Everything you need to know about Maine’s brook trout

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 22, 2025

No species of fish is more synonymous with Maine than brook trout. And you could argue that none is more important to the state. Brook trout are to interior Maine what lobster are to the coast, and as much a part of the North Maine Woods brand as moose and loons. Brook trout are fascinating fish. Maine is blessed to have several different lifeforms of brook trout. Brook trout are important to Maine, and Maine is important to brook trout. We need to do everything we can, and more than we are doing, to ensure that these unique wild native fish remain viable for generations to come. Before engaging in conservation-focused topics in future columns, a brief primer on brook trout is in order. ~ Bob Mallard

“Water battery” proposed in western Maine

MAINE MONITOR • August 22, 2025

Pumped storage hydropower could be coming to Maine. In July, Western Maine Energy Storage filed for a preliminary permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a proposed development near the Central Maine Power transmission corridor. The project would be mostly in Dixfield, with a small portion in Canton, in Oxford County. The FERC permit, which will secure the site for further studies including economic and environmental feasibility, is the first step in a permitting process that will take years.

Reid State Park to build educational hub in Georgetown

TIMES RECORD • August 22, 2025

A rundown former concessions stand overlooking a lagoon in Reid State Park will become the new base for the park’s educational programming. In partnership with the Friends of Reid State Park, the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Bureau of Parks and Lands is accepting donations to transform the old food stand on Griffith Head. The fundraising goal is $100,000. “We’ve got very, very high hopes for this little building,” said Gary Best, southern regional parks manager at the BPL. The new nature center will include hands-on exhibits and host the park’s educational programs — such as nature walks and talks on lobsters, sharks and jellyfish — said Reid State Park Manager Haylee Parsons.

Canada lifts tariffs on most imports from Maine under trade pact with US, Mexico

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 22, 2025

Canada is dropping retaliatory tariffs to match U.S. tariff exemptions for goods covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade pact, a government official familiar with the matter said Friday. The move will remove tariffs on the majority of goods Maine sends to Canada, its biggest trading partner. The move is designed to reset trade talks between the two countries. The USMCA is up for review in 2026.

Experts say droughts could impact potato harvest

MAINE PUBLIC • August 22, 2025

Maine potatoes could take a hit this year due to ongoing drought conditions affecting most areas of the state. The U.S. Drought Monitor says about 80% of Maine is in some sort of drought condition. Jake Dyer is an agronomist and the director of seed production for the Maine Potato Board. He said, even though the droughts are worse in the southern part of the state, conditions could still stunt crop growth.

Family used a blow-up paddleboard to flee a sinking boat in Penobscot Bay

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 22, 2025

The family riding a 31-foot recreational motorboat that hit a ledge and sank off North Haven on Sunday is thankful that one of its members thought to bring an inflatable paddleboard on the excursion. Of the 11 people on board the boat, five were able to get back to shore using the paddleboard, which one relative ferried back and forth twice, according to Lily Goodale, a seasonal resident of Lincolnville whose husband, Nathaniel Goodale, owns the boat. The other six passengers, along with five dogs who were on board, managed to swim to the island, which officials say was less than 100 feet away from where the damaged vessel was taking on water.

The ghost of Bucksport’s paper mill looms over new funding challenges

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 22, 2025

For a decade, Bucksport kept property taxes down using about $8 million it saved to prepare for the 2014 closing of the Verso Paper mill, which had made up more than 40 percent of its tax base. After the closure, local government maintained services, invested in infrastructure and courted new industry while attempting to shelter residents from rising costs that have hit Maine communities. Now, Bucksport has spent almost all of that cushion and is entering new territory as it looks to make spending cuts. “We cannot live like a mill town and not have a mill,” said Donald Jewett, a retired logger.

Maine Med addressing bat problem in neonatal intensive care unit

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 22, 2025

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland has struggled in recent years to keep bats from getting into the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, prompting a complaint last year to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Hospital officials said on Thursday they are currently addressing the “occasional incursions from bats.” Despite efforts to control bats at the Coulombe Family Tower, where the NICU and the critical care nursery are located, hospital officials confirmed there have been seven bat sightings this year.

