BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 23, 2025
Brandon Bichrest, a Maine guide with a passion for conservation, has spent the past few months pulling tires out of the Androscoggin River — tires that were dumped decades ago in the misguided belief they’d help create fish habitat. He’s already removed more than 200, but estimates over 10,000 remain. This isn’t just a cosmetic issue — it’s an environmental crisis hiding in plain sight. Brandon has taken the first step, but he can’t solve it alone. The scale of the problem is far bigger than one person can handle. So the question is — what more can be done?