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
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 8, 2025
A small group of South Portland residents, bonded by an interest in trees, has bloomed into ReForest South Portland whose mission is to improve the city’s tree canopy by planting more. Improving the city’s tree canopy comes with multiple benefits. Temperatures can be 25 degrees cooler under the shade of a tree, Barter said, which can lead to a decrease in air conditioning needs by 30%. “(Trees) make coastlines more resilient to the weather patterns increasingly common in a changing climate,” said Hillary Barter, a co-founder.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 7, 2025
A community garden is taking root behind the police station, all because 10-year-old Liam Reed asked town officials if there was one and when told no, stated there should be one. There are four raised beds, each with two sections. “We made them so people of all abilities can work in them,” Austin stated. “There will be 11 pots for herbs. We will have chives, lavender, basil, thyme, dill, sage.” Someone might want to make pickles, use herbs for cooking or other things.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 7, 2025
The deaths of two New York hikers this week offer a tragic reminder that attempting to summit Maine’s tallest peak is a high-stakes challenge for even experienced mountaineers. Sometimes underestimated, Katahdin’s combination of challenging terrain and unpredictable weather have contributed to the more than 60 reported deaths on the mountain since officials began tracking that data in 1933. Despite the risks, climbing Katahdin remains a bucket list item for many Mainers. Those interested in attempting to summit the 5,267-foot peak shouldn’t take the challenge lightly. Here’s how they can do it as safely as possible.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 6, 2025
Maine is in the middle of writing its once-a-decade wildlife action plan, a conservation blueprint that will guide funding decisions, science and protection efforts. And, for the first time, the plan will emphasize the critical role of habitat protection, and consider how climate change affects local plants and animals. The state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s 2025 plan will assess the health of Maine’s 1,500 native plants, in addition to Maine’s 15,000 native wildlife species. The 2005 and 2015 plans only considered animals species. The new plan will also make use of new climate science not available for past plans.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 5, 2025
Two Maine families with deep ties to Western Maine have permanently conserved nearly 800 acres of forestland in Albany Township, protecting vital wildlife habitat, clean drinking water, and public recreational access in partnership with Mahoosuc Land Trust and a coalition of conservation partners. The conserved lands include the 85-acre Ralph and Alice Kimball Songo Forest, acquired through a bargain sale from the Kimball family, and a 720-acre tract formerly owned by Penley and Mills, Inc., now held by The Conservation Fund with an eye to future transfer to the White Mountain National Forest. The properties protect 3.5 miles of wild brook trout habitat, 61.5 acres of freshwater wetlands, 125 acres of rare species habitat, 387 acres of high-priority watershed land extensive pedestrian access, including hiking, hunting, fishing, skiing, and part of an important snowmobile trail linkage
MACHIAS VALLEY NEWS OBSERVER • June 5, 2025
Ronin are samurai without masters. Thirty years ago, I left the King administration, returned to the University of Maine at Machias and Washington County, and became a policy ronin — an independent, skilled, and potentially dangerous policy warrior. During this session, I submitted testimony on four bills (LDs 183, 495, 252, and 1593) that I was asked to submit and on five others (LDs 32, 375, 499, 1373, and 1494) that I had an interest in. This ronin has mostly gotten his policy ass kicked. LD 183, An Act to Cap Publicly Owned Land Area at No More than 50 Percent of Any County, was voted unanimously out of committee “ought not to pass.” ~ Jonathan Reisman
UNITED NATIONS • June 5, 2025
Communities, civil society, businesses, and governments around the world today marked World Environment Day under the theme #BeatPlasticPollution. Plastic pollution permeates every corner of the planet. By 2040, plastic leakage to the environment is predicted to grow by 50 per cent, and that pollution creeps into our bodies through the food we eat, the water we drink, and even the air that we breathe. World Environment Day 2025 calls for collective action to tackle plastic pollution. It comes exactly two months before countries resume negotiations towards a global treaty to end plastic pollution.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 5, 2025
Kennebunk Land Trust announced its fourth annual summer celebration, the Soaring Skies Soiree, will take place on July 10 at 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Kennebunkport’s Colony Hotel. Patrons are invited to an evening of drinks, bites, and celebration, all in support of land conservation. The soiree is also the culmination of the trust’s Nature’s Canvas: Unveiled art auction. The online auction for those pieces will go live on Monday, July 7, closing on July 10 at 7 p.m.
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • June 5, 2025
Under the Biden administration, Under the Biden administration, the goal at FEMA was to make sure every disaster victim got what they needed to recover and be protected against the next disaster. Now, some of those efforts have been canceled, while others face an uncertain future. President Trump has repeatedly said that he believed FEMA should not exist. He has also moved to eliminate so-called equity programs meant to ensure that the federal government serves Americans from all economic, geographic and ethnic groups. The agency has cut billions of dollars of programs and lost hundreds of staff.
