Letter: Mainers should see through Republicans’ wind power smokescreen

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 12, 2025

Why would a group of Maine Republicans ask to revoke offshore wind leases from the Gulf of Maine? I thought the GOP was the political party that stood for protecting our national security and lowering our cost of living? Then it dawned on me. These representatives are actually putting up a smokescreen to protect their political funding from the fossil fuel interests. Of course, the fossil fuel industry doesn’t want a competing technology that is better and has a lower cost. They fight against funding any renewable energy project through their surrogates in the Republican Party. Follow the money. I wish our Republican representatives would just be honest and say that they have requested the revocation of the leases because they have their hands in the fossil fuel cookie jar. ~ Larre Nelson, Portland

Woman accidentally shoots bird hunting companion in northern Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 12, 2025

Amber Oaks, 31, was in a party of six people who were in a line in two ATVs and two side-by-sides. She was a passenger in the rear side-by-side vehicle being driven by 31-year-old Danielle Fernald of Freeport. The ATV driver leading the party saw a bird and went into the woods to try to shoot it. Fernald exited the side-by-side and reached in to grab her loaded shotgun. She bumped the butt against the vehicle’s roll cage, leading her hand to hit the trigger. Birdshot struck Oaks in the knee. She was taken by ambulance to Cary Medical Center in Caribou, where wardens said she is getting surgery. Under Maine law, it is a crime to have a loaded firearm in a vehicle.

Republicans try to weaken 50-year-old law protecting whales, seals and polar bears

ASSOCIATED PRESS • October 11, 2025

Republican lawmakers are targeting one of the U.S.’s longest standing pieces of environmental legislation, credited with helping save rare whales from extinction. Leaders feel they now have the political will to remove key pieces of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, enacted in 1972 to protect whales, seals, polar bears and other sea animals. A GOP-led bill in the works has support from fishermen in Maine, lobbyists for big-money species, and marine manufacturers. Conservation groups adamantly oppose the changes and say weakening the law will erase years of hard-won gains for jeopardized species such as the vanishing North Atlantic right whale.

More than a quarter of species are at risk of extinction, new report says

CNN • October 11, 2025

A new report says melting sea ice and deforestation are threatening the survival of many species. The latest Red List of Threatened Species assessment released Friday shows that more than a quarter of all animals, plants and fungi assessed are at risk. It found three species of Arctic seals now face extinction because of climate change, and more than half of the world’s birds are in decline due to habitat loss. But in one bright spot, researchers said the green sea turtle population is rebounding thanks to decades of conservation efforts. The Red List database is updated regularly by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Its latest endangered list includes more than 170,000 species.

Column: Hummingbirds sticking around later, so leave up those feeders

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 11, 2025

Heading into October, leave your hummingbird feeders up. We are heading into the exciting time of year for migrating birds, when we tend to see more western species show up in the east. We are seeing shifts in migratory patterns and early range expansions. In eastern North America we typically only have one species of hummingbird, the ruby-throated. They arrive in Maine each spring then spend the summer nesting across the state. Most ruby-throated hummingbirds depart during September, though we do get reports of small numbers lingering into October and a few in November. We now need to be on the lookout for western Selasphorus hummingbirds, largely thanks to feeders they visit. Maine has two records of calliope hummingbirds, but it has been 17 years since the last sighting. Each record helps us learn more about the shifting patterns of these birds. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox

Maine farmers, restaurants struggle with rising cost of beef

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 11, 2025

Faced with increases in fuel, power and feed, local farmers are forced to choose between raising prices on their often-cash-strapped customers or working hard for ever-slimming margins. Under the same pressures, some restaurants — even barbecue joints — are cutting back on items like brisket and pastrami in favor of more chicken and pork to keep costs and prices down. Higher meat prices mean customers at grocery stores aren’t buying as much meat. And with the supply nationwide down and expected to stay there amid solid demand, it doesn’t look like relief is coming any time soon.

Maine groups beating a path to millions in limited trails funding

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 10, 2025

Maine voters approved a $30 million bond in 2024 to fund the state’s new trails program, which has drawn more interest than funding can cover. There are 105 applications seeking over twice the amount available in the first round of grants. Doug Beck, the Recreational Trail Program director at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, said the requests total $16.7 million for projects in all 16 counties, while only $7.5 million will be awarded this year. It’s the first of four annual grant cycles.

Is the drought draining your well? What Mainers can do.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 10, 2025

It’s official: all of Maine is now in a drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Since it began in early August in southern Maine, the drought has spread across all 32,500 square miles of the state and affects all of its 1.3 million residents, according to Thursday’s update, which is based on data collected through Tuesday and does not include Wednesday’s rainfall. As the drought has deepened, the number of people reporting dry or nearly dry private wells in 2025 has increased. About half of Maine residents get their drinking water from a well.

