Dover-Foxcroft residents fought to keep their dam, then changed their minds

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 20, 2025

When Eli Towne was the first permanent settler in Dover in 1803, the Piscataquis River flowed freely through town. Now, more than 220 years later, the river is set to flow freely again. That emotional connection to the dam is partly what motivated voters to keep the dam in a 2024 vote in a 557-441 decision. But a year later, those same voters denied the needed $9 million in retention and repairs in a 659-297 vote. The recent vote means it is now slated for removal in the coming years. Locals also hope the decision will bring an end to a debate that has divided public opinion.

Column: How to identify woodpeckers by the sounds they make

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 20, 2025

Today we learn how to speak woodpecker. At least five different species are cavorting somewhere near your house right this minute. Most birds have a small vocabulary, limited by their vocal abilities. But woodpeckers have multiple calls. They can also pound out a message. Each woodpecker drums differently, and most of the time you can tell them apart. ~ Bob Douchesne

Diesel spill prompts water advisory near Kennebunkport and Kennebunk

NEWS CENTER MAINE • June 19, 2025

A diesel fuel spill caused by a vessel collision offshore that injured two people has prompted officials to issue an urgent water advisory for parts of the Kennebunkport and Kennebunk shoreline. Around 4:44 p.m. Thursday, the schooner "Eleanor" issued a mayday after being struck by the fishing vessel "The Flying Dutchman" roughly a mile off the Kennebunk Jetty. The advisory, issued by the Kennebunk Fire Department, warns the public to avoid swimming or entering the water near Government Wharf in Kennebunkport and Gooch's Beach in Kennebunk. 

EPA will revisit Biden-era ban on the last type of asbestos used in US

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 19, 2025

The Environmental Protection Agency told a federal appeals court it will reconsider the Biden administration's ban on the last type of asbestos used in the United States to determine whether it went “beyond what is necessary." Asbestos is linked to tens of thousands of deaths annually and causes mesothelioma as well as other cancers. It has been largely phased out in the United States. Last year, the Biden administration sought to finish the decades-long fight by banning chrysotile asbestos. At the time, the EPA called it a milestone in the fight against cancer.

Want to plant trees to offset fossil fuels? You’d need all of North and Central America, study finds

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 19, 2025

Planting trees has plenty of benefits, but this popular carbon-removal method alone can’t possibly counteract the planet-warming emissions caused by the world’s largest fossil-fuel companies. To do that, trees would have to cover the entire land mass of North and Central America, according to a study out Thursday. Many respected climate scientists and institutions say removing carbon emissions — not just reducing them — is essential to tackling climate change. And trees remove carbon simply by “breathing.” But crunching the numbers, researchers found that the trees’ collective ability to remove carbon through photosynthesis can’t stand up to the potential emissions from the fossil fuel reserves of the 200 largest oil, gas and coal fuel companies — there’s not enough available land on Earth to feasibly accomplish that.

What's a vernal pool? New law increases protections for the water habitat

MAINE PUBLIC • June 19, 2025

ov. Janet Mills has signed a new bill into law that creates stronger protections for vernal pools. Found in forests in the spring and early summer, vernal pools are essential habitats for young aquatic insects, frogs, salamanders and other amphibians. Larger species like birds and mammals rely on the pools and the smaller animals that live there for food — Maine Audubon directory of advocacy Francesca Gundrum calls them "protein packs." "Without vernal pools, we would almost certainly lose species like wood frogs and spotted salamanders and blue spotted salamanders that rely on these pools," she said, "in order for them to lay their eggs and continue contributing to future generations." The new law adds taking climate change into account by protecting vernal pools even if they dry up sooner than usual due to lack of snow melt or hot temperatures. The law had faced opposition from the Chamber of Commerce and housing developers. But Gundrum says compromises were made — and that it's important to strike a balance between economic development and conservation.