ADVERTISER DEMOCRAT • June 5, 2025
OXFORD — Bancroft Contracting has wrapped up installation of the western fish gate, the third and final gate to be replaced, in Thompson Lake dam at the old Robinson Woolen Mill. Releasing more water ahead of rainstorms will help maintain an overall appropriate level and save the dam from being compromised or failing. Adding a fish screen is one of the final pieces of rebuilding the dam over the last five years. The next phase to rehabilitating the Thompson Lake dam is rebuilding the retaining wall in the outlet channel that feeds into the Little Androscoggin River.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 5, 2025
As a nurse practitioner, I see firsthand how pollution from the vehicles on our roads harms people. I see patients with asthma exacerbations frequently at the local urgent care where I provide care. Pollution from gas- and diesel-powered vehicles causes asthma attacks in kids and a host of other health harms, and people who live and work near roadways are at particular risk. Unfortunately, the U.S. House just voted to improperly use a tool called the Congressional Review Act to effectively overturn three state vehicle pollution programs. Unfortunately, Rep. Golden voted “yes.” The good news is that the Senate hasn’t voted yet. I’m calling on Sen. King and Sen. Collins to vote “no” on these unlawful Congressional Review Act resolutions. I hope they vote “no” to protect kids’ health. ~ Samantha Paradis, Caribou
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 5, 2025
A new wind turbine platform will still float off the coast of Castine for the next 18 months, despite a sudden loss of millions in federal funding to the project and resulting layoffs to the University of Maine research center behind it. But to keep the project going, researchers will have to reduce their analysis of the data, and they won’t be able to come up with a plan to bring the technology to commercial uses that they say would have many applications beyond ocean energy. Almost $50 million in federal funding to the university system has been suspended or threatened this year by President Trump. The federal agency had already put $9.3 million toward the current floating project.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 5, 2025
I was disappointed to see the bill to expand railway service to Orono voted down. Supporters of the status quo argue that highways and buses provide access. But for many Mainers, that access is difficult, unreliable, or unaffordable. My family experienced this firsthand when a loved one had to travel to Boston several times a week for cancer treatment. Without a rail option, they had to endure long drives or bus rides and stay in expensive hotels, adding stress and cost during an already painful time. We need to stop leaving central and northern Maine behind. ~ Kate Pond, Bangor
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 5, 2025
I am a member of Maine Youth for Climate Justice, writing in strong support of LD 1138. This bill would ensure that future projects undertaken by the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) adhere to the recommendations of the Maine Climate Council. This is essential for the well-being of our state, as the transportation sector accounts for nearly half of all carbon emissions produced here. That number must go down. Additionally, Mainers deserve transparency around projects that will directly affect them. We deserve to know the climate impacts of developments in the state. As a youth advocate who will inherit the planet and the crisis that it faces, I hope to see LD 1138 passed. ~ Anna Lupien, Waldoboro
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 4, 2025
Browntail moth caterpillars and an abundance of dog ticks have made late spring pretty tough here in Maine. But these pests aren’t the only ones to expect this summer. The state is home to 48 different species of black flies and than 40 mosquito species, as well as deer flies and midges.
COWBOY STATE DAILY • June 4, 2025
Michael Boren, an Idaho rancher and tech billionaire who has a history of clashing with the U.S. Forest Service, has been nominated to oversee the agency. If confirmed he would be in charge of nearly 200 million acres of public lands. Similar to the Bureau of Land Management, the USFS issues permits for energy development, logging and livestock grazing on public lands, while also fighting wildfires and managing recreational uses such as hiking and off-roading.
TIMES RECORD • June 4, 2025
Brunswick-based outdoor gear lending nonprofit Maine GearShare and the Curtis Memorial Library have partnered to offer free equipment for library card holders. Members can reserve a gear pass on the library website for the week they want to borrow gear and pick up their pass at the library. Then, they can either use the code on the pass to reserve gear on the Maine GearShare website or stop by GearShare and grab available gear during the reservation time. “One of the goals is to get our people outside and experiencing the world and connecting with all the benefits that nature has to provide,” said CML adult services librarian Hazel Onsrud.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 4, 2025
A father and daughter who went missing while trying to climb Katahdin on Sunday and were later found dead near the summit likely encountered rain, snow, heavy winds and freezing wind chill temperatures, according to accounts from hikers and satellite and forecast data. Baxter State Park Director Kevin Adam said the conditions on Sunday would have been “freezing rain, fog, and some snow.” Tim Keiderling was found dead Tuesday afternoon by a Maine Warden Service K9 search team on the Tablelands region near the summit of Katahdin. Esther Keiderling was found dead around 1 p.m. Wednesday in a boulder area between the Cathedral and Saddle Trails off the Tablelands, roughly 1,000 feet from where her father was found.
WMTW-TV8 • June 4, 2025
Search teams have now found the bodies of both hikers who were missing on Mount Katahdin. Baxter State Park Rangers announced just before 3 p.m. Wednesday that they found the body of Esther Keiderling, 28, at about 1 p.m. in a wooded area between two trails along the Tablelands. This came a day after a Maine Warden K9 found the body of her father, Tim Keiderling, 58 at about 2:45 p.m. near the summit of Mount Katahdin. Park officials held out hope until the end that Esther would be found alive. Temperatures on Katahdin were in the 40s Sunday night and 30s Monday night with wind chills around freezing. Registered Maine Guide who leads hikes on Maine's highest mountain spoke with Maine's Total Coverage about what Katahdin is like, especially at this time of year. Tori Gray says Katahdin is a challenging mountain to hike, even for experienced climbers.