Yarmouth pauses development to ease strain on aging sewage treatment system

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 22, 2025

The Yarmouth Town Council unanimously approved a six-month development moratorium on certain areas Thursday night that will give the town time to upgrade its sewage treatment system to handle anticipated growth. The council also approved a $7.5 million question for the November ballot, when town residents will be asked to fund the design and replacement of the Royal River Pump Station, which is running at capacity and has caused recent system overflows. The 180-day moratorium will take effect Sept. 5 and apply to 1,225 parcels across a wide swath of town

Opinion: We must all be stewards of Maine’s precious lakes

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 22, 2025

Maine’s lakes help define our state and our way of life. We have some of the cleanest, clearest lakes in the nation. Maine’s lakes are where many children learn to swim, families fish for trout and landlocked salmon and we hear the haunting call of loons. But these treasures are not immune to change. Our lakes need our help. At Lake Stewards of Maine, we work with hundreds of trained volunteers across the state to monitor lake health. Our community tests the water, documents invasive aquatic species and watches for signs of ecological change. This work is both scientific and deeply personal. You can help protect. Natural Maine lakes have wooded shorelines, not lawns. Clean your boat after each use. Never release live bait or move aquatic plants or animals. With vigilance, education and action, we can protect the lakes we all love – not just for ourselves, but for wildlife and future generations. ~ Tristan Taber, Lake Stewards of Maine

Maine’s drought conditions are getting worse

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 21, 2025

Drought conditions have worsened in parts of Maine, pushing areas of Down East and the Midcoast into severe drought conditions, while much of the rest of the state still faces moderate drought or abnormally dry conditions. National Weather Service forecasters have said drought conditions are expected to spread and worsen in part because of weeks of dry weather and periods of extreme heat. More than 1 million Mainers are in drought-stricken areas.

Manufacturers seek product exemptions from Maine PFAS ban

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 21, 2025

A range of industry representatives are asking state regulators to exempt what they sell from the state’s looming forever chemical ban, claiming their products deserve a free pass because they are essential for the health, safety and functioning of society. The makers of products ranging from cookware to massage chairs to air fresheners dominated the Thursday hearing of the Board of Environmental Protection, arguing that Maine consumers would spend more and be less safe without the chemicals used to make their pans, chairs and bottle caps. Sarah Woodbury, of Defend our Health, urged the board, which is the policymaking arm of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, to reject the exemption requests. “Non-industry scientists do not agree that PFTE is safe,” Woodbury said.

High surf, rip current warnings in effect for Maine coast through Saturday

MAINE PUBLIC • August 21, 2025

The National Weather Service has issued a high rip current risk and high surf advisory for the entire Maine coast until Saturday, as Hurricane Erin makes its way up the East Coast. The system will not bring rain or even cloud cover but will generate large, powerful waves that make swimming dangerous. Derek Schroeter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, said the hurricane is churning offshore, creating what's known as a long period swell, with larger and more powerful waves than usual. "Looking out on a day where you see waves roll in every five or six seconds, here we're looking at waves rolling in every 15 to 17 seconds," he said. "And so that longer period allows there to be more power with each incoming wave."

Mosquitoes in Portland test positive for West Nile Virus

MAINE PUBLIC • August 21, 2025

Mosquitoes in Portland have tested positive for West Nile Virus. The Maine Center for Disease Control says it's the first mosquito pool to test positive for the disease this year. Four wild birds in Kennebec, Sagadahoc, and York counties have also tested positive this year for West Nile. In humans, the disease can cause flulike symptoms and, in severe cases, brain swelling and meningitis. Last year, an adult in Cumberland County tested positive for the virus. State CDC officials urge people with symptoms to see a health provider, especially if a COVID-19 test is negative. West Nile Virus is spread through mosquitoes, which can also carry Eastern Equine Encephalitis and Jamestown Canyon virus.

