Maine solar developer fined for water pollution

MAINE PUBLIC • May 27, 2025

A solar company has been fined almost $236,000 by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for polluting the Kennebec River during construction of a 5 megawatt array in Embden. Sediment runoff from a development by Tower Solar Partners LLC ran into the river from nearby Alder Stream, according to its agreement with the department. Erosion control measures were improperly installed, not maintained and overwhelmed, the department said. Thirty acres of soil was disturbed and unstable at one time, three times what the company was allowed under its permit. Multiple violations were reported to the department in 2022 and 2023. Tower Partners has since fixed erosion control problems and installed a stormwater maintenance system to help manage runoff. The company spent more than $722,000 to remediate the impact of noncompliance, in addition to the state penalty.

Opinion: Reflecting on our work to protect and preserve Maine’s environment

TIMES RECORD • May 27, 2025

As Senate chair of the Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee, I’ve spent much of my first five months in office discussing the most pressing environmental issues facing our state. I’ve heard from so many Mainers coming to testify about the challenges of coastal erosion, water pollution, waste, plastics, PFAS, extreme storms and more. Like my constituents, I am committed to advancing Maine’s climate goals and preserving our state’s natural beauty. All of us must act as stewards of Maine’s environmental interests, whether at home or at the State House. I look forward to standing with all of you to do so. ~ Sen. Denise Tepler 

Portland-to-Auburn railway trail project advances in Legislature

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 27, 2025

The House of Representatives on Tuesday resoundingly supported a plan that would replace an abandoned rail line connecting Portland and Auburn with a multiuse trail. While lawmakers endorsed the plan in a preliminary 118-26 vote that indicates it will be approved, the project would still need to be funded before any work could begin. Opponents said it would cost about $1 million per mile. Critics of the plan argued Tuesday that the rail infrastructure, which provides a key connection between the Portland waterfront and Montreal, should be preserved in case funding becomes available for future rail service. But proponents argued that restoring rail service has so far proven unfeasible, and that a multiuse trail would provide a safe and healthy alternative for cyclists and pedestrians. The proposal, which faces additional votes in each chamber.

Opinion: Trout stocking programs threaten river health in Maine

CENTRAL MAINE • March 27, 2025

Fly fishing is a quintessential American pastime. Trout stocking has been shown time and time again to disrupt river ecology and native and endangered species. Stocking of brown trout in ecosystems with wild and native brown trout populations has been reported to cause significant genetic changes to wild populations. In Maine, a state known for its truly wild Brook Trout populations, especially in the western and northern regions of the state, it is critical that we prioritize protecting these native populations and surrounding ecosystems when thinking about stocking. Supplying synthetic, hatchery-raised fish that most likely won’t survive to watersheds is not the answer to the decline in native fishing opportunities. ~ Christian Sullivan, Bowdoin College student, environmental studies and history

Maine saw more tourists than expected over Memorial Day weekend

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 27, 2025

A chilly, wet forecast threatened to dampen Memorial Day weekend travel in Maine, but preliminary numbers from the Maine Turnpike Authority show a few gloomy days weren’t enough to keep tourists away. The turnpike recorded more than 1 million vehicle “transactions” between Friday and Monday, putting it on par with recent years. Officials originally predicted fewer than 1 million transactions. Friday was the busiest day, with 343,346 of the 1,008,400 trips. The turnpike recorded more than 1 million vehicle “transactions” between Friday and Monday.

Peregrine falcons show signs of national decline, but not in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 27, 2025

After rebounding from near extinction, Maine’s peregrine falcons appear to be holding steady, producing more chicks than usual last year to remain seemingly unaffected by the avian flu that is killing peregrines in other shoreline states. In 2024, about 35 years after their reintroduction to Maine, 33 peregrine falcon pairs raised 46 babies to their fledgling stage. A new state report documents the peregrine falcon’s status, raising concern about the future of the fastest animal on the planet. In other parts of the U.S., observers have documented significant drops in occupancy. The peregrine falcon was removed from the federal endangered species list in 1999. But it’s still on Maine’s list because of the small size of the local population and its sensitivity to nesting disturbance.

