Column: The joys of tracking blue crabs in the Scarborough Marsh

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 16, 2025

In early June, as a summer intern for Scarborough Land Trust, I found myself traipsing through Scarborough Marsh — the largest contiguous salt marsh in the state — with a backpack full of fish. Our mission was to think like blue crabs as we scouted habitable locations to deploy traps. In recent years, spurred by the rapidly warming waters in the Gulf of Maine, there have been increased reports of blue crab sightings in Maine waters. Blue crabs are ferocious consumers that prey on juvenile lobsters, invasive green crabs and even smaller blue crabs. We have deployed six crab traps throughout the marsh. Every Wednesday, we check and rebait the traps. Blue crab monitoring projects led by Manomet and Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve will aid in gaining a better understanding of where blue crabs reside in Maine and how their populations are changing over time. ~ Emma Righter

Opinion: Understanding the role of the Wabanaki Alliance

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 16, 2025

The Wabanaki Alliance was formed in 2020 by the elected leaders of the four federally recognized Wabanaki tribes in Maine, including the Penobscot Nation. It was created because for too long, our voices have been dismissed, distorted or divided — especially when we challenge the status quo of state-tribal relations in Maine. The Alliance is not a replacement for tribal governments. It is an advocacy coalition led by the tribes themselves — by our chiefs, our ambassadors and our elected representatives — people who are directly accountable to our Nations. The 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act placed Wabanaki tribes under a separate and unequal system. The Alliance works to change that, not by replacing our tribal governments, but by advocating for them — through public education, legislative engagement and coalition-building with people across Maine. ~ Donna M. Loring

Letter: Safety risks need to be addressed on Back Cove Trail

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 16, 2025

I have walked around the Back Cove Trail in Portland a number of times and have always enjoyed the trek. What I do not understand, however, is why there is no rule that requires bikers to go in one direction and joggers/walkers to go in the opposite direction. Several times I have almost been clipped by a passing cyclist that I couldn’t see and didn’t hear approaching me from behind. Conversely, when a bicyclist is approaching me from ahead, I can easily move well out of his/her way and ensure no collision. I think this rule would reduce the number of adrenaline surges on the trail as well as increase the safety for all of us. It is a wonderful trail and I would hate to see or hear of someone getting hurt. ~ John Morin, Kennebunk

Forestry and Fire Prevention talk in Oquossoc

DAILY BULLDOG • August 15, 2025

The Rangeley Region Guides’ & Sportsmen’s Association invites the public to its monthly meeting and potluck supper social on August 21, 2025. The doors open at 5:00 PM at the association’s clubhouse located at 41 Old Skiway Road in Oquossoc. This month’s meeting promises an informative evening featuring guest speaker Julie Davenport, District Forester with the Maine Forestry Department, along with our local Forest Ranger. Topics will include the vital role and services of the Department of Forestry, current challenges facing Maine’s forests, such as invasive species, insect outbreaks, and disease devastation. Additionally, Davenport will address growing concerns regarding forest fires amidst the region’s extremely dry conditions and discuss practical fire prevention steps that concerned citizens can take.

Summer swelter gives a boost to Maine’s tourism industry

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 15, 2025

After an abnormally wet May and June — with more than a dozen rainy weekends in a row — the sunny and hot weather in July and August has been a boon to many of Maine’s tourism businesses and attractions. And while cruise ship numbers are down, in part because of Bar Harbor’s 1,000-passenger cap on visitors from cruise ships, and border crossings from Canada continue to fall after President Donald Trump hurled insults and imposed tariffs on Maine’s northern neighbor, visitor numbers are up at Acadia National Park, the Portland International Jetport and on the Maine Turnpike.

Surge of rare tick-borne disease linked to warming climate

MAINE MONITOR • August 15, 2025

In 2023, experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a dramatic rise in babesiosis, a historically rare tick-borne disease, throughout New England. Here in Maine, where babesiosis was not previously considered endemic, incidence of the illness soared a whopping 1,422% in less than a decade. Reported cases in Maine jumped from 9 in 2011 to 138 in 2019. Last year there were more than 300 cases, according to preliminary data. It is a troubling trend that a team of Massachusetts doctors now warns is likely linked to climate change-induced warming across the region. 

