Help Keep the News Coming

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

make a donation

Opinion: Maine fishing must be central to our national food framework

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • April 26, 2026

The reality is that fishing is food production, and what fishermen produce is some of the best food you can eat. Yet, while our neighbors in the heartland have long benefited from the robust support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, our fishermen have been left to navigate a different, often more precarious, path. Now is the time to bridge that gap and fully integrate seafood into our national food framework. When we build a stronger supply chain here at home, we aren’t just helping fishermen, we’re making sure Maine and the rest of the country can feed itself. ~ Ben Martens, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association

Portlanders mark Earth Day by cleaning up city parks, neighborhoods

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 25, 2026

During an Earth Day cleanup event hosted by Portland Parks Conservancy and the City of Portland at 18 locations across the city volunteers took to the streets and sidewalks, ditches and pond banks.

What to expect at Acadia and Maine’s state parks this year

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 24, 2026

The biggest change at Acadia National Park this year is for foreign tourists. An America The Beautiful Pass, which covers entrance fees at many national parks and federal lands, jumped to $250 for non-U.S. residents in 2026. The pass will still cost $80 for U.S. citizens and residents. Foreign visitors who do not have that pass will need to pay an extra $100 per person on top of the standard entrance fee to get into the 11 busiest national parks, including Acadia. Current daily entrance fees for Acadia range from $20 to $35. Baxter State Park introduced a change to its reservation system for 2026. Now, campers will be able to book four consecutive nights at the same site online. Reservations across the12 state campgrounds managed by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands have been strong. Two campgrounds that were closed last year for upgrades — Aroostook State Park and Cobscook Bay State Park — will be open again.

Emerald ash borer detected in southern Aroostook County, far from where it’s usually found in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 24, 2026

An invasive species was found in southern Aroostook County trees this month, far north and south of where the species is known to be in Maine. A logger reported a tree in Benedicta that they suspected was infested with an emerald ash borer this month and their presence has since been confirmed, the Maine Forest Service said in a notice Friday. The invasive species can injure and kill ash trees and cause them to become brittle, and the agency considers them “one of the most serious invasive species threatening our forests.” The emerald ash borer is a small wood-boring beetle from Asia that invaded North America via transported wood, according to the Forest Service, and was first detected in Maine in 2018. Most of southern and central Maine, and part of northern Aroostok County, are considered quarantine areas, meaning ash wood should not be transported outside those areas.

Body of lobsterman recovered in Down East bay

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 23, 2026

A lobsterman’s body was found in a Down East bay Wednesday morning after he was reported missing the night prior. Thomas West, 63, of Steuben, was found dead in Dyer Bay near his 35-foot lobster boat, according to a news release from the Maine Marine Patrol. Local fishermen reported West missing Tuesday evening after his boat, named Aces and Eights, was found running with no one aboard. Marine Patrol searched for him through the night but suspended the search around 2:30 a.m. because of low visibility, according to the release. His family found his body around 6 a.m. near the boat, which was moored near a wharf on Merritt Road in Steuben.

Mi’kmaq Nation and federal wildlife refuge agree to share land in Aroostook County

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 23, 2026

The Mi’kmaq Nation, based in Presque Isle, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signed a historic agreement Wednesday that grants the two organizations mutual access to their respective abutting lands at the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge. Co-stewardship agreements are a rarity in the eastern United States, said Shannon Hill, the tribe’s environmental health director. The agreement signed Wednesday codifies what has long been a positive relationship between the two neighbors. It started after a forest ranger contacted the tribe several years ago to tell them that he had found brown ash within the refuge. The tree species, imperiled by an invasive beetle, is traditionally used by Mi’kmaq basketmakers. The Fish and Wildlife Service is building a trail connecting tribal land to the refuge, replete with signs in the Mi’kmaq language, Hill said in a March interview.

