Woodland Pulp pausing mill operations until end of December

MAINE MONITOR • November 7, 2025

Woodland Pulp announced to its employees on Tuesday that the company will pause manufacturing at its Baileyville pulp mill and wood chip plant from late November to mid-December. During that month-long hiatus, the company will temporarily lay off 144 employees at both facilities, said Woodland Pulp spokesperson Scott Beal. Woodland Pulp is Washington County’s largest employer, and the layoffs will apply to about one third of the mill workforce. Beal attributed the “extended downtime” to declining prices in the global pulp market. “The tariffs, the uncertainty with markets, pullback on consumption, all of these factors are impacting all of the facilities, including Woodland right now. It’s all kind of a perfect storm,” said Dana Doran, executive director of the industry group Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast. Woodland Pulp is one of Maine’s last major mills.

Letter: Pooches and people: Who bears the responsibility for curbing waste?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 7, 2025

As a keeper of eight dogs, I found the Oct. 28 op-ed (“Maine dog owners need to curb the unwanted baggage“) hilarious and objectionable. Hilarious mostly because of the photo that accompanied it. Upon searching the photo for evidence of dog owner irresponsibility, all I saw were discarded fast food containers. Human waste? Not dog waste. I am fed up with people who think that dog poop is a natural fertilizer to be left behind in nature. I regularly remind clueless dog people that what our dogs leave behind has no environmental value whatsoever. ~ Lisa Lane, Waldoboro

Maine blueberry growers hope for emergency aid to offset nearly $30M loss

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 7, 2025

Extreme weather made for a hard year for Maine’s wild blueberry industry, and the season’s losses have leaders looking for emergency funds to help keep growers in business. Overall, growers brought in about 54.9 million pounds of berries this summer, “a pretty significant loss” that represents close to $30 million in estimated lost income, according to Eric Venturini, executive director of the Wild Blueberry Commission. Sen. Susan Collins earlier this week asked USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to include Maine wild blueberry growers, apple orchards and hay farmers as it considers releasing emergency funding.

BLM nominee Steve Pearce’s record shows hardline anti-public lands positions

THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY • November 6, 2025

The Trump administration announced the nomination of former New Mexico Rep. Steve Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management yesterday, tapping an anti-public lands hardliner to lead the nation’s largest land management agency, which oversees some 245 million acres of public lands. Pearce has championed the sale of public lands, opposed the protection of national monuments (including in his home state), worked to protect oil and gas companies from paying higher royalties to taxpayers and suggested that he wants to reverse the “trend” of public land ownership. 

Drought wilts Maine’s apple and blueberry yields

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 6, 2025

This year’s drought is taking a heavy toll on Maine’s apple crop. Production is down 50% for the state’s biggest apple growers. The production of wholesale-ready apples is down about 60%. Maine’s wild blueberry growers reported a 31% production decline and $28 million in losses. Maine is entering its fourth month of drought. It has caused wells to run dry, rivers and lakes to run low, and the number of wildfires to increase. It is also driving up water and electricity costs for farmers struggling to keep the fields and livestock watered, especially on hot days. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins this week to offer disaster assistance to Maine’s specialty crop and livestock producers to offset damage caused by extreme weather, high production costs and labor shortages.

Portland is mapping out what city transportation will look like over the next 20 years

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 6, 2025

Portland is moving to take a holistic look at transportation in the city, seeking proposals for a comprehensive plan that officials say will set the stage for how streets, sidewalks, buses, bikes and ferries work together over the next two decades. The plan is expected to explicitly build on three of the city’s other major long-term undertakings: the comprehensive plan and policy guide known as Portland’s Plan 2030; its climate strategy, One Climate Future, a joint undertaking along with South Portland; and a rewrite of land-use rules dubbed ReCode.

New solar farms in Presque Isle will be shielded from view

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 6, 2025

The Presque Isle City Council has approved changes to the city’s land use ordinance designed to hide large solar arrays from public view, reaching a compromise with its planning board after several months of back and forth. New commercial solar facilities in the city will now have to be set back 100 feet from a paved road, 400 feet from any residence, and buffered by four rows of trees, the council decided on Wednesday.

