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Androscoggin River Watershed Council lists events

SUN JOURNAL • September 10, 2026

Androscoggin River Watershed Council invites the public to the following informative events.

• “Improving Fish Passage at the Brunswick Dam – What Is Possible?” will be held at Morrell Meeting Room, Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant St. in Brunswick, on Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 5-6:30 p.m. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

• The next presentation is “Shoreline Stabilization – Designing with Nature.” It will be held at Taylor Pond Yacht Club, Yacht Club Drive in Auburn, Tuesday, Sept. 29, from  9-11 a.m.

• The council is also planning a fall Adventure Paddle on the Androscoggin River through downtown Lewiston-Auburn. Tentatively planned for later in September, this outing will be a chance to explore the river and enjoy the changing season while experiencing the heart of the Twin Cities from the water with fellow paddlers.

Letter: Ask the Big E to cancel partisan exhibit

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 10, 2026

The Eastern States Exposition (The Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts), is the state fair for all six New England states. One of President Trump’s Freedom 250 trucks — with a partisan exhibit of American history — will be coming from Sept. 18 through Oct. 4. Trump has transferred $10 million taxpayer dollars away from America 250 to fund his Freedom 250 trucks, a history exhibit not sanctioned by non-partisan historians. Trump’s exhibit has been organized by PragerU, an Oklahoma-based conservative educational organization, and by Hillsdale College, a Michigan-based Christian school. ~ David & Eileen Pratt, Springfield, Mass.

Rec Rangers build bridges, blaze trails across western Maine

RANGELEY HIGHLANDER • September 10, 2026

From new aluminum bridges at Mosher Hill Falls to hundreds of feet of rebuilt bog bridging, a seasonal trail crew spent the summer improving outdoor recreation sites across western Maine. The Rec Ranger program, led by High Peaks Alliance, uses a full-time seasonal crew to complete trail maintenance and public-access projects for High Peaks Alliance, Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust and Maine Huts & Trails. The 2026 crew worked for 12 weeks, with each organization receiving about three weeks of dedicated trail work. The crew improved more than 17 miles of trails, rehabilitated about 940 feet of bog bridging, installed or repaired multiple bridges and footbridges, built a stone staircase, installed a kiosk and roadside signs and created new trail connections.

Hannaford supermarkets no longer selling Lisbon-based Springworks Farm products

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 10, 2026

Springworks Farm in Lisbon is no longer supplying Hannaford supermarkets with any of its products, raising questions about the status of one of the largest certified organic aquaponic producers of lettuce in New England. Springworks Farm stopped providing products to Hannaford recently. In addition, the farm sold products to Whole Foods, Roche Bros. Supermarkets, Food City, Sysco of Northern New England, Lisbon K-12 schools, and other local institutions. The phone for the farm has been disconnected and emails to employees seeking confirmation have gone unanswered. No trucks or vehicles were at the farm Wednesday.

Maine’s Tradition of Public Access: A Privilege, Not a Right

NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • September 9, 2026

Many across the state have become concerned about reports of trails closing or access to lands that were historically available being blocked. A new report released in 2026 details strategies for how the state can work with landowners and others to protect this rich tradition of public access. Maine has less land in public ownership than our neighbors; 92% of the state is in private hands. But Mainers and visitors have long enjoyed fishing, hunting, and hiking in nearly half of that area—about 10 million acres. This enduring tradition of landowners allowing the public to travel and recreate on their private land is reflective of the state’s implied permission laws: if a property isn’t posted, it is implied that the landowner has allowed public access. This access, however, has always been a privilege, not a right.

Portland unveils draft plan for redesigning one of the city's busiest corridors

MAINE PUBLIC • September 9, 2026

The city Portland has a new draft plan for redesigning Franklin Street, a major corridor that connects Interstate 295 with downtown. The plan calls for the removal of the large, grassy median that divides four lanes of traffic. Kevin Kraft, the city's planning and urban development director, said that will open more space for sidewalks, bike lanes and some on-street parking. "We've reduced the road widths, reduced the lane widths down to the most acceptable levels and shortened intersection crossings significantly," Kraft said. The goal is to create more of an urban street, rather than a highway. "A place where you actually feel comfortable walking and crossing the street, a place where you don't have to dart across hundreds of feet of travel lanes like you do today — at unsignalized intersections."

