Letter: We need rail service to Bangor

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 5, 2025

I was disappointed to see the bill to expand railway service to Orono voted down. Supporters of the status quo argue that highways and buses provide access. But for many Mainers, that access is difficult, unreliable, or unaffordable. My family experienced this firsthand when a loved one had to travel to Boston several times a week for cancer treatment. Without a rail option, they had to endure long drives or bus rides and stay in expensive hotels, adding stress and cost during an already painful time. We need to stop leaving central and northern Maine behind. ~ Kate Pond, Bangor

Letter: We need to know climate impact of DOT projects

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 5, 2025

I am a member of Maine Youth for Climate Justice, writing in strong support of LD 1138. This bill would ensure that future projects undertaken by the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) adhere to the recommendations of the Maine Climate Council. This is essential for the well-being of our state, as the transportation sector accounts for nearly half of all carbon emissions produced here. That number must go down. Additionally, Mainers deserve transparency around projects that will directly affect them. We deserve to know the climate impacts of developments in the state. As a youth advocate who will inherit the planet and the crisis that it faces, I hope to see LD 1138 passed. ~ Anna Lupien, Waldoboro

These are the pests that are going to haunt your Maine summer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 4, 2025

Browntail moth caterpillars and an abundance of dog ticks have made late spring pretty tough here in Maine. But these pests aren’t the only ones to expect this summer. The state is home to 48 different species of black flies and than 40 mosquito species, as well as deer flies and midges.

East Brunswick recreation-area plans win council approval

TIMES RECORD • June 4, 2025

The Brunswick Town Council has OK’d a “menu” of suggested plans for a large swath of town property in East Brunswick, setting the stage for future recreation projects like trails, parking lots, a playground and a swimming area. Councilors unanimously approved the plans Monday night for the 230-acre area, which consists of two adjacent parcels: the Captain William A. Fitzgerald Conservation and Recreation Area, and the former Maine Gravel Services property. The improvements total more than $12.6 million. According to the plan, the bulk of the funding will likely come from state grants.

Billionaire Who Clashed with Forest Service Could Oversee Agency

COWBOY STATE DAILY • June 4, 2025

Michael Boren, an Idaho rancher and tech billionaire who has a history of clashing with the U.S. Forest Service, has been nominated to oversee the agency. If confirmed he would be in charge of nearly 200 million acres of public lands. Similar to the Bureau of Land Management, the USFS issues permits for energy development, logging and livestock grazing on public lands, while also fighting wildfires and managing recreational uses such as hiking and off-roading.

Brunswick library expanding access to outdoor gear

TIMES RECORD • June 4, 2025

Brunswick-based outdoor gear lending nonprofit Maine GearShare and the Curtis Memorial Library have partnered to offer free equipment for library card holders. Members can reserve a gear pass on the library website for the week they want to borrow gear and pick up their pass at the library. Then, they can either use the code on the pass to reserve gear on the Maine GearShare website or stop by GearShare and grab available gear during the reservation time. “One of the goals is to get our people outside and experiencing the world and connecting with all the benefits that nature has to provide,” said CML adult services librarian Hazel Onsrud.

Hikers who died on Katahdin faced extreme conditions

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 4, 2025

A father and daughter who went missing while trying to climb Katahdin on Sunday and were later found dead near the summit likely encountered rain, snow, heavy winds and freezing wind chill temperatures, according to accounts from hikers and satellite and forecast data. Baxter State Park Director Kevin Adam said the conditions on Sunday would have been “freezing rain, fog, and some snow.” Tim Keiderling was found dead Tuesday afternoon by a Maine Warden Service K9 search team on the Tablelands region near the summit of Katahdin. Esther Keiderling was found dead around 1 p.m. Wednesday in a boulder area between the Cathedral and Saddle Trails off the Tablelands, roughly 1,000 feet from where her father was found.

Body of second missing hiker on Mount Katahdin found between trails

WMTW-TV8 • June 4, 2025

Search teams have now found the bodies of both hikers who were missing on Mount Katahdin. Baxter State Park Rangers announced just before 3 p.m. Wednesday that they found the body of Esther Keiderling, 28, at about 1 p.m. in a wooded area between two trails along the Tablelands. This came a day after a Maine Warden K9 found the body of her father, Tim Keiderling, 58 at about 2:45 p.m. near the summit of Mount Katahdin. Park officials held out hope until the end that Esther would be found alive. Temperatures on Katahdin were in the 40s Sunday night and 30s Monday night with wind chills around freezing. Registered Maine Guide who leads hikes on Maine's highest mountain spoke with Maine's Total Coverage about what Katahdin is like, especially at this time of year. Tori Gray says Katahdin is a challenging mountain to hike, even for experienced climbers.

Worker safety program for Maine’s heritage industries gets funding restored

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 5, 2025

Federal funding has been restored for a Maine program that trains farmers, fishermen and loggers about health, safety and injury prevention. It serves about 1,600 workers in Maine’s heritage industries. Maine AgrAbility, part of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, received a four-year award of $551,520 through a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant. Officials said they could not access the funding starting April 3. The funding was part of about $50 million frozen or terminated by the Trump administration for the state’s university system. The administration began targeting the system’s funding in February.

Body of second missing hiker found on Katahdin

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 4, 2025

Search teams found the body of Esther Keiderling, 28, of Ulster Park, New York, around 1 p.m. Wednesday in a wooded area off the Tablelands between two known trails, according to Baxter State Park officials. Her father, Tim Keiderling, 58, was found around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday on the Katahdin Tablelands by a Maine Warden Service K9 search team. The pair had been missing since Sunday morning. The search included 25 game wardens, four game warden K9 teams and 21 Baxter State Park rangers. Helicopters from the Maine Forest Service and Maine Army National Guard assisted with the search and transported crews to the summit.

