Collapse of Maine’s browntail moth population brings a less itchy spring

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 28, 2025

The browntail moth population collapse that began in 2024 is continuing this year, which means a less itchy spring for Maine residents. Browntail moth caterpillars shed microscopic hairs that drift through the air and can provoke an allergic reaction when they come into contact with human skin, often resulting in red, itchy rashes that can last for several weeks. The hairs can also cause respiratory problems for people with chronic conditions, like asthma. The caterpillar hairs have been most plentiful, and most annoying, between mid-May and the end of June. But this year, a combination of factors is providing relief from the usual itchy conditions in much of the state.

Column: Maine is home to lady slippers of the land and sea

TIMES RECORD • May 28, 2025

Lady slippers are early spring flowers, coming out in May and then disappearing after a week or two until the next year. Maine is home to several species of lady slipper orchids, including the ram’s head, which is endangered and against the law to pick. Like lady slipper flowers, lady slipper shells are pretty weird. While they are only typically a couple of inches long and a single shell can appear pretty flattened on a rock, slipper shells can form themselves into stacks of many individuals. They are hermaphroditic, meaning that they have male and female reproductive organs, but that doesn’t mean they are male and female at the same time — they switch from one to the other. Slipper shells start out male and then become female as they get older. The older female stays on the bottom of the stack with the younger male on top, which fertilizes her eggs and produces yet another generation on top of that. ~ Susan Olcott

Solar developer may pay $180K for Maine environmental violations

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 28, 2025

A solar developer may be fined about $180,000 for causing erosion and doing unpermitted work at a 19.32-acre Washington County facility. The Maine Board of Environmental Protection will consider a $180,159 consent agreement with Marshfield Solar LLC and a site contractor at its June 5 meeting. In a memo ahead of the meeting, department staff recommended the board accept the agreement and said the violations have since been corrected.

Donald Trump’s administration is holding up nearly $50M for Maine universities

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 28, 2025

President Donald Trump’s administration has paused, terminated or threatened to withhold nearly $50 million in funding to Maine’s university system, primarily affecting programs at the flagship campus in Orono. New figures reveal that the Trump administration’s cuts to Maine’s public university system have reached much further than previously disclosed. Since Trump took over in January, the federal government notified the system that it was terminating the remaining funding for 23 federal grants.

Falmouth Land Trust to upgrade trails threatened by erosion

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 28, 2025

The 55 miles of trails snaking through Falmouth Land Trust properties are in need of an upgrade. Heavy recreational use and increasingly severe rainfall has washed out sections of the trails, damaged footbridges and made permanent pools of some pathways. For the first time Falmouth Land Trust has begun a fundraising campaign to modernize and strengthen the trails system. Improvements such as making paths of raised gravel so rainwater can flow beneath them, installing drainage structures and rerouting trails as necessary would make them more resilient to rain and use.

Opening of new Acadia transit hub delayed to end of July

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 28, 2025

The Acadia Gateway Center, which was originally expected to open in June, will likely not open until the end of July. The visitors center is meant to encourage Mount Desert Island visitors to park their cars and use public transportation, decreasing vehicle traffic onto the island and into Acadia National Park. the building, which has more than 10,000 square feet of space and is on Route 3, a corridor where visitors in motorized vehicles and bikes must go through to get to Acadia National Park and the rest of the island.

Column: Is this the role of Maine’s fish and wildlife commissioner?

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 28, 2025

Last week, the federal government advised Maine’s fish and wildlife commissioner, Judy Camuso, that one of her “social barrier” initiatives in the hiring process was discriminatory. Significant amounts of grant funding for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife from the U.S. Department of the Interior would be terminated, unless the policy was withdrawn. The policy at the center of the controversy reads: “All hiring panels assembled for the review and selection of IFW employees will be comprised of 50% women. In the event there is an uneven number of panelists, organizers shall make every effort to include more women.” Nowhere in statute does it say the commissioner is responsible for social activism or breaking social barriers. Her job is technical, managerial and regulatory. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

A new business will make it easier to paddle Aroostook waters

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 28, 2025

A new southern Aroostook County kayak rental company will help to give locals and visitors access to regional lakes and rivers. Slated to officially open on Father’s Day, The Riversbend Paddle Co. at 431 Bangor St. in Houlton will launch a new chapter in the region’s outdoor recreation scene, said founder Johanna Johnston, who also leads Southern Aroostook Development Corp. “One of our region’s greatest untapped resources is its potential for outdoor recreation,” said Johnston. “But access has been a barrier for many. This business makes it easier for people — whether they live here or are just visiting — to get out on the water and fall in love with what southern Aroostook has to offer.”

Opinion: Mainers need the benefits of clean energy tax credits, not tax breaks for the rich

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 28, 2025

Thousands of good-paying union jobs are at stake in Maine. The U.S. House of Representatives just rammed through a budget bill that would gut clean energy tax credits and upend Maine’s energy future. The elimination of those critical federal energy investments creates massive uncertainty for energy companies, imperiling energy projects — and the livelihoods of union workers — that are already in the pipeline to be developed across our state. Tax credits for clean energy projects are supporting hundreds of projects across Maine that are set to bring in thousands of family-sustaining, union jobs to our communities. 70% of Americans oppose taking away federal energy incentives. Americans want the lower bills and good-paying union jobs that clean energy projects will deliver, not tax cuts for the rich. ~ Grant Provost, Brunswick, vice president of the Maine AFL-CIO and Maine Labor Climate Council board member

Caribou gets $4M from feds to clean up hazardous power plant site

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 28, 2025

Caribou will get a $4 million federal boost to clean up the remains of its former power plant near the Aroostook River. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $38 million in brownfields funding on May 16 to benefit 25 projects throughout Maine. Caribou is the only community in northern Maine to receive a grant. The defunct power plant on lower Lyndon Street has been vacant for 13 years and contains metals, asbestos and other dangerous materials.

Is it OK to use a canoe you find stashed in the Maine woods?

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 28, 2025

People often stash canoes and kayaks on the shores of remote ponds that aren’t accessible by vehicle. This way, they have a boat to use anytime they visit that pond, instead of hauling one each time they visit. Is it OK to use one of these boats? If you borrow a canoe that you come across in the woods, keep in mind it’s not your boat, so treat it well. If you abuse it or don’t put it away nicely, the owner may choose to remove it or chain it up, which would ruin the opportunity for others. It should go without saying, but if someone has chained up a canoe, it’s off limits.

Acadia’s Beehive trail was standing room only over the Memorial Day weekend

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 27, 2025

Mainers are used to traffic jams during long holiday weekends. But seldom do those jams follow us into the woods. That’s what happened at Acadia National Park’s Beehive Trail over Memorial Day weekend. A video posted to TikTok showed standing-room-only crowds snaking their way up the trail. The Beehive is one of the more popular hiking destinations in Acadia.

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