New map brings Maine’s seaweed forests to the surface

MAINE MONITOR • October 10, 2025

Amid the Trump administration’s cuts to federal climate change research, a New England remote sensing company released a new high-definition map of Maine’s coastline that its founder hopes will help local officials plan for climate resilience. The online platform, from New Hampshire-based Nearview, plots the best opportunities to fortify dunes and beaches along Maine’s 3,500-mile coastline to protect against sea-level rise. The map also marks where wild underwater forests lurk off the coast, which could inform seaweed harvesters and regulators. The Coastal Ecosystem Map Application Platform, or CEMAP, was in the works for years, said Stefan Claesson, Nearview’s founder and a specialist in geographic information systems. Claesson hopes CEMAP will provide data that municipal officials, regulators, researchers and seaweed harvesters can use to manage Maine’s coastline and plan for climate change. 

South Portland residents will decide on turf, grass or nothing

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 10, 2025

South Portland residents will have another opportunity to fund an athletic complex project at South Portland High School. This time, they’ll have a choice between natural grass and synthetic turf for the stadium field. Opponents are concerned about the health effects of toxic chemicals in synthetic turf, the environmental impact of plastics and the higher cost. Artificial turf contains chemicals like PFAS and metals like lead that are known to cause cancer, reproductive harm and damage to the immune system.

Opinion: I built a career on the water. Maine students need more support to do the same.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 10, 2025

I’m 23, from Saco/Old Orchard Beach, and I manage an oyster farm in Yarmouth. Just a few years ago, I didn’t even know aquaculture was a career path. I worked as a lobsterman and tried college out of state, but I wasn’t sure how to turn my love of the ocean into a livelihood. That changed when I came back home and enrolled at the University of New England, majoring in marine affairs and joined Maine’s Aquaculture Apprenticeship Programs. Those opportunities gave me the training, connections and confidence to build a future in my home state. Our working waterfront needs skilled people. We need to invest in rural students and connect them with training and job pathways that reflect the needs of our local economies. That means sectors like aquaculture, marine trades and sustainable food systems. By funding RPED grants and passing the Success Act, Congress can help make that possible. ~ Michael Scannell, Madeline Point Oyster Farm, Yarmouth

How Islesboro and other Maine islands could combat ticks

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 10, 2025

There are two main ways to fight ticks on an island: reduce the animals that host them, or use chemicals that kill them. Islesboro continues to struggle with a rising prevalence of tick-borne illnesses. Islesboro’s large deer population drives high tick density. However, opposition to firearm hunting limits control options. Since the complete removal of deer on Monhegan, only two cases of Lyme disease have been reported. Controlling tick-borne diseases on Islesboro and other high-risk coastal areas will likely require a multifaceted approach. Combining increased deer management, targeted pesticide use and public education on individual precautions — such as repellents and thorough tick checks — offers the best chance of reducing illness rates and keeping residents safe.

Column: Maine wildlife that has vanished or nearly disappeared

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 10, 2025

Maine looks different today than it did before Europeans arrived. Its wildlife has changed, with some species suffering heavily from hunting and habitat loss. Native peoples coexisted with nature. For European settlers nature was to be subdued. Overharvesting of game species and the elimination of predators were inevitable. Wolverines disappeared soon after statehood. A bounty was placed on wolves in 1838, and they were extirpated within five decades. The last caribou was shot on Katahdin in 1908. The last known eastern cougar was shot in 1938. The last known pair of great auks was shot off the coast of Iceland in 1844. The same fate befell Atlantic puffins. By 1850, all of Maine’s heath hens were gone. In 1878, the Labrador duck was the first species unique to North America to go extinct. Common eiders teetered on extinction off New England and Maritime Canada but recovered somewhat after hunting limits were enacted in the early 20th century. Maine’s original population of wild turkeys was eliminated by the 1870s. Eventually, the wanton destruction of so much wildlife shocked Americans into action. Laws prohibited market hunting. Treaties protected migrating birds. In 1973, President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act. Many of these protections are currently being rolled back in Washington. It seems we haven’t learned our lesson. ~ Bob Duchesne

I almost quit — but conquered Katahdin in 10 hours

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 9, 2025

The onset of fatigue came quickly and decisively. Barely two hours into our hike up Hunt Trail, my thighs burned. Even with temperatures in the 50s, I was already tired and soaked in sweat. How could I possibly make the 10.4-mile, round-trip hike to Baxter Peak from Katahdin Stream Campground? Finally, in the distance, the silhouettes of a dozen or so hikers at the summit were visible against a gray backdrop. And after the last uphill section, we arrived. The grueling ascent had taken 6 1/2 hours. The mountain was almost completely shrouded in thin, gray clouds. Down Hunt Spur, parts of the trail felt completely unfamiliar to me, barely recognizable from our ascent. We stumbled up to the hiker log at the trailhead and recorded our arrival time of 6:11 p.m. We spent 10 hours and 34 minutes on the trail.

