The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 17, 2025
Some communities with contracts to the waste-to-energy incinerator in Orrington are unbothered; others are uncertain about when the Orrington plant will reopen and whether they could be drawn into a lawsuit a previous owner has filed against the current one. Despite all that, towns are largely still standing by the facility given contracts they have to send their waste there when it reopens.
DAILY BULLDOG • September 17, 2025
The High Peaks Alliance has been awarded a $234,000 grant to accelerate efforts to conserve the 210-acre Mosher Hill Falls in Farmington. This federal funding comes from the US Forest Service’s Community Forest Program and was the only project chosen in the state. This latest funding raises the total amount secured to $470,000, bringing the Alliance within $60,000 of its $530,000 goal. Funds will support the acquisition of the land, development of safe parking and sustainable trails, installation of educational signage, and stewardship programs for visitors of all ages.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 16, 2025
A partnership between Maine Water Co. and Maine Coast Heritage Trust will permanently conserve 257 acres of forest and open space in Biddeford. Located on the southwest side of South Street in Biddeford, the protected area includes a large area of forest and wetlands, including a red maple swamp and a rare oak-hickory forest, both of which provide vital habitat to Maine species. The protected area is also adjacent to Maine Water Co.’s new Saco River Drinking Water Resource Center, which delivers drinking water to Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach and Pine Point.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • September 16, 2025
PORTLAND — There’s an effort underway to bring New England shrimp back to seafood customers — but fishermen have found few of the crustaceans, and the fishing industry that harvests them may face an even longer shutdown. Fishermen have been under a moratorium on catching shrimp for more than a decade because of low population levels that scientists have attributed to climate change and warming oceans. The harvesters were allowed to catch a small number of shrimp this past winter as part of an industry-funded sampling and data collection program.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 16, 2025
A 1,700-acre parcel of wetlands and forest, striated by former logging roads, was transferred to the Appalachian Mountain Club on Tuesday as part of a larger acquisition. And in short order, the AMC will hand the land back to the Penobscot Nation. It’s a small but nonetheless important step, Loring says, in the slow repatriation of land to the Penobscot Nation.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 15, 2025
Northern New England's hydro dams are struggling to generate power because of drought conditions. Regional Grid operator ISO-New England spokesperson Mary Kate Colapietro said environmental conditions can affect electricity production. "That could be a variety of factors, from things like the weather, if there are say drought conditions that could perhaps impact what generators are making decisions on," Colapietro said. But there might be other reasons dam owners could also be holding back from bidding to sell energy into the grid, Colapietro added.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 15, 2025
My family is standing up for the right to keep chickens and provide our family healthy protein. We hope that our challenge to our city’s ordinance will ensure that the right to food isn’t chipped away to nothing with heavy-handed rules. We started raising chickens after close friends left for another state and gave us their birds. It turned out to be a life-changing decision. Today, we keep 19 chickens and every day they give us fresh eggs and occasionally we cull a bird for meat. We’re now suing Calais. We love Calais. We didn’t rush to file a lawsuit. For months, we worked with city officials to see whether there might be a variance or exemption that would let us keep our chickens. But the answer was no. We believe the right to food is too important to leave hanging. ~ Kamiwan Oliver, Calais
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 13, 2025
Just a short two years ago, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) proved that tackling climate change and growing the economy are not mutually exclusive. The law unleashed a clean energy boom nationwide, creating thousands of good-paying union jobs, lowering household energy costs, and giving communities the tools to protect themselves from extreme weather. Now, Congress is working to undo that progress. Lawmakers passed, and President Donald Trump signed, the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill.” More like the “Big Ugly Bill,” instead of lowering costs like clean energy does, this bill drives them up. It’s nothing more than a Republican rate hike on everyday people. This legislation guts the very programs that made the IRA such a success. The result will be higher home energy bills, lost jobs, and weaker competitiveness for Maine businesses, all while handing out tax breaks to billionaires and polluting oil and gas companies. ~ Nicholas Janzen, Maine Conservation Voters, and Francis Eanes, Maine Labor Climate Council
MAINE MONITOR • September 12, 2025
Forest carbon credits are gaining traction in Maine. Yet as the voluntary carbon market picks up, some in the industry are worried about access for small family forest landowners with fewer resources than corporations who manage bigger plots of land. In order to participate in the market where carbon credits are bought and sold, a forest landowner first needs to understand exactly how much carbon their trees are capable of storing. The market hinges on precise carbon sequestration calculations.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 12, 2025
The Brunswick executive airport will eliminate toxic PFAS chemicals from fire suppression systems under a federal settlement to resolve violations from a massive firefighting foam spill last year. In an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority will file a plan by the end of the year to cleanse or replace fire suppression systems in its aircraft hangers. MRRA Executive Director Dan Stevenson said that all the Aqueous Film Forming Foam previously used to smother fires has been removed from the airport. The foam is laden with PFAS chemicals that have been linked to health effects such as low birth weight and certain cancers. The agency is considering options to eliminate foam remnants in equipment at the former U.S. Navy Base.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 12, 2025
