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Editor, Maine Environmental News

Maine ranks 14th in national report on life satisfaction

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 16, 2026

A report found Maine 14th out of all states on a number of factors that impact life satisfaction, ranking high on the environment and civil liberties but low on measures such as children and families, economic output and mental health. Maine received the top ranking for net greenhouse gas emissions and ranked third for air quality. Maine also ranked first for civil liberties, which the report calculated based on the rate of press freedom violations, such as assaults of reporters and restricting coverage, per 1 million residents. On the other hand, Maine ranked low for fatal overdoses (43rd) and youth depression (42nd). Maine’s lowest rank of 44th was for economic output, which is based on real gross domestic product. 

Opinion: Nuclear energy in New England, once unthinkable, now indispensable

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 16, 2026

The New England region was once a pioneer in nuclear energy, building some of the earliest nuclear plants in the world. However, in the last 30 years, the region became a center of opposition to nuclear, and all but two of them have closed. Nuclear technology has improved dramatically, the demand for electricity has grown more pressing and the understanding of how renewables fit in with other energy sources has “evolved.” It is not yet clear that it will join the national trend toward nuclear renewal, but there are reasons that it ought to. Most of all, the region needs the electricity. ~ Leonard Rodberg, Ph.D.

Want to camp for free? Become a volunteer host at a Maine state park

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 16, 2026

Twelve campgrounds in Maine, from Aroostook State Park in Presque Isle to Lily Bay State Park in Greenville to Camden Hills State Park, have volunteer hosts. Some have just two or three. Sebago Lake State Park, the largest campground with more than 250 sites, has 12 spots for volunteers. Park Manager Donna McGraw said she’s still trying to fill some of the 24 paid positions for this summer, and the hosts are critical to a positive camper experience. “We just do not have the staff,” McGraw said.

L/A Clean Water Authority hosting plant tour

SUN JOURNAL • June 16, 2026

Have you ever wondered where your waste goes when you flush, take a shower, or wash your dishes? Join a tour of the Lewiston Auburn Clean Water Authority’s Wastewater Treatment Facility on Lincoln Street in Lewiston to find out. The tour is free and open to the public. It will be held on Wednesday, June 25, starting at 5:30 p.m. with pizza, a brief discussion of the Androscoggin’s water quality and an overview of improvements that are being made throughout the Androscoggin River Watershed.

Trail access in Franklin County preserving community connections

SUN JOURNAL • June 16, 2026

A High Peaks Alliance op-ed series that began with land, family and public access in western Maine has turned to something simpler in its third installment: what happens when strangers meet on a trail. In “Togetherness on the Trails,” Kingfield resident Dan Rhodes reflects on the sense of openness people often experience outdoors, contrasting it with the tension and impatience of places such as airports. On a trail, he writes, encounters with others are usually welcome. “The kinship we feel on trails is real,” Rhodes wrote, “maybe because there’s no separate agenda like there is at an airport.”

Letter: Voters should reject fossil fuel subsidies

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 16, 2026

The world as we know it today was built on the back of burning fossil fuels. Unfortunately, this process has come at a tremendous cost. Emissions from burning fossil fuels are rapidly warming our world at a rate that has never occurred in the history of our planet. Why, then, do we continue to burn planet-killing fossil fuels? One primary reason is the tremendous control the fossil fuel industry has over our government. Our federal government spends between $20 billion to $35 billion a year on direct handouts to the fossil fuel industry. It is time for voters to demand absolute transparency and use their ballots to reject candidates who prioritize fossil fuel payouts over our planet’s future. ~ Ron Sadler, Bangor

Maine is a top destination for people moving within the US

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 16, 2026

People in the U.S. are moving to Maine more than any other New England state. Maine gained 7,406 more residents than it lost from July 2024 to July 2025, according to a report from SEO Backlinks. This earned Maine the seventh spot among states with the highest rate of population growth during that time. The data aligns with a report from the Maine State Economist, which announced in January that Maine’s population reached a record high of more than 1.4 million in 2025.

The next turtle you see on the road may need your help. Here’s what to do.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 15, 2026

In late May or early June, our local freshwater turtles embark on a mass exodus from their wetlands. They leave their watery homes to make the journey to a warm, dry spot to lay their eggs, then return home. Our native turtles travel up to a mile to nest, and that means crossing roads full of cars, yards full of people and dogs, and even construction sites full of heavy equipment. In two or three months, when the eggs hatch and the young emerge from their underground nests, they must make their way back to the water on their own. What can you do to help turtles crossing roads? Stop if it’s safe and help the turtle get to the side they’re headed towards. Put your flashers on and try to motion to let the next driver know why you pulled over. ~ Pamela Meier, The Turtle’s Back, Inc.

What’s the state of drought across Maine?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 15, 2026

Maine’s drought conditions are improving thanks to a rainy spring, but experts say more precipitation is needed to get out of the woods — that, and avoiding the long dry spells the state saw last summer. But even if conditions continue to improve on the surface, the issue may persist beneath. Sarah Jamison, senior service hydrologist at the National Weather Service in Gray, said, “We’re still not where we want to be in our groundwater, and that could be around for a long time.”

Messages on climate change on display at Acadia after judge rules against Trump order

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 15, 2026

After a federal judge late last week ordered the Trump administration to restore signage that it had removed from national parks, some messages about the impact of climate change were on display in Acadia on Monday. But some displays that were removed last fall from public view in Acadia have yet to reappear. A coalition of environmental and historical organizations sued the Trump administration in February over its attempts to “erase history and censor science” at America’s national parks. “This ruling is from a Biden appointed judge,” an unidentified spokesperson for the Department of Interior said in an email to the Bangor Daily News. “The Department is looking at our appeal options.”

