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
SUN JOURNAL • May 5, 2026
Auburn City Council voted Monday night to join an effort to create a recreational trail between Lewiston-Auburn and Portland to be built partially along an inactive rail corridor between Auburn and Portland. The Casco Bay Trail is a proposed 72-mile off-road trail loop connecting Portland, Lewiston, Auburn, Brunswick and Freeport. It would includd a section of the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad known as the Berlin subdivision that runs between Danville Junction in Auburn and The Roux Institute in Portland.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 5, 2026
A kayaker is missing off Deer Isle. The man was kayaking near the Deer Isle Bridge on Tuesday morning when his boat overturned.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 5, 2026
It’s no surprise that profitable industries try to protect their interests. However, what’s truly concerning is our Environmental Protection Agency chief, Lee Zeldin, “celebrating vindication” with a keynote speech at the Heartland Institute, where he promoted his rollback of the legal grounds for climate change legislation (News, April 9). The Heartland Institute is a think tank funded by major corporate interests, including oil and gas companies. With Mr. Zeldin now possibly under consideration for attorney general, I do not see any reason to celebrate his celebration at the Heartland Institute. ~ Richard Hackel, Chebeague Island
MAINE AUDUBON • May 5, 2026
Maine Audubon invited all candidates running to be our state’s next Governor who qualified for the upcoming primary election—five Democrats and seven Republicans—to participate in a 13-question survey covering a variety of wildlife-related topics. We are pleased to share answers from gubernatorial candidates who opted to take our questionnaire.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 6, 2026
One of the most inspiring stories you’ve likely never heard is about a woman who went for a walk and ended up completing the Appalachian Trail. In 1955, the 67-year-old Gatewood, of Ohio, got the idea to walk the entire AT from reading a National Geographic article in a waiting room. She took a hand-sewn duffel bag carrying minimal supplies and a pair of Keds sneakers, and covered more than 2,000 miles from Georgia to Mount Katahdin. It took her 146 days. At the end, Gatewood became the first woman to solo-hike the storied trail. Gatewood later completed the Appalachian Trail a second time and also tackled the Oregon Trail. A stage version of Emma Gatewood’s story is being performed this month at The Public Theatre in Lewiston starting Friday.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 5, 2026
Honey bees are Maine’s official state insect and a keystone species in our ecosystem. As a local beekeeper measuring PFAS in my own hives, I stand with the Maine farmers. I can’t help but wonder how different our response will be to present and emerging environmental crises if we have someone trained in both law and scientific thinking as our next governor. During his time as director of Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Shah recognized how widespread PFAS contamination is in Maine’s soil and water. Now, at a time when science-informed leadership is more essential than ever, he’s made PFAS protection a top priority. ~ Erin Evans, Portland
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 5, 2026
As thousands of Maine homeowners face the daunting cost of testing their wells for forever chemicals, new state research suggests that an affordable mail-in kit may provide a reliable alternative. The state is providing free water testing and home filtration systems for those who live near known hot spots. Others who want to know if PFAS are lurking in their private well must pay for their own test, which isn’t cheap. Although prices have come down in recent years, the cost of a professional analysis conducted by a state-accredited lab will run between $250 to $500. In response to a surge of calls from concerned citizens, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention recently completed a first-of-its-kind study to determine if an $85 home test kit, made by the Illinois-based Cyclopure, can offer cheaper yet trustworthy test results.
SUN JOURNAL • May 5, 2026
A year and a half ago, Christy Crocker, director of the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council, was working with an enthusiastic school district to help test for radon in its building when all of a sudden, administrators called it off. She understood that for the small district, it likely wasn’t a priority. Something that can’t be seen, smelled or tasted doesn’t feel real, Crocker said, and school districts facing numerous financial pressures have to pick their battles. Maine passed a law in 2019 encouraging schools to test for radon. In March, Maine released the first progress report detailing five years of school testing data. Elevated radon levels existed in at least one room in nearly a quarter of buildings tested. In some, levels were much higher than the point where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends taking action. However, only 12% of all Maine schools, have been tested.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 5, 2026
Maine has a problem. Our people want to live in the modern world and not take part in building it. Give us more EVs, but don’t mine any minerals here — the children of Democratic Republic of the Congo are good at that. Remove all the hydro dams instead of building fish ladders, we can just buy our power from other states or countries — or burn more natural gas. Bring broadband to remote counties with taxpayer money but, please, don’t build any data centers — NIMBY all the way. we should diversify and grow our economy. We can’t run a state based on the annual lobster catch and the vacation industry. ~ Zak Harding, Wells
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 4, 2026
The price of Maine’s baby eels has hit a 16-year low for a statewide average of $286 per pound this month, the lowest such average since global demand made prices for Maine’s eels soar in 2011. The average price per pound in Maine is roughly $600 lower than last year, when it was $891 per pound. The state’s fishery for baby eels — also known as elvers or glass eels — peaked in 2018 at $2,366 per pound, according to historical data recorded by the department. The majority of American baby eels caught in Maine waters are shipped live to eastern Asia, where they’re kept in aquaculture ponds until they’re fully grown and then sold for seafood.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 4, 2026
