Letter: Experience the healing power of Maine’s wild places

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 3, 2025

With all the uncertainty and rising hate in the country, I’m grateful to live in Maine. Our wilderness is some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, especially the state’s whitewater rivers. This state reminds me that real connection doesn’t come from screens or headlines — it comes from shared experiences, from nature, from being fully present. I’ve guided people from all over the country, and without fail, they leave a little lighter than when they arrived. That’s the power of Maine’s wild places. ~ Billy-Joe Smith, Standish

Letter: Our environment is at its breaking point

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 3, 2025

It is clear as glass our adaptable democracy is one of humanity’s successes but, when broken, glass shatters. We are close to shattering our environment. If we do, democracy will fall close behind. Earth has a disease never before experienced by humans, global warming, due to our carbon burning addiction. As an engineer, I understand that global warming will cause billions, yes billions, of people now living in mid latitudes to die of heat and starvation. Worldwide violence and confusion will result. We have an American administration (Trump) in denial of climate disaster and actively eliminating diversity programs like solar energy which could wean us from carbon. If we are to have human survival and world peace we must turn away from his environmental disregard. Our time is wasting. ~ Phillip Davis, West Gardiner

Column: Why Maine shorebirds are so hard to identify (and how to get started)

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 3, 2025

I customarily preach that bird identification is easier than it looks, and anybody can do it. Alas, that wisdom does not apply to shorebirds. Here are some tips, tricks and shortcuts to get you started. First, rather than trying to identify each bird, first sort them all into different piles. One pile is all the shorebirds listed in your field guide that are unlikely to be in Maine. Next to that pile is a pile of shorebirds that are findable in Maine, but not at the seashore. Next, sort by size. Most shorebirds on Maine’s mudflats are gradually migrating southward from their nesting territories in the subarctic. They’re trickling in now, and the trickle will become a torrent by mid-August. The wave will begin to subside after Labor Day. Now is the time to play in the mud. ~ Bob Duchesne

Orrington trash incinerator says it will start accepting waste this month

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 2, 2025

The owner of the Orrington trash incinerator said it will start processing trash as a transfer station in August, but the state says it hasn’t issued the required license. EPEC has a solid waste incinerator license but not a solid waste transfer license, according to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Currently, trash from 42 municipalities is collected and taken directly to Juniper Ridge Landfill.

Letter: We’re all paying to store nuclear waste

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 2, 2025

Maine Yankee produced power from 1972 to 1996. It was shut down in August 1997 as no longer economically viable, with decommissioning completed in 2005. The cost of decommissioning was $700 million and 542 metric tons of high level waste is stored on site. Decommissioning costs are paid for by utility ratepayers. Since 1998, Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company, has been in litigation with the U.S. Department of Energy seeking monetary damages as a result of the DOE’s partial breach of its contractual obligations to take title and begin removing spent nuclear fuel. The cost of storing the waste is essentially paid by taxpayers. There is no end in sight. ~ Patrick Walsh, Belfast

Firefighters battle fire on island in Pushaw Lake

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 2, 2025

Firefighters from several towns battled a late Friday fire on an island in Pushaw Lake. The fire, which was reported around midnight, destroyed a couple of small buildings and one firefighter was treated at the scene for minor injuries. Firefighters weren’t sure whether anyone was on the island. No one was found, and no civilians were reported injured. Fire officials warned boaters on the lake to expect smoke in the coming days and advised the public to avoid the island because of hazardous rocky terrain and lingering fire conditions.

Column: Eastern cottontails are making their way into Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 2, 2025

Many invasive species in Maine have been here since the first Europeans arrived, though we still see new threats to our native biodiversity regularly. Cats (domestic cats allowed outdoors) are non-native and are the No. 1 anthropogenic cause of mortality in birds, killing more than 2 billion birds per year in the United States. There is a new invasive mammal that has been knocking on Maine’s door for some years, and just recently seems to have kicked it down: the eastern cottontail. In the early 1900s, eastern cottontails were introduced into New England states to supplement and increase hunting opportunities, but because of their quick rates of reproduction and high survivorship, they’ve become a problem for our native rabbits. For decades, there has been a successful effort to keep eastern cottontails from Maine, but the dam has broken. The love for these non-native, invasive rabbits is similar to the love for invasive lupines. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox

