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Improving Fish Passage at the Brunswick Dam – What Is Possible, Sept 15

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • August 24, 2026

Free the Andro is sponsoring a panel discussion featuring representatives from the Maine Department of Marine Resources, Brookfield Renewable Partners, and FB Environmental to explore possible designs for restoring abundant and sustainable fish passage at the Brunswick Dam. At Curtis Memorial Library, Morrell Meeting Room, September 15, 2026, 5 pm.

An algal bloom is spanning 100 miles in the Gulf of Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 24, 2026

An unusually large algae bloom in the Gulf of Maine has researchers trying to understand its cause and possible effects. At its peak, the algae bloom extended from Penobscot Bay to Martha’s Vineyard. The bloom is comprised of a naturally occurring phytoplankton that is not toxic to humans or animals. Nicole Poulton of the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences said it’s hard to know what’s causing it, but the rapidly warming waters of the Gulf of Maine could be playing a role.

Why investment profit is at the center of CMP’s rate hike

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 24, 2026

Central Maine Power Co. is asking state regulators to raise the cap on revenue it can make back from its investments in Maine’s electrical infrastructure. That has become a sticking point in the monthslong debate as CMP is asking the Maine Public Utilities Commission to approve an $18 per month increase in the average household’s distribution bills. That would give the company $189 million in new revenue to pay for grid upgrades, added staff and storm recovery. Groups representing consumers in the case have argued that CMP doesn’t need more profit while Mainers struggle with the rising cost of living.

Paul LePage is a ‘big fan’ of data centers in an era of skepticism

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 24, 2026

Former Gov. Paul LePage cast data centers as part of the answer to Maine’s energy crisis this week, breaking with polling that shows widespread skepticism of the projects among voters in both parties. “I’m a big, big fan of data centers,” the Republican running for Maine’s open 2nd District seat said Wednesday. “I think they’re going to create jobs. I think we can solve our energy problems.” Nearly three-quarters of Mainers — and majorities in both parties — oppose data centers being built in their communities, according to a recent poll. The former governor downplayed concerns about data centers’ water and power demands, blaming high energy prices on Democrats and pointing to the state’s paper mills as a potential model.

FOMB Files Suit to Lock in Improved Water Quality on Maine Rivers

FRIENDS OF MERRYMEETING BAY • August 23, 2026

Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) filed suit in federal court Thursday, June 18, challenging the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s misuse of antidegradation policy under the Clean Water Act. Antidegradation policies were designed to improve water quality, lock in existing quality, and prevent backsliding of water quality. FOMB claims the Maine Board of Environmental Protection violated the language of state statute (“shall recommend”) by failing to recommend to the egislature a classification upgrade on the Androscoggin River between Worumbo and Gulf Island Pond dams. In Maine, only the legislature can classify or reclassify water bodies. On June 27, FOMB submitted a companion 60-day Notice of Intent (NOI) to file a citizen suit under the Clean Water Act against the EPA for their failure to act on these issues.

As algal blooms rise, Androscoggin Lake groups fight to ‘keep it blue’

CENTRAL MAINE • August 23, 2026

Androscoggin Lake has had six algal blooms over the past 50 years, with four in the past five years. And last year’s bloom was the earliest and longest the lake has seen. Researchers and community members are trying to figure out why. Together, staff and volunteers from 30 Mile River Watershed Association and the Androscoggin Lake Improvement Corp. are conducting sampling, research and data analysis to determine what’s causing the increase and find long-term solutions.