Phippsburg Land Trust to host guided walk to McKay Farm

TIMES RECORD • May 26, 2025

Phippsburg Land Trust will host a guided walk to McKay Farm with Barry Logan, professor of biology at Bowdoin College, from 9-11:30 a.m. Sunday, June 1. Logan, along with land trust board members Michelle Holdridge and Dan Dowd, will lead this two-and-a-half-hour walk starting at the Cooley Center Pond parking lot (on Parker Head Road in Phippsburg). Along the way, Logan will comment on ecology and land use.

Opinion: Let’s promote responsible outdoor lighting in Maine

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 26, 2025

We need light at night to help us with nighttime activities. What we don’t need is irresponsible use of outdoor lighting at night, which has negative effects on human health, the environment and our pocketbooks. 70% of mammals are nocturnal and countless insects and pollinators that depend on the dark. When we carelessly throw light into areas where it doesn’t belong it disrupts the delicately adapted patterns of life for all living things. Light pollution, and inability to see dark skies, also robs us of our cultural heritage and our ability to conduct scientific research. Maine has the largest contiguous areas of dark skies east of the Mississippi River. We have two internationally recognized areas — The Maine Woods Dark Sky Park and the Katahdin Woods and Waters Dark Sky Sanctuary. However, light pollution continues to spread. I urge support for LD 1934, An Act to Promote Responsible Outdoor Lighting. ~ Robert A. Burgess, Dark Sky Maine and Southern Maine Astronomers, Brunswick

What will tourist season in Maine look like? Three towns weigh in

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 25, 2025

Tourism has long been one of the state’s biggest industries — even though the calendar window is small and weather dependent — but this year, political and economic factors have created new layers of uncertainty. State officials are bracing for a 25% reduction in visitors from Canada, much of it attributable to the Trump administration’s tariffs and tumultuous relationship with our northern neighbor. Will that materialize or prove an empty threat? What about other international travelers? Will they boycott travel to the U.S.? Will an increase in domestic travelers to Maine make up for any losses? And what of broader economic concerns? When the economy tightens, travel is often the first place households cut back.

The weather in Maine has been weird lately, even by New England standards

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 25, 2025

Hot, cold, rainy, cloudy, sunny or even snowy — to have all sorts of weather conditions in a small time span is part of the New England experience. But even with that reputation, the weather in Maine this May has been especially abnormal. Southern Maine has already seen more cloudy days this May than the previous five. “We’re looking at a wet and hot summer,” said Jon Palmer, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

CMP to conserve 50,000 acres, a final step in transmission line

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • May 25, 2025

Central Maine Power Co. plans to permanently conserve about 50,000 acres in northern Somerset County, a major step needed to comply with state demands and mitigate the environmental impact of its long-litigated transmission line through rural western Maine. CMP plans to finish building the high-voltage transmission line, named the New England Clean Energy Connect, by the end of this year but needs approval from state regulators on this proposed conservation area before the line can begin operating.

Lewiston’s youngest students learn to be good stewards of the planet

SUN JOURNAL • May 25, 2025

At Lewiston elementary schools, teachers are helping kids gain a healthy respect for the world around them — and showing them firsthand how actions they take locally can have a big impact. In teaching environmental stewardship, however, educators face a number of challenges, including language barriers, student mental health, and the politics surrounding climate change. The Trump administration has rolled back a series of climate initiatives aimed at reducing pollution, as well as the carbon emissions that are warming the earth to alarming levels. He favors the use of fossil fuels, which cause the carbon emissions, over renewable energy. The administration has also scrubbed environmental resources and mentions of climate change from federal websites. The president’s actions have some wondering whether they can even use the words “climate change” in the classroom.

This Bangor-area paddle is excellent for birding

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 24, 2025

Tree swallows danced overhead, swooping and gliding as their shimmering blue feathers caught the sunlight. We drifted in our canoe, basking in the sights and sounds of springtime. Red-winged blackbirds sang from the cattails, their sharp beaks lifted to the sky. Bright green blades of new grass lined the channel, and fresh lilypads dotted the water. It had been a vigorous paddle across Fields Pond to reach the wetlands on its west side where a wide channel of water threads into a wetland, narrowing as it becomes Sedgeunkedunk Stream. Fields Pond Audubon Center., a 229-acre preserve is excellent for birding, with lots of edge habitats. Keep an eye out for bluebirds and tree swallows in the nesting boxes that dot the fields, and if all else fails, there’s always a variety of birds raiding the feeders near the nature center. It’s truly an ideal place to go birding. ~ Aislinn Sarnacki

