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Jym St. Pierre
Editor, Maine Environmental News

Mt. Agamenticus: Foundation of a Living Coastal Landscape

NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • July 1, 2026

Mt. Agamenticus (Mt. A) in York crowns a singular, treasured locale. It’s the centerpiece of the 10,000-acre namesake Conservation Region that is located within an additional 30,000-acre expanse of conservation land in southern Maine. This preservation movement serves as a shining example of how like-minded individuals, along with conservation and environmental organizations, raise awareness, and galvanize landowners and the public about the crucial importance of saving and protecting extraordinary landscapes brimming with life. It’s a campaign that’s required—and continues to require—the concerted efforts of state, local, and federal conservation groups and environmental organizations under the aegis of the Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative, mta2c.org.

Weather service declares extreme heat watch for eastern Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 1, 2026

The U.S. National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat watch for Mount Desert Island and the surrounding area. This week, the heat wave has moved scorching temperatures from the central portions of the United States east into New England and north into Canada. For Acadia National Park and coastal Hancock County, the extreme heat watch runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday. According to the weather service, this sort of watch is when “dangerously hot conditions with the heat index values up to 105 Fahrenheit are possible.”

Column: Finding dance halls in the hills

TIMES RECORD • July 1, 2026

A lifetime of trails has kept me reasonably adept at the juggling cadence needed for New England trails and their studding of rocks and roots. Thoughts for those who would “dance” trails:
• Never take one step where you can take two.
• Avoid stepping on roots or wood; it can be very slippery.
• Learn to read mud; you can discern skim mud from bog.
• Follow the water; its downhill trace is usually the one of most grace.
• Stop whenever you want to take in the view.
• When moving, keep your focus on your partner trail.
• Bonus thought: sing to yourself as you go.
~ Sandy Stott

Hiking in Piscataquis County

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 1, 2026

Whether you’re an avid hiker tackling new trails every weekend or someone who enjoys the occasional family hike, Piscataquis County is a beautiful place to explore. You can find everything from stretches of wilderness to gorges, lakeside paths, and waterfalls. Here’s a list of diverse places to explore:
• Mount Katahdin
• Gulf Hagas
• Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit
• Chimney Pond Trail
• Lily Bay State Park
• Guilford Memorial Walk

Opinion: Environmental laws should not be waived for border walls

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 1, 2026

West Texas may seem far from home here in Maine, but Homeland Security waiving 28 key environmental laws to expedite border wall construction in the Big Bend Region and ease the award of billions of tax dollars to private contractors should have everyone concerned. As a border state, Maine is similarly vulnerable to these environmental waivers, which can extend up to 100 miles from an international border. I was the archaeologist at Big Bend National Park until a few months ago and it is impossible to overstate how devastating these walls and other infrastructure will be to the culture and environment of this region. ~ Sarah Loftus, Hallowell

Letter: People in Maine need cars — and choices

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 1, 2026

The transportation funding crisis facing Maine didn’t come out of nowhere. In 2011, then-Gov. LePage froze the gas tax relative to inflation, effectively draining nearly $600 million from transportation system funding that would have made Maine safer, more accessible and better connected. Since then, Maine voters have had to pass 10 highway bonds to support transportation infrastructure. Even before today’s shortfall, safer and healthier transportation options like public transportation, walking, biking, rolling and community rides — have been chronically underfunded. That’s why we’ve assembled Transportation for Maine (T4ME) with more than 20 organizations statewide calling for long-term solutions that will allow Maine to start building the connected transportation system of the future. ~ Zoe Miller, Portland

Lincoln artist illustrates the historical transformation of Maine logging

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 1, 2026

The Maine lumbermen’s story during a tumultuous time comes to life in artist and former logger Roger Ryder’s paintings, reflecting his days of living in the woods at Telos Camp near Chamberlain Lake in the early 1970s as a Great Northern Paper foreman. This recent donation to Patten Lumbermen's Museum, made by his grandson, Vance Tompkins, 11, not only portrays the end of Maine’s river driving era, but marks the museum’s first steps to expand into the history of mechanized logging. The vibrant paintings detail the new equipment, night logging and the devastating spruce budworm that threatened Maine’s timber economy. 

Letter: Maine should expand fall deer season

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 1, 2026

I think it’s very logical to expand the “any deer permits” along the coast of Maine (BDN, June 18). What seems totally illogical to me is the lack of foresight in not moving the seasons ahead by two weeks when the fall is colder. The reasons being: The deer are moving. The weather being cooler means if one has to hold a deer longer for processing, there is less chance of spoilage. ~ Fred Carey, St. George

Letter: Maine should expand fall deer season 3

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 1, 2026

I think it’s very logical to expand the “any deer permits” along the coast of Maine (BDN, June 18). What seems totally illogical to me is the lack of foresight in not moving the seasons ahead by two weeks when the fall is colder. The reasons being: The deer are moving. The weather being cooler means if one has to hold a deer longer for processing, there is less chance of spoilage. ~ Fred Carey, St. George

This northern Maine sanctuary sees thousands of visitors every year

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 1, 2026

A massive natural sanctuary hidden away in a northern Maine town of just 300 draws more than 5,000 visitors a year. Mizpah in Grand Isle has helped thousands find peace amid life’s hardships at no cost for more than 30 years, and its founder’s family is ensuring the tradition continues. The site’s founder, Richard Corbin, was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin disease at just 22 years old. He was given less than a year to live. He made a promise to God that he would build a place for cancer survivors if he survived. He started building Mizpah in 1991 on 15 acres. He survived for nearly 50 years after that diagnosis and saw Mizpah grow to 109 acres. He died in 2015 at 71 years old.

