Editorial: Historic conservation project offers new era for Kennebec River

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 2, 2025

it was heartening to hear last week about an agreement to remove dams on the Kennebec River, returning more of the waterway to its natural, free-flowing state, while also seeking ways to support the Sappi mill in Skowhegan, a vital source of jobs for the region. Last month, The Nature Conservancy announced that it was undertaking a $168 million project that would restore more of the central Maine river for fish, including endangered Atlantic salmon. This would restore unfettered access for Atlantic salmon and other seagoing fish from the Gulf of Maine to their historic spawning grounds upstream. It is easy to criticize such a large project and to make assumptions about its outcome, but an open mind, a commitment to working together and patience can lead to a more vibrant river.

Acadia National Park opens to throngs of visitors despite federal shutdown

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 1, 2025

Despite the lack of an agreement in Congress to fund federal operations past the end of September, Acadia National Park remained mostly open on Wednesday. The park’s visitor center in the Bar Harbor village of Hulls Cove was closed. But the Island Explorer bus system and local bicycle rental companies that transport customers and their bicycles into the park were coming and going from the parking lot as usual. The Park Loop Road was open. Rangers were manning the booth at the bottom of Cadillac Mountain’s Summit Road and were making sure visitors had required reservations before driving to the top. A couple who was leaving Acadia Wednesday morning to head back home to New York said it was a shame that the park’s operations would be affected at all by politics. “These parks are for everyone. People plan these trips in advance,”

Maine hunters saw lower success rates in September bull moose season

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 1, 2025

The 2025 September moose hunt was a tough season for many, with all wildlife management zones seeing a decline in harvest numbers compared with 2024. Maine’s moose biologist, Lee Kantar, said during the roughly two- to three-week rut, cows come into and out of estrus in stages, while bulls search for receptive cows. Kantar noted that drought and warm weather likely affect moose movements, feeding behavior and times of activity, and may lead them to use smaller home ranges, staying closer to areas with moisture and green vegetation.

Fact brief: Have billboards been banned in Maine since 1977?

CENTRAL MAINE • October 1, 2025

Billboards have been banned in Maine since 1977, when the Legislature voted to prohibit “off-premises” advertising signs. The law took effect in 1978 and required the removal of most existing billboards within several years. It followed Vermont’s earlier example and made Maine the first state on the East Coast to eliminate highway billboards. There are exceptions. Businesses may still display signs “on-premises,” and Maine law allows certain “categorical signs,” including noncommercial and religious messages. Scenic America, a national nonprofit that tracks billboard laws, says only three other states have statewide bans: Vermont, Hawaii and Alaska. Each state enacted its prohibition decades ago to protect its scenic character.

Anson man dies in Embden logging accident, police say

CENTRAL MAINE • October 1, 2025

A 46-year-old Anson man died Tuesday when he was struck by a falling tree while cutting wood with his father in Embden. First responders found Daniel Nile with a serious head injury and performed life-saving measures, but he was ultimately pronounced dead on the scene.

What to expect at Acadia National Park during the government shutdown

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 1, 2025

The federal government shutdown is already having an impact on one of the most cherished slices of Maine. While open to the public, Acadia National Park is down to only staff deemed essential to the protection of the park and the health and safety of visitors. Eric Stiles, president and CEO of the Friends of Acadia nonprofit, said the shutdown is “highly disruptive” to national park employees, visitors and the local economy. Employees whose roles are considered “exempt” from the shutdown, or reliant on non-federal dollars, are expected to continue working for as long as those funds are available. Volunteer activities will continue, unless the “necessary oversight by NPS personnel cannot be provided,” the plan states. Employees who do not fall under those categories are to be furloughed, the plan says.

