A new wave of rural Maine towns is thinking about disbanding

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 13, 2025

Residents of the Penobscot County town of Winn used to work for businesses in Lincoln or Millinocket, but mill closures there left jobs scarce. Fewer than 400 people remain in Winn. “There’s no interest in this town anymore,” Winn Selectman Robert Berry said. The town first considered deorganizing — the process in which a municipality dissolves as an independent town and becomes part of Maine’s unorganized territory — in 2023, when no one ran for select board and the town office was unstaffed. Winn is one of several communities that is considering dissolving their town governments and joining Maine’s unorganized territory instead. Deorganizing generally lowers tax rates for residents because the burden is spread across all of the unorganized territory, which accounts for more than half of the state’s land and has about 9,000 year-round residents. However, deorganizing also means the municipality relinquishes any ability to self govern.

At Unity farm, goats star on Open Creamery Day

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 12, 2025

It was a visit to two Maine farms on Open Creamery Day several years ago that inspired Kirby Carleton to start a herd of goats of her own. After visiting the creameries, Carleton said she fell in love with goats. Now, Carleton runs Honey Wilde Farm, making cheese and soap from her goats’ milk. “I tell people to be really careful when they’re here about how excited they get because it like took over my life,” Carleton said Sunday morning, as she opened the farm at 42 Cross Road in Unity to the public for Open Creamery Day. The Maine Cheese Guild, which supports Maine cheesemakers, organizes the statewide event, now in its 17th year. Ten creameries were participating in this year’s Open Creamery Day, spread around mostly the central part of the state.

Maine joins with Connecticut to order new clean energy

MAINE PUBLIC • October 12, 2025

Maine is joining Connecticut in an effort to bring more solar and wind power onto the regional electric grid before federal tax credits for renewable energy expire. The Public Utilities Commission last week directed its staff to consider proposals for new energy resources sought by Connecticut. Any developments will have to be vetted by the commission for their benefits to Maine electric customers. Connecticut put out a request for proposals last month seeking "late stage" projects that could capture federal tax breaks that may make them more cost-competitive for electric ratepayers. President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act curtailed 30% of federal tax credits available to solar and wind developments.

With less vibrant colors, fall foliage still draws tourists to Boothbay

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 12, 2025

At a Fall Foliage Festival in Boothbay this weekend, hundreds of people milled around the Railway Village Museum, enjoying hot apple cider and browsing goods made by local vendors. But all around the festival, the trees were still green. Paula Wood, who is visiting Maine with her husband Anthony, traveled from Missouri to see the famously vibrant colors of the Northeast. Although they’re enjoying their time on the East Coast, Wood said she is missing the bright red and orange leaves she expected to see. The drought that has plagued Maine since early August could be impacting the vibrance of the foliage this year. 

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."