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Living with the Land 2026, Nov 12

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • November 3, 2026

This event brings together conservation leaders, community members, and land stewards to explore how creative projects and community initiatives on conserved land can strengthen community health and holistic well-being. Attendees will have dedicated time before the panel to connect with one another and interact with panelists through dedicated time for Q&A. At Johnson Hall, 280 Water Street, Gardiner, Maine, November 12, 5-8 pm, General Admission, $30.

Wildfire in White Mountain National Forest grows to more than 375 acres

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 3, 2026

A wildfire just over the Maine border in New Hampshire has grown. The 378-acre Wild River Fire is approximately 11% contained, Sarah Hankens, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service at White Mountain National Forest, said Tuesday afternoon. The fire is on the northwest side of the Wild River in Coos County, New Hampshire, in an area west of Mount Hastings. As the blaze spread, the Forest Service’s response grew from 40 assigned personnel on Monday to 50 on Tuesday. The cause is under investigation.

Salt Bay Farm interpretive panels explore the region’s rich environmental history

BOOTHBAY REGISTER • November 3, 2026

Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust is pleased to announce the installation of four new interpretive panels along the trails at the Salt Bay Farm Preserve. The displays were funded by the Maine State Archives and the Maine State Cultural Affairs Council through the Maine Semiquincentennial Commission, a grant program that funds inclusive, community-centered initiatives honoring Maine's past and inspiring its future as the nation marks its 250th anniversary. Coastal Rivers’ interpretive signage project invites visitors to explore how natural resources have shaped human life in the Damariscotta region for thousands of years. They connect past and present land use through the stories of oysters, alewives, timber and shipbuilding, and farming. 

The Axe Man’s collection preserves Oakland’s toolmaking history

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 3, 2026

Howard Hardy’s lifelong fascination with axes began in 1965 when, as a 12-year-old, he watched his father chop wood on the family’s 300-acre Farmington woodlot. That early spark was rekindled in 1978. He now has hundreds of vintage Oakland-made axes. From 1900 through the end of World War II in 1945, Oakland, Maine, produced more axes, scythes, and edge tools than any community in the world.

Royal River Restoration

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • November 3, 2026

What a difference a dam removal makes. It's amazing to see the transformation since the Bridge Street Dam was removed this summer. After more than 350 years of dams, the Royal River Alliance is restoring the river's natural flow and opening the way for migratory fish to return to their spawning grounds. Just one more dam to go, at East Elm Street.

Loon study reveals troubling trends, but Maine may be a bright spot

MAINE PUBLIC • November 3, 2026

A new study indicates widespread and long-term declines in loon populations across the birds' southern breeding range. But Maine appears to be a bright spot, where loon productivity — the number of surviving chicks per breeding pair — is growing slightly.

Letter: Buying American has drawbacks for builders

SUN JOURNAL • November 3, 2026

Sen. Angus King recently introduced the Build American Efficiency Act to cut the red tape developers must navigate. While this act could streamline development, it also has drawbacks. The act would require developers to source materials domestically, which can prolong building processes when people need housing now. Minority communities disproportionately feel the effects of the housing crisis; they end up in old structures that often contain unsafe chemicals like lead paint and asbestos. We can encourage our representatives to focus on policies that directly benefit the people they represent, instead of marginalizing those already on the outskirts. ~ Chloe Pierce, Cumberland

Opinion: Congress should take this chance to address climate change and lower energy costs

Congress is about to consider legislation that would significantly reduce emissions, accelerate a transition to clean renewable energy, and lower energy costs for Maine and the nation. The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act is a comprehensive package of permitting reforms. The Senate bill advances climate goals and supports clean energy while maintaining important environmental safeguards. Our bipartisan Maine delegation, long champions for climate action and stabilizing prices, should not let this opportunity pass. ~ Peter Dugas, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, and Jeff Marks, ClimateWork Maine

Roughly 300-acre wildfire burning just over Maine border in New Hampshire

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 2, 2026

A wildfire was raging in roughly 300 acres of the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire as of Monday, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The fire is on the northwest side of the Wild River, in an area west of Mount Hastings (which is located just over the state border in Maine’s Oxford County). The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Westbrook bans standalone data centers

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 2, 2026

The Westbrook City Council voted unanimously Monday night to prohibit standalone data centers. The city updated its land use ordinance to remove the use of data centers from the Rock Row Contract Zone. However, it still allows data centers as an accessory use, like server rooms and IT rooms for hospitals and other large organizations. The move follows the 180-day moratorium City Council passed in June to give the planning board time to review the city’s ordinances and provide a recommendation.

Feds declare drought a natural disaster in much of Maine, unlocking relief in 14 counties

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 2, 2026

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated seven Maine counties as natural disaster areas due to the ongoing drought, unlocking relief for farmers, businesses and nonprofits throughout most of the state. The primary counties designated as natural disaster areas by the USDA last week are Cumberland, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc and Waldo. The USDA also declared Maine’s drought a natural disaster last year, unlocking similar forms of relief.

Letter: Combatting roadside litter

BOOTHBAY REGISTER • November 2, 2026

Now that the election is over, let’s change our focus. Litter! It’s outrageous. The sides of our roads in beautiful, scenic Maine are turning into dumps. Beer bottles, paper, fast food containers, liquor bottles, tires, unidentifiable trash and even full garbage bags. Why do so many people not realize how wrong it is to throw whatever they want out their car windows? ~ Paula McKenney, Woolwich

Maine to calculate climate pollution damages to state

MAINE PUBLIC • November 2, 2026

Environmental groups are encouraged by Maine's first step toward calculating damage to the state caused by burning fossil fuels sold by major oil companies. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is planning to hire a contactor to assess the climate costs to the state from greenhouse gas emissions over a 30-year period until 2024. Sean Mahoney, director of the Conservation Law Foundation’s Maine advocacy center, said that adding up the financial effects on economic growth, natural resources, public health and other issues in the state is a necessary first step to holding fossil fuel companies responsible for the climate-altering effects of their products. The idea is to create a compensation method for pollution modeled on the federal "superfund" program.

Small landowners encouraged to join budworm spray campaign

MAINE PUBLIC • November 2, 2026

The Maine Forest Service is encouraging small woodlot owners in northern Maine to consider joining a free program aimed at blunting a harmful outbreak of spruce budworm in the region. Allison Kanoti, the service's director of forest health and monitoring, said that in communities around Fort Kent, voracious budworm have eaten developing buds of spruce and fir in recent years, causing extensive defoliation. Kanoti said that because of the patchwork of land ownership in the area, there are places that will likely not be treated and remain "hotspots" for spruce budworm overpopulation. Budworm is a native species that goes through periodic population booms.

The Bangor Mall has been condemned

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 2, 2026

The Bangor Mall has been condemned, according to signs posted in the doors on Monday afternoon. It’s the latest blow to the mall owner, Namdar Realty Group, after more than two years of lawsuits and dwindling businesses inside the nearly 50-year-old mall. “This structure has been deemed unfit for human habitation or use,” the signs read. The condemnation comes as Namdar owes more than $2 million to the city and an insurance company. A local developer was in the process of buying the property in hopes of turning it into a mix of housing and retail, although the deal stalled last month due to the departure of a key investor.

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