2nd missing hiker found dead on Katahdin

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 4, 2025

The body of the second hiker missing on Katahdin was found Wednesday afternoon, Baxter State Park officials said. Esther Keiderling, 28, was found around 1 p.m. Wednesday by search teams off the Tablelands, in a wooded area between two known trails. Her father, Tim Keiderling, 58, was found dead Tuesday afternoon.

Donald Trump insists disputed island off Maine’s coast is US territory

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 4, 2025

The Trump administration is insisting that a small island off Maine’s coast belongs to the United States even though Canada has long claimed it and operates a lighthouse there. Machias Seal Island is roughly 12 miles southeast of the Down East fishing harbor of Cutler and roughly the same distance southwest of Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick. It sits in a long-disputed 280-square-mile section of the Gulf of Maine known as the “gray zone” that has been getting renewed attention as rhetoric between the U.S. and Canada has heated up with Trump back in the White House. The gray zone has been increasingly prized by fishermen from both countries as lobster populations have grown there, and some Maine lobstermen are now pressing Trump to make progress in resolving the dispute in their favor.

Letter: Hunting on the rise in Maine, thanks to Commissioner Camuso

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 4, 2025

V. Paul Reynolds’s May 28 column attacked Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Commissioner Judy Camuso for seeking gender parity on hiring panels. Despite the fact that half of Mainers are women, he considers equal representation in hiring processes to mean she is “hell bent” on “the creation of a matriarchy.” He also seems to have big feelings about the department’s efforts to introduce new communities to the Maine outdoors, apparently preferring to limit hunting and fishing to people who look and think like him. The department’s outreach to new communities is preserving Maine’s outdoor heritage. ~ Jeremy Cluchey,
Bowdoinham

Katahdin reminds us of the limits of human endurance

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 4, 2025

Katahdin is the crown jewel of the Maine outdoors. It looms large over the landscape, towering over the vast stretches of forest and lakes of the North Woods. Hikers from all over come to test their mettle on Maine’s highest peak, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Once again, the mountain has become the stage for a tragedy as old as storytelling itself: us versus nature. Over the years, more than 60 people have died on Katahdin. It’s a reminder that the reward of summiting Katahdin is matched only by the peril that haunts every hike, waiting for a seemingly inconsequential mistake or momentary blunder to manifest it.

What to do when you see a turtle crossing the road

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 3, 2025

Maine is home to seven species of native freshwater turtles which are an integral part of our natural heritage. Three are on the state’s list of endangered, threatened and special concern species: the wood turtle, the spotted turtle, and the Blanding’s turtle. Two species most commonly sighted are snapping and painted turtles. Drivers should keep an eye out for turtles crossing the road. If safe to do so, you can pull over and move the turtle to the side of the road in the direction they were traveling. Do not relocate them to a different area or care for them by taking them home. Learning to ID Maine’s turtles and how to handle them will aid in reducing disturbances and impacts to turtle populations that may be struggling.

Maine DEP issues air quality alert for Wednesday and Thursday

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 3, 2025

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has declared an air quality alert up and down Maine’s coastline for Wednesday and Thursday. Ozone levels are expected to rise in conjunction with “particle pollution,” spawned by smoke from wildfires in Canada.

Missing hiker’s body found on Katahdin, search continues for daughter

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 3, 2025

The body of a hiker who had not been seen since Sunday has been located on Katahdin, according to Baxter State Park officials. At around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, the body of Tim Keiderling was located by a Maine Warden Service K9 search team on the Tablelands region near the summit of Katahdin. Tim Keiderling, 58, and his daughter, 28-year-old Esther Keiderling, both of Ulster Park, New York, were last seen on Katahdin’s Tablelands heading toward the summit about 10:15 a.m. Sunday, according to Baxter State Park. Esther Keiderling has not been located. A search effort remains underway to locate the woman. 

Farmworker minimum wage on track to become Maine law

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 3, 2025

Maine farmworkers could soon be covered by the state’s minimum wage law for the first time after lawmakers voted this week to extend the law to the state’s agriculture industry. The proposal, sponsored by Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, is similar to one proposed last year by Gov. Janet Mills. That effort fell short. Under existing law, Maine farmhands can earn as little as $7.25 an hour. That is the federal minimum wage, which has not been raised since 2009. Talbot Ross’ bill, which was supported by a range of agricultural associations, would require farmworkers be paid at least the state minimum wage, which is currently $14.65 an hour and increases automatically with inflation.

Falmouth council passes divisive pesticide ordinance again, but public vote looms

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 3, 2025

The Falmouth Town Council has passed a controversial pesticide and fertilizer regulatory ordinance for the second time in a vote split 5-2. The action came following the invalidation of the previous vote due to an unmet requirement.

Maine lobster industry urges Trump to deliver on pledge to ease rules

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 3, 2025

Members of Maine’s fishing community are calling on President Donald Trump to change policies they say are harming the state’s lobstermen. “The Maine lobster fishery has, unfortunately, been no stranger to federal regulatory abuse,” Patrice McCarron, president of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, wrote in a recent letter to Trump. “MLA welcomes the policy changes.” Since passing an executive order in April to support the U.S. seafood industry, Trump has been signaling that he intends to change commercial fishing and lobstering regulations in New England. It’s unclear, though, exactly what Trump wants to address and whether any of those rules could change things for Maine fishermen.