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 AUDUBON • March 1, 2026
The third edition of Maine Amphibians and Reptiles explores the lives of 38 fascinating species—from tiny newts to rarely seen sea turtles—found across Maine and the Northeast. Built on 25 years of research, with expanded photos, regional studies, and engaging writing, it’s perfect for scientists and curious readers alike. Join some of the contributors to this fascinating book for a talk followed by a book sale and signing at the Falmouth Memorial Library. Light refreshments will be provided. At Falmouth Memorial Library, 5 Lunt Rd, Falmouth, ME, March 11, 5:30pm.
MAINE AUDUBON • April 1, 2026
Curious about what critters live in your local streams and freshwater marshes? Learn about Maine Marsh and Stream Explorers, a collaborative community science project between Maine Audubon and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). This program trains volunteers to survey for macroinvertebrates, or large aquatic insects, in streams and freshwater marshes statewide. April 22, 7 pm, online, preregister.
MAINE MONITOR • March 1, 2026
Roughly 7,600 cubic yards of dredged sand will be deposited in front of a long row of waterfront homes and businesses along Wells Beach altogether, a sight that York County emergency preparedness coordinator Chris McCall once doubted he’d ever see. York County purchased the dredge in 2021 with federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. After the 2024 storms caused the county roughly $40 million in public damage and wrecked more than 200 homes, county officials began plotting how to use the machine to rebuild dunes from Ogunquit to Old Orchard Beach. The county wants to pursue a broader, $50-million project to restore the dunes to withstand a 100-year flood. Climate change makes powerful storms like those that rocked Maine’s coast that winter more likely, while rising sea levels put protective sand dunes at greater risk.
MAINE SPORTSMAN • March 2026
If you’re bothered by the idea of coyotes combing the woods of Maine, you aren’t alone. There are a lot of conflicting views surrounding Canis Latrans and the reputation the predator carries in the Pine Tree State.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 1, 2026
Snowmobiling is big business in Maine, generating hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Beyond the snowfall, the industry depends entirely on the goodwill of landowners along the state’s vast trail network, and the work of the thousands of volunteers who take care of those trails. Experts across Maine say both of those are increasingly at risk. Tensions between landowners and riders who don’t always follow the rules has put that relationship at a “boiling point,” according to Cpl. Kris MacCabe, who handles landowner relations as a state game warden. At the same time, the volunteers who have held the trail network together for decades are getting older, with not enough members from the next generation willing to take on the same task.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 1, 2026
A recent op-ed, “Maine must not go from Vacationland to Generationland” (Feb. 15), argued that “By offering our best renewable resources to our Southern New England neighbors, Maine is condemning itself to pay much more to decarbonize at a later date.” This misunderstands how electricity systems operate and could lead to policies that increase costs, delay decarbonization and reduce Maine’s influence in shaping its energy future. Any wind project in Maine must connect to the grid and sell into the New England wholesale market, where prices are set regionally. The wind procurement does not transfer ownership of Maine’s wind to other states. Renewable development in Maine lowers wholesale energy prices, reduces exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets, improves reliability and attracts private investment. It generates local tax revenue, land lease payments and community benefits. The key question is whether Maine uses effective tools to align development with affordability, reliability, climate goals and land-use values. Maine does not need to choose between being Vacationland or Generationland — if it plans wisely, it can be both. ~ Rep. Gerry Runte, D-York
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 28, 2026
A fire broke out Saturday at a Baileyville paper mill. The fire was reported around 11:45 a.m. at the Woodland Pulp LLC mill on Main Street in the Washington County town. The mill is the site of a January gas leak that resulted in the deaths of two employees and remains under federal investigation.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 28, 2026
Bayside is changing. Hundreds of housing units are under construction or planned, including market-rate and workforce housing. Growth is necessary. But true neighborhood transformation requires more than buildings. It requires investment in amenities that serve the people who live, work and attend school here. Green spaces are vital for everyone. As outlined in the 2000 New Vision for Bayside, residents have long called for grassy areas, trees, benches, picnic tables, exercise equipment for youth and adults and natural space. That vision remains largely unfulfilled. Dedicating just a ¼ acre portion of the site behind Planet Fitness for public park space would still leave roughly three acres available for housing, retail and a parking garage. A small but meaningful green space could anchor the neighborhood, provide safe recreation for students and create a visible sign that Bayside’s future includes balance. ~ Thomas Blackburn, Bayside Neighborhood Association
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 28, 2026