Dangerous rip currents on southern Maine beach led to multiple rescues this week

MAINE PUBLIC • August 15, 2025

This past week has been challenging for lifeguards in southern Maine, where rip currents have resulted in multiple rescues. Two challenging scenes involved the rescue of nine children by Ogunquit lifeguards in dangerous, fast-moving currents. On Monday, a day at the beach in Ogunquit turned into a life-saving rescue for four children swept into the ocean on paddleboards. "The way the tide was moving, where they were, the situation was more urgent. We needed to use the Jet Ski to get over there and assist," said Matt Pooler, the lifeguard captain. In minutes the Jet Ski reached the frightened kids and lifeguards began scooping them up. EMTs waited on the shore. Another rescue on Wednesday took place at the other end of Ogunquit beach. Five children were in trouble with one lifeguard helping them stay afloat until the Jet Ski could arrive. It is estimated that 100 people are killed by rip currents annually,

Heat, drought taking a toll on Maine's wild blueberry season

MAINE PUBLIC • August 15, 2025

Maine's wild blueberries are not faring well in the heat and the dry conditions that have settled over three-quarters of the state in the last week. Eric Venturini, executive director of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine, said while it's too soon to offer an estimate, this year's harvest will likely be smaller compared to recent years. First, too much rain in the spring and early summer made for poor pollination, he said. Lisa Hanscom, who runs Welch Farm in Roque Bluffs with her father, said she will rake whatever suitable berries are left. The crop was doing OK until this week, she said, when the heat dried up the remaining blueberries. Welch Farm had 32 acres of wild blueberries that could have been harvested, and Hanscom estimates she will lose all but two acres of the crop. "In my history — and in dad's history that he can remember, and he's 76 — we've never lost this much crop," Hanscom said.

Coast Guard to delay removing navigational buoys after pushback from marine users

MAINE PUBLIC • August 15, 2025

The U.S. Coast Guard says it will delay a plan to remove hundreds of navigational buoys from New England waters, following pushback from mariners and federal and state lawmakers in Maine. The proposal called for the removal of hundreds of buoys in New England waters, including nearly 150 in the Gulf of Maine. More than 3,000 people commented, according to the Coast Guard. Many were harbormasters, ferry operators and fishermen who rely on the buoys slated for removal, particularly at night or in poor weather. Others said the buoys served as a meeting point for large vessels and pilots, and that emergency boats relied on them to meet routine trips. The Coast Guard said the buoy changes are intended to support modern navigational needs, because electronic systems are more widely available and affordable.

Maine CDC identifies grey fox with rabies in Waterville

MAINE PUBLIC • August 15, 2025

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said a grey fox in Waterville tested positive for rabies this week. The agency urged residents to maintain a distance from wildlife, keep domestic animals up to date on rabies vaccines and keep outdoor food sources enclosed to avoid attracting wildlife. The Waterville Police Department reported the fox was found in Quarry Road Trails, a recreational hiking and mountain biking area owned by the city. According to the Maine CDC rabies tracking dashboard, this is the fourth fox in the state that has tested positive for rabies this year.

Column: Why are red-winged blackbirds spending more time around feeders?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 15, 2025

An atypical summer has led to a lot of atypical behavior from wildlife. A great example is why red-winged blackbirds were spending more time around their bird feeders in June than usual. This can likely be explained by food availability. With increasingly warmer winters, we are seeing red-winged blackbirds arrive earlier than they were even a couple of decades ago. They typically eat seeds throughout the non-breeding season, from late summer to early in the following spring. Come summer, most birds need to switch their diets from seeds/plants to insects. If the food isn’t there, the birds need to adapt and perhaps even delay nesting. The abundant rain in the spring made it harder for red-winged blackbirds to nest, and they probably weren’t finding the food (insects) they needed until the weather improved. Supplementing their diet with seeds during this period was likely an easy alternative. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox

Letter: Beech leaf disease is not connected to timber harvesting in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 15, 2025

An Aug. 11 letter to the editor regarding timber harvesting — between 2016 and 2018 — on the Jamie’s Pond Management Area in Hallowell connected it to to beech leaf disease. Several assumptions need to be corrected. Beech leaf disease is an invasive species, first discovered in Ohio in 2012, that spread to the Northeast about a decade later. Blaming logging practices for its presence is completely unfounded. The timber harvest on Jamie’s Pond took place almost 10 years ago; beech leaf disease was not discovered in Maine until 2021. Forest management is the solution, not the culprit. ~ Dana Doran, Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast, Augusta

A new national monument honors the woman who gave Americans the weekend

TIME OUT • August 14, 2025

Opened in July, the Frances Perkins National Monument is one of the country’s newest national monuments, and it would be very fitting to visit it on Labor Day, since Perkins herself was a labor activist. Get yourself to Newcastle, Maine—about an hour north of Portland—to honor the woman who made our lives significantly better. A brand-new welcome center at the Frances Perkins National Monument opened for visitors this June after the December 2024 designation as a national monument. Previously, Perkins's home and its acreage were a National Historic Landmark, designated in 2014. The Frances Perkins Center (a nonprofit dedicated to sharing her achievements and relating them to American life today) bought the property from the Perkins family in 2020 and donated it to the National Park Service. The center continues on as the official interpretive and philanthropic partner with the NPS to staff the site and its programs. 

