Column: Unusual geese are showing up in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 26, 2025

It’s a great time for a wild goose chase. Many less common geese seem to be turning up this autumn, hiding in plain sight. Snow geese appear regularly in Maine in autumn. Ross’s goose summers and winters in the central regions of North America. Vagrants in Maine are rare, but one popped up in Ellsworth a couple weeks ago. Pink-footed geese are a surprise. They breed on the far side of Greenland and winter in Northern Europe. In recent years, more have been visiting the eastern coast of North America. Lucky Aroostook County birders turned one up at Lake Josephine. Perhaps the Holy Grail of goose-chasing is the barnacle goose. Its nesting range extends from Eastern Greenland to Siberia, but barnacle geese occasionally show up here. ~ Bob Duchesne

Despite recycling program, lithium batteries still sparking fires at Aroostook landfill

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 26, 2025

When Fort Fairfield launched a lithium battery recycling program last year, the aim was to cut the number of battery-sparked fires at the Tri-Community Landfill. A year later, the battery fires are still lighting trash ablaze, and the first recycling barrel isn’t even full. Since the program started, the landfill has had eight battery-related fires. During two of those, fire crews spent days at the site. Lithium, a lightweight, soft metal found in rocks and certain groundwater, can store a lot of energy in a small space. Lithium batteries power everything from electric toothbrushes and cellphones to laptops and scooters. Disposable e-cigarettes powered by lithium cells caused a slew of fires at Portland-based waste management company ecomaine a year ago. The batteries were also suspected in a trash fire that burned in Orrington for 10 days in 2024 and in a January blaze that destroyed a Fort Kent garage.

Letter: South Portland should not build homes near tank farms

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 25, 2025

The South Portland Comprehensive Planning Committee and Planning Board seem set on development, residential and commercial, in the Shipyard district near oil tank fields. Such development means chronic exposure to a number of tank fume toxins. I hope South Portland will value the health of its citizens enough to deny residential development near tank farms. ~ James Melloh, South Portland

5 Maine hikes to tackle before fall foliage disappears

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 25, 2025

Before the wind blows the stunning fall foliage off the trees of Maine, consider taking a walk outside and enjoying this colorful time of year. The following are a few hiking trails that I’ve found to be especially beautiful during the fall.
• Dodge Point Public Reserved Land in Newcastle
• Blue Hill Mountain in Blue Hill
• Eagle Bluff in Clifton
• Mount Blue in Weld
• Precipice Trail in Acadia National Park

UMaine Climate Change Institute leader steps down as the field faces challenges

MAINE MONITOR • October 26, 2025

Amid a tumultuous time for climate change research, Paul Mayewski has resigned as director of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine in Orono after 24 years in the role. Mayewski, a prominent climate scientist and glaciologist, officially resigned from the role at the end of September, saying he would be more effective dedicating additional time to research rather than leading the globally renowned institute for another few years. Dan Sandweiss, a climate archeologist and honoree of the National Academy of Sciences, will run the institute as the interim director until June 2027. The leadership change comes as the field faces significant hurdles, such as a federal government hostile to the idea of climate change.

From Jay to Livermore Falls to Farmington, trails boost well-being

ADVERTISER DEMOCRAT • October 24, 2025

Residents of Jay, Livermore, Livermore Fall and Farmington have no shortage of local trails. Each path offers a way to explore Maine’s outdoors without leaving town limits. For me, it began on the Whistle Stop Trail, a long stretch of packed gravel where trains once ran between Farmington and Jay, now paralleling the rail line that still rumbles with freight trains. Families, cyclists and runners share the trail year-round, with broad views of the Androscoggin River and shaded sections through forest and field. It’s not unusual to see deer crossing the path or to hear songbirds in the trees along the way, reminders of how much wildlife thrives close to town. These local trails are maintained through partnerships among town recreation committees, the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, and conservation groups such as the Kennebec Land Trust. ~ Rebecca Richard

Obituary: Richard Edward Barringer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 24, 2025