Brunswick residents raise concerns about fuel station

TIMES RECORD • April 22, 2026

A fuel island set to be constructed next to Brunswick’s Public Works facility is prompting alarm among nearby residents, who say they are worried about fumes, traffic, disruption and the future of Brunswick’s Senior Gardens — which will be demolished in the construction. Several neighbors who live in the area of Water Street — which leads to Industry Road, where the Public Works building is located — told the Brunswick Town Council at its meeting Tuesday night that they’re concerned about the possible environmental impacts. “The construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure is directly contradictory to the town’s climate action plan,” said Paul Whitcomb, a Brunswick resident.

UNE receives $5M gift for public and environmental health institute

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 22, 2026

The University of New England will have a new research center dedicated to environmental and human health, thanks to a $5 million donation from the founder of IDEXX Laboratories, the school announced Wednesday. The Institute of Public and Planetary Health will be named in honor of donor David Evans Shaw, and is an interdisciplinary research and academic center focused on health sciences, public health, marine and environmental science, political science and sustainable business.

3 southern Maine farms to find local spring produce

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 22, 2026

As spring produce is harvested, more and more local farmstands are beginning to open across southern Maine. Here are three of our favorites, and an easy recipe using fresh spring vegetables. 
• Chase Farms, 1488 North Berwick Road, Wells. chasefarmswells.com
• Frith Farm, 61 Ash Swamp Road, Scarborough. frithfarm.net
• Spring Brook Farm and Market, 168 Greely Road, Cumberland. sbfarmandmarket.com

Opinion: Maine’s high electric rates are due to legislative failure, not corporate greed

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 20, 2026

Gordon Weil’s argument for public power (“How to cut electric rates in Maine — without public power,” April 2) ignores a hard reality: Maine’s high electric rates aren’t driven by utility profits. They are driven by more than 40 years of legislative micromanagement and mismanagement. Our situation is 100% self-induced. The state is fully responsible for 18 of the 30 cents/kwh we pay, and the heavy increases that Mainers have seen over the past 40 years. Electricity supply, the public policy charge, the Efficiency Maine assessment, Maine’s renewable portfolio standard, the RGGI tax, the impacts of deregulation, hydro dam removal and many more make up that 18 cents. Start with electing politicians who actually care about reliability and affordability, and ones who have enough humility to let the experts build and implement the plan to achieve it. ~ Gerry Chasse, former president of Bangor Hydro/Emera Maine

Opinion: Support ‘blue-collar research’ on Maine’s experimental forests

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 20, 2026

The tremendous volume of data that has been collected at the U.S. Forest Service’s Penobscot Experimental Forest, a 3,900-acre forest in Bradley and Eddington, has formed a baseline of ecological knowledge that is unmatched. The Penobscot contains one of the longest-running studies in North America examining how forest management influences forest dynamics in northern conifer forests. Its long-term data have made it internationally recognized across forest science. Similarly, the Massabesic Experimental Forest located in Lyman has conducted long-term research on oak-pine forests, a prevalent forest type across southern New England. With the recent announcement of the U.S. Forest Service’s reorganization, many experimental forests are left in a state of uncertainty. The investments in long-term research that have been made at Maine’s experimental forests would deteriorate if facilities were closed. ~ Matt Russell, forest data scientist, Arbor Analytics, St. Albans

Opinion: Maine’s finest conservation efforts are rooted in community

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • Apirl 19, 2026

The Maine Land Conservation Conference, the largest annual meeting of its kind in the state, is an opportunity for organizations to share tools, strengthen partnerships and explore emerging challenges. It also highlights one of Maine’s greatest conservation strengths: a network of more than 80 land trusts working in collaboration to benefit lands, waters, people and wildlife. This network represents the highest number of land trusts per capita of any state. It not only reflects Maine’s strong conservation ethic, but also its distinctly local approach to stewardship. Land trusts are shifting from organizations that serve the environment to organizations that serve both the environment and people. At a time when many people feel disempowered about decisions affecting their future, community-led stewardship and taking care of the land offer hope and an opportunity to help people feel more connected — to nature, to one another and to their future. ~ Angela Twitchell, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and Matt Markot, Loon Echo Land Trust

New law aims to get Mainers to use "off peak" electricity

MAINE PUBLIC • April 14, 2026

A new state law will encourage Maine electric customers to shift their heavy power use to times of the day when there is lower overall demand. The law directs Efficiency Maine to develop a pilot program offering education and outreach to customers who could benefit from switching to cheaper "time of use" rates offered by Maine's electric utilities. Under those rates, customers can lower their monthly bill if they avoid using lots of electricity between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., when demand is highest. Officials across New England are implementing similar programs to reduce wholesale electric prices and the need to build out expensive infrastructure.