To some, the ubiquitous crow is a noisy nuisance. To others, it’s a bad omen, a sign of death. But to many Mainers, crows are friends. Across the state, people have spent years — and a lot of food — building friendships with crows. Especially in the winter, when crows gather in large roosts, crow photos and stories inundate some social media groups. When thousands of crows darken the sky as the last remaining daylight fades and the cacophony of caws pierces the peaceful silence of dusk, it is hard not to look up with awe and maybe a shiver of trepidation. This spectacle occurs in the winter, when crows gather in large murders. After foraging all day in all directions, they come together at dusk to spend the night. Sleeping together helps protect them from frigid temperatures and predators like hawks. And although it has yet to be proven, some documentation also shows that crows may also communicate with each other in their roosts.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 28, 2026
Walter Anderson set down his rock hammer on Feb. 15, 2026. Walter returned to New England in 1968 where he accepted a position at the Maine Geological Survey (MGS). As Assistant State Geologist, Walter oversaw natural resource investigations of all kinds. He served as State Geologist from 1978 to 1995. During his tenure, he built a modern geological survey, adding programs in hydrogeology and coastal geology to identify areas most susceptible to coastal erosion to better guide development. He initiated Geographic Information System applications to geology, heralding the modernization of data collection at MGS. When the federal government identified two candidate sites in Maine for the long-term storage of high-level nuclear waste in the mid-1980s, Walter led the scientific effort to oppose this poorly conceived effort. He also served as Chief Geologist for the International Appalachian Trail.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 28, 2026
Last Saturday evening was ideal for hearing owls as they announced their breeding territories and wooed mates. It was one of those rare times when I heard all three of our common owls calling in one night, and it all happened before 9 p.m. Barred owls are the most frequently seen and heard owls in Maine. The main reason for me to be out on a winter evening was to listen for northern saw-whet owls. Great horned and barred owls don’t migrate, but most Maine-breeding saw-whet owls do. It’ll be about two more weeks before the next signs of spring arrive. That will be a race between common grackles and turkey vultures to see who gets here first. In truth, some are already here, since they never left the state. While politicians may decry climate change as a hoax, birders are watching it happen in real time. Winter doesn’t last as long as it once did. Birders already notice the little signs of spring. ~ Bob Duchesne
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 27, 2026
Brunswick Native, Son of Bowdoin, Maine Renaissance Man – Claude Bernard Bonang, 95, a native of Brunswick, and lifelong resident of the town, passed away on Feb. 21, 2026. Claude’s professional life was a 40-year love letter to the natural world. He did not just teach biology—he lived it. In 1967, he was named the Maine and New England Biology Teacher of the Year, followed later by Bowdoin’s Distinguished Educator Award in 1987. He was a marine biologist by training and a philosopher by nature. In the early 1970s, he traded the chalkboard for the New Meadows River, leading, with his students’ assistance, the first state-funded study of oyster aquaculture, a project that effectively laid the groundwork for today’s growing Casco Bay oyster industry.
NEW YORK TIMES • February 27, 2026
It was 1959 in Downtown Manhattan and the area, largely unpoliced and commercially undeveloped, was known for its dirt cheap rent for substandard accommodations. St. Marks Place between Second and Third Avenues, where Charles FitzGerald lived, was boarded up. He threw open the window and started selling wooden kitchenware directly to passers-by. His portfolio would grow from one shop to seven. Over the next half century, the transplant with no real estate aspirations would come to play a central role in transforming the once-derelict street into an international curiosity. Clubs and performance spaces flourished. And at the age of 91, he has no intentions of slowing down. The operation was never managed well. Kate FitzGerald, his 39-year-old daughter who lives on St. Marks, said whatever success the businesses had was largely because of her mother, Kathy Cerick. Rather than money, Mr. FitzGerald said he cared about adventure, culture and trees. The couple raised funds for a dozen saplings that they planted along the street. They also donated $2 million from the sale of two buildings to a nature conservancy they created in Maine.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 27, 2026
Woodland Pulp has been trying to surrender its 30-year Forest City Dam Project license for nearly a decade. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the request in late January, and once the order is finalized, ownership will be transferred to a nonprofit. Later this year, Woodland Pulp LLC will no longer own the dam or control the international waters on the East Branch of the St. Croix River. Additionally, its downstream hydropower production will cease as ownership transfers to the St. Croix International Waterway Commission. The decision affects East Grand Lake, North Lake, the connecting throughway and the more than 2,000 cottages and camps around the lake because the dam is central to the identity, ecology and economy of the region, according to Anna Levitsky, the executive director of the Woodie Wheaton Land Trust in Forest City.