Artists use flags at South Portland’s Bug Light Park to promote conservation of public lands

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 20, 2025

Kites dotted the overcast sky of Bug Light Park on Wednesday, weaving in and out of two dozen colorful flags that flapped and fluttered in the wind. The message hand-stitched onto half of the flags was clear: “Protect Maine Public Lands.” On the others, geographic blocks of bright greens, sky blues and rustic oranges became islands, meadows and mountains. The public art installation was the second stop in the national Protect Our Lands Campaign, a tour spearheaded by the League of Conservation Voters and its state affiliates to raise awareness about the threat to public lands through art and community. Public lands are increasingly under attack since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.

Opinion: Maine lobstermen are being punished for the sins of others

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 20, 2025

The Sept. 6, 2022 Monterey Aquarium/Seafood Watch American Lobster Report issued a “Red” rating and recommend avoiding trapped lobsters from the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank and southern New England due to insufficient measures to reduce North Atlantic right whale “entanglements.” However, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data does not support the accusation. The majority of North Atlantic right whale deaths and entanglements occur outside U.S. lobster fishing areas. Meanwhile, nongovernmental organizations like Seafood Watch are ignoring other major factors and operations, like offshore wind energy development, that have a much larger impact on North Atlantic right whales and their food chain. ~ Leo LaRosa of Rose Solutions Inc., Gloucester, Massachusetts

1 year later, Brunswick residents still fear impacts of PFAS spill

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 19, 2025

It was one year ago this week that 1,450 gallons of aqueous film-forming foam concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons of water and spilled into the area surrounding Brunswick Executive Airport’s Hangar 4. The airport is part of the former naval air station and is known as Brunswick Landing. The foam contains a toxic PFAS compound, one of several so-called “forever chemicals” that have been linked to serious health problems. Statewide, PFAS contamination stemming from the use of sewage sludge as fertilizer has been found in at least 100 farms and 500 residential properties as of this year, and experts say more is likely to be found as testing continues.The environmental disaster in Brunswick prompted outcry from members of the community and beyond and led to new laws aimed at ensuring a similar spill never happens again in Maine. But many nearby property owners like the Carslicks still have questions about the long-term impact.

Brunswick accepts deal to conserve 240 acres in Maquoit Woods

TIMES RECORD • August 19, 2025

The Brunswick Town Council voted Monday night to accept an offer of $2 million from the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust to create a conservation easement on 240 acres of Maquoit Woods. The town has long considered the future use of Maquoit Woods, a town-owned 280-acre property located south of the intersection of Maquoit and Mere Point roads. The town purchased the property for $3.8 million in the winter of 2022, killing a proposal for a 900-unit subdivision on the property in order to prevent declines in the Maquoit Bay.

Invasive tick species found in Maine for first time

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 19, 2025

An invasive Asian longhorned tick’s presence in Maine has been confirmed. It is the first time the species has been officially found in the state. Unlike most ticks, female members of the species can reproduce without mating, which means infestations can come from a single tick. “This discovery underscores the critical importance of continued tick surveillance in Maine,” said Griffin Dill, director of the UMaine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab.

Opinion: Why outdoor learning matters for Maine kids

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 19, 2025

WinterKids is a nonprofit helping children across the entire state get outside and get active during the months they need it most. What began as a passport program in 1997 has grown into a statewide movement, reaching over 16,000 Maine kids each year with programs that engage more than 50,000 Mainers in active, joyful outdoor movement and learning. We offer standards-aligned outdoor learning guides and support for programs like the Winter Games, a four-week series of outdoor educational challenges that get entire schools moving, learning and exploring outside, together, having fun in the cold temperatures. Our goal is to help educators bring learning to life outside the four walls of a classroom and get kids to embrace winter. As we celebrate 25 years, we’re not just looking back — we’re doubling down. We’re expanding access, building deeper partnerships with schools and developing new resources to meet this moment. We’re helping teachers feel equipped, encouraged and energized to do what they do best. ~ Courtney Holub