Climate and Wabanaki signs to return to Acadia

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 15, 2026

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to return educational signs to national parks and monuments, stopping a government campaign to erase climate science and Indigenous history from places like Acadia National Park. The ruling on Friday requires federal officials to restore dozens of Acadia’s displays on warming oceans and Wabanaki heritage by July 3. This legal victory ensures that the millions who visit Maine’s coast this summer will receive an unvarnished look at the state’s changing environment. State Rep. Gary Friedmann, of Bar Harbor, said people in his district felt a combination of disbelief and outrage when the Trump administration ordered the Wabanaki heritage and climate change signs removed from Acadia. He considered that level of federal interference an attack on history, science and truth.

Scarborough Land Trust expands Pleasant Hill Preserve by 25 acres

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 15, 2026

The Scarborough Land Trust again has expanded Pleasant Hill Preserve’s footprint by 25 acres, giving it a total of 211 acres. The preserve, located at the intersection of Pleasant Hill Road and Fogg Road, is made up of open fields, woods and wetlands. Home to over 100 bird species and other wildlife, it is part of 500 acres of contiguous conserved land that includes the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. The preserve has 2.4 miles of public trails for hiking, wildlife watching, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Rhonda and Jim Finely sold the 25 acres to the trust for less than the fair market value to conserve the land.

Bears are showing up in a Maine beach town

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 15, 2026

Bears are wandering out of the woods into Old Orchard Beach in search of either food or vacation. Two black bears were spotted Sunday morning near Saco and Lucette avenues, according to the Old Orchard Beach Police Department. The bears later retreated into the woods. Police urged residents to secure their trash, take down bird feeders and clean their grills to minimize the attractions for the bears. Additionally, police asked residents to keep their pets on leashes when outside.

Holding Central Maine Power accountable

MAINE AUDUBON • June 15, 2026

When development projects—no matter how big or small—impact Maine’s natural resources, especially those that are ecologically unique, the state’s environmental agencies direct companies to avoid or minimize impacts as much as possible, and if they cannot accomplish that, mitigate and/or compensate for losses to natural resources. CMP’s NECEC transmission corridor permit required them to protect and connect 50,000 acres of predominantly mature forest habitat within the vicinity of the project as that was a central habitat type that was lost due to the creation of the new transmission line. CMP’s plan to make up for these losses is a failure. ~ Francesca "Ches" Gundrum, Maine Audubon

Body of missing boater found in Rockland lake

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 15, 2026

A missing boater was found dead in a Rockland lake on Sunday night. Divers from the Maine Warden Service recovered the body of 59-year-old Timothy Payson from Chickawaukie Lake around 10 p.m. A resident had reported hearing a man yelling for help from the water earlier that morning. He arrived at the water to find a small, Zodiac-style boat moving in circles with a dog onboard, but did not see a man on the boat or in the water.

Inside Carrabassett Valley’s thawing conflict with the Penobscot Nation

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 14, 2026

Six years ago, the Penobscot Nation posted its land in Carrabassett Valley. The tribe owns 24,000 acres there and the decision barred the public from much of the outlying woodlands that bikers, hikers, ATVers and snowmobilers had come to rely on. At the time, the tribal council had received numerous complaints from its members that outside users were not respecting the land. It was littered in trash, and gates were commonly left open or locked behind tribal citizens. Since then, the local ATV club has all but disappeared and the local snowmobile club has dropped from 150 members to 55. New zoning will allow the Penobscot Nation to build more homes on its land in the town. It’s an indicator that the long-chilled relationship between the two governments may be thawing.

After a lifetime in politics, a former Maine congressman finds his biggest fight at home

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 15, 2026

Mike Michaud is either the driving force behind revitalizing East Millinocket’s former mill site or misusing millions of dollars meant to bring it back to life, depending on whom you ask. Since winning a seat on the East Millinocket Select Board eight years ago, the former congressman has poured much of his time into rehabilitating the site once home to the Great Northern Paper Co. mill. He has attracted millions in federal grants that have been used to renovate it and house new companies. Not everyone in town agrees that Michaud has made improvements. Former Select Board Chair Clint Linscott abruptly quit and blamed Michaud for pushing a dozen town employees out of their roles. “It’s working out the way it should work out. We’re not always going to agree, but the fact that things are moving in the right direction is good,” Michaud said.

Bar Harbor’s cruise ship battle has cost the town $111K in less than a year

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 11, 2026

In less than a year, Bar Harbor has spent more than $111,000 on legal and regulatory expenses tied to ongoing disputes of the town’s controversial cruise ship passenger cap, which a federal judge ruled partially unconstitutional last month. In May, U.S. District Court Judge Lance Walker ruled that the town’s cruise ship ordinance — a voter-approved cap that limits cruise ships to disembarking no more than 1,000 passengers per day — can only be enforced during July and August, the town’s peak tourist season.

Column: I don’t like hiking or the ocean. Then I visited one of Maine’s most famous coastal walks.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 14, 2026

I’m not much of a hiker. I climbed a few of Maine’s highest mountains in my younger days just to be able to say I did, but any hiking since then had to have trout or something to hunt at the end of the trail. And it may be a tad strange coming from someone born and raised within 30 minutes of the Gulf of Maine, but I’m not a big fan of the ocean. But few coastlines I’ve seen are as scenic as Maine’s. In York County, one of the best-known cliff walks is the Marginal Way in Ogunquit. Anyone visiting the southern Maine coast this summer would not be wasting their time by putting this famous footpath on their to-do list. ~ Al Raychard