Hey, Mainers! Leave the baby animals alone.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 17, 2025

A doe can often leave her babies alone for many hours while she goes out to find food for herself before returning later on to nurse. Just like humans, mother deer are inclined to teach their children that whining won’t get them fed any faster. Maine wildlife authorities say that people should never interfere with fawns, even if they’re alone. If you spot a fawn w could be injured or otherwise in trouble, you can contact a game warden via the appropriate regional office.

Andover voters approve solar moratorium

RUMFORD FALLS TIMES • June 17, 2025

Voters at the June 14 annual town meeting approved a 180-day moratorium on utility-scale solar projects. A citizen petition was submitted to the Planning Board asking for a pause to revisit and set boundaries for solar farms. Planning Board Chairman Sid Pew said he agreed to put it to a vote at a town meeting. There are two solar farms in place, with two more “in the pipeline.” The moratorium would pertain only to large-scale projects that would be selling power to Central Maine Power. After the 180 days the board has the authority to extend it another 180 days, which would take it to the next annual town meeting.

Trump could dismantle national monuments

E&E NEWS June 17, 2025

Environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers are casting a wary eye on where, and when, President Donald Trump might aim a new legal directive that argues he has the power to wipe out national monuments created by his predecessors in the White House. “We’ve never lived in a world where the president at his whim can abolish a monument and what that means exactly; we will have to see,” said Justin Pidot, a Maine native and law professor at the University of Arizona who previously worked at the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality. “But it massively scales back the protective power of the Antiquities Act.”

Man dies after canoe capsizes on western Maine pond

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 16, 2025

A man died on Saturday after his canoe capsized on a pond in the Oxford County town of Waterford. authorities believe four men had been on the pond in three canoes when one of the canoes with two people aboard capsized. The other boaters were able to get the men in the water to shore, but one, Pedro Quizhpi, 50, of Ecuador, was unresponsive, could not be revived by CPR, and was dead when the deputy arrived. Two personal flotation devices were in the overturned canoe, but the occupants of the canoe weren’t wearing them.

Column: Biking Maine’s Sebago to Sea Trail offers an array of challenges and sights

TIMES RECORD • June 16, 2025

The Sebago to Sea Trail offers something for all biking enthusiasts. A significant portion is paved, but there is also some moderately challenging mountain biking in the northwestern sector and a gravel ride on a side trail. One of my favorite trail rides. ~ Ron Chase

CMP electricity bills to increase in July

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 16, 2025

Central Maine Power Co. customers will see their monthly bills go up. The company will increase its distribution rates by about 3.3% for customers who take the default, standard offer electricity rate, according to the Maine Public Utilities Commission, which approved the increase last week. Customers who source their electricity from a competitive provider will see a roughly 5.3% increase in distribution side of their bill. Commission Chair Philip L. Bartlett II said the increase was driven primarily by heightened storm recovery costs. The change will raise CMP’s distribution revenue by nearly $71 million. The company’s latest rate hike comes after rates rose about 7.3% in January. For customers of Versant Power, the state’s second largest electric utilitly, rates increased in April by roughly 8%.

National Guard wraps up third year of work at Lake George Regional Park

CENTRAL MAINE • June 15, 2025

A National Guard unit from Maine has been hard at work making improvements at Lake George Regional Park for the third year in a row. Through the National Guard’s Innovation Readiness Training Program, a platoon of 21 from the Sanford-based 262nd Engineer Construction Company spent the first two weeks of the month working on the social hall in the park’s west side, a facility that park leadership hopes will draw more people to the park year-round.