Letter: I don’t want to pay for climate change

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 24, 2025

Last spring, along Maine’s rocky coast I saw wrecked docks and shattered piers, splinters strewn across beaches. Seawater defied seawalls, flooding lawns with sand. Houses were damaged or gone. Taxpayers have to shell out $90 million for public infrastructure alone. Harmful pollution exacerbates the climate crisis, making the damage from those storms just the start. If just 4 feet of sea level rise occurs, over 3,700 homes, two power plants, a sewage plant, and other critical infrastructure will be inundated, costing Maine $10.9 billion. Who pays for that? We, the taxpayers, do. I believe our dollars should be invested in building a stronger Maine, not cleaning up a mess we didn’t cause. The Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program would create a fund that Big Oil has to pay into for rebuilding infrastructure after storms and strengthening our state’s adaptation to climate change. As a young taxpayer, I don’t want to shoulder the financial burden of climate change. A climate Superfund would alleviate that pressure.~ Maya Faulstich, Yarmouth

Column: How is this spring from a naturalist perspective? Odd

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 24, 2025

I have had the joy of leading bird walks at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland each day for the past two weeks. The only way I can describe this spring is: odd. We got a really early start, and then things really slowed down. I’m mostly talking about the bird migration we’ve been observing, in particular the long-distance song birds. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox

Maine angler ‘could barely stand up in the boat because of the waves’

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 24, 2025

Rick and Nancy Labbe are avid anglers who spend a lot of time fishing on Moosehead Lake. But when they fished on Maine’s largest lake recently, they had to contend with 4-5-foot waves, some of Moosehead’s worst conditions. They caught several fish anyway, including an impressive 22½-inch approximately 5-pound salmon that Nancy reeled in. “I could barely stand up in the boat because of the waves,” Nancy said. At one point, all four of their rods had fish on them.

2 rescued after falling out of canoe into Orrington stream

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 24, 2025

Two people were rescued Thursday afternoon after falling out of a canoe into Sedgeunkedunk Stream. When rescue crews arrived, they discovered the pair stranded on a small island in the stream. Additional help was requested by Orrington Rescue, and rescue workers from Brewer and Holden responded with a boat and more personnel. Both individuals were brought safely into the boat by 5:22 p.m. and taken to a waiting ambulance, where they were evaluated and released.

Letter: Climate change could teach a costly lesson

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 24, 2025

Many homes are uninsurable because of the rising ocean, flooding and wildfires. Insurance companies can’t sustain the losses and remain solvent. These properties are not insurable. This is what happens to capital holdings from ignoring climate change. A property without insurance means no bank mortgage. When the insurance industry collapses, then the mortgage industry collapses, property values collapse and property taxes collapse, and then … what’s next? Climate change is not a hoax. Deal with it. That’s a capital idea. ~ Patrick Quinn, Winterport

Column: Easy terrain and changing habitats make this walk a special Maine birding hotspot

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 23, 2025

For at least a decade, I’ve led a bird walk at Leonard’s Mills in Bradley on the third Monday in May. Usually, there is little traffic. Not this time. Just as the walk got underway, a crew of volunteers for the Maine Forest and Logging Museum arrived. They were moving a Lombard Log Hauler to the museum. I was quietly thrilled. The Lombard is an iconic piece of Maine’s logging history. Leonard’s Mills is a recreation of an early pioneer settlement from the 1790s, but it was a special place long before Europeans arrived. The entire area has been culturally important to the Penobscot Nation for thousands of years. Even now, the alewives currently running up Blackman Stream are a testament to the resource richness of this location. More people should visit. ~ Bob Duchesne

Bar Harbor business owners are pessimistic as tourism season begins

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 23, 2025

With the unofficial start of Bar Harbor’s tourism season just days away, local business owners are apprehensive about what 2025 might bring. The scenic seaside town on Mount Desert Island, which serves as a gateway to Acadia National Park, has attracted seasonal visitors for more than a century but this year is expected to present myriad challenges for the businesses and organizations that cater to tourists. President Donald Trump’s bellicose diplomacy could deter foreign tourists from coming, and his administration’s efforts to sharply reduce the federal budget could mean that more jobs at Acadia go unfilled — an obstacle that in recent years has also been caused by a lack of affordable housing in the area. But while those potential hurdles have yet to play out, one thing is for sure: there will be far fewer cruise ship visits in Bar Harbor this year than usual.