While some parts of Maine saw rain over the weekend, drought conditions are still in effect. They're affecting all types of crops — from apples to potatoes to wild blueberries. But the biggest challenge may be for farmers who grow hay to feed their livestock. Young cows rest in the shade at Milkhouse Farms in Monmouth on Sept. 8, 2025. In typical summer, inland Maine sees between 6 and 12 inches of rain. The coastal areas see about 6-10 inches. This year, all regions, with exception to some of Aroostook County, saw less than half of normal rainfall. Average temperatures were about two degrees higher too, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. These combined factors put Maine in what experts call a flash drought.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 15, 2025
The South Portland Water Resource Protection department determined that the source of the bacteria enterococcus at Willard Beach is human, not canine. This finding, shared in a presentation before the City Council, indicates that the water quality issues at Willard Beach are likely the result of sewage leaking into stormwater rather than dog waste, according to Tracy Krueger, with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 11, 2025
Baxter State Park is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the individual or individuals who carved initials into the sign at the summit of Mount Katahdin. Park officials reported the “act of vandalism” in a social media post Thursday. The letters “H.M.” and “J.M” were carved into the middle of the Baxter Peak sign on Katahdin, which marks the 5,268-foot summit of Baxter Peak and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. According to photos posted by summiters in a Baxter State Park Facebook group, the initials were carved into the sign on or before Aug. 28.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 11, 2025
Migrations are now tracked with powerful tools at our fingertips: The BirdCast Migration Dashboard uses radar to show in real time how many birds are flying overhead at night. eBird bar charts give a detailed record of when specific species usually depart, drawn from thousands of Maine birders submitting their sightings. The Motus Wildlife Tracking Network, supported locally by Maine Audubon, adds another layer — following individual radio-tagged birds across the continent. And the Bird Migration Explorer connects the dots between Maine birds and their wintering grounds in Central and South America. Together, these resources give us a clearer picture of when our birds come and go. Yet even with all the data, bird migration remains deeply personal. Perhaps the secret is to notice both ends of the migration journey — the joy of first arrivals and the bittersweet silence of final departures. ~ Bob Duchesne
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 11, 2025
You want to know why Canadians aren’t visiting Maine anymore? We’re done pretending that what’s happening south of our border is just politics. That we can separate “friendly neighbors” from the hostile rhetorWe’re not interested in being recruited, absorbed, or “saved.” We’re proud of our country.ic coming out of your leadership. When your president brags about taking over Canada by sabotaging our economy, that’s not just tough talk — it’s economic aggression. And then came the letter. A smug, condescending invitation from one of your own state senators, Joseph Martin, R-Rumford. He mocked our bilingualism, dismissed our parliamentary democracy, and treated our national identity like a failed experiment. We’re angry. We’re insulted. And we’re staying home. ~ Nicola Stefaniuk, Toronto, Ontario
MAINE PUBLIC • September 10, 2025
Paul and Kamiwan Oliver live with their three kids in a single-story home on about a quarter acre of land in the city of Calais. The family has a flock of 19 hens they raise for eggs and meat. The chickens live in a coop on the side of the house made out of a repurposed shed. Kamiwan said it's the family's "attempt to have a small amount of responsibility" in sourcing their own food. But in June of 2024, Calais passed an ordinance on domestic livestock that restricts what chicken coops are built out of, where they're positioned and the number of chickens a household can own. The Olivers say it's effectively a ban on backyard chickens. They filed a lawsuit in Washington County this week that alleges the ordinance violates the "Right to Food" amendment of the Maine Constitution that was ratified in 2021.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 10, 2025
For more than a week, rumors have been circulating among Belfast residents that a major waterfront business, Front Street Shipyard, could be sold. The possibility of new owners taking over it and other nearby properties has renewed longstanding questions about the public’s right to access the shoreline in the midcoast city. Could any new owners of those private properties revoke the public’s access to the waterfront Belfast walking path? They likely could not, according to public records and a longtime former local official. That’s because the city has worked to secure permanent agreements guaranteeing the public’s ability to walk along designated sections of those private properties.
MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • September 10, 2025
Retired Allagash Wilderness Waterway Supervisor Tim Caverly talks about the creation of the AWW as a Wild and Scenic River. Hear of threats to the wild, including multiple vehicle access points, escalations of human development, limited rule enforcement. Learn measures to monitor wilderness character, and require the Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands to administer the area for ‘Maximum Wilderness Character’ as required by law. At Curtis Library, Brunswick, September 10, 6 pm.
MAINE PUBLIC • September 10, 2025
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court heard arguments Wednesday in a dispute about property rights and beach access at Popham Beach in Phippsburg. The appeal was brought by Richard Tappen, who owns a beachfront cottage, and purchased a parcel of land that cuts in front of his long-time neighbor Clark Hill. Tappen then sued Hill for trespassing. A lower court ruled that there was an implied easement that gave Hill the right to access the beach. Tappen's attorney, Glenn Israel, asked Maine justices to reverse that decision. In Maine, private property rights extend to the low tide line. Public access is only allowed for 'fishing, fowling, and navigation.'
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 10, 2025
The Trump administration is making a serious mistake by cutting many of the agencies voters rate most highly, including the National Weather Service, the National Park Service, the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Postal Service. It would be a novelty to organize a campaign around government services that people actually want and trust, but it has to be worth trying. ~ Douglas Rooks