Letter: Time to get on board with rapid transit in Portland

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 2, 2025

I used to love to go to restaurants in Portland. Now, finding it so hard and expensive to park, I avoid Portland. There is a partial answer to this situation and it is rapid transit. Thanks to Greater Portland Council of Governments, there is a vision for a rapid transit-style bus — many doors on each side opening rapidly together — that runs every 10 minutes through the center of Portland. It would have a dedicated lane and could control traffic lights. There would be covered waiting areas and a sophisticated fare collection system. Such a system would help people get to work in many places, including Maine Medical Center, and decrease the need to build expensive parking garages. ~ Nancy Hasenfus, Brunswick

Art is Science at Monhegan Museum of Art and History

LINCOLN COUNTY NEWS • August 1, 2025

Artistic expression and scientific research collide in an exhibition thousands of years in the making and now at the Monhegan Museum of Art and History on Monhegan Island. “Art, Ecology, and the Resilience of a Maine Island: The Monhegan Wildlands” is more than an art show; it is also a biology lesson, a history class, and a community effort. “Art, Ecology, and the Resilience of a Maine Island features” paintings, artifacts, photographs, maps, and scientific tools documenting Monhegan Island’s evolution since the ice retreated 17,000 years ago and particularly focuses on the eras of human influence on the island from Indigenous people to modern conservationists. Each chapter of the island’s history brought changes to the ecology that affected Monhegan Island’s appearance and utility. The exhibit is on view at the Monhegan Museum of Art and History, at 1 Lighthouse Hill, until Tuesday, Sept. 30.

The Last Fish House on Otter Creek

ISLAND INSTITUTE • August 1, 2025

On a warm July afternoon, Steve Smith sat outside a fish house in Otter Creek on Mount Desert Island, telling me stories. In the summer of 2024, Acadia National Park welcomed an average of about 20,000 tourists each day, many of whom drove along Route 3, a major artery that connects Bar Harbor, Seal Harbor, and Somes Sound. Otter Creek might be overlooked. Confined within the national park borders, to the undiscerning eye, the village is nothing more than a crossroad. A lifetime before Smith was born, we would have beheld a waterfront village bustling with commerce. Smith has spent his life fighting to conserve the waterfront identity of Otter Creek. at times illegally.

Canadian tariffs have increased to 35%. How will Maine be affected?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 1, 2025

President Donald Trump increased tariffs on certain Canadian imports from 25% to 35% Friday. But the latest tariffs on Maine’s neighbor — by far its biggest trade partner — only apply to items that are not otherwise covered by the United States Mexico Canada Agreement, a major pact designed to alleviate trade barriers between the three countries. Maine brought in more than $4.7 billion worth of Canadian goods last year. The agreement is sweeping, and it could exempt the vast majority of Canadian imports from the 35% tariff.

Beech leaf disease has hit all 16 Maine counties. What does it mean?

SUN JOURNAL • August 1, 2025

A new forest disease identified in Maine just three years ago is now present in all counties, raising concerns among ecologists and wildlife managers as it targets one of the Northeast’s most ecologically valuable trees. Beech leaf disease is caused by a microscopic nematode, a worm, and causes leaves to present with dark banding and curling, eventually causing a dieback from the tips of branches inward to the tree. The leaf disease can attack saplings and seedlings, which endangers the species from long-term spread and growth. It’s causing great concerns about the production of beechnuts, a source of food for many of the state’s native species. Only a few experimental treatments in controlled environments have shown any promise in killing and preventing the disease. There are no known methods for containing the disease or eradicating it in natural settings.

Injured hiker recounts her treacherous night atop Katahdin

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 1, 2025

Battered by the wind and soaked by the rain, she thought the end had come for her atop Katahdin. But Beata Kosc, 47, of New York survived a miserable night on the Knife Edge with her hiking partner, 32-year-old Courtney Doyon of Maine, and a man and boy turned back from the summit by Pamola’s fury.Her ordeal atop Maine’s highest peak came just weeks after Tim Keiderling and his daughter, Esther Keiderling, died during a May 31 trek up the mountain. They spent the night fighting strong winds and chilly rain, holding onto the rocks to avoid falling. Finally, after daybreak on July 25, rescuers reached the group, bringing food, warm fluids and clothes, as well as a tent for Kosc to shelter in. Despite the humbling experience, Kosc told the Globe she is determined to hike Katahdin again. “This mountain taught me to be prepared for the unknown,” Kosc told the newspaper “It reminded me how strong I am.”

