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Editor, Maine Environmental News

Waterville plans block party, exhibit to celebrate 50 years of Common Ground Country Fair

CENTRAL MAINE • September 2, 2026

An exhibit featuring the fair’s posters will be open at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center in Waterville for most of September. Waterville Creates is working with MOFGA on a block party Friday, 4-7 p.m., to kick things off. The Common Ground Country Fair will run from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25 and 26, and from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, at 294 Crosby Brook Road in Unity.

Lobsters remain plentiful in Maine, but outside forces cast uncertainty on industry

HARPSWELL ANCHOR • September 1, 2026

It might be hard to say how lobsters and the industry are doing. Lobster rolls might cost more, but they’re still available. Lobstermen are at the mercy of a range of outside forces: economic, ecological and regulatory. Trends in the lobster harvest and its value suggest lobstering is in a healthy position. But zooming out to include factors such as global trade and climate change show there is much uncertainty. From 1950 until the end of the 1980s, Maine lobstermen were landing around 20 million pounds of lobster each year. The high point Maine hit in 2016, when lobstermen landed nearly 133 million pounds. The trend of the last decade, however, has been down. Richard Wahle, a lobster biologist and former director of the University of Maine’s Lobster Institute, warns that long-term climate predictions suggest warming will be the predominant trend in coming decades.

Aroostook County teacher’s new business taps into decades-long obsession with native plants

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 2, 2026

Shelly Bouchard has been teaching students about sustainability and the uses of plants for over a decade and now she just opened a new business, Meadowsweet Herbals, to help others and sell her natural remedies.

Jared Golden’s bill to extend pause on lobster rules clears House

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 1, 2026

The House passed U.S. Rep. Jared Golden’s bill that would extend a pause on new right whale protection rules to 2035, sending Maine lobstermen’s top legislative priority to the Senate. The Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act passed 219-196 on Tuesday. Golden and Rep. Chellie Pingree, Maine’s two Democratic members, voted yes, but the tally leaned heavily Republican. Only 10 Democrats voted yes and two Republicans voted no.

York voters could make a single-use plastic ban permanent in November

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 1, 2026

York restaurants haven’t been allowed to use plastic straws, utensils or stir sticks since the town’s first-in-the-state ban went into effect in May 2025. But a sunset clause baked into the ordinance means it could be lifted on Dec. 31. Now, officials have decided to ask voters if the ban should be made permanent. The ordinance was proposed by a group of high school studentsand originally included single-use containers and cups. The Select Board was apprehensive of such a drastic change, especially because biodegradable materials are usually more expensive. Town Manager Peter Joseph said amending the ordinance made it easier for businesses to adapt and has led to a 100% compliance rate.

Opinion: With tick-borne illnesses surging, we must strengthen research, prevention, and education

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 1, 2026

Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses continue to pose a major public health threat. An estimated 500,000 Americans are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year, an increase of more than 2,000 percent over the last 20 years. Here in Maine, a record 4,200 cases were reported in 2025, more than three times the number reported in 2020. Experts predict tick populations will increase again this year following a winter that was not consistently cold enough to reduce their numbers. Nearly seven years ago, a bill which I co-authored was signed into law. It established a comprehensive approach to combat Lyme and other vector-borne diseases at the national, state, and local levels. Earlier this month, I led legislation strengthening that landmark law passed the Senate. I am optimistic the House will pass the bill before the end of the year. ~ Susan M. Collins represents Maine in the U.S. Senate

Tour boat spots great white shark feeding on a seal off MDI

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 31, 2026

Another great white shark was spotted feeding on a seal off Mount Desert Island on Sunday, according to a Bar Harbor whale watching company. It was at least the second sighting of the apex predator in the waters off MDI in August, joining what appears to be a growing number of shark encounters off Maine’s coastline in recent years.

At 91, Dale ‘Grey Beard’ Sanders reclaims record as oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 31, 2026

More than 14 million older adults fall every year in the U.S., perhaps none so often as 91-year-old Dale Sanders. By his count, Sanders fell 71 times while reclaiming his record as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. Six were what he calls hard falls, including one that led to a brief hospitalization and another just 200 yards from the finish. But none were enough to permanently divert him from the 2,193-mile trail that runs between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Katahdin in Maine.

