Lewiston finalizing plans to overhaul Simard-Payne Memorial Park

SUN JOURNAL • January 24, 2025

City officials and a team of consultants are close to finalizing a plan for overhauling Simard-Payne Memorial Park over a number of years as the city looks to draw more attention and investment to the riverfront. City councilors received a preview this week of potential concept designs for the park, with a final design expected to be done by late March. The plans could include features such as canal overlooks, an adventure playground and splash pad, an enlarged amphitheater and space for a future pavilion that could host concerts.

Mining company to sell some land in Penobscot County

MAINE MONITOR • January 24, 2025

Canadian mining exploration company Wolfden Resources Corporation will sell 3,770 acres of the company’s 6,862 acre timberland property in northern Penobscot County to one of its stakeholders, Altius Minerals Corporation, in an apparent effort to finance exploration work at a site in Nevada. Wolfden will sell the land, timber and mineral rights, while retaining the option to explore and buy back the mineral rights for five years. Wolfden will retain ownership of the Pickett Mountain deposit and all of its mineral resources. The deal is expected to close for $1.5 million at the end of January. Last February, LUPC staff rejected Wolfden’s second attempt to apply for a rezoning after LUPC staff said the “project does not represent environmentally responsible mining,” and that approving the rezoning would not meet the commission’s obligation to “prevent the despoliation, pollution and detrimental uses of the water.” 

A quarter of all North Atlantic right whales believed to be in a small area off the Maine coast

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 24, 2025

Maine’s top fisheries official on Friday asked lobstermen to reduce their vertical fishing lines in an area in the Gulf of Maine where endangered North Atlantic right whales are believed to be gathered. “As many as 90 individual right whales have been identified” off the western edge of Jeffreys Ledge, Patrick Keliher, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, said. Roughly 370 North Atlantic right whales are estimated to be living. NOAA Fisheries describes them as “one of the world’s most endangered large whale species” and cites vessel strikes and entanglement with fishing gear as the leading causes of mortality.

Maine’s marine resources chief urges boaters to avoid right whales, pauses some enforcement

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 24, 2025

As dozens of North Atlantic right whales continue to group near Jeffreys Ledge, marine officials are urging lobster fishermen to remove nearby fishing gear and said they will not be enforcing state and federal laws mandating the use of two endlines on trap gear. As many as 90 individual right whales — a significant portion of the critically endangered species’ global population — have been identified off the ledge’s western edge within the last two weeks.

Conservation Law Foundation sues aquaculture company for pollution

MAINE PUBLIC • January 24, 2025

The Conservation Law Foundation has filed a lawsuit against Cooke Aquaculture, saying the company has violated the Clean Water Act at its Down East salmon pens. CLF said the salmon pens release fish feces, fish food and pieces of dead salmon into the surrounding water, polluting the water and ocean floor. "So due to the waste, the lobstermen have had to deal with foul smelling black sludge on their traps," said Heather Govern, vice president of CLF's clean air and water program. "They've had to drive further out from the harbors and away from Cook's cages in order to drop their lobster traps." Govern said Cooke's programs can work, just not like this.

Norway land trust names interim director

SUN JOURNAL • January 24, 2025

Western Foothills Land Trust has named Kelli Shedd its interim executive director. Shedd has worked for the trust since 2019 in development and community outreach. Shedd previously served as marketing and membership manager for Loon Echo Land Trust in Bridgton, and has worked in conservation and outdoor recreation throughout New England for over 20 years.

After floods, Augusta updates Kennebec River warnings

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • January 24, 2025

Flooding in 2023, including the Christmastime storm that breached the banks of the Kennebec River from Waterville to Gardiner, highlighted the need to update warning systems so that property owners and government officials aren’t caught by surprise. The updates were necessary to reflect changing conditions, officials said, including in the climate, which is a factor in the increasing number of large storms in the area.

This ‘little’ mountain in western Maine is a great winter trek

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 24, 2025

Out in the state’s western wilderness, Little Bigelow is the sixth and easternmost prominent peak in the Bigelow Mountain Range. I think the name “little” causes it to slide under the radar. The entire mountain range is located in the 36,000-acre Bigelow Preserve, a state-owned chunk of public land that features about 30 miles of hiking trails and several backcountry tent sites. To hike Little Bigelow in early January, 2023, I started at the intersection with Bog Brook Road and walked two-tenths of a mile on a snowy road to the parking lot and trail. The trail climbs the eastern slope of the mountain. Marked with white paint, it’s actually a section of the famous Appalachian Trail. ~ Aislinn Sarnacki

Column: What birding books can do for you that apps cannot

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 24, 2025

Some bird books can’t be replaced by an app. Books on how-to and where-to are still valuable. Guidebooks on advanced identification of difficult species can display troublesome birds side-by-side. That makes my books on gull, shorebird and hawk identification still useful, even as the pages slowly yellow with age. Apps have little room for stylish writing. Text is terse and to the point. Over the years, I’ve developed a certain fondness for birding authors who display a flair for writing. Maine Audubon is hosting a ZOOM presentation by Kenn Kaufman on Feb. 10. We’ll learn firsthand about the birds Audubon missed, and the fascinating history behind them. It’s free, but registration is limited. ~ Bob Duchesne

NPS Comptroller Named Acting Director

NATIONAL PARKS TRAVELER • January 23, 2025

Jessica Bowron, a National Park Service veteran who has been serving as the agency's comptroller, has been named acting director of the agency. Bowron joined the Park Service in 2007 as a budget analyst and steadily worked her way up to her current position, which she's held since 2017. She will serve as acting director until a Senate-confirmed director is named, or until May 31, unless her assignment is extended by President Trump. During his first term Trump did not have a permanent, Senate-confirmed Park Service director.