Letter: PETA claws back respect for lobster

CENTRAL MAINE • August 1, 2025

Regarding the July 24 article “PETA sues Maine Lobster Festival in an effort to stop steaming of 20,000 pounds of live lobster,” I say kudos to PETA. Lobsters are living creatures that, of course, feel pain. If Maine held a “Dog Festival” that involved boiling thousands of puppies alive, there would be national outrage. It’s time to stop killing animals. ~ Nick Van Tubbergen, Portland

Should Mainers be concerned by shark sightings?

MAINE MONITOR • August 1, 2025

As of July 31 this year, there have been 15 confirmed sightings of white sharks off of Maine’s coast. Those who spot a shark should contact their local harbor masters with the location and time of the sighting. Doing so can help spread awareness and reduce paranoia. Avoid swimming with the bait and remember the ocean is home for sharks. “It’s a sign of a healthy, productive ecosystem, so having white sharks around is a really good thing,” said biologist Kyle Oliveira, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Maine and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

Opinion: Why Maine lobstermen need an extended pause on new right whale rules

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 1, 2025

Three years ago Maine’s lobster industry was on the verge of shutting down because of a regulatory process that was based on flawed interpretation of federal law and biased modeling that relied heavily on hypothetical threats that fisheries posed to the North Atlantic right whale. One of my proudest accomplishments in Congress was the successful effort in 2022 to enact a moratorium on these regulations until 2028, coupled with additional funding to support right whale research. More time is needed to incorporate the research and data collected during the pause into future right whale regulations. I’m working with my colleague Rep. Nick Begich of Alaska on legislation to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act that would extend the regulatory pause until 2035. ~ U.S. Rep. Jared Golden

Maine offshore wind projects blown away by federal cancelation of plans

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 1, 2025

Maine will be impacted by the Trump administration canceling plans to use large areas of federal waters for new offshore wind development, the latest step to suppress the industry in the United States. More than 3.5 million acres had been designated wind energy areas, the offshore locations deemed most suitable for wind energy development. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management under Trump is now rescinding all designated wind energy areas in federal waters, announcing on Wednesday an end to setting aside large areas for “speculative wind development.”

Beech leaf disease has hit all 16 Maine counties. What does it mean?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 1, 2025

A new forest disease identified in Maine just three years ago is now present in all counties, raising concerns among ecologists and wildlife managers as it targets one of the Northeast’s most ecologically valuable trees. Beech leaf disease is caused by a microscopic nematode, a worm, and causes leaves to present with dark banding and curling, eventually causing a dieback from the tips of branches inward to the tree. It’s causing great concerns about beech tree mast, or the production of beechnuts, a source of food for many of the state’s native species including black bears, deer and turkeys. There are no known methods for containing the disease or eradicating it in natural settings. Impacted forests are undergoing ecological transition as dieback opens up forest canopy. “One particular concern would be if invasive plant species proliferate and prevent the healthy regeneration of native tree species.”

Opinion: Maine’s changing climate is making us sick

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 1, 2025

The recent trend of hotter and more polluted summers — Maine’s changing climate is making us sick. Five years ago, I polled physicians in Maine, and 78% said that climate change poses a threat to the health of their patients. Since this study was done, the U.S. has experienced three of its hottest years on record, and 2025 is likely to end up in the top four, so Maine’s clinicians are no doubt seeing even more of these health impacts today. Instead of undermining American science and public health, disinvesting in medical care and emergency response and retreating from our climate leadership roles and obligations, we need to recognize that climate action improves our health, and that is a necessary outcome for all of us. ~ Gail Carlson, associate professor at Colby College, teaches and conducts research on environmental public health

Letter: Peaks Island offers a bird’s-eye view

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 1, 2025

For a few dollars, visitors can drive right onto the Casco Bay Lines car ferry and enjoy the refreshing sea breezes of a boat ride across the bay to Peaks Island. Go up the hill and turn left onto the road that runs down the lee side of the island and on past the yacht club, past Trefethen and to the Pine Landing at the north end of the island. There must have been a building there once, for the foundation remains. It’s there all right. It was left in perpetuity to the birds. ~ Orrin Frink, Kennebunkport