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
MAINE PUBLIC • February 20, 2026
Winter is a great time for birding in Maine. Plenty of species are still around, from sea birds to snowy owls. And they can often be easier to spot, with less foliage and more white snow to set off their colors. Learn which birds to look for and where, and find out how to prepare for spring migration. Also, hear about the newly completed Maine Bird Atlas.
MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • February 17, 2026
Friends Katahdin Woods and Waters has elected three new members to the board. Carla Chung Mattix is a 25-year veteran lawyer with the NPS. John Pond is a Patten native and Executive Vice President of Environmental Programs at engineering firm Haley Ward. Linda Qualey of Benedicta spent her career in nonprofit fundraising and management roles.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 18, 2026
A second employee who died this week following a gas leak at a Baileyville paper mill last month was identified Wednesday by the company as a 26-year-old process engineer. Allen Hornberger, who worked in Woodland Pulp’s technical department, died Monday after having been hospitalized since the gas leak late last month. Officials have said the gas appears to have been highly toxic hydrogen sulfide, which was released in the Bleach Plant area of the facility.
SUN JOURNAL • February 18, 2026
Last November, the five chiefs of the Wabanaki Nations met with Gov. Mills to discuss our tribal legislative priorities. The governor was respectful, honest and welcoming. She spoke openly about her concerns about the expansion of gaming in Maine, but also made it clear she is interested in finding ways to support the tribes. We felt this meeting was the best we’ve had with any Maine governor. When she announced her decision earlier this month to allow LD 1164 — the bill to allow the Wabanaki Nations to benefit from iGaming — to become law, we were beyond elated. The governor had extended herself in friendship and trust, and the Wabanaki Nations now have a great achievement to celebrate. This represents the most significant economic progress for the tribes. ~ Pos Bassett, chief of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik; William Nicholas, chief of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 18, 2026
Paul Guernsey lives in Warren, Maine. His fourth novel, “Rolling Back the River,” explores an eroding world with a guide who knows the last of what’s left on the map. Vincent Mapp, like Guernsey himself, is an expert angler on a mission to catch a fish native to Maine in the waters of Argentina. Along the way, he learns to adapt to adventure, loss and the whims of literature at every turn. Guernsey uses humor, grief and field guide precision to take readers on an adventure to Argentina and through time as we roll back the river of his devising. He says, “If we sit around thinking about the good old days, we’re just wasting our time because we’re in a different spot. We have to make the best of our short time in that place. Too many people spend their time trying to roll back up the river. You just have to step out where you can and fish that spot, make the best of that spot and then keep moving.” ~ Lisa Hiton
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 18, 2026
The owner of a trash incinerator in Auburn has failed to pay nearly $700,000 to a contractor, according to a lawsuit filed Friday. Maine Waste to Energy has not paid contractor Zampell Refractories for six different jobs, totaling $678,505, alleged the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Portland. Zampell wants a judge to order the sale of the incinerator and property, with proceeds going to the contractor to pay off the liens, the lawsuit said. Maine is facing a trash crisis as other facilities in the state are either not operating or operating at a reduced capacity and sending trash to landfills. Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town is filling faster than expected and is seeking permission to expand.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 18, 2026
Every winter, Munson Island on West Grand Lake carries on a tradition that has lasted decades. This past weekend, my husband, Ed Tomah, made history by completing a job that normally takes three to five men. He cut and hauled 60 blocks of ice entirely on his own — something no one had ever done before on the island. Large blocks were scored, sawn free, hauled from the lake and stacked inside the ice house on the lower north side of the island. Sawdust was packed, as it still is today, to preserve the blocks through the summer. Through changing times, modern tools and evolving island life, the winter ice harvest has remained meaningful. Three generations of my family have taken part in the work. For us, it has always been more than a job — it’s shared labor, pride and history. ~ Tonya Tobey-Tomah
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 17, 2026
