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October ‘radio hour’ explores conservation efforts and a budget crisis in Washington County

MAINE MONITOR • November 2, 2026

In this episode of The Maine Monitor Radio Hour, environment reporter Delger Erdenesanaa and Monitor Local editor Judy Meyer spoke with editor Kate Cough about their reporting on conservation efforts around the state and the budget crisis in Washington County.

Obituary: Howard C. Weymouth

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 2, 2026

Howard C. Weymouth, 74, passed away peacefully October 31, 2026, at his home surrounded by family. Howard grew up in Abbot and graduated from Piscataquis Community High School in 1970. He received a degree in forest management from Unity College and worked for Great Northern Paper Company and its successor companies spanning 45 years, finally retiring from Katahdin Timberlands in 2017. During his career as a forester, he was involved in laying out portions of the Golden Road, was the project leader of the spruce budworm program, and managed the company's land lease program.

Opinion: Aquaculture’s challenges must not be swept under the rug

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 2, 2026

The Maine Aquaculture Association purports to promote “economically and environmentally sustainable business practices” and has described its advocacy for clean water in strong terms. A recent presentation, however, did not acknowledge or address alleged Clean Water Act violations and pending litigationinvolving Cooke Aquaculture, a major player in Maine’s aquaculture industry. Nor did it address concerns about the ownership and financial interests behind Maine shellfish aquaculture operations, including reports of oyster aquaculture lease interests being controlled by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, a multibillion-dollar foreign institutional investor. ~ Kelsey Fenwick, St. George

Letter: Trapping predators is not the answer

CENTRAL MAINE • November 2, 2026

Your Oct. 19 article on Maine’s growing interest in trapping profiles a man who plans to trap the predators that have been killing his chickens. The answer is not a trapline; it is a better coop. Foxes, raccoons, fishers and other predators are doing what they have always done: finding food where it is easiest to get. A sturdy, fully enclosed run with buried hardware cloth and a coop locked at night will protect chickens far more reliably than killing whichever animals happen to wander by. Keeping pet cats indoors protects them from predators, cars and traps, and protects the songbirds they would otherwise kill. These solutions simply ask us to take responsibility for our own land and our own animals. Wildlife should not suffer in a trap, and be killed season after season, because we chose not to be good stewards. ~ Martha Macdonald, Waterford

484 young river herring swam through a reshaped hydropower turbine at a small Maine mill dam, and nearly all of them came out alive

THE PULSE • Nov 1, 2026

A trap waits at the end of a pipe on a small stream in Maine. Water rushes through it toward a spinning wheel of metal. Somewhere inside, a handful of silvery fish no longer than a finger are about to find out if they survive the trip. For decades the answer at dams like this one was grim. At Freedom Falls, a small hydro plant, something different happened. What changed inside that spinning wheel is the whole story. A turbine maker bulit a runner with fewer, thicker blades, rounded leading edges and a forward slant running from the hub out to the blade tip. The clearance around those blades matters. The setting for the real test was Freedom Falls, a 35 kilowatt hydropower project at a refurbished historical mill dam on Sandy Stream in Maine. The pooled immediate survival estimate was 98.2 percent, and the pooled 48 hour estimate was 100 percent.

Letter: Traps don’t distinguish between pets and predators

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • November 1, 2026

The Oct. 19 article “Interest in trapping grows in Maine” was very concerning. Not only for all the wild animals, as well as pets, that unknowingly step into a cruel trap that causes immense suffering, injury and ultimate death, but also for the misinformation it spreads about how to successfully control predator populations that commonly prey on backyard chickens and small livestock. People must fortify their coops, not try to kill every fox or coyote — they’ll never win. Responsible animal keeping is achievable with a bit of understanding of how to keep predators at bay naturally, without cruelty or killing. Hunting or trapping of predators to address a predator problem is a fool’s errand. ~ Arielle Cousens, Readfield

Maine Field Notes: Is there such a thing as too young to hike?

SUN JOURNAL • November 1, 2026

Amanda Laliberte, director of engagement for High Peaks Alliance, a western Maine conservation organization, encourages parents to begin with manageable outings. “Start small, follow your child’s pace, and make the outing about discovery rather than distance,” Laliberte said. “Bring snacks and water, stop to explore, and turn around before everyone is tired. A positive short walk builds enthusiasm for the next adventure.”

Is it a grouse or a partridge?

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 1, 2026

Veteran upland bird gunners would argue that the difference between grouse and partridge mostly depends on your location: Aroostook County or southern Maine. Many waterfowl and upland enthusiasts won’t fire their scattergun unless the target is in the air. I’ve hunted for several decades and shot Ol’ Pat sitting, running and flying. I guarantee you can’t tell the difference once the bird is in a savory stew or frying pan. ~ Bill Graves.

Experienced outdoorsmen still make mistakes. I made one recently in western Maine.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 1, 2026

It was mid-August, and I had a few blank days on the calendar. Blueberry Mountain in western Maine had been on my to-do list for some time. I hastily packed my camping and hiking gear into the truck. Mount Blue State Park Campsite No. 72. I immediately got a sinking feeling. I went to the back seat and there was no green stuff sack with my sleeping bag. With two nights in the low 50s forecast. You knucklehead. I looked for the camp stove. And looked. And looked. Nada. I cleared the picnic table, secured all my gear and jumped into the truck. I was going to Walmart. I found a red sleeping bag on sale for $15. Then I spied a cheap backpacking stove knockoff. $18. It’ll do. I’m a list maker. The key, though, is to actually check things off as you’re loading up. Otherwise, well, you’re gonna forget stuff. ~ Carey Kish

Midcoast algae bloom is gone, but impacts on clammers and farmers could last for years 6

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 31, 2026

September’s algae bloom has faded from the waters around Harpswell, but harvesters and growers are still taking stock of the damage. Some of the most vulnerable species, like worms and soft-shell clams, appear to have been wiped out in certain areas, while hard clams and oysters mostly survived. But with the bloom happening just before winter, growers and harvesters say they will have to wait for spring to know if the stress and lack of nutrients will lead to more losses.

