodiversity,” said Erik J. Blomberg, professor and chair of the department. “We’re preparing students to think critically and apply science to real-world problems.” At UMaine, that preparation is built around experiential learning. More than half of courses in the wildlife ecology major include outdoor labs and fieldwork, and a required immersive field course in Downeast Maine is commonly cited by students as their most important college experience.
TIMES RECORD • April 7, 2026
Explorations by the Artemis II are a really big deal — the first crewed moon mission since 1972 — and one that took humans farther away from Earth than ever before — more than 250,000 miles! One of the things about looking down at the Earth from space is that you see how obviously blue the planet is. The “blue marble” image taken by Apollo 17 showed the world with remarkable clarity how much of the Earth is water. With more than 70% of the Earth’s surface covered by water, it simultaneously makes me wonder why we know so little about the Earth’s oceans and also understand that their vastness makes it seem impossible that we will ever understand a fraction of what there is to learn. It is a humbling reminder of how little we know about our planet and, while this mission focuses on space, a reminder that there is so much more to be learned under the water and opportunities for exploration there as well. ~ Susan Olcott