This overlooked Baxter State Park hike offers stunning views of Katahdin

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 23, 2026

The Owl is a dramatic peak that rises about 3,700 feet above sea level in Baxter State Park. A rounded mountain that lies just west of Katahdin, the Owl is said to resemble a sitting owl — or an owl’s head — if you use your imagination. The Owl offers amazing views of Katahdin. And in the opposite direction, the view includes a collection of Baxter’s most beloved ponds, including Kidney and Daicey. The hike is fairly short compared to other mountain hikes in the park, an out-and-back trip of 6.6 miles. Alone at the summit, we stretched out on the sun-warmed granite and relaxed for a while before retracing our steps to the trailhead. A swim in Nesowednehunk Stream punctuated a perfect day in the park. ~ Aislinn Sarnacki

Column: Nesowadnehunk Stream offers magnificent mountain views

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 22, 2026

Nesowadnehunk Stream flows from its source at Nesowadnehunk Lake in T4 R10 WELS south into Baxter State Park, along the park’s southwestern edge and through the Appalachian Trail corridor, before emptying into the West Branch of the Penobscot River just east of thundering Nesowadnehunk Falls. The 17 miles of Nesowadnehunk Stream — cold, crystal clear and trout-rich — are arguably some of the most beautiful in Maine.

US imposes 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 22, 2026

The United States and Canada, historic allies along an undefended border, fell deeper into a trade war Saturday marked by angry recriminations and new tariffs that are expected to raise prices for products in both countries. Each side blamed the other for the collapse of negotiations in Washington late Friday, leading the U.S. to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods and Canada setting Sept. 8 as the start of its retaliatory penalties. Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country had been “attacked” by the new American tariffs. Trump’s approach to dealing with Canada marks an extraordinary departure from the traditionally cooperative relationship between the two countries. The Canadian public is fed up.

Opinion: Marine electrification is an economic opportunity for Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 22, 2026

In Maine, Island Institute has worked with partners to electrify 22 commercial boats across aquaculture, fishing and other working waterfront applications. For commercial fishermen and aquaculture operators, electric propulsion can reduce fuel and maintenance costs while creating quieter, healthier working environments for crews. For boatbuilders and marine businesses, electric propulsion is an opportunity to compete in a growing global market projected to become a $20 billion industry in the next five years. The technology, however, is advancing faster than the systems needed to support it. Maine Blue Economy Center —a state-supported initiative housed within the Maine Technology Institute can help coordinate, invest in and grow the state’s ocean economy. ~ Lia Morris, Island Institute, and Brent Dancey, Oceans North

Rumor of ICE crackdown on Maine farms highlights fears for legal workers

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 22, 2026

One of Maine’s major agricultural organizations warned farmers Thursday of an expected surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity into next week, then later downgraded its statement. The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association sent an online newsletter stating it had “received word” of increased enforcement activity starting Friday focused on farms, farmworkers and construction sites. Another email that night issued a correction, saying possible activity or targeted sites hadn’t been confirmed. Recent ICE surges in the state have heightened anxiety even for those in the country legally through federal visa programs.

Column: These may be your least favorite birds to identify, but here’s how to make it easier

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 22, 2026

It’s been a while since I urged you to tear a book apart. Approximately 30 shorebird species pass through Maine every fall. Some are rare, but most are expected if you look in the right places. Separate similar birds into piles. Rip the pages out of your favorite guidebook and begin sorting. Once you’ve reduced confusion by tearing out the nearly-impossible birds, divide the remaining Charadriiformes pages into two piles: birds typically spotted on mudflats, and all others. The smallest shorebirds are the most troublesome, especially the so-called “peep” sandpipers. In conclusion: you didn’t actually tear pages out of your book, did you? ~ Bob Duchesne

In 1908, a Boston woman donated 140 acres in Maine to stop future development at what became Acadia

TIMES OF INDIA • August 21, 2026

Acadia National Park was the first national park created from private lands gifted to the public through the efforts of conservation-minded citizens. Many of the activities surrounding the civic groups that created the park excluded women and people of colour. However, there was one woman, longtime resident Eliza Homans, who donated 140 acres of land to the park, which is a popular hiking and viewing spot today.

