Brookfield withdraws application for lower Kennebec dams

CENTRAL MAINE • October 18, 2025

Brookfield White Pine Hydro, the owner of four dams on the lower Kennebec River, withdrew state-level applications for new water quality permits Thursday, saying new restrictions imposed by Maine regulators were too burdensome and complicated their pending sale to The Nature Conservancy. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection issued a draft approval of the permits earlier this month, but required extensive fish passage and water quality improvements to Brookfield Renewable Energy’s plans to upgrade the four dams between Skowhegan and Waterville. Brookfield said in a letter to the department Thursday those conditions were too restrictive. Environmental groups, meanwhile, said they found the restrictions didn’t go far enough and encouraged the state to deny the permits, instead of approving with extensive conditions.

Woman’s ‘labor of love’ at Sabattus Pond draws scrutiny from state regulators

SUN JOURNAL • October 19, 2025

Lucille Laliberte has been cleaning the pond she grew up on. But the well-intended work could be harmful, state officials and lake stewards say. So far, Laliberte estimates she has dug up, plucked and carried off a half-ton of debris from the exposed shoreline. And “invasive” plants, she says, which weren’t nearly as thick and unsightly when she lived on the pond. The 77-year-old’s cleanup efforts began in earnest in spring after an 8-foot drawdown of the pond to allow for the reconstruction of two remaining dams exposed several hundred feet of sand, debris and vegetation. Despite her best intentions to restore the area to the memories of her time on the pond, DEP confirmed she was indeed violating the Natural Resources Protection Act. The vegetation Laliberte has been removing isn’t invasive. It’s native to the pond.

Check your boots before hiking in Maine — here’s why

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 19, 2025

We’d been hiking for three miles before I started to feel a prickly sensation at the top of my foot. I stopped in the middle of the trail and pulled off my boot. Out rolled a smooshed caterpillar of a hickory tussock moth. Their hairs are barbed and contain an irritating substance that causes some people to have an allergic reaction. Over the course of the next day or so, my foot swelled and developed a bumpy rash of tiny blisters that itched horrifically — especially at night. Multiple health organizations liken the reaction to a poison ivy rash. After about a week of anti-itch cream — plus a session of me attempting to remove tiny caterpillar hairs from my skin with packing tape — my foot is back to normal. But the experience taught me to look in my hiking boots before shoving my feet into them.

Acadia closed during federal shutdown? Try these Maine alternatives

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 18, 2025

With the federal government shutdown affecting services at Acadia National Park, many visitors are looking for scenic trails, quiet lakes and coastal views elsewhere. Cobscook Shores in Lubec offers 20 privately funded parklands with more than 15 miles of undeveloped shoreline. Nearby, Quoddy Head State Park encompasses 541 acres at the easternmost point in the U.S. The region’s Bold Coast offers additional coastal escapes. Downeast Coastal Conservancy and Maine Coast Heritage Trust preserves feature dramatic cliffs, secluded coves and quiet trails for hiking, beachcombing and birdwatching. Great Wass Island Preserve in Beals adds granite ledges, ocean vistas and wild blueberry barrens. Near Ellsworth, Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust manages 5,200 acres of trails through forests, ledges and open ridges for hiking, wildlife viewing and camping. Donnell Pond Public Reserved Land offers hiking, fishing, paddling with primitive campsites available. Blue Hill Mountain has panoramic views of Blue Hill Bay, while Holbrook Island Sanctuary features woodlands, open fields and shoreline trails. Camden Hills State Park offers sweeping views of Penobscot Bay. Beech Hill Preserve in Rockport features rolling meadows.

Maine joins multi-state lawsuit to restore Solar for All funding

MAINE PUBLIC • October 17, 2025

Maine has joined more than 20 states in a lawsuit against the Trump administration for terminating a $7 billion Solar for All program. The states allege the government illegally used its signature “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” to claw back funding. In a lawsuit filed in Washington state federal court, the states said that the Republican tax and spending law only eliminated uncommitted funding for Solar for All. But the law didn't affect program grants that were finalized and awarded to states more than a year ago and account for the vast majority of its funding, according to the complaint. The states want the court to return their money and block the Environmental Protection Agency from stopping the program again under the law's provisions.

Brookfield says Kennebec dam sale motivated by 'overburdensome' regulation

MAINE PUBLIC • October 17, 2025

Brookfield Renewable told Maine regulators that its decision to sell four dams on the Kennebec River was influenced by the state's "overburdensome" fish passage requirements to relicense the four hydropower generators. In an Oct. 16 letter to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the international power company said standards imposed by the state in a draft water quality certificate conflicted with state law, would be prohibitively expensive to implement and were "arguably unattainable." One of the motivating factors for the sale "is the increasingly complex, expensive and uncertain regulatory landscape surrounding hydroelectric operations on the Lower Kennebec River," the company said in its letter. The Nature Conservancy last month unveiled an agreement to buy the dams around Skowhegan and Waterville with the goal of decommissioning them and ultimately returning a natural flow to the river and allow fish including Atlantic Salmon to swim to spawning grounds in its tributaries.