Lisbon dam removals already paying off, officials say

SUN JOURNAL • June 19, 2025

The removal of dams on Sabattus River is transforming the ecosystem and the river’s relationship to the surrounding community as old industrial pollution is cleaned up and wildlife habitat restored, state officials say. In 2024, crews completed restoration work at the former Mill Street dam, the southern most of three projects. Remnant concrete was removed from the river channel and a natural fishway was installed. Already, the project is drawing attention as a good spot to observe herring return upstream. Upstream, the Upper Dam was removed in 2022 after sitting unused for years. The most complex work is still ahead between the Upper and Lower dams, where three projects in development are overlapping: the removal of a third dam, cleanup of a No. 6 oil contamination site and the closure of an old landfill near the river. While the oil cleanup is expected to begin this year, dam removal and landfill remediation may take until 2026.

Changes to energy tax credits could raise Maine’s electricity costs by 20%

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 19, 2025

Federal lawmakers are contemplating changes to energy tax credits that would likely raise energy and electricity costs for Mainers and stall growth in the state’s expanding renewable energy economy, analysts and industry players say. A slowdown in renewable development and increased reliance on fossil fuels for electricity generation would also leave costs vulnerable to the volatile prices of oil and gas, creating the potential for further rate increases down the line.

6 Maine summer hikes where you can go swimming

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 19, 2025

There are numerous Maine hiking trails that either lead to or past swimming holes that are bound to be more beautiful and less crowded than most of the public beaches. Here are some of our favorite options.
• Schoodic Mountain near Sullivan
• Tumbledown Mountain in Weld
• Gulf Hagas near Brownville
• Shore Trail near Flagstaff Lake
• Seawall Beach in Phippsburg
• Tunk Mountain near Franklin

Opinion: Maine is likely to be hit hard by Trump’s tariffs

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 18, 2025

In 1993, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) unleashed the forces of globalization. In Maine, a state that had benefited from protectionist policies, the shift to free trade marked the end of manufacturing as the engine of economic development, replacing it with services, specifically hospitality and tourism. It led to an economic development strategy that became incrementally dependent on Canada, not only for its tourists, but for the back-and-forth movements of parts and semi-finished goods. Business is not interested in protectionism. The remedy of tariffs is not going to cure the damage done by globalization; this is an issue of redistribution and regulation. President Trump’s tariffs have generated market chaos, diminished consumer confidence, and increased geopolitical instability. Protectionism may incentivize U.S. and foreign companies to onshore operations to places like California and Texas, but not to Maine. ~ Stefano Tijerina, senior lecturer in Management, Maine Business School

Maine codifies new goal of 100% clean energy by 2040

MAINE PUBLIC • June 18, 2025

Maine lawmakers have passed a bill that moves up the state's timeline to reach net zero carbon emissions. The new law would require the state's energy office to expand Maine’s existing Renewable Portfolio to 90% by 2040, focusing on rooftop wind, solar, and battery storage produced here in the state. The remaining 10% will be dedicated to a new category of clean resources, like hydropower. A previous law signed by Mills in 2019 had set a goal of 100% clean energy by 2050. Achieving 100% clean electricity could lower average household energy costs by about $1,300 per year, according to a study conducted by the state’s energy office last year.

Maine sues federal agency for pulling $9 million grant for salt marsh restoration projects

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 18, 2025

Maine is suing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for canceling a $9 million grant the state received last year for habitat restoration. The state alleges NOAA violated several federal laws in rescinding the funding in April. It claims NOAA pulled the funding as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to punish Maine for not banning transgender athletes from women’s sports. The grant funding was issued in August 2024 as part of NOAA’s Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience program. The grant was to be used as part of a project to restore tidal flow to help fish and lobster swim from the ocean into a salt marsh along the Pleasant River in Addison that was blocked in the 1940s.

Lawmakers pass bill to allow out-of-state bulky waste in landfills, advocates urge governor to veto

MAINE PUBLIC • June 18, 2025

State lawmakers have approved a bill that allows landfills to continue to accept out-of-state bulky waste through 2027 — and the Conservation Law Foundation is urging Governor Janet Mills to veto it. Nora Bosworth with the Conservation Law Foundation, called the bill a huge setback. "And when you're talking about a landfill [Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town] that, based on law and policy, is meant for waste created in Maine, that's just very disheartening, because this is a landfill that has been poisoning communities for years," she said.

