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The best place to see a moose in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 24, 2026

As our summer in Maine winds down and we continue our photographic quest for moose while exploring the state, we recently stumbled on the captivating village of Kokadjo on the eastern side of Moosehead Lake. Shortly after passing the park at around 2 p.m., we spotted our first moose of the trip, leisurely strolling across the road. Proceeding north, the paved road soon turned to dirt. After about a mile, we turned left onto Spencer Bay Road where we soon came upon Lazy Tom Bog, reportedly a hot spot for sighting moose. despite multiple trips to the picturesque area during the day and evening, our efforts to spot moose there remained unrewarded. the Kokadjo deer proved more cooperative. We saw many grazing in the shrubs along Lily Bay Road. ~ Nick Thomas

Fire damages Farmingdale firewood business

CENTRAL MAINE • July 23, 2026

Fire destroyed the kiln at a Farmingdale firewood business Thursday morning, drawing a response from several area fire departments. Farmingdale fire Chief Dana Mealey said the kiln at A.W. Allen Firewood was destroyed by the fire, as were the 10 baskets of wood inside the kiln at the time. However, other buildings on the site were saved.

State plan to expand Maine’s biggest landfill back in court

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 23, 2026

A state judge is questioning whether environmental regulators are equipped to weigh the cultural survival of the Penobscot Nation against the expansion of the largest landfill in Maine. During oral arguments in Bangor on Thursday, Superior Court Justice Bruce Mallonee signaled skepticism over how the Department of Environmental Protection determines environmental justice for a people burdened by a century of industrial pollution. The proceeding is the latest development in the Penobscot Nation and Conservation Law Foundation’s effort to block a 61-acre expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town, which is located just northwest of the Penobscot River and the tribe’s reservation islands.

Gorham residents urge DEP to slow down assessment of proposed Amazon site

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 23, 2026

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection on Wednesday hosted a rare public meeting to hear comments on Amazon’s application for its proposed warehouse and distribution facility near Gorham’s town center. The two-hour meeting, which had to be moved to a larger room to accommodate the approximately 65 attendees, was the second public meeting concerning the project this week. It followed a public hearing on the most recent plan before the town Planning Board on Monday, where residents largely opposed the project.

‘Teddy’s Travels’: An intern’s guide to exploring Maine through his lens

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 23, 2026

Breaking news intern Teddy Almond spent much of his first time in Maine exploring. Here are the spots he loved — and the tips and tricks he picked up.

This guide will help you paddle your way through western Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 23, 2026

Western Maine has an abundance of lakes, ponds and rivers, but public boat rentals are concentrated in only a few communities. Wilton offers equipment beside Wilson Lake, Farmington and Bethel have carry-away rentals, Bethel outfitters run shuttle-supported trips on the Androscoggin River, and Rangeley-area businesses offer rentals lasting from an hour to several days.

After sightings of deadly sharks, a Maine town will fly warning flags all summer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 23, 2026

Harpswell will fly shark warning flags at its beaches all summer, doing away with a policy that took the flags down within 24 hours of each sighting. The town adopted the season-long flag policy nearly six years after a great white shark attack killed 63-year-old Julie Dimperio Holowach while she was swimming off Harpswell, the first fatal shark attack in Maine history. The select board made the change official last week after a string of new shark sightings shut down beaches in several midcoast towns. With no lifeguards to track individual sharks, town officials say the old beach-by-beach system couldn’t keep up with how often great whites are actually moving through Harpswell’s waters. 

New trapping regulations take effect in Maine this fall, including early raccoon season

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 23, 2026

Maine trappers will see several changes this fall, including an early raccoon season and other updates to the state’s rules. The season will begin on the Sunday two weeks before the general fall trapping season opens and end the day before the general trapping season begins. It will coincide with Maine’s early fox and coyote trapping season.

How one Maine family’s 16 big-game harvest restored my faith in the state’s hunting heritage

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 23, 2026

By the early 1900s outdoor enthusiasts were visiting Maine from all over the world to hire guides and outfitters to pursue big and small game, sea and puddle ducks, Atlantic salmon and landlocked salmon and trout. When Canada geese and wild turkey came into the picture in the last few decades, popularity grew further for sportsmen. My dad, an avid outdoorsman, introduced me to cast-and-blast sporting ventures from a young age. Unfortunately, a nationwide decline in hunting sports and license sales over the last 20 years has taken place. The story of the Cushman clan of Mars Hill helped restore my faith in the next generation of Maine outdoorsmen. During last year’s spring turkey, bear, fall turkey and deer seasons, Garrett Cushman and his three sons — Carson, Ethan and Connor — managed to tag 16 big-game animals. They also accounted for dozens of ducks, geese, partridge and rabbits. Maine’s hunting heritage lives on in the Cushman clan. ~ Bill Graves

Why I didn’t shoot the coyote behind my house

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 23, 2026

I’ve hunted coyotes and seen them in the woods while I’ve deer hunted. There are few things more unnerving than walking into your stand in the dark and hearing a nearby coyote howl. The one on my trail camera was just too close to my house. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s says: “people are less tolerant of coyotes than they are of any other furbearer species.” While I don’t want coyotes around, the more I questioned my gut reaction. Maybe it’s OK to have coyotes nearby if the result is a reduction in deer densities. I can’t guarantee that I won’t shoot a coyote if I see one while I’m out in the woods, but for right now, the one behind my house is safe. ~ Erin Merrill

Endangered right whales could wait almost a decade for new US protections

ASSOCIATED PRESS • July 22, 2026

New protections for endangered right whales in the North Atlantic would be postponed for nearly a decade under a plan that cleared a key hurdle in Washington last week with the full-throated support from the fishing and lobster industries. Environmentalists say this could spell the end for the vanishing whales, which can drown after getting tangled in fishing gear or being struck by boats. President Donald Trump ‘s administration has thrown its support behind Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, in his efforts to further delay new regulations aimed at protecting right whales.