A pair of nesting ospreys were electrocuted in Camden after Central Maine Power removed a long-used nesting platform from a utility pole, prompting outrage among residents. Ospreys have been nesting on a platform above power lines near the Camden Rockport Middle School for years. “There’s nothing worse than thinking, ‘Oh, I can’t wait to see the osprey chicks hatch and fly, and instead to see two dead parents,’” said Alison McKellar, a Camden Select Board member. Osprey are protected under federal law. While they have been classified as threatened or endangered in other states in the Northeast, they have never been listed in Maine. CMP has installed more than 30 osprey platforms across its service area.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 4, 2026
On Memorial Day 1960, my 8-year-old twin brother Don and I sat on the pigpen fence, having just completed our barn chores on our grandparents’ dairy farm in Mercer. Awaiting Grammy Lue’s brass-horn breakfast call, we rocked back and forth until the fence collapsed. Smeared with slop, we raced into the farmhouse and yelled, “Grammy, the pigs have escaped.” To ease the tension, Don chimed in, “But Mr. Chubby (our 250-pound boar) is no longer bunged up.” After days of constipation, Chubby took care of business in Grampa’s potato patch. Henrietta — the matriarch of our Barred Rocks — was busy digging for grubs when the pigs stampeded by. Panic-stricken, she laid an egg on the lawn. ~ Ron Joseph
MAINE PUBLIC • May 4, 2026
The Trump Administration said it supports a proposal by Democratic Maine Congressman Jared Golden to push back new federal protections for North Atlantic Right Whales to 2035. A moratorium on new federal rules around right whales is already in place until 2028 due to concerns from lobsterman who say certain regulations for the endangered species would cripple the fishing industry. Rachel Rilee, oceans policy specialist with the Center for Biological Diversity, cited NOAA data saying cases of whales getting tangled in fishing gear are on the rise. "Another seven years would absolutely result in more entanglements and more death for the right whale, which is only going to make it harder to make gains in conservation,” she said.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 4, 2026
Almost 180-acres is for sale with five existing housing lots and potential for more. The property off the Crooked Road is owned by Christopher Bettencourt and Denise Carey Bettencourt. It was called the Brigadoon Subdivision when the town approved the five housing lots in 2024. The property is one of the largest parcels available in Bar Harbor. With portions of the site within 5-kilometers of the habitat of an endangered species of bat, the Bettencourts rethought the project to avoid wetland alterations. Because of the bats and other considerations, the original subdivision plan was scaled back in 2024. According to the April 23 listing by Lamacchia Realty, Inc., “Its proximity to conserved lands further enhances a sense of seclusion amidst the island’s natural beauty.”
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 4, 2026
If you are an outdoor enthusiast, as I am, then Matt Dunlap is our candidate for the 2nd Congressional District. I believe no one has done more to develop and support popular recreational activities including snowmobiling, boating, hiking, hunting, and fishing. ~ Bucky Owen, Orono
MAINE MORNING STAR • May 4, 2026
Maine lawmakers closed out the 132nd Legislature last week after months spent confronting the fallout of drastic federal policy changes and funding uncertainty. A $45 million bond for agricultural and forestry programs seemed to gain momentum, managing to reach the necessary two-thirds majority in the Senate, but ultimately failed in the House. Lawmakers declined to advance a proposed climate superfund, after other states that passed similar policies have been sued by the Trump administration. Instead, lawmakers backed a study to assess how much money greenhouse gas emissions have cost the state. A measure that made it into law adds additional requirements around the testing of PFAS in water. It requires landlords for residential buildings supplied by well water to test for PFAS, and if a homeowner is selling their property, they must disclose if the well water has tested positive for PFAS contamination. But another bill that would have allocated $1 million towards PFAS testing failed to secure funding.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 4, 2026
A drive through western Maine offers a mix of waterfalls, including:
• Cascade Stream Gorge Falls, Carrabassett Valley
• Falls at Frenchman’s Hole, Township E
• Dunn Falls, Andover
• Smalls Falls, Rangeley
• Screw Auger Falls, Grafton Notch Township
• Mother Walker Falls, Grafton Notch Township
• Step Falls, Newry
• Coos Canyon, Byron
• Snow Falls Gorge, West Paris
• Rattlesnake Pool, Stow
• The Cataracts, Andover
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 3, 2026
Right now, pools are filled with amphibian egg masses. Frog and salamander eggs can look similar at a glance. This short video shows what to look for.
CENTRAL MAINE • May 3, 2026
Outdoor recreation is a cornerstone of Maine’s economy. Each year, millions of visitors come to experience our parks, trails, waterways and working forests — supporting roughly 32,000 jobs and generating $3.9 billion in economic activity. In 2020, Congress created the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund. This landmark legislation provided five years of dedicated funding to address long-overdue repairs on federal lands. Here in Maine, the LRF delivered $54 million for critical repairs to our public lands. Now, with that funding having expired, Congress is considering the America the Beautiful Act, introduced by Maine’s own Sen. Angus King. By passing this legislation, Congress can ensure that Maine’s treasured public lands remain safe, accessible and vibrant. If we want future generations to experience Maine as we know it today, we need to invest in it now. ~ David Heidrich, Augusta