Firefighters work 11 hours to extinguish fire in Sappi wood yard

MORNING SENTINEL • January 23, 2025

Firefighters from several towns worked for hours Thursday to extinguish a fire in a conveyor belt gear box at the Sappi Somerset Mill wood yard that was difficult to access because it was surrounded by piles of wood chips. Wood chips are piled about three stories high in the wood yard before they are placed on the covered conveyor belt system, which extends from 10 feet in the ground to about five stories in the air. More than 300 trucks a day deliver wood to the yard.

Belfast's City Council votes unanimously to limit cruise ship size in port

MAINE PUBLIC • January 23, 2025

The Belfast City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to limit the size of cruise ships that are allowed to dock. The vote follows a recommendation from Harbor Master Katherine Given who raised concerns about safety and navigation connected with the eight larger passenger ships that docked last summer and the tour busses that transport the visitors to neighboring cities. Given said the committee decided there was no way to solve these problems outside of limiting the size of the boats allowed into port to 50 passengers.

After years of talks, Auburn preps to remove Littlefield Dam on Little Androscoggin River

SUN JOURNAL • January 23, 2025

A yearslong effort to remove the defunct Littlefield Dam along the Little Androscoggin River in Auburn is finally nearing deconstruction. The city is seeking engineering consultants to plan a $3 million removal, which officials and environmental organizations are hoping will lead to Atlantic salmon and other migratory fish returning upriver. The project has been discussed for several years, but did not receive federal funding until last year, making it possible for the city to move forward.

Lincoln County welcomes another new farm sanctuary

TIMES RECORD • January 23, 2025

Jenny and Matthew Nichols’ Cottontail Cottage Farm Sanctuary (CCFS) is a haven for horses, goats, sheep, chickens, cats, dogs, rabbits, birds and people. Animals that are sick, injured, neglected or otherwise in need of care come from all over the state to seek refuge in Lincoln County, where the couple has found a new “forever home” in Whitefield. Starting on a 3-acre plot in Lamoine and later moving to Cherryfield, Cottontail has now settled into a secluded farmhouse bordering the Jefferson and Whitefield Wildlife Sanctuary — cozying up with its neighbors, the Darrowby Farm Sanctuary.

Livermore Falls Planning Board approves changes to Solar Energy Systems Ordinance

LIVERMORE FALLS ADVERTISER • January 23, 2025

The Livermore Falls Planning Board on Wednesday evening approved changes to the Livermore Falls Solar Energy Systems Ordinance, limiting their size to 15 acres and adding language to meet national fire safety regulations.

Why officials say electric school buses are the future

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • January 23, 2025

Maine school districts, including Winthrop Public Schools and the Yarmouth School Department, continue to have problems with electric school busessupplied through the Clean School Bus Program from Quebec-based Lion Electric Co. However, experts say the problems with Lion Electric buses are not representative of electric buses as a whole, which can be beneficial for schools, as the buses are cheaper to maintain and better for the health of students and bus drivers, as well as the environment as a whole.

Column: A chilly adventure at Brunswick’s Kate Furbish Preserve

TIMES RECORD • January 22, 2025

One of my favorite places to ski in the winter is at the Kate Furbish Preserve on Brunswick Landing. This preserve is composed of two halves separated by Harpswell Cove — Kate Furbish East and Kate Furbish West, both of which are managed by the Town of Brunswick. When the former Brunswick Naval Air Station closed, the U.S. Navy conveyed the 591-acre parcel to the town and it has since been improved for recreation including the addition of parking areas, signage and the grooming of trails for cross-country skiing. There is a complex environmental history of this piece of land given the Navy’s previous presence there. For the time being, it is a beautiful place to visit and to appreciate how it has continued to offer respite and recreational opportunities throughout the seasons. ~ Susan Olcott

Donald Trump’s Canadian tariffs could raise electric bills in Maine border counties

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 22, 2025

President Donald Trump’s plan to levy 25 percent tariffs could lead to higher electric bills for nearly 60,000 Maine ratepayers along the Canadian border. The higher prices would serve as a tangible consequence of Trump’s aggressive trade policies and affect parts of the state that have backed him in his three elections since 2016. Trump, who began his second term Monday, had threatened to immediately enact tariffs of 25 percent on imports from Canada and Mexico, but he has now indicated they may come on Feb. 1.

With funds running out, Maine is at a PFAS crossroads

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 22, 2025

Over the last decade, Maine has spent more than $100 million as it became a national leader in the fight against harmful forever chemicals, but dwindling funds will soon force state officials to make difficult choices about whom to help and whom to turn away.

Mills proposes $2 million in funding to fight impending budworm infestation

MAINE PUBLIC • January 22, 2025

Governor Janet Mills is proposing $2 million in funding to fight an impending budworm infestation in Maine's spruce and fir trees. The spruce budworm is native to Maine's spruce-fir forests, and usually isn't a problem, in normal population years. But in epidemic years, when the population explodes, the budworm becomes of the most damaging forest insects in North America. An outbreak in the 1970s and 1980s cost the timber industry hundreds of millions of dollars and devastated millions of acres of Maine forest. State inspectors now say the budworms are poised to strike again this spring. The $2 million in state funds will cover Maine's share of a $15 million early intervention pesticide program.