Opinion: Maine must commit to restoring sea-run fish and Wabanaki sustenance lifeways

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 9, 2025

Sea Run, a report published by the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission, discusses how the Wabanaki Nations’ freedom and ability to fish for sea-run species has been nearly eliminated and the status of those fish populations from European contact until today. Before contact, river herring, shad, salmon, striped bass, and sturgeon swam up Maine’s rivers in the millions to spawn in our brooks and lakes. They were a primary food source for Wabanaki people and then for early colonists, but the Wabanaki were intentionally separated from the fisheries, first by colonial governments targeting their fishing sites and villages and later by Maine as it took Wabanaki lands and waters for dams and industrial development. The report emphasizes progress in the restoration of sea-run fish migrations including a state policy favoring restoration, the removal of major dams and other impediments to fish passage, and efforts to improve policy on water quality standards. Finally, Sea Run recommends ways Maine and the Wabanaki Nations can foster traditional Wabanaki practices while enhancing the state policy of restoring sea-run fish to their historic place in Maine’s ecology. ~ Judd Esty-Kendall, retired, Pine Tree Legal Assistance; Tony Sutton, professor, UMaine

As drought worsens, government shutdown could stall relief for farmers

MAINE PUBLIC • October 9, 2025

Farmers may find it difficult to access federal aid programs due to the government shutdown as Maine endures its worst drought in more than 20 years. The Farm Service Agency declared an extreme drought disaster in 10 Maine counties a week before the shutdown. Farmers were urged to report drought-related crop or livestock losses to their local Farm Service office, but some say they're having trouble getting information. Currently displayed on the USDA website is a banner that says: "Due to the radical left Democrat shutdown, this government website will not be updated during the funding lapse."

Plan to use land at Jay’s Androscoggin Mill for waste collection network moves ahead

SUN JOURNAL • September 9, 2025

The former Androscoggin Mill in Jay is closer to being part of a statewide network of waste collection sites after a Bangor company obtained the necessary state approvals. Michael Carroll, executive director of Municipal WasteHub, said Thursday the Bangor company that recently bought the landfill and wastewater treatment section of the former mill , JayCo, received state approvals last month allowing it to use that section for waste collection and wastewater treatment. The waste collection operation will be part of a network to feed a processing hub in Hampden. The nonprofit Municipal WasteHub provides waste management services for about 115 Maine municipalities.

A Portland neighborhood hammered for decades by highway noise may finally see a fix

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 9, 2025

After years of promises, the Maine Turnpike Authority is finally taking steps to install noise barriers along a quarter-mile stretch of the toll highway that runs through a residential neighborhood off outer Forest Avenue in Portland. It can’t happen soon enough for Deb Nason, who has lived beside the turnpike for nearly 40 years and had no luck prodding the state agency to address the noise problem in the past. In that time, the roar of passing cars and trucks has only grown louder. Trees have been trimmed and removed as part of safety and construction projects, she said. At the same time, the number of passing vehicles has increased to about 50,000 each day.

Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust celebrates 40 years of conservation

TIMES RECORD • October 9, 2025

In 1985, a group of Brunswick neighbors banded together to protect the 16-acre Pennellville Meadow from development. Four decades later, the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust, the organization born from the Pennellville easement, has conserved more than 3,400 acres in the Midcoast communities of Brunswick, Topsham and Bowdoin. The land trust is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an eye toward the future of conservation. This year also marks 25 years since the founding of the Cathance River Education Alliance, BTLT’s education arm. Longtime partners, CREA and BTLT officially merged in 2023. In addition to acquiring and supervising land, the land trust maintains trails on its properties, runs summer camps, hosts community programs, has an ecology center, and hosts a farmers market at Crystal Spring Farm.

Two Mainers awarded prestigious MacArthur ‘Genius grants’

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 8, 2025

Two Mainers were among a class of 22 “exceptional, creative, and inspiring people” named MacArthur Fellows Wednesday, an honor often referred to as a “Genius Grant.” Artist Jeremy Frey, a Passamaquoddy weaver based in Eddington, and Margaret Wickens Pearce, a Rockland-based cartographer who creates maps that foreground Indigenous understanding of place, were both named as fellows by the MacArthur Foundation. The award comes with an unrestricted grant of $800,000. Frey, 46, grew up on the Passamaquoddy Reservation at Motahkomikuk (Indian Township) and has taken the Wabanaki practice of basketmaking and launched it into the world of fine art. Pearce, 60, is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Through collaboration with Indigenous communities, her work blends archival materials and other forms of historical knowledge to create maps that center Indigenous understandings of land and place.