Fall Bay Day teaches kids about Merrymeeting Bay wildlife

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 1, 2025

Around 170 Midcoast fourth graders spent the day out of the classroom, getting some hands-on learning at the Merrymeeting Bay Wildlife Management Area in Bowdoinham on Tuesday, as part of an educational day hosted by the Friends of Merrymeeting Bay. Fall Bay Day featured around 13 educational stations focused on a range of activities, including archaeology, conservation canines, fish migration, bugs, bird banding and wildlife rehabilitation. The archaeological site is a historic location adjacent to a cellar remains of an old farm building, where students unearthed remnants of old nails, brick and glass left behind from the few settlements on the site during the 1700s to 1800s. Each station ties back to Merrymeeting Bay.

Wilton projects aim to curb erosion, protect Wilson Lake and Varnum Pond

FRANKLIN JOURNAL • September 30, 2025

Shoreline stabilization, erosion control and clean water projects are set to move forward across Wilson Lake and Varnum Pond, bringing long-term benefits for residents, visitors and wildlife. Ecologist and water resource specialist Jennifer Jespersen told the Select Board on Sept. 16 that approval has been secured for a wide-ranging plan to address pollution that comes from sources such as rain runoff and agriculture in the Wilson Lake watershed — called nonpoint source pollution. Federal money through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was recently awarded for just under $150,000.

What happens now that a government shutdown is underway

ASSOCIATED PRESS • October 1, 2025

National Park Service officials said Tuesday afternoon that contingency plans were still being updated and would be posted to the service’s website. During a 35-day shutdown in Trump’s first term limited staffing led to vandalism, gates being pried open and other problems.

Why this federal shutdown could be different for Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 30, 2025

About 12,000 federal workers across Maine braced for a likely federal government shutdown at midnight Tuesday — a move that could lead to furloughs and firings, and potentially shuttering Acadia National Park and the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument at the height of foliage season. The federal government was last shut down in 2018 over Trump’s demands for funds to build a wall along the southern border. “The damage that occurred took many parks months, some years, to recover from,” the National Parks Conservation Association said of the 2018-19 shutdown. “And in some cases, it was irreparable.” The Trump administration has said it will fire many nonessential workers. Among those who could permanently lose their jobs are many of the 75 workers at Acadia National Park.

Midcoast kayak and paddleboard rental shop to close after 11 years

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 1, 2025

A Northport shop that has rented and delivered kayaks and paddleboards for the past 11 years is closing at the end of the season, owner Terra Warner confirmed. Don Pedro’s Kayak & Water Rentals, in Northport, will be fully liquidated by the end of October. She is stepping down amid obligations to her family, who are based out of Palm Beach, Florida. She wants to see her grandchildren grow up while remaining connected to the entrepreneurial ventures she’s long been part of, since all of her children are entrepreneurs themselves.

Government headed to a shutdown after last-ditch vote fails in Senate

ASSOCIATED PRESS • September 30, 2025

Senate Democrats have voted down a Republican bill to keep funding the government, putting it on a near-certain path to a shutdown after midnight Wednesday for the first time in nearly seven years. Threatening retribution to Democrats, Trump said Tuesday that a shutdown could include “cutting programs that they like.” The last shutdown was in Trump’s first term, from December 2018 to January 2019, when he demanded that Congress give him money for his U.S.-Mexico border wall. Trump retreated after 35 days — the longest shutdown ever — amid intensifying airport delays and missed paydays for federal workers. Democrats see a rare opportunity to use their leverage to achieve policy goals and as their base voters are spoiling for a fight with Trump. Sen. Angus King of Maine voted with Republicans to keep the government open.

Federal government shutdown has begun

ASSOCIATED PRESS • September 30, 2025

Plunged into a government shutdown, the U.S. is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty. Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by the Trump administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as Trump vows to “do things that are irreversible, that are bad” as retribution. His deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide.

Maine climate lawsuit to remain in state court

MAINE PUBLIC • September 30, 2025

Maine's lawsuit against giant oil companies for allegedly concealing the climate damage of their products will be continued in state court after a judge rejected companies' attempts to move it to a federal venue. In a Sept. 29 ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Torresen said defendants including Chevron and Exxon-Mobil were rehashing the same arguments used for years in attempts to move similar lawsuits out of state court to a more favorable federal jurisdiction. Moreover, the companies should have to pay Maine's costs for the "improper" legal detour into federal court, Torresen added.