Aroostook County landowner taken into custody as firefighters battle debris pile fires

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 30, 2026

A landowner was taken into custody for erratic driving as firefighters attempted to bring a fire spread among 20 debris piles under control in Madawaska on Monday night. The Madawaska Fire Department responded to what was originally reported as a roughly 3-acre forest fire spreading up a hill. Upon arrival, crews found 20 to 30 large slash piles — debris piles consisting of branches, brush and other organic materials — ablaze with flames 10 to 20 feet high. The piles were spread across a roughly 14-acre area. Two other piles were also burning across the street. The landowner had a burn permit but was not in control of the fires. Charges are pending.

Saco breaks ground on long awaited Camp Ellis spur jetty

MAINE PUBLIC • June 30, 2026

The Army Corps of Engineers officially broke ground in Saco today on the new Camp Ellis spur jetty. The new structure is designed to curb the severe erosion that has plagued the seaside community for years. Camp Ellis in Saco is sometimes called the "ground zero" of sea level rise.The original jetty, built nearly 200 years ago to protect the river for boats, inadvertently amplified and redirected waves. During the big storms in 2007, 2023 and 2024, homes and roads were flooded and whole chunks of land swept out to sea. The Army Corps of Engineers says the new jetty will mitigate the power of the waves as the corps take steps to rebuild the beach.

Great white shark spotted near Harpswell beach

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 30, 2026

A fisherman reported a great white shark near a Harpswell beach Monday. The shark surfaced a few hundred yards off Cedar Beach on Bailey Island around 4 p.m. Monday. A summer resident was killed in July 2020 by a great white while swimming near her home on Bailey Island.

Have questions about birding in Maine? Ask Maine Audubon in our live Q&A

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 30, 2026

Maine Audubon staff naturalist Doug Hitchcox can answer your questions about the winged creatures you’ll find around our state. Doug will be on hand to answer all your burning birding questions in a live Q&A from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 22. You can ask him questions during the live event or submit them beforehand below and come back to see what he says.

As wildfires worsen, Trump administration revives discredited policy to stomp out all fires quickly

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 30, 2026

The deaths of three U.S. government firefighters in a Colorado wildfire are casting a spotlight on the Trump administration’s creation of a new federal fire service and its revival of a discredited policy to stomp out all wildfires quickly. The consolidation of thousands of personnel into the fire service has sown confusion among firefighters about who their bosses are and what their responsibilities should be. And the administration’s focus on “full suppression” of new fires marks a sharp reversal from a decades-long trend toward embracing flames as a tool. The new agency and policy won’t eliminate catastrophic wildfires that occur due to dense forests where people are increasingly moving and extreme weather caused by climate change.

New parking rules around Cape Elizabeth’s ‘secret beach’ spark outcry, protest

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 30, 2026

Town restrictions on parking near Cliff House Beach in Cape Elizabeth, which went into effect in March, have prompted nonresidents who visit the beach to stage an “Occupy Cliff House” protest next month. “It’s a public beach,” Lexi Shorey said. “It should feel public.” Nonresidents now have to walk up to a half mile to access the beach. Only Cape Elizabeth residents – determined by a municipal recycling sticker – are permitted to park on about 20 side streets on either side of this section of Shore Road between May 1 and Oct. 1, significantly reducing the parking options for out-of-towners who want to access the beach.

Ogunquit family battling to keep tin rooster sculptures on display

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 30, 2026

Every morning before school, Pyper LaBlanc tucks herself under the hollow tail of a 6-foot-tall tin rooster in her Ogunquit yard. When the 6-year-old hears two honks from the school bus, she knows it’s time to leave her companion for the day. Pyper’s family adopted her out of foster care three years ago, and since then, they’ve been collecting tin roosters and displaying them in front of their Route 1 home. Her father, Dave LaBlanc, said they bring joy and comfort to his daughter, who has autism. The colorful row of giant birds has also become a popular tourist attraction. Now, the town is telling the family that its roosters are violating a town ordinance prohibiting business signage in front of a home.

3 Maine municipalities making temporary changes to busy roadways amid pedestrian safety concerns

MAINE PUBLIC • June 30, 2026

Portland, Saco and Scarborough will install temporary improvements this summer in an effort to make busy roads safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. Nearly 30 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes last year in the area, according to the Greater Portland Council of Governments. Pedestrian-involved crashes have continued into this year, including a fatal crash earlier this month on Marginal Way and Preble Street in Portland.

Bates librarian finds Indigenous land grant from 1860s, complicating college’s history

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 30, 2026

In the conventional sense, the University of Maine is the state’s only land-grant university: it received Indigenous land from the federal government over 150 years ago as an early endowment. By another definition, Colby and Bowdoin, to which the state gave a combined 234,000 acres, were the first land-grant colleges in Maine. Now, add to that list Bates College. The Legislature granted the Lewiston college 57,000 acres in northwestern Maine in the 1860s. The state land agent transferred the deed for two townships to the college in 1865, and Bates sold its land two years later for $23,000 (roughly $518,000 today).