Acorn Engineering, Inc. donates critical services to Mosher Hill Falls Project

DAILY BULLDOG • August 14, 2025

High Peaks Alliance has announced an in-kind sponsorship from Acorn Engineering, Inc. of Kingfield, Maine, in support of the Mosher Hill Falls project. Through a generous donation of professional engineering services, Acorn Engineering has played a pivotal role in advancing this important community initiative. The Mosher Hill Falls project ensures the long-term protection of 200+ acres for public access. Located just minutes from downtown Farmington, the property features a 45-foot-tall waterfall that cascades through a dramatic, steep-sided gorge and a meandering, informal trail. To safeguard the sensitive environment surrounding the falls, erosion and the absence of sustainable trails are being addressed through innovative, forward-thinking trail design and restoration.

Bacteria warnings dropped for 5 southern Maine beaches

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 14, 2025

Elevated bacteria advisories for five southern Maine beaches that had prompted warnings from officials were all dropped by Thursday evening: Little Beach and Riverside Beach in Ogunquit, Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport, Higgins Beach in Scarborough and Laite Beach in Camden,

125 Miles of Pure Coastal Maine Magic: The Bold Coast is One of America's Best

WBLM • August 14, 2025

Maine is filled with beautiful roads, unique byways, and historic drives. One of these drives has been gaining considerable national attention. The popular Afar Magazine recently compiled a list of some of the most beautiful drives in America, highlighting seven amazing routes to showcase the stunning beauty of this country. According to Afar, that incredible beauty can be found in Maine's own Bold Coast Scenic Byway. Stretching from Milbridge to Lubec and circling up to Eastport, this 125-mile route showcases the pure beauty of coastal Maine. The road offers drivers a unique view of working waterfronts, lighthouses, coastal villages, state parks, stunning scenery—and perhaps even a few wildlife encounters. It truly is Downeast Maine at its finest.

Flash drought fueled by dry weather, extreme heat now affecting over 1 million Mainers

SUN JOURNAL • August 14, 2025

More than a third of Maine is now in moderate drought thanks in part to weeks of dry weather and extreme heat, according to new data released Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor, with much of the rest of the state facing conditions just shy of an official drought. The flash drought conditions developed in a matter of weeks and are likely to spread and worsen through the end of the month, said Sarah Jamison, service hydrologist with the National Weather Service office in Gray. More than 1 million people live in the drought area, which encompasses much of southern, central and Down East Maine. Another 43.6% of the state — including the western mountains, highlands and eastern interior — is experiencing abnormally dry conditions, one step below an official drought. Only the far northern reaches of Maine are still considered to have normal conditions.

Living alone on an island in Casco Bay, he’s found a whole new world

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 14, 2025

Scott Kern lives on Sand Island in Casco Bay during the summer months. He calls it Planet Sand. It’s all part of his plan to save Planet Sand, both the land itself and the world he’s created around it, complete with its own gods, laws and units of measurement (“too much or not enough”), as well as a website and merch meant to help fund the work needed to protect it from very real-world environmental threats. Sober for more than six years, Kern started coming out for camping trips that got longer each year until he was spending most of the summer on the island — a purchase that his parents, who both worked as corporate real estate paralegals, and another couple made in the early ’90s. Magical thinking is part of his diagnosis, schizotypal personality disorder, but his fears about the environmental threat to Planet Sand are far from imaginary.

As Canada wildfires choke US with smoke, Republicans demand action. But not on climate change

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 14, 2025

Republican U.S. lawmakers say Canada has done too little to contain wildfires and smoke that have fouled the air in several states this summer. They’ve demanded more forest thinning, prescribed burns and other measures to prevent fires from starting. They’ve warned the smoke is hurting relations between the countries and suggested the U.S. could make it an issue in tariff talks. But what they haven’t done is acknowledge the role of climate change — a glaring and shortsighted omission, according to climate scientists. It also ignores the outsized U.S. contribution to heat-trapping gases from burning fossil fuels like coal and gas that cause more intense heat waves and droughts, which in turn set the stage for more destructive wildfires, scientists say.

Here's how Maine's emergency managers are preparing for dangerous heat — now and in the future

MAINE PUBLIC • August 14, 2025

Nuka Research and Planning Group is a company contracted by state to help local emergency leaders establish plans to keep people safe from harmful heat and cold. Heat waves are the deadliest form of extreme weather, killing more people in the U.S. every year than hurricanes, floods, or winter storms according to the National Weather Service. Extremely dangerous heat that's still unusual in Maine. But emergency officials across the state are already planning for a future where they’re responding to temperature spikes as silent natural disasters.