Richard Edward Barringer, cabinet member for three Maine governors and public policy educator, died on October 20, 2025. He was a passionate champion for Maine's environment and the well-being of its citizens over a 60+ year career of public service. Richard received a master's degree from UMass and a doctorate from MIT. He taught at the Kennedy School of Government, directed the Massachusetts Bicentennial Commission, and authored A Maine Manifest (1972), an analysis of Maine's changing natural resource-based economy. He moved to Maine in 1973 to become the first director of the Bureau of Public Lands, where he and colleagues reclaimed 600,000 acres. He was commissioner of the Department of Conservation 1975-1981, then state planning director 1981-1986. Richard then joined USM as a research professor and graduate teacher in public policy. Dick published Toward a Sustainable Maine (1993) and Changing Maine (2004). He competed in the Democratic primary for governor in 1994. He joined with other stewards of the outdoors to establish the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation in 2011. A memorial service for Richard will occur at 14 Ocean Gateway Pier, Portland, on November 18, 2025, from 4 to 5 p.m. followed by an informal catered celebration.

For Maine’s youth hunters, longtime tradition closes the generation gap

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 24, 2025

Youth hunters across the state headed out early Friday morning for the first in a two-day firearm deer hunting season dedicated to youth under the age of 16. The young sportsmen and sportswomen are mentored by more experienced hunters who are happy to share their experience in an effort to preserve the heritage and pass it on to the next generation.

Opinion: Mainers will not benefit from coastal rocket launch sites

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 24, 2025

A recent op-ed argues for Maine to become a place where rocket launches occur regularly. Claims of benefit to Maine must be weighed against the harms to our traditional economy. Maine’s economy is highly dependent on commercial fishing on the one hand and tourism on the other. Tourists flock to Acadia National Park from all over the world. It’s a uniquely beautiful spot where one can witness the first rays of dawn light in the continental U.S. Residents of nearby Steuben earlier this year rejected a bid to build a rocket launch site offshore of their village, citing the threat to environmental health of waters where food is harvested and also significant noise pollution. And who wants to see a rocket launch facility within sight of Acadia? Not locals. Previously, Jonesport rejected a launch site after passing a moratorium to halt development while local residents had time to study the proposal. Which town will be next to say it does not want to hear or see rockets launching from its coast? ~ Mark Roman, Solon

A former Maine mill town is planning for its future with an eye on past mistakes

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 24, 2025

In 2015, and a boiler explosion forced the paper mill in Lincoln — then owned by Lincoln Paper and Tissue and employing more than 100 people — to file for bankruptcy, leaving the mill site vacant and in need of a $60 million chemical cleanup. The town acquired the mill, dam and nearly 400 surrounding acres in the years following the closure, and razed many buildings to develop the area into the Lincoln Technology Park. Now, Lincoln is looking ahead to 2027, when the largest battery system in the world is slated to be built on the former mill site. But the town is asking companies coming to the mill site to create a fund to pay for expenses from future closures. Lincoln is doing what it failed to do in the past: plan for the worst.

Northern Maine wind and transmission line project gets PUC priority nod

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 23, 2025

The northern Maine wind and transmission line is one step closer to reality as the Maine Public Utilities Commission seeks input from potential bidders and other interested parties on a draft request for proposals. Experts tout the power of northern Maine’s wind energy potential, but harnessing that wind and getting the electricity it produces to the power grid has had its share of obstacles and stalled attempts, including the Number Nine Wind Farm, canceled in late 2016, and the Aroostook Renewable Gateway, which was canceled in December 2023. These setbacks come at a time when the state’s need for new energy sources has grown amid Mainers skyrocketing electricity bills. Not to mention a dramatic increase in the region’s electric usage due to heat pumps, EVs, and other electrification priorities, further highlighting the push to harness the County’s wind potential.

Fewer people made Maine their summer vacation destination in 2025

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 22, 2025

Maine tourism took another hit this past summer. The state saw 6% fewer visitors between May 1 and Aug. 31 than during the same period in 2024, when roughly 7.8 million people visited the state, according to the 2025 Summer Visitor Tracking Report released Wednesday. That drop to about 7.3 million visitors in 2025 comes in the wake of a 9% decrease between the summers of 2023 and 2024. However, the annual report from the Maine Office of Tourism indicates that tourists are staying longer.

Belfast makes plans to clean up 2 contaminated buildings

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 23, 2025

The city of Belfast has made plans to deal with two contaminated downtown buildings it owns in the coming months. The city received $2 million through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields program earlier this year to clean up the former Waldo County Superior Courthouse and a dilapidated building at 74 High St. known as Bradbury Manor so they can be reused. A consulting firm hired by the city, TRC, is proposing to demolish and abate the manor site while containing contaminated soil, and to abate materials at the former courthouse during the renovation process along with capping soil.