Column: Bear population is right where it needs to be

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 31, 2026

For a brief period, there were efforts to increase hunting opportunities with the goal of increasing the bear harvest. Opposition was strong enough to quell them, and we have since learned that was not necessarily a bad thing. Thanks to our Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and its careful stewardship of a public resource, our bear population is right about where it should be. Let’s hope the agency, and we hunters, can keep it that way by preserving the measures in place to do so. ~ Bob Humphrey

Column: Hiking the Cobscook Shores trails

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 31, 2026

The Shore Trail to Black Duck Cove on Seward Neck in North Lubec provides the opportunity to hike in an area where the once-booming herring fishing industry thrived and is now protected by Cobscook Shores. The 5-mile roundtrip trek begins on the west side of North Lubec Road about 2 miles north of Route 189 in Lubec. Not only are the Cobscook Shores trails a great alternative when it’s too windy to paddle, they are an outstanding destination. ~ Ron Chase

Opinion: Make Maine walkable again

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 30, 2026

Being able to walk to day-to-day destinations is important for the vast majority of Americans, but our residential communities aren’t designed for it. Mainers are no different. Local surveys and planning projects in Falmouth, Presque Isle, Rumford, Waterville and others demonstrate walkability is a preference across generations and across the state. Not only is pedestrian access to nearby amenities and services important for individual health and happiness, walkability is a proven economic engine that benefits local businesses and raises tax revenue for communities. Although cars have long been symbols of American freedom, we shouldn’t forget the foundational role of connectedness by rail, trail, coach and trolley in building our economic centers and freeing us to explore the best of what’s out there. ~ Aaron R. Hanlon, Waterville

Maine bear discovers the perfect napping spot

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 31, 2026

Ben Utecht has several bait sites for hunting bears in the North Maine Woods. His sites are remote, requiring a 3-mile, one-way canoe paddle and a short hike. Because of low water conditions, he had to reroute access to some sites or walk through two feet of mud. Due to the difficulty reaching the area, his bait, which consists of expired food, is placed in a pack for portability. This time, though, he forgot the pack at the bait site, and his trail camera captured something quite amusing — a bear picking the pack up, checking it out and then finally using it as a pillow to sleep on. Utecht did get his pack back, and surprisingly, it was unharmed.

At 91, Dale ‘Grey Beard’ Sanders reclaims record as oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 31, 2026

Letter: A suggestion for keeping dog waste off Maine’s beaches

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 30, 2026

Dogs are beautiful and loving. Most owners take remarkable care of them. They even pick up their droppings. But they cannot pick up urine as it seeds the beach for young children’s bare feet. Even worse, when babies put their hands in their mouths. With so many changes happening in 2026, let us inaugurate a change that benefits the entire community and the diseased ocean: No dogs on any beach in Maine. ~ Aurelie Bald, South Portland

Maine waited years for a Lyme vaccine. RFK hobbled the panel needed for a smooth rollout

MAINE MORNING STAR • August 28, 2026

With rates of Lyme disease on the rise in Maine, physicians are eager for a Lyme vaccine to assist patients. One is on the horizon, but its future availability is up in the air because the Trump administration has effectively eliminated the federal committee that would provide guidance on the new vaccine. What does this mean for the Lyme vaccine? According to vaccine law experts and former members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, there is no way to know whether the Lyme vaccine will receive the needed recommendations for the rollout to be accessible to consumers.

Maine waited years for a Lyme vaccine. RFK hobbled the panel needed for a smooth rollout

MAINE MONITOR • August 28, 2026

With rates of Lyme disease on the rise in Maine, physicians are eager for a Lyme vaccine to assist patients. One is on the horizon, but its future availability is up in the air because the Trump administration has effectively eliminated the federal committee that would provide guidance on the new vaccine. What does this mean for the Lyme vaccine? According to vaccine law experts and former members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, there is no way to know whether the Lyme vaccine will receive the needed recommendations for the rollout to be accessible to consumers.

Column: Do eastern bluebirds leave and come back?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 29, 2026

Not all bluebirds migrate. They are known as partial migrants; some of them will migrate south, while others will winter on or near their breeding grounds. Unless an individual is banded, it can be nearly impossible to tell if it is a returning bird. The southern (less migratory) birds are more likely to breed in the same place, at around 40% of the time, compared to more northern birds that return to breed 26% of the time. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox

Letter: Safety, pollution concerns on the Eastern Prom

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 29, 2026

Eastern Prom has become a common setting for cars and motorcycles showboating with speed and sound both the day and night. I have recently seen both a bicyclist and a motorcyclist in minor accidents and a very close call with a small child and a speeding truck. The employment of speed bumps and other devices to slow traffic on the Prom and Cutter Street seems critical. Also, why a metered electrical service for the food trucks has not been installed? The noise and pollution from the seven generators is ridiculous. ~ John Stewart, Portland

Federal arts leader has ‘extraordinary’ visit to Lewiston museum during Maine tour

SUN JOURNAL • August 28, 2026

The head of the National Endowment for the Arts wrapped up her three-day visit to Maine on Friday afternoon with a visit to the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor, which moved this summer into a new $15 million building along the Androscoggin River. “It’s projects like this that can change a town, change a community,” said Mary Anne Carter, chairman of the NEA, the country’s largest funder of the arts. According to Carter, 18,000 Mainers work in the arts and culture sector, and the industry contributes $3 billion to the state’s economy.