The winners and losers of Maine’s race to armor its shoreline against climate change

MAINE MORNING STAR • September 9, 2026

Maine’s construction aggregate industry is booming, thanks at least in part to climate change, as property owners erect or repair stone walls to protect against sea level rise, flooding and erosion. The number of permits to develop new quarries have more than tripled in Maine over the past five years compared to the prior decade. After a trio of destructive winter storms inundated the central Maine foothills and slammed into the coast two years ago — illuminating the state’s vulnerability to similar climate change-fueled storms — the number of permit applications for seawall projects skyrocketed, expedited by an emergency permitting provision in state statute and a slew of federal disaster funds.

Federal funding delay pushes Wilson Lake projects into 2027

SUN JOURNAL • September 9, 2026

A delay in federal funding has pushed planned Wilson Lake watershed improvement projects into 2027 and 2028, Friends of Wilson Lake President Robert Rogers said. Rogers told the Wilton Select Board on Sept. 1 that $150,000 through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Section 319 program had not yet become available, preventing erosion and runoff projects from moving forward this year.

Crow in Falmouth tests positive for West Nile virus

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 9, 2026

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention notified Falmouth that it recently identified West Nile virus in a crow, town officials shared on Wednesday. West Nile virus is primarily spread through the bite of an infected mosquito, and it can infect humans, horses, birds and other animals, according to the Maine CDC. Most people infected with the virus don’t show signs of illness, said the state organization, though fever and flu-like symptoms can develop, usually 3 to 15 days after infection. In rare cases, symptoms can be severe or fatal.

Closure of coastal Maine Superfund site to begin next month

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 9, 2026

More than 15 years after cleanup began, work to close a toxic former copper and zinc mine in the Hancock County town of Brooksville is set to start in October and continue through next summer. The former Callahan Mine site on Cape Rosier was mined starting at least as far back as the 1880s before scaling up in 1968 for a four-year stint as the world’s only known intertidal heavy metal mine, washing out to Penobscot Bay. It was designated a Superfund site in 2002, a federal listing that allows the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to clean up contaminated sites. Remediation work started on the ground in 2010. The closure will mark the conclusion of years of work and tens of millions in federal dollars to contain harmful toxins.

Acadia could see more changes under Trump plan to restructure National Park Service

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 8, 2026

The Trump administration is preparing to restructure the National Park Service, granting major parks influence over the agency’s smaller or less popular sites. The plans, published Tuesday and revealed in internal Interior Department documents, suggest the park service could shift to a hub-and-spoke model, which would give “hub” parks decision-making authority over “spoke” sites. The reorganization was developed secretly — only the department’s top leadership was involved in the process, NOTUS reported. Acadia National Park could be a “hub” park.

Hundreds of chanting men have this Maine town searching for a law to stop them

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 9, 2026

Members of Legendarios, an evangelical men’s group that was founded in Guatemala about a decade ago and has a Massachusetts chapter with a heavy Brazilian following, first showed up at Deer Farm, a shuttered campsite by Tufts Pond last year. They have named it “Patriots Valley,” hosting several retreats that neighbors say are disruptive and may violate local laws. Kingfield residents are used to outsiders passing through for skiing at nearby Sugarloaf or hiking along the Appalachian Trail. The sudden influx of worshippers is different. Locals say there have been tour buses full of them, clearing unauthorized paths in the woods, marching and chanting both day and night. “It’s terrifying!” one woman said. Some attendees cited public health and safety concerns.