Maine offers EV rebates as federal incentives lapse

MAINE PUBLIC • September 30, 2025

Federal tax breaks for electric vehicles expired on Sept. 30, but some Maine customers can still access incentives to make an EV purchase. A tax credit of up to $7,500 available to some electric vehicle consumers was cut by President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers. But Efficiency Maine still offers incentives to buy electric vehicles. Low- and middle-income individuals, businesses and non-profits and governments can apply for a rebate of up to $7,500 for a new or used EV. It also offers a steep discount on home chargers that power up car batteries during off-peak hours of electric use.

Greene man pleads guilty to illegally trafficking whale and bird pa

MAINE PUBLIC • September 30, 2025

A man from Greene pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland on Monday to illegally trafficking whale and bird parts he imported from Eastern Europe and sold online to buyers across the country. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Sergey Bachkovsky imported and sold items such as whale teeth and ear bones, and a hawk carcass, and forfeited other items he planned to sell — including bear teeth, whale vertebrae, and feathers and wings from birds of prey. These activities violate U.S. wildlife trafficking law, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Maine's "Most Endangered Historic Places" 2025

MAINE PRESERVATION • September 30, 2025

Since 1996, Maine Preservation has released the list of Maine’s Most Endangered Historic Places to boost local efforts and focus positive media attention with an aim to preserve threatened places throughout the state. Nomination of an endangered place is a chance for Mainers to make their voices heard and to shine a light on the places that matter to their communities. Maine's "Most Endangered Historic Places" 2025:
• Governor Abner Coburn House, Skowhegan
• Guy P. Gannett House, Augusta
• Leach-Overlock House, East Vassalboro
• North Franklin Agricultural Building

Trump administration pulls climate change signs from Acadia National Park

MAINE MONITOR • September 26, 2025

The National Park Service recently removed numerous signs at Acadia National Park that detailed the mounting impacts of climate change on Maine’s coast and forests. The move is part of a sweeping campaign that the Trump administration says is aimed at “restoring truth and sanity to American history.” In practice, it has been an exercise in scrubbing historical and scientific truths from federal sites and institutions, including the horrors of slavery in the United States. Much like during President Donald Trump’s first term, the administration has worked to undermine established climate science while boosting the development of planet-warming fossil fuels.

High Peaks Alliance celebrates Bemis Track restoration

RANGELEY HIGHLANDER • September 30, 2025

High Peaks Alliance is pleased to announce the successful completion and reopening of the Bemis Track in the Rangeley Plantation area, restoring nearly eight miles of critical access for recreation, tourism, and local industry in the High Peaks region. Severely damaged during historic storms in December 2023, the Bemis Track was closed for two years, disrupting access to destinations such as the Appalachian Trail, Angel Falls, Ten Degree, and regional ATV routes. Originally built in the 1890s as part of the Maine Central Railroad’s Rangeley Branch, the Bemis Track follows the historic railroad grade that once brought tourists to the region’s grand hotels and sporting camps.

Opinion: Together, Maine timber companies and conservationists can protect old-growth forests

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 30, 2025

This summer, lawmakers in Augusta sent a resounding message: Mainers care about late-successional and old-growth (LSOG) forests, where most trees are older than 150 years. That message came in the form of LD 1529, which, among other things, directs state agencies to develop a comprehensive report by November 2026 on strategies to conserve LSOG forests. The bill, which received broad bipartisan support and was signed into law by Gov. Mills in late June, recognizes the importance of LSOG for Maine’s biodiversity, climate and communities. At the time of European settlement, 70 to 80% of Maine was LSOG. Today it’s less than 4%, and declining rapidly. LD 1529 makes clear that LSOG is no longer a niche concern for forest ecologists and conservation practitioners. ~ Jon Leibowitz, CEO of Northeast Wilderness Trust, and John M. Hagan, forest ecologist, Our Climate Common