Climate change boosted Hurricane Melissa’s destructive winds and rain, analysis finds

ASSOCIATED PRESS • November 6, 2025

Human-caused climate change boosted the destructive winds and rain unleashed by Hurricane Melissa and increased the temperatures and humidity that fueled the storm, according to an analysis released Thursday. Melissa was one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes to make landfall and brought destructive weather to Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Cuba, causing dozens of deaths across the Caribbean. Roofs were torn off of homes, hospitals were damaged, roads were blocked by landslides and crop fields were ruined. The rapid analysis by World Weather Attribution found that climate change increased Melissa’s maximum wind speeds by 7% and made the rainfall 16% more intense.

Column: Maine’s working farms are key to thriving deer and hunting traditions

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 6, 2025

Healthy deer populations don’t happen by accident. Habitat quality is the foundation, and working farmlands play a crucial but often overlooked role. Deer thrive along habitat edges — where forest meets farmland — because those areas offer both food and cover. Farm edges provide the best of both worlds: open foraging with nearby escape routes. Maine lost 82,567 acres of farmland between 2017 and 2022 — about 16,500 acres each year. In that same period, 564 farms disappeared. As farmland disappears, hunters are experiencing some of the best deer hunting in decades. Maine’s recent hunting success isn’t accidental. It’s the result of a landscape that works — a balanced mosaic of farms and forests providing everything deer need. But that landscape depends on farms remaining viable and families continuing to work the land. ~ Samantha Burns

Letter: Elevating coastal buildings in Maine is a fool’s errand

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 5, 2025

A recent Press Herald article described the decision by a South Portland family (in the wake of January 2024 storms that damaged their home) to elevate the structure 5 feet, resting it on pylons at a cost of $500,000. They have the money, required permits and a contractor specializing in this type of work. The article pointed out that home elevation projects are increasing in Maine. But global warming, rising sea levels and the growing intensity of storms are real. Storm-related property losses are increasing dramatically — people are dying. Reconfiguring existing structures to elevate them 3, 5 or 10 feet above storm water contour lines should be prohibited. South Portland’s zoning amendment permitting the elevation project is an abdication of governmental responsibility. ~ Orlando Delogu, Portland

Opinion: Solving Maine’s PFAS problem requires accountability from producers, not just landfills

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 5, 2025

For decades, industrial companies such as DuPont and 3M have manufactured PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — that have been used in everyday products like clothing, furniture, packaging and carpeting. These chemicals, often called “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment, can accumulate in municipal wastewater treatment systems. Passive receivers of biosolids — like landfills or composting facilities such as Hawk Ridge in Unity — are left to manage the consequences of PFAS they neither created nor caused. Casella, which acquired Hawk Ridge Compost Facility in 2000, has operated the facility in compliance with applicable regulations for more than two decades. Yet, following Maine’s 2022 ban on the land application of biosolids and compost derived from biosolids, and after extensive dialogue with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Casella has made the difficult decision to close the facility. We must work collectively on upstream solutions and not just focus solely on downstream regulations. Policymakers at all levels should ban PFAS-containing products and producers of these chemicals and the manufacturers who use them must be held legally responsible for environmental cleanup. ~ John W. Casella, chairman and CEO of Casella

Opinion: Maine has the skilled workers. It needs paths to clean energy jobs.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 5, 2025

Across the state, immigrants, veterans and young adults are eager to fill the jobs needed to meet Maine’s climate goals. The problem isn’t a lack of talent, it’s that the pathways into clean energy careers are fragmented, underfunded and confusing. Maine’s Clean Energy Industry Report (2024) found that our clean energy workforce has grown to 15,600 workers but must double to 30,000 by 2030. That means training the equivalent of every student in Portland High School every year for the next five years. Without a clearer plan in sight, we are destined to fall short. The Maine Department of Energy Resources could consider three linked reforms: long-term workforce planning, workforce-tied financing and a clean energy workforce trust fund. These are not abstract bureaucratic ideas; they are the foundation for an inclusive, stable energy transition. ~ Roxanne Heuschkel coordinates Maine’s Clean Energy Partnership Program at Biddeford Adult Education