Advocacy group launches database of products made with 'forever chemicals'

MAINE PUBLIC • July 23, 2026

The Maine-based nonprofit Defend Our Health has launched a searchable database of products that contain PFAS and other harmful chemicals. While the state of Maine has already banned the sale of most consumer products containing the "forever chemicals" earlier this year, Defend Our Health President Emily Carey Perez de Alejo says the directory will hold companies accountable and be useful for other states. "It's hard to figure out exactly which item does or does not have PFAS on your own," she said. "So putting together this searchable directory should help to avoid these materials." PFAS — which have been linked to harmful health effects in humans — have been used for decades in household products like cookware, makeup and fertilizers.

Fact brief: Did the mortality rate of monitored Maine moose calves exceed 70% this year?

CENTRAL MAINE • July 22, 2026

Yes. Maine moose biologist Lee Kantar said 72% of the state’s GPS-collared moose calves died before reaching their first birthday in 2026. Kantar told Maine Public the monitored sample was fairly representative of Maine’s broader moose population, although conditions vary by location. Annual mortality among collared calves has ranged from anywhere between 8% and 87% since monitoring began in 2014. Winter ticks caused this year’s high death rate. 

Sale of Kennebec River dams clears 1 hurdle, faces another

CENTRAL MAINE • July 22, 2026

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has agreed to put a pause on relicensing the Shawmut dam and the license amendment process for the Weston, Hydro-Kennebec and Lockwood dams while FERC continues to consider a request from Brookfield Renewable to transfer the licenses for the Weston, Shawmut and Lockwood hydroelectric stations to newly created holding companies. The entities were created to facilitate their transfer to The Nature Conservancy, which in turn plans to give ownership of the dams to a new nonprofit, the Kennebec River Restoration Trust. The paper mill says it relies on the Shawmut impoundment. The Nature Conservancy has said it is “100% committed” to developing a solution for Sappi’s operations.

Rangeley Logging Festival returns with weekend of logging, forestry events

SUN JOURNAL • July 21, 2026

Despite gray skies, the Rangeley Logging Festival drew crowds over the weekend to take part in a variety of activities from Main Street in Rangeley to the Maine Forestry Museum grounds in Dallas Plantation. This year, the museum marked 45 years of celebrating the logging festival. This year, there was a presentation called the “Working Forest Tour.” Other demonstrations featured on Friday included an educational session about local wood creatures and their habitats by Rangeley Wild, a historic two-man chainsaw demonstration and a lecture on forest mapping. On Saturday, local families and businesses took part in the Logging Parade.

Food, fertilizer, sport: What to do with the invasive green crab?

MAINE PUBLIC • July 21, 2026

At Wolfe's Neck Farm & Campground in Freeport, a group of 30 volunteers are tromping through the mud flats at low tide, buckets in hand. Their goal is to get as many green crabs out of the environment as possible in one hour. It's called a "green crab derby." Volunteers flip over rocks and rake through seaweed with their bare hands. Rachel Wheeler, who is up from North Carolina camping with friends, brought her young daughter along. There will be prizes for biggest crab, most crabs, and most soft-shell green crabs found. The specimens collected will be disposed of or composted.

Maine plans major energy storage buildout

MAINE PUBLIC • July 21, 2026

The Maine Department of Energy Resources is seeking regulators' approval for a major buildout of energy storage on the state's electric grid. The department filed a petition with the Maine Public Utilities Commission this week to start competitive bidding to develop up to 360 megawatts of large-scale batteries, which can store electricity when demand is low, then deliver it to the grid at periods of high need. A total 360 megawatt buildout could provide enough power for 15% of Maine's total electric load. Maine has a goal of adding 400 megawatts of energy storage by 2030.

Opinion: Maine’s aging water systems face a growing funding gap

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 21, 2026

Maine’s aging water systems face a growing funding gap that could translate into sharply higher customer bills. After years of deferred maintenance, some rural districts across Maine have raised rates by more than 20% — and in some cases as much as 75% — to pay for long overdue needs. At Portland Water District, water main replacement is one example. Recent assessments indicate we should replace about eight miles of water main each year at an estimated cost of $40 million, compared with roughly $11 million spent today. Without increased investment, aging pipes will continue to deteriorate, and water main breaks are likely to become more frequent, disruptive and expensive. The U.S. Congress is uniquely well positioned to help us close the financing gap. ~ Scott Firmin, general manager of Portland Water District

Opinion: The tragedy of the ‘posted’ commons

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 21, 2026

I am constantly in awe of this land, of this seeming sanctuary of greenery, rivers, beaches, and mountains. Maine’s tradition of public access to land fosters collective appreciation of these gifts. Landowners have a right to determine who comes and goes on their own land, but I applaud every private landowner who commits to honoring this tradition. When the dreaded “Posted” signs pop up in a place that was previously accessible, it has a real and tangible impact on everyone in the community. I hope Mainers recognize how fragile this endowment of natural beauty is, and that the danger is not sudden change but rather the slow erosion of access, heralded by simple signs that read “Posted.” ~ Dan Rhodes, volunteer, High Peaks Alliance