Milo sawmill will close this month due to rising costs, owner says

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 14, 2026

Lumbra Hardwoods in Milo is closing this month after 74 years in business. The sawmill can’t sustain rising electric and machinery costs, forcing the family business to close, co-owner Stephen Lumbra said. “The company can’t continue like this..” Lumbra Hardwoods is the second Milo business to close within the last two years due to rising utility prices. Costs of incentives for building solar arrays and using solar power have been pushed onto companies that can’t afford their now higher bills, Lumbra said, forcing them to close. Employees will work at the mill until the end of April when the last logs are sold, Lumbra said. The company has 20 employees.

State to provide ongoing funding for Land for Maine's Future program

MAINE PUBLIC • April 14, 2026

For the first time since its formation in 1987, state lawmakers have elected to provide continuous funding to the Land for Maine's Future program. "It's really a game changer," said Luke Frankel of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. "It's a big win for the environment, outdoor recreation and Maine's natural resource-based economy." The money will come from a portion of the interest earned on the state's Budget Stabilization Fund — also called the Rainy Day Fund. "It's estimated that this would generate $7 million to $8 million," he said. "So that's a substantial amount of money going towards the program on an annual basis."

Forest Service shake-up will boost states’ role — but even supporters have concerns

MAINE MORNING STAR • April 14, 2026

A sweeping reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service signals that the agency is planning to lean heavily on states to manage millions of acres of federal land. State officials and timber industry leaders say they’ve been given scant details about the plan, which will move the agency’s headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, restructure its regional management, and close scores of research stations in dozens of states. Many forestry veterans fear the shake-up will cause more attrition in an agency that’s already shrunk by nearly 5,900 employees because of Trump’s cuts. Some see a clear sign that moving the headquarters to Utah — a state whose leaders are often hostile to federal land ownership — is designed to undermine the Forest Service’s management of its lands. The closure of 57 research stations will threaten critical science that states and other forest managers rely on. The agency is required to seek congressional approval to relocate offices, which will trigger legal challenges. [There are 47,000 acres of national forest in Maine.]

Maine makes a high-stakes bet to protect its waterways

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 14, 2026

Workshops are being held by the Maine Forest Service to teach the low-tech art of live staking, a nature-based stabilization method using “living rebar” to prevent Maine rivers, lakes, and coastal dunes from washing away in a changing climate. For years, the standard reaction to a crumbling shore was rip rap or a retaining wall. But state regulators now think hard armor can backfire, damaging neighboring lots, causing downstream erosion, and destroying the “living edge” that filters out pollutants before they reach the water. Under the new regulations, most landowners will have to prove nature-based solutions will not work before they are permitted to haul in stone or pour concrete.

Maine herring smokehouse, the last in US, may get a 2nd act

QUODDY TIDES • April 13, 2026

In 1991 when the McCurdy Smokehouse in Lubec closed, it was the “last of the last” commercial herring smokehouses in the country. For 100 years, it was a place where herring were smoked, packaged and shipped all over the world. The smoked herring business was one of the most important industries of Down East Maine, and now the intact smokehouse, the last of its kind, preserves a vanished era of working waterfronts of the region. It is also endangered by the rising tide. Lubec Landmarks is fundraising to acquire the property, having already secured a verbal agreement with the owners that they will not sell until Lubec Landmarks completes the congressional funding process. If the project is successful, the smokehouse may get a second act on higher ground and be a boon for tourism.