Letter: Is our Tiananmen Square moment approaching?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 16, 2025

Against the backdrop of protests in Los Angeles and the deployment of troops, President Trump continues to peddle his cultural revolution with a requirement for national parks to post signs aimed at removing any content that “inappropriately disparage(s) Americans past or living.” No longer is it OK to share the history of women and children massacred at Wounded Knee or the bloodshed at the Homestead Steel strike in Pittsburgh along with our positive achievements. Today, the story of Tiananmen Square is only known to the Chinese people through whispers. It has been erased from public display and discussion. Will Chairman Trump push us to the same moment in L.A. to advance his ideology of party thought? ~ Christopher Ring, York

I’m the new outdoors editor for the BDN

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 16, 2025

My background is in wildlife biology, having worked for many agencies across the country on various research and management projects. I am a registered Maine hunting, fishing and recreation guide, and I love finding shed antlers, hunting with dogs, experimenting with new game recipes, foraging for mushrooms and hiking. I’d rather be in the woods or on the water any day of the week, and I take pride in growing my skill and experience with every trip. My pursuits across the country in the natural resources field during the last 20 years have introduced me to new methods, techniques and knowledge that bolstered my experience as a biologist, hunter and outdoorswoman. For years I’ve wanted an outlet to share these stories, and working for the Bangor Daily News seemed a perfect opportunity to do so. ~ Susan Bard

Opinion: We can fix net energy billing without breaking trust

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 16, 2025

Maine has made meaningful progress in the transition to a clean energy economy and net energy billing (NEB) has played a vital role. But now, the progress we’ve made is at serious risk. The Maine Legislature is considering a bill (LD 1777) that would retroactively change the terms of Maine’s NEB program. Changing the rules after towns, schools, and developers have already made investments isn’t just unfair, it threatens to cause real harm to Maine’s reputation as a place for clean energy investment. This legislation could send a chilling message to the very people and organizations we should be encouraging: towns that want to cut energy costs, businesses that want to go green, developers that want to bring solar projects — and jobs — to Maine. Maine has the chance to lead on climate and energy. But that leadership means creating stability, not chaos. It means encouraging participation in clean energy programs, not punishing those who’ve already signed up. ~ Cole Cochrane, Maine Youth for Climate Justice.

Editorial: Budget megabill looks particularly bad for Maine

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 15, 2025

The “signature” undertakings of the “big, beautiful bill,” the looming federal budget reconciliation package sent to the U.S. Senate by the House, will disproportionately hurt people on low and middle incomes, older people and people living in rural areas. Those categories capture many who live in Maine. The tax cuts outlined by this sprawling bill will need to be offset by absolutely lacerating cuts to essential programs: to health care and food assistance; to the National Park Service. Our senators in D.C. must be absolute in their opposition to this legislation.

15 escaped goats disrupt traffic on Maine highway

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 14, 2025

Maine State Police helped coral 15 goats that escaped from a trailer Saturday afternoon on Interstate 95 in Falmouth. The farm trailer had detached from a Toyota pickup truck and came to rest in the median. There were no significant injuries to the driver or goats, which disrupted traffic on both sides of the highway.

Column: How to become an expert bird photographer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 14, 2025

I think photographing birds has become a stand-alone hobby, distinct from traditional birdwatching. Perhaps I’m splitting hairs, but birders tend to identify a bird first, and photograph later. Many people now photograph first and identify later. Getting started with bird photography is easy. Gaining expertise is hard. After practicing on the big and close birds, move onto the smaller ones. Adequate photos fill the frame with the bird. Good photos capture the bird in action — perhaps singing, eating a bug, or flying. Great photos set the bird off-center, using the background to set the scene and give a sense of action. ~ Bob Duchesne

Total ban on foam food containers in Maine delayed 2 more years

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 13, 2025

Maine has delayed for the second time a full phaseout of polystyrene foam food containers. Gov. Janet Mills signed a law, LD 1306, on May 30 as an emergency measure, meaning it took effect immediately. Under the law, two exemptions to the state’s ban on the containers will continue until July 1, 2027, after which no food or drink packaged in foam will be allowed on Maine store shelves. The exemptions apply to food items including raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs that are sold in the foam containers, and retailers can continue to sell food and beverages in foam containers if it was prepackaged at a wholesale level.