This month, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will submit a report to the Legislature. An excerpt: “To support landowners who voluntarily provide safe, dependable access for the public, Maine must develop funding mechanisms that more equitably share responsibility and provide predictable support for key infrastructure to willing landowners. The recommendations that follow focus on establishing dedicated funding for high-use road systems, creating voluntary cost-sharing opportunities for private landowners and implementing a statewide program to maintain recreational infrastructure across land ownerships. Together, these measures will help secure long-term access and strengthen the overall resilience of Maine’s outdoor recreation network.” The problem of access can be stated plainly: Too much prime hunting land is being posted. What can be done to turn this disturbing trend around? The access problems for hunters are focused in central, southern and coastal Maine, where development and liability concerns continue to change the landscape. ~ V. Paul Reynolds
YOUTUBE • February 17, 2026
Rare birds - especially owls - tempt bad ethical behavior from good birders. How close is too close? Ethics are always personal and sometimes situational. What is the right thing to do around rare birds? Snowy owls, great gray owls, northern hawk-owls, boreal owls and others often get too much attention. ~ Bob Duchesne
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 17, 2026
The Portland International Jetport reached a $125,000 settlement with the city of South Portland in a dispute about the removal of trees and disturbance of wetlands along Interstate 295 as part of a runway approach project last year. The agreement approved by the City Council Tuesday night provides remediation for at least 158 trees that were removed. The $125,000 includes mitigation for 83 trees per the tree ordinance, and the jetport will plant a minimum of 75 mature trees in a buffer area near residential properties. City Manager Scott Morelli welcomed the outcome. Some neighbors, however, were dissatisfied with the agreement, wanting a more substantial financial penalty.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 17, 2026
The recent rescue of a duck hunter in Casco Bay is a stark reminder that wearing a life jacket can save your life when the water is cold. The hunter’s boat began sinking, but he was prepared. With his life jacket on, he stayed afloat until help arrived and has recovered despite severe hypothermia. Not every water emergency ends this well. Life jackets save lives. Don’t take the risk. ~ Gail Kulp, Executive Director, Sea Tow Foundation, Southold, N.Y.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 17, 2026
American Unagi — the first-of-its-kind Waldoboro aquaculture business that grew elvers into full-sized eels — has shuttered, at least for the time being. About a dozen fisherman who netted glass eels for the company last spring are owed thousands of dollars each, according to court records. The business filed for bankruptcy in federal court for the District of Maine in September 2025 and remained in operation as it looked for a new owner to keep the company afloat. Bidders showed “meaningful interest” in the company, founder and CEO Sara Rademaker told elver fishers in an email last week. But nothing materialized.
MAINE PUBLIC • February 17, 2026
Central Maine Power is proposing a temporary rate that could lower an average customer's bill by about $4 a month. "If authorized, this proposal will help protect customers from rising costs, reduce financial risk, continue to strengthen the grid and lower the average residential bill by about $4 a month starting this summer," said CMP President Linda Ball in a press release.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 17, 2026
The Kennebunk Land Trust is undertaking a project to improve accessibility throughout its trail system, seeking to open its pathways to more people. The work — which began last year and is still ongoing — includes making trails wider to allow easier access by people using wheelchairs, improving signage and parking areas, and sharing clearer information about trails’ layouts and difficulty. The physical work of widening trails has begun with a new Alewive Woods Preserve trail, which the land trust describes as its crown jewel. The organization hopes to expand the effort to its other 13 preserves in the future.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 17, 2026
A second person has died following a chemical release at Woodland Pulp mill in Baileyville last month. The worker, who has not been publicly identified, died from injuries sustained from the gas exposure, mill spokesperson Scott Beal confirmed Tuesday. It was not clear Tuesday when the second worker passed away. Kasie Malcolm, a University of Maine junior interning at the mill, died the morning after the exposure on Jan. 27. The workers were exposed to hydrogen sulfide while in the facility’s bleach plant.