MAINE PUBLIC • February 27, 2026
For years the state of Maine and local organizations have offered financial incentives to make homes and buildings more energy efficient. That includes rebates and low-income loans for insulation, weatherization and heat pumps through Efficiency Maine. But the process can be overwhelming, said Rozanna Patane, an organizer with York Ready for Climate Action. It can be tough to figure out where your home needs work, let alone hire the right contractor and filing for a state rebate. "It's like a flood of information coming at people," Patane said. "It's more than most people can deal with, just understanding what their options are and how to get things done and who does them." Four years ago, Patane helped organize an energy coach program in an effort to help. The volunteers help guide homeowners through their efficiency options. Similar energy coaching programs are popping up in Mount Desert Island, Camden and Rockport, Falmouth and Yarmouth and in the Kennebunks. Patane said she's working with other organizers to develop best practices for training and coaching to jumpstart new groups across Maine.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 27, 2026
Adrian Boeye, a 21-year-old senior student at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor has upended long-held beliefs about how the Tyrannosaurus rex moved, suggesting the prehistoric predator navigated its world more like a nimble, eight-ton bird than a heavy-footed beast. For decades, the cinematic image of the T. rex has been defined by the earth-shaking, heel-first thuds seen in films like “Jurassic Park.” But new research led by Adrian Boeye, a 21-year-old senior, suggests that the 40-foot-long dinosaur actually sprinted on its tiptoes like that of a modern ostrich or roadrunner.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 27, 2026
The scene this winter, which got off to a cold and snowy start, has gone from hellscape to wonderland and back more than once. And we know, for at least the next month or so, it could happen again anytime.
1. Leave your Bean Boots at home. When you’re going to be navigating an icy or snowy urban environment on foot, choose something with better tread, or at least invest in traction devices to slip over them.
2. Beware of brick. In addition to their smooth surfaces being slicker to walk on than their concrete counterparts, complaints about their incompatibility with winter include that their grooves make them difficult to shovel and uneven spots are hard to see in snow.
3. Avoid steep streets. Seeing the glaze coating Cumberland Avenue from the bottom of Munjoy Hill one year I had to request the shortest-ever Uber ride to my apartment a couple blocks away.
4. Tell on your neighbors. Sidewalks that haven’t been shoveled are less predictable hazards, but there is something you can do about them — complain.
5. Heed the hedges. Some property owners shovel thin paths within the sidewalk, not taking into consideration their overgrown hedges, forcing pedestrians to sideways limbo in order to get by.
6. Work from home. Parking lots as the most common place people fall.
7. Consider the beach. If you still want to get your steps in, you might have better luck at the beach, the preferred winter walking locale of some. Even when snow accumulates there, an outgoing tide will clear a swath by the shore. Although walking on sand is not my idea of a good time, it beats falling on ice.
~ Leslie Bridgers
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 27, 2026
Earlier this month, a friend sent me a photo of Belfast Harbor. On the floats near where I dock my boat was a white seal in a “banana” pose — a C-curve with the flippers up. Instantly, I knew it was a hooded seal from the Arctic. Arctic, or “ice,” seals spend much of their lives around sea ice in colder climates. Hooded and harp seals occasionally migrate to the Gulf of Maine in winter and are typically spotted between December and March. It’s kind of like their Florida. There’s likely little time left to see Arctic seals in Belfast Harbor at this point in the winter. Wanting to mark the visit, I sponsored an ice sculpture of the seal for this weekend’s Belfast Ice Festival. ~ Nicolle Littrell
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 27, 2026
The scrap metal company that owns the landfill which once accepted waste from Bucksport’s paper mill is once again at the center of local concern that it might not comply with state orders to close it by the end of December. After years of attempts to reopen the landfill and with its mandated closure date approaching, the company has explored transferring or, according to Bucksport officials, amending its license. The landfill is owned by Bucksport Mill, LLC, a subsidiary of Montreal-based American Iron and Metal. Its exploratory steps to do so have met with strong local resistance.