Maine officials monitoring algae bloom in Casco Bay that can harm marine life

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 8, 2026

The Maine Department of Marine Resources is monitoring an algae bloom in Casco Bay. While the phytoplankton Karenia mikimotoi detected in the bay this week is not harmful to humans, it can be for marine life. The bloom has been observed from Portland Harbor to Middle Bay, and the department says its staff and members of the public have reported brown discoloration and “an accompanying smell.” “Karenia mikimotoi can produce compounds that can potentially impact fish and shellfish, and there have been fish kills and benthic mortality events reported during blooms of this species,” the Department of Marine Resources stated.

Here are 8 of the projects that received trail grants in Maine last year

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 8, 2026

Some of the first projects paid for with a historic $30 million bond for trail infrastructure in Maine are nearing completion. In 2025, the Maine Trails Program granted $7.5 million to 44 organizations across a wide range of uses in outdoor recreation. The awards were between $25,000 and $250,000, and each recipient made a 10% cash or in-kind match. The state is currently reviewing applications for the second round of grants, which saw high demand.

Biddeford withdraws its appeal to Maine’s highest court over UNE pier project approval

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 8, 2026

The city of Biddeford is withdrawing its pending appeal to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court over an approval of the University of New England’s controversial pier proposal, saying a recent decision makes such an appeal moot. In April, the city had asked the state’s highest court to review whether the Saco River Corridor Commission acted within its authority when it approved the pier project in 2024. But on Aug. 26, the commission voted, 7-3, to extend UNE’s permit for the project by two years. The city said Tuesday, there’s no point in continuing to appeal. Even if the court ordered another review of the matter, the decision would likely fall to the commission, leading to the same outcome.

Fact brief: Did a Maine lobsterman turn down a $15 million offer to build a data center on his Down East property?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 8, 2026

No. There’s no evidence that a Down East lobsterman rejected such an offer. The viral Facebook claim appears to be a fictionalized retelling of a real case in Pennsylvania. In that case, retired farmer Mervin Raudabaugh declined more than $15 million from data center developers for two farms covering about 261 acres in Silver Spring Township. The Lancaster Farmland Trust says the Raudabaugh family instead preserved both farms through conservation easements; the township says the deal closed on Dec. 30, 2025. The family retained the farms but sold its development rights for about $1.9 million, permanently restricting development.

Supporters rally behind floating camp after owners forced to pull out of Brunswick river

TIMES RECORD • September 8, 2026

An online petition is circulating calling on the state to allow a Lisbon Falls family to anchor their non-motorized houseboat, or floating camp, in the Androscoggin River between Brunswick and Topsham, where it has spent every summer for more than a decade. The Oram family pulled their houseboat out of the water in early August after the Department of Marine Resources informed them that under a new state law, they could no longer set up camp on the river. Oram is weighing whether to install a motor on the camp so it can qualify legally as a boat.

Column: Changes to deer hunt necessary to control herd

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 7, 2026

Maine hunters, and citizens in general, should benefit from a couple rule changes this year designed to increase both hunting opportunities and the Pine Tree State’s deer harvest. These changes illustrate, and in some cases exacerbate, the challenges of effectively managing wildlife populations. The first is yet another increase in antlerless deer permits. The second is a significant expansion of the geographic area included in the expanded archery season. Research has shown that hunting is the most effective method to control deer populations. If you’re tired of the deer eating your azaleas and hostas, making your morning and evening commute a perilous proposition or promoting the proliferation of tick-borne illnesses, consider letting hunters onto your property. ~ Bob Humphrey

Maine Healthy Beaches program ends monitoring for the season

MAINE PUBLIC • September 7, 2026

Labor Day weekend marks the end of routine water quality monitoring for the season. The Maine Healthy Beaches program tracks participating saltwater beaches from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Aging infrastructure and heavy summer rains can turn popular beaches into collection points for agricultural runoff, pet waste, and sewage overflows, according to data from Maine Healthy Beaches program. In the off season, program officials suggest that swimmers avoid going in the water near storm drains for 24-48 hours after a heavy rain, or if water smells strange or looks dirty. As of Friday, no beaches were reported unsafe for swimming.