Letter: Protect historic places

PISCATAQUIS OBSERVER • October 31, 2026

Since 1966, the National Historic Preservation Act has ensured that before a federally funded project damages a historic place, the people who live in its community have input. It ensures that federal agencies consult with interested parties to find ways to avoid, minimize or correct any adverse effects on historic resources. A permitting reform bill now before the Senate (the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, S. 5653) would make much of that consultation optional. The bill: removes many federal projects from review, narrows what counts as harm, lets agencies opt out of preservation, replaces consultation with rigid deadlines, punishes partners for federal delay, sharply limits judicial review, undermines Tribal sovereignty and sacred places. Urge U.S. Sens. King and Collins to oppose the bill before the scheduled vote on Nov. 9. ~ Liz McKeil, executive director, Moosehead Marine Museum, Greenville

Maine lobstermen lock down a top Democrat’s support days before Jackson-Collins election

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 31, 2026

A top Senate Democrat whom U.S. Sen. Susan Collins accused this week of blocking a lobstering bill told Maine fishermen in Ellsworth on Saturday that she would help move it. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, held the closed-door meeting with former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, the Democrat challenging Collins in Tuesday’s election. The bill, championed by outgoing U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, (D-ME) would extend a pause on federal rules meant to protect endangered whales from 2028 through 2035. Environmental groups oppose the extension, noting the right whale population is estimated at roughly 380.

Wildfire jumps fire lines, burns nearly 20 acres in Casco

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 31, 2026

A wildfire ignited Saturday morning and burned through nearly 20 acres near Coffee Pond in Casco before crews were able to contain it.

Few know about this trail in Acadia National Park

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 31, 2026

Acorns rolled and crunched beneath my boots as I followed Breakneck Road deeper into the wilderness of Acadia National Park. It measures about 2.5 miles long. Boarded by towering oaks and sugar maples, the old roadway serves as a little-known walking path, with wintergreen and sweet ferns encroaching on its gravel base. So what’s with the name “Breakneck”? In the 19th century, the road was open to carriages headed to Northeast Harbor. It earned its dark name from several carriage accidents that took place on the steep hill that the road descends before crossing Breakneck Brook.

With a shortage of young striped bass, Maine anglers fear for their sport’s future

MAINE MONITOR • October 30, 2026

From May to October each year, hundreds of thousands of anglers fan out across the Maine coast, casting their lines from beaches, piers and boats. Most are fishing for Atlantic striped bass, affectionately called “stripers,” which make up the largest recreational saltwater fishery in the state. For now, the fishing is good, with plenty of big stripers around to catch (and mostly, release). But a current of anxiety runs underneath the sport and the industry. Captain Marco Lamothe, who runs Keeper Charters out of Saco, went on more than 100 fishing trips this year. He worries about the fishery’s future because he’s not seeing many smaller, younger fish. 

Troy Jackson wants to revive Searsport wind project

MIDCOAST VILLAGER • October 30, 2026

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Troy Jackson wants to revive Maine’s stalled offshore wind ambitions if elected, saying in an interview with the Midcoast Villager that the Waldo County-based project could help lower energy costs and create economic opportunities for generations to come. Jackson, a former Maine Senate president who helped advance the state’s offshore wind plan before President Donald Trump torpedoed it, said he is increasingly inclined to favor building the port to service offshore wind turbines at Mack Point rather than on nearby Sears Island.

Conservationists are buying 2 large midcoast blueberry barrens

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 30, 2026

Two large tracts of wild blueberry land in the midcoast that have been the focus of local conservation efforts since 2025 will soon go to new owners. The Wild Blueberry Collective, a grassroots nonprofit, announced Thursday it had purchased a 138-acre barren parcel in Searsport. Coastal Mountains Land Trust separately said Friday that it’s under contract to buy Blueberry Hill, a 248-property in Belfast. Both were once commercial fields owned by Allen’s Blueberry Freezer, an Ellsworth-based company that sold its facility and most of its midcoast and Hancock County land to Milbridge grower and processor Wyman’s in 2021. Wyman’s is selling hundreds of acres to help fund investment for responding to increasingly unpredictable weather that’s challenging the industry.

Maine adopts $600K mental health safety net for people affected by PFAS

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 30, 2026

Maine has approved a $600,000 program to offer free clinical therapy, peer support and community health services to farmers and residents dealing with the repercussions of forever chemical contamination. The money comes from the state’s $65 million PFAS relief fund. “In addition to being a financial and health issue, PFAS is an emotional issue that affects the whole family,” said Beth Valentine, executive director of the fund. “We hope to offer people the support needed to navigate through their crisis.”

Penobscot Nation conducts its first bear density study on tribal lands

MAINE PUBLIC • October 30, 2026

The Penobscot Nation recently completed its first study of bear populations on tribal lands. Tribal Wildlife Resource Manager Benjamin Simpson said it’s important for the tribe to have its own data. “The state has their wildlife management goals, and the tribe has their own," he said. "And so, to protect that, their sovereignty, my goal is to have data that supports our mission and our goals and our hunting." Simpson said the data will help inform decisions affecting the tribe's spring bear hunt, which is one of only two allowed in the eastern U.S.