Tiny ocean plankton holds clues to the future of Maine lobster

UMAINE NEWS• August 21, 2026

The future of Maine’s lobster industry may depend on a creature the size of a sesame seed. Researchers at the University of Maine have discovered that planktonic baby lobsters, or larvae, preferentially feed on Calanus finmarchicus, a tiny, calorie-rich zooplankton species, during one of the most vulnerable stages of their lives. Their new study upholds a theory advanced by scientists in the past decade, and one that may be relevant to recent declines in Maine’s lobster harvest. Scientists have also observed declines in both the availability of this key food source and the number of young lobsters surviving into adulthood in the Gulf of Maine. 

Maine Audubon Honors Wildlife Champions in the Legislature

MAINE AUDUBON • August 21, 2026

This week Maine Audubon held its first ever Wildlife Champion Awards event at Gilsland Farm to honor six state legislators who helped pass important legislation related to wildlife and habitat during the 132nd Maine Legislature (2025-2026.) Wildlife advocacy has been central to Maine Audubon’s mission since the founding of the Maine Audubon Society in 1902. In the 132nd Legislature, our staff testified on 106 individual bills. But Maine Audubon advocacy staff and public supporters need help from lawmakers to get legislation passed. Maine Audubon honored six lawmakers who were lead sponsors of legislation that helped advance the conservation of wildlife and habitat in the 132nd Maine Legislature with our first ever Wildlife Champion Award: Rep. Vicki Doudera, Sen. Tim Nangle, Rep. Laurie Osher, Sen. Rick Bennett, Sen. Joe Rafferty, and Rep. Sally Cluchey.

Loner orca ‘Old Thom’ spotted off Eastport

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 21, 2026

Old Thom is a solitary orca in a part of the world that has few of them. By most accounts, the bull with a telltale notch in his dorsal fin is the only orca that regularly comes to the Gulf of Maine. He has been spotted in whale-watching territory from Nova Scotia to Massachusetts, and has occasionally been seen keeping company with dolphins, a family to which orcas belong as the largest members. Among whale enthusiasts, a sighting of Old Thom is often described as a bucket list item.

UMaine Symposium: Reducing Marine Debris at the Source; Finding Alternatives to Single-use Plastics

NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • August 21, 2026

NRCM Sustainable Maine Program Director Vanessa Berry will be part of this two-day research-to-application symposium, speaking on Tuesday, September 22 as part of a panel discussion entitled “Policy & Intervention Roundtable: The Future of Single-use Plastics.” Vanessa will be joined by Brian Beneski and Megan Pryor of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection as well as Sydney Harris of Upstream.

Whale Club Mixes Art, Science at The Good Supply

LINCOLN COUNTY NEWS • August 21, 2026

To cap off the summer season, The Good Supply will host Whale Club, an art-based science fair from 1-5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at at 2106 Bristol Road in Pemaquid. For this free event, The Good Supply partnered with the interactive experience Within the Whale, nonprofit Marine Mammals of Maine, and special guest artist Bevin Holmberg of Mermaid Meadow. “Ever since I was little, I have been interested in the marine mammals that swim through our seas,” said Holmberg, the artist behind Falmouth-based small business Mermaid Meadow. “It is important to me to create artwork of sea life — unique and endangered species — so that others are encouraged to enjoy, conserve, and protect what is precious.

National park maintenance work sidelined as Trump’s Freedom 250 takes precedence

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 21, 2026

The 250th anniversary of U.S. independence was just months away when National Park Service employees received a surprising directive: Maintenance projects approved for this year at sites across the nation were being relegated to a new “low priority” list. Work wanted by the White House was taking precedence, including repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Meanwhile, almost all of about 1,500 maintenance projects on the low priority list as of last month are expected to go undone. That will worsen a repair backlog at national parks. Maine Sen. Angus King, the ranking member of the Senate’s National Parks Subcommittee, said it could lead to “the deterioration of America’s gems” as sanitation upgrades and basic maintenance don’t happen.