PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 28, 2026
Another Earth Day has come and gone. River, beach and city park cleanups have taken place; speeches have been made; and politicians have offered their obligatory support for the natural world. Yet across the country, so much of what makes America great is under threat. Powerful special interests wield far too much influence over our democracy, and constitutional freedoms— like the ability to speak out in public — are being challenged in ways we haven’t seen for years. America’s national parks, national monuments and other public lands are now squarely in the crosshairs of the administration and its cynical efforts to hand over control of our shared heritage to some of the most powerful corporations in the world — all at the expense of our freedom to roam the great outdoors. The days after Earth Day are when Mainers must call on our elected leaders and remind them that protecting America’s public lands is what truly makes our country great. ~ Jeremy Sheaffer, Maine state director, The Wilderness Society