Geological mapping project shines new light on key mineral deposits in Aroostook County

MAINE PUBLIC • October 17, 2025

The Maine Geological Survey says a recently-completed mineral mapping project in Aroostook County will help guide local land use decisions. In a three-year, federally-funded study, state geologists teamed up with researchers and students and the University of Maine at Presque Isle to map deposits of manganese, a critical mineral essential for the production of steel and batteries that is currently entirely imported. Maine Geological Survey senior geologist Amber Whittaker said it's now up to policymakers, municipalities, and landowners to decide what to do with the data.

Hermon ski area could become ‘house lots or something’ after this season

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 17, 2025

New Hermon Mountain recently announced the sale of its season passes with the caveat that the ski area will close after this season if a new owner is not found. The mountain on Newburgh Road in Hermon first opened to the public for skiing in 1960 and was later modernized with three chairlifts serving 20 marked trails, a tubing hill and a lodge. The 67.5-acre ski area property and business have been for sale since 2022 and are currently listed for $2.1 million. “We are still hopeful that someone will be able to purchase it and keep it a ski area before the end of this coming season but if not we will be closing it down and looking for alternatives to selling it, i.e. house lots or something like that,” said a message on the mountain’s homepage.

Maine's maple experts worry about the impacts drought will have on future sugaring seasons

MAINE PUBLIC • October 16, 2025

As drought conditions continue to worsen across Maine, maple producers and industry experts are worrying about the health of the sugarbush, and what this year's drought could mean for future sap and syrup yields. Jason Lilley, a maple industry educator with the UMaine Cooperative Extension, says the fact that maple trees are dropping their leaves a week early indicates they are stressed, and stress is bad for sugar production. But, he says, maple trees have an "insurance policy" — they can store sugars for several years.

National parks, public lands feared at risk of long-term harm as shutdown drags on

MAINE MORNING STAR • October 17, 2025

Bare-bones staffing during the government shutdown across the Interior Department and the U.S. Forest Service is leaving America’s treasured natural assets vulnerable to lasting damage, according to advocates for public lands, including current and former agency employees. National parks and most public lands remain accessible to visitors, including those run by the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service. But the lack of staff already has led to reports of bad behavior and parks advocates and workers say they fear more to come as the shutdown that began Oct. 1 continues with no end in sight.

‘Encouraging news’ in fight against invasive plant in Sokokis Lake

MAINE MONITOR • October 17, 2025

Over the summer, the state of Maine applied herbicide to part of Sokokis Lake in Limerick in the hopes of snuffing out a pesky invasive plant. Early signs show it might be working. If the efforts prove successful long-term, it would mark a significant win against what the Lakes Environmental Association describes as “arguably the most difficult invasive plant to control in Maine.” Brittle naiad, an aquatic plant native to Europe and originally introduced in the United States as a food source for waterfowl, can spread quickly and choke out native plant species. The invasive plant was first found in Sokokis, also known as Holland Pond, in 2022 in the lake’s southern basin. Attempts to control it manually with trained volunteers pulling the plants by hand proved to be an uphill battle. 

Someone illegally killed a lynx in the Maine woods

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 17, 2025

Game wardens are looking for whoever killed a Canada lynx in Aroostook County. The lynx was shot to death sometime within 24 hours of its discovery along Mouse Island Road in Perham on Wednesday, , according to Emily MacCabe, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Canada lynx are a federally protected species, making it illegal to trap, harass, hunt or kill them. “The shooting of this animal was unnecessary, conducted without regard for its protected status, and left to waste,” MacCabe said. The Maine Warden Service is offering a $3,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever was responsible.

Nature Connects: Maine teens need the outdoors more than ever

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 17, 2025

For many Maine teenagers, the most meaningful learning happens outside the classroom. Outdoor clubs in middle and high schools provide structured opportunities for students to immerse themselves in nature throughout the school year. Yet many face barriers. Teens to Trails works to remove these barriers. Schools that join become part of a statewide outdoor network, gaining access to programming and gear, grants for outdoor clubs, scholarships for students and leadership training. During the past school year, Teens to Trails enabled more than 7,000 Maine students to experience hands-on outdoor learning, experiences that go far beyond traditional sports or weekend activities. ~ Connor Huggins, Teens to Trails

All trails on Katahdin are closed for the season

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 17, 2025

The hiking season is over on Katahdin. Baxter State Park closed all trails up Katahdin, as well as the Traveler loop trails, Friday because snow is falling at higher elevations. The park also anticipates freeze-thaw fluctuations in the coming days, which can heighten the impact of hiking on the fragile alpine ecosystem. The closure also means hikers cannot access the Owl Trail via the Hunt Trail.