MIDCOAST VILLAGER • February 17, 2026
A state board is scheduled to vote Feb. 27 on a consent agreement with Stephen Antonson of Brooklyn, New York, who is accused of poisoning his nonagenarian neighbor’s trees to improve his view of the harbor. The 2022 poisoning involved five to six trees on property at 11 Mechanic St. owned by Ruth Graham, who died in February 2024 at the age of 95. The two homes sit close together, perched above the east side of Rockport Harbor. A Maine Forest Service entomologist noticed declining tree health, large drill holes and curling leaves at the Graham property. Pesticides Control Board representatives conducted an inspection and collected samples of a liquid present in the bore holes of the affected trees. The samples were positive for Imazapic and Triclopyr, common herbicides.
MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • February 17, 2026
The Baxter State Park Visiting Artist Program offers one visual artist two weeks of rustic cabin lodging in September to immerse themselves and draw inspiration from this 200,000+ acre paradise. In return, Visiting Artists are asked to hold one evening program and one open studio with the public during their stay. Applications will be accepted for September if postmarked by March 15. The Visiting Writer will stay at a rustic cabin at Kidney Pond during the second full week of June. On the last night of their stay, they will host a one hour evening program that is open to the public. Applications will be accepted for June 2026 if postmarked by March 15.
TIMES RECORD • February 17, 2026
“Wind Over Wings” made a profound impact on thousands of people as well as birds for nearly 30 years, first in Connecticut and later in Maine, after Hope Douglas and her partner Carol Fackler moved to Dresden in 2012. She and other volunteers for Wind Over Wings made over 300 presentations per year to school groups, libraries, senior centers and other places during that time span. The ground rules were clear. She would bring four — and only four — birds to each presentation, often hawks or eagles or cockatoos. She would explain the history of each bird, describing the lesson the particular bird can teach us. The lessons ranged, for example, from life course change or the power of play to the ability to adapt or how to respect natural defenses. Hope Douglas says, we can learn a lot from birds. Clearly, we can also learn from this woman who dared to change her life course to pursue a fine vision. ~ David Treadwell
U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that she secured earmarks for 156 projects in Maine in FY2026 appropriations bills. Projects include:
• $3,288,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Caribou
• $3,500,000 to improve wastewater infrastructure in Fort Kent
• $1,740,000 to upgrade water infrastructure in Loring
• $2,000,000to upgrade drinking water infrastructure in Presque Isle
• $3,000,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Gorham
• $1,000,000 to upgrade stream crossings in the Rangeley Lakes Region
• $12,000,000 to improve the causeway at Deer Isle
• $3,250,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Clinton
• $1,422,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Gardiner
• $3,555,000 to upgrade drinking water infrastructure in Monmouth
• $386,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Vassalboro
• $4,000,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in North Haven
• $1,000,000 to survey lobster settlement in the Gulf of Maine
• $129,000 to support bluefin tuna research
• $5,000,000 to expand the Gulf of Maine ocean observation system
• $1,250,000 to upgrade drinking water infrastructure in Canton
• $1,576,000 to upgrade drinking water infrastructure in Brewer
• $5,000,000 to support rehabilitation of the former Great Northern Paper Mill site
• $4,000,000 to support redevelopment of an abandoned [paper] mill site
• $3,560,000 to upgrade drinking water infrastructure in Old Town
• $500,000 to purchase equipment for the UMaine Forest Health lab
• $600,000 to support spruce budworm research
• $1,878,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Veazie
• $2,500,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Richmond
• $1,019,000 to purchase equipment for logging workforce training
• $2,350,000 to remediate algae blooms in North Pond
• $2,000,000 to remediate algae blooms in Unity Pond
• $2,000,000 to upgrade drinking water infrastructure in Lubec
• $1,378,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Machias
• $5,000,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Washington County
• $6,000,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Biddeford
• $1,000,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Old Orchard Beach
• $3,000,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in South Berwick
• $3,000,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Wells
