MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 22, 2025
On June 9, state legislators approved LD 976, creating a working group to study restoring public transportation to Swan Island, three years after the U.S. Coast Guard shut down the operation for safety and inspection concerns. LD 976 was expected to automatically become law Sunday, even without Gov. Janet Mills’ signature. Currently, the public can access Swan Island only with a personal boat or kayak. The ferry that for six decades carried passengers between Richmond and the four-mile-long island has not operated since mid-2022. And the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, the agency that owns the island, has expressed little interest in restoring that ferry service. State wildlife managers say such a plan would require staff and money and they prefer to focus on wildlife management and facilities maintenance.