Column: This section of the 100-Mile Wilderness is easy to fall in love with

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 17, 2025

The Barren-Chairback Range is the first mountain cluster you come to on a northbound hike through the 100-Mile Wilderness. Barren Mountain is the first and highest of the five summits you’ll cross. In order, the rest are Fourth Mountain (2,383 feet), Third Mountain (2,061 feet), Columbus Mountain (2,326 feet) and Chairback Mountain (2,219 feet). Don’t let the modest elevations fool you, however. Hike the 15.7 miles over all five peaks of the range from the Bodfish Farm-Long Pond Tote Road to the KI-Greenville Road near the West Branch of the Pleasant River and you’ll have climbed an impressive 4,000 feet overall on often rough treadway. Thanks to the National Park Service and the Appalachian Mountain Club, the length of the Barren-Chairback is protected. ~ Carey Kish

Maine joins multi-state lawsuit against Trump administration for canceled solar program funding

ASSOCIATED PRESS • October 16, 2025

The attorneys general of more than a dozen states on Thursday sued the Trump administration over the termination of $7 billion in funding intended for affordable solar energy projects across the U.S. The coalition, which also included the District of Columbia and other stakeholders, argued in the lawsuit that the Environmental Protection Agency’s cancellation of the Solar for All program violated the law governing federal agencies and the constitutional separation of powers. The program, introduced in 2022, intended to make the renewable energy accessible to nearly 1 million Americans. The canceled $27 billion is just one example of the efforts the administration has taken against clean energy. Trump has invested in fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal while slashing climate regulation.

Planned closure of trail near Tukey’s Bridge frustrates Portland bike commuters

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 16, 2025

A section of the Back Cove Trail at Tukey’s Bridge is set to close Monday for utility work, disrupting a vital route used daily by Portland pedestrians and cyclists who commute on the trail, with some saying that they feel caught off-guard by a lack of communication about the closure. The work is part of a project by utility company Unitil to retire a natural gas pipeline that previously served the former B&M Baked Beans plant, now the site of the Roux Institute’s redevelopment. Because the pipe runs through a narrow corridor between the trail and the water, the company says there is no safe way to keep the trail open during construction. The closure, expected to last about a week.

Opinion: Maine needs a better plan for its electrical grid

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 16, 2025

Mainers pay some of the highest electricity bills in the country. Now, Central Maine Power wants to raise those bills by another $35 per month by 2031 to fund infrastructure and workforce upgrades. While investments in reliability and resilience are essential, the proposed increase, on top of recent years’ hikes, is a symptom of a deeper problem: Maine lacks a strategic plan for modernizing its electricity grids in a way that ensures affordability, reliability and climate alignment. Without such a plan, we’ll continue to lurch from rate case to rate case, locking in costs for ratepayers while missing opportunities to invest wisely. We support establishing a long-range grid planning group in law, with the authority and independence to chart a more innovative course and put affordability, equity and climate at the center. Done right, this group will provide lawmakers, regulators and utilities with the evidence-based guidance to make smarter choices. It will replace reactive spending with proactive strategy. It will build public trust that facts, not politics, are guiding our energy future. ~ Kay Aikin, member, U.S. Department of Energy Grid Wise Architecture Council, and Rep. Gerry Runte, York

To keep skiing the East through droughts and warming winters, we may have to ‘rethink’ ski season

MAINE MORNING STAR • October 16, 2025

With evolving technology and strategic snowmaking, snowmakers say they expect to keep skiers on the trails this winter despite current water shortages. But like warming winters, recurring late-summer droughts are part of a larger climate change-driven pattern that has complicated the task of running a ski resort in the Northeast. While technology upgrades can help, experts said they also recognize that the industry is changing in ways that can’t be circumvented. When water is limited and thaws increasingly common, one team has adapted to making less snow at the beginning of the season, then returning to their trails later in the year to add more. Some resorts engage in “snow farming,” using insulation to preserve heaps of snow through above-freezing temperatures so it can later be put to use for winter sports.

Column: Why birds are so noisy this fall — the surprising reasons behind all that chatter

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 16, 2025

I’ve enjoyed watching the eagles and loons annoy each other. There are dozens of loons on the lake in front of my house. Every time an eagle flies over, all the loons start wailing. I imagine the eagles are getting frustrated. They have little hope of defeating this early warning system. Black-capped chickadees are so good at spotting trouble, other species pay attention to their calls. Blue jays are ever watchful. They regularly flock together and call out danger when they see it. Warning calls account for only some of the backyard bird noise in autumn. Species that flock together chatter a lot, so they can keep track of each other and stay organized. Some birds are still declaring territories. For instance, last night a barred owl perched above my garage at 3:00 in the morning and called incessantly. ~ Bob Duchesne