Letter: A commonsense step to reducing plastic waste in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 18, 2025

Kudos to the Maine Legislature for advancing LD 1928, a bill that would gradually do away with single-use plastic toiletry bottles in most hotels and motels in Maine. Major hotel chains have already made or have committed to making the switch to refillable containers. This bill could keep some 73 million single-use plastic items out of Maine’s waste stream every year — a significant benefit for the environment, but also a potential cost savings for hotels and motels, as refillable containers can be more economical. By reducing single-use plastics we can help protect our environment and our economy. LD 1928 is a commonsense step to reducing our plastic waste. It should pass and Gov. Mills should sign it. ~ Sandy Scholar, Greenville Junction

In Bath, students choose a hike over detention

MAINE PUBLIC • June 18, 2025

Anyone who has broken the rules at school has probably spent some time in detention — a few hours stuck in a classroom, monitored by a teacher who really doesn't want to be there either. One school counselor at Morse High School in Bath has been piloting a program that takes kids out into nature. Instead of sitting in class, some choose to spend their detention hiking after school. Leslie Trundy, a counselor at Morse, began the program after she attended an outdoor education conference this past fall. She wondered whether spending time outdoors might encourage the kids to open up about the problems they might be experiencing.

Sen. Mike Lee proposes selling your public land

SALT LAKE TRIBUNE • June 18, 2025

Over 18 million acres of Utah’s public land are eligible to be put up for sale under legislation proposed by Sen. Mike Lee.The eligible land features trails, grazing areas and even some of the state’s most popular ski areas. Lee, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, released an updated draft of the bill over the weekend that calls for the mandatory sale of Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service Land. If passed, the legislation would require 3 million acres of public land to be sold chosen from a pool of 258 million acres across 11 Western states, including Utah years.

Green Crab Week offers tastings and talks about the highly invasive creatures

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 18, 2025

Green Crab Week runs from June 20-29 and includes seafood pop-ups and other events aimed at combatting the highly invasive green crab. The initiative brings together 75+ restaurants, fish markets and organizations across the region, including in Maine. Restaurants in Portland, Biddeford, Brunswick and Rockland, as well as Peekytoe Provisions fish market in Bar Harbor, are also participating in Green Crab Week. The Rockport Library will host a one-hour talk on Turning the Tables on Green Crabs with Maine Green Crabs on June 25 at 6 p.m.

Maine leads the country with first aquaculture apprenticeship program

CENTRAL MAINE • June 19, 2025

Kelly Morgan and Matt Czuchra are current and former apprentices, respectively, in the country’s first  — and only — registered aquaculture apprenticeship program. Maine has, for years, been campaigning to be the leader in the country’s aquaculture industry. In 2022, the state became the top U.S. producer of farmed kelp, harvesting just under 1 million pounds. Maine’s water-based farmers also raise shellfish, fish and other types of seaweed. But like many employers in the state, aquaculture farmers struggle to find consistent help. Farm owners and labor officials hope this program can help attract, train and retain more aquaculture workers. And they hope Maine can set a model to continue leading the way.

Column: The mystifying sight of sturgeon leaping on the Androscoggin River

TIMES RECORD • June 18, 2025

Recently, while having lunch with a colleague on the deck of the Sea Dog restaurant people were watching giant splashes made by sturgeon leaping out of the waters of the Androscoggin just below the bridge. Maine is home to two species of sturgeon — the Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) and the smaller and less common shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus). Both of these are protected and fishing for them is prohibited. On the other side of the river, at the foot of the 250th Anniversary Park, there was another crowd of onlookers — parents, kids and anglers. This is not only a sign of recovery for the sturgeon population, but also a sign of recovery for the entire watershed. ~ Susan Olcott

Augusta bird attack prompts trail closure at Bond Brook Trails

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 17, 2025

A bird of prey aggressively protecting its nest has prompted the closure of two trails at Bond Brook Recreation Area after it attacked a trail runner and sank its talons into his head. Officials believe a nesting goshawk is defending its territory and is attacking people it deems threatening. The runner suffered multiple scratches on his head and went to urgent care to have the scratches cleaned out and sanitized, but was otherwise OK.