Is Maine’s drought making seasonal allergies worse?

CENTRAL MAINE • October 23, 2025

Maine’s extended drought could be prolonging the fall allergy season, but there isn’t enough data available to confirm a connection, experts say. During a drought, there is no rain to “wash” pollen out of the air, said Andrea Nurse, a researcher at the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute. Instead, the pollen released by a common fall weed like ragweed stays adrift longer and travels farther, making it harder for people to avoid. Drought-related winds can also pick up and recirculate old tree and grass pollens left on top of a parched ground. Despite these facts, scientists and doctors can’t yet prove whether droughts like the one currently gripping Maine — new federal data shows 93% of the state was in severe or extreme drought as of Tuesday — make seasonal allergies worse.

Despite recent rain, drought continues to spread statewide

MAINE PUBLIC • October 23, 2025

Despite this week's rainfall, the entire state of Maine is now experiencing some drought conditions, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report. Around 93% of the state has been impacted by severe drought conditions, up from 73% last week. Senior service hydrologist Sarah Jamison with the national weather service in Gray said the four inches or so of rain was a good first step — but that Maine will need another 10 to 12 inches before winter to get fully out of the woods.

Tourists flocked to Aroostook County this summer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 23, 2025

Nearly double the number of people who visited Aroostook County in 2024 visited this summer, according to numbers released Thursday by the Maine Office of Tourism. Final tourism numbers won’t be out until the end of the year, but the snapshot of summer travel indicates 7.3 million people spent time in Maine, 6% fewer than last year’s 7.8 million. But Aroostook drew about 511,000 tourists during the season, a significant jump over roughly 300,000 people in 2024.

Part of Riverside Trail closed indefinitely because of safety, maintenance concerns

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 23, 2025

A section of the Riverside Trail in Portland is closed indefinitely as Portland Trails begins repairs and cleanup following the removal of several homeless encampments on the trail along the Presumpscot River. The closure, which affects about a mile of trail between Forest and Warren avenues, took effect Oct. 17. Portland Trails, a nonprofit that maintains almost 100 miles of trails, had previously issued an alert for the area, warning trail users of safety hazards and advising caution, but decided last week to move to a full closure after the encampments along the river were swept.

Trump administration finalizes plan to open pristine Alaska wildlife refuge to oil and gas drilling

ASSOCIATED PRESS • October 23, 2025

The Trump administration on Thursday finalized a plan to open the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, renewing long-simmering debate over whether to drill in one of the nation’s most sensitive wilderness areas. The plan fulfills a promise by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to open this portion of the refuge to possible development. The massive GOP bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, passed during the summer, called for at least four lease sales within the refuge over a 10-year period.

Yarmouth trail signs highlight Wabanaki language, tradition

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 23, 2025

Amid the chirps of chickadees, clamor of squirrels scampering up hemlock trunks and the soft flow of the Royal River, Passamaquoddy/Maliseet words can be heard in the woods of Yarmouth once again. “Nulasihkuwolpon Sipuhsisuwi Kcihq,” says the voice of Dwayne Tomah. “Welcome to Riverfront Woods Preserve.”  The words emerge from the Wabanaki interpretive sign project in Yarmouth’s Riverfront Woods Preserve. Officially completed this week, the educational signs erected throughout the preserve share the history and cultural life of the Wabanaki Confederacy and its long connection to the diverse ecologies in the 50 wooded acres.

Opinion: Our Rurality Reality: Demographics, Disparate Impact

MACHIAS VALLEY NEWS OBSERVER • October 23, 2025

Maine is promulgating climate, energy, and equity policies that have had an adverse disparate impact on rural Maine. Climate policy has driven up energy and electricity prices, been opaque as to the size and distribution of the costs and benefits (averted climate change), and loudly pursued equity without defining it. Legislation from 2nd Congressional District Republican leadership offered several opportunities to correct these issues. A series of party line votes assured that the adverse disparate impact will continue. Maine has increased public/conservation land holdings using generous Land for Maine’s Future funding. The 30% goal would require doubling public lands holdings by adding 3 million acres. Public lands holdings and acquisitions are concentrated in the 2nd CD - no county in the 1st CD has even double digits in public holdings: The 30% public lands goal has an adverse disparate impact on the 2nd CD, removing much larger percentages of the tax base, and it is only going to get worse. ~ Jon Reisman