What the public lands fight means for Maine

MAINE MONITOR • June 13, 2025

Maine is about as far as you can get from the bulk of America’s federal public lands, the vast majority of which are west of the Mississippi River. But public lands, waters and wildlife are part of our birthright as American citizens, a public domain that we all collectively own. The Trump administration has worked to slash funding for federal land management agencies and conservation programs; open up more public lands to fossil fuel drilling, mining and other extractive development; and lay off or force out thousands of park rangers and other civil servants. The administration prioritizes dismantling environmental safeguards. Meanwhile, Congress is considering federal land sales to help offset Trump’s tax and spending cuts. Since he took office, NPS has lost 13 percent of its workforce and the administration is calls for slashing one-third of its entire operating budget. Sen. Angus King said, “it’s hard to understand how gutting ‘America’s best idea’ isn’t America’s worst idea.”

Ban on state seizure of Wabanaki land passes Legislature, but likely to be vetoed

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 13, 2025

Legislation that would prevent the state from being able to seize tribal land for public use passed with bipartisan support in the Maine Legislature Friday. However, initial votes show that support may not be enough to override an expected veto from Gov. Janet Mills. “This is a no brainer,” said Executive Director of the Wabanaki Alliance Maulian Bryant. “We should have tribal land protected from state seizure, just like other tribes around the country.” The governor’s counsel, Jerry Reid, told the Judiciary Committee that Mills is concerned the bill could prevent the state government from addressing unpredictable future infrastructure needs.

Column: A hike with views of the incomparable Downeast coast of Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 13, 2025

Shackford Head in Eastport is a rugged promontory extending nearly a mile out from Moose Island into the turbulent tidal waters of Cobscook Bay. Shackford Head State Park protects the 90-acre headland, where some 3 miles of hiking trails lead to fine views. In the 1970s, Shackford Head was the proposed site of an oil refinery, but the project was strongly opposed because of the navigational hazards imposed by Cobscook Bay, as well as the scenic and wildlife values of the land. The Pittston Company abandoned the plan in 1983, and six years later, the property was acquired by the state of Maine with help from the Land for Maine’s Future Program. ~ Carey Kish

Column: Maine wildlife refuges will be hurt by federal cuts and chaos

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 13, 2025

Here in Maine, you can find National Wildlife Refuges in every corner of the state. Unfortunately, the recent drastic cuts to federal agencies threaten the health of Maine’s lands and wildlife. Thousands of federal workers were terminated with no warning. The mass termination has left massive holes in agencies’ ability to respond to wildfires, floods and hurricanes. While federal court decisions have restored some lost jobs, plans for reductions in force are still being carried out and public servants with decades of invaluable knowledge and experience are leaving in droves. Without knowledgeable natural resource professionals, our forests and wildlife will fall out of balance. The words of Mainer and legendary conservationist Rachel Carson ring especially true: “Man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.” ~ Amanda Mahaffey

Column: Need inspiration? Follow in Frances Perkins’ footsteps

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 13, 2025

One of America’s most important women spent many of her quieter days on the banks of the Damariscotta River in Newcastle, at a saltwater farm that had been in her family since colonial times. For Frances Perkins, a labor leader who helped create Social Security, the 57 acres of field and forest were a place to escape the rush of public business that normally consumed her. The modest brick house and barn she loved, as familiar to her as anywhere, are the centerpiece of a National Monument created in December, the culmination of years of effort by preservationists and Perkins devotees who knew that by preserving the home they would also succeed in highlighting the memory of the first woman to serve in a president’s Cabinet. The new national monument at her former farm opens to the public on June 21. ~ Steve Collins

Letter: Baxter Woods Park needs our help

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 13, 2025

I write on behalf of the Friends of Baxter Woods and concerned area residents about the state of Baxter Woods Park and adjacent properties, including Deering Pavilion and Stevens Square. It is distressing to see the significant decline of these places that adversely affects their aesthetic value and poses various environmental and safety risks. I strongly urge the city of Portland and owners of adjacent properties to initiate a comprehensive clean-up and drainage project to restore these areas to their former glory. Not only would this effort revitalize a beautiful part of our city, but it would also mitigate safety hazards. ~ Jabrone Thomas, Portland