Jay advances storm-resilience efforts as state releases new plan

LIVERMORE FALLS ADVERTISER • November 5, 2025

Jay is already carrying out many of the steps recommended in Maine’s new statewide infrastructure resilience plan, work that began after severe flooding damaged multiple roads, Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere told the Select Board Oct. 27. The plan comes from the Maine Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience Commission, a group established in 2024 to study how communities can better prepare for stronger and more frequent storms.

7 huge bucks tagged in the first days of Maine’s firearms season. One is a monster. 2

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 5, 2025

Maine’s deer season is off to a strong start, with thousands of hunters already tagging deer in the first few days of the firearms season. The residents-only day for rifle hunters took place Saturday, followed by the official statewide opener on Monday. Alex Duguay shot a 250-pound buck while sitting on a ridge north of Eustis at 6:30 a.m. Monday. Jillian Jermyn took a 204-pound buck in Washington on opening day. In the Millinocket area, Eric Childs capped off the day with a 205-pound, 8-point buck. Eric Peltier tagged a 208-pound buck with 11 or 12 points in Franklin on Monday. In Aroostook County, 13-year-old Jacob Cote of Connor Township shot a 247-pound, 8-point buck Monday. On Saturday, Teanna Woodman tagged a 9-point, 208-pound buck, while her father, Dewey Sproul, took an 8-point, 153-pound deer. Brandon Burnell also joined the 200-pound club, tagging a 201-pound buck early in the week.

This fatal deer disease is moving toward Maine like a wildfire

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 5, 2025

Chronic wasting disease has been on wildlife biologists’ radar for about 60 years. CWD is one of a group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. It is neurological, highly contagious and causes severe brain damage, ultimately leading to emaciation and death. No cases have been reported of CWD infecting humans, livestock or other species. Wildlife agencies advise hunters to avoid eating any part of a deer’s nervous system, eyes, spleen or tonsils — and to steer clear of any deer that appears sick. CWD prions resist inactivation — the process of destroying pathogens with heat, chemicals or radiation. There is no one. CWD has a 100% mortality rate. Resources on CWD are available from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Column: Maine hunters face shrinking access to private land

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 4, 2025

This spring while turkey hunting on what I thought was unposted land, I got a dismissive email from the landowner advising me to “stay off his land.” And this fall, while bow hunting for deer, I had two different landowner encounters at a patch of unposted woods that I have hunted for 50 years. A woman stopped her car, rolled down the window and advised that it was her land on which I was hunting. “I’d rather that you not hunt my land,” she said matter-of-factly. Maine’s fabled hunting legacy is in dire peril. In Maine, land access is the key to preserving our hunting legacy. So whatever it takes, whether it is more funding or staffing for Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s landowner relations program, and more aggressive outreach to the public and the hunting community, more needs to be done in this regard. We are losing ground. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

South Portland voters approve natural grass field for athletic complex renovation

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 4, 2025

South Portland High School’s new athletic complex will have a natural grass field. Voters approved a $4.6 million bond for a new field, a new track, new lighting and permanent bathrooms. South Portland residents had the option to vote for a grass option, a turf option, both or neither. 4,936 of the 9,910 voters supported a stadium revamp with a natural grass option, with 4,269 votes against — a difference of 667 votes. The turf question was defeated by a wide margin: 6,718 voters rejected that option, while 2,475 supported it. Opponents of the synthetic turf field were concerned about the health effects of toxic chemicals in synthetic turf, the environmental impact of plastics and the higher cost.

Falmouth votes to keep its pesticide ordinance

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 4, 2025

Ending its years-long journey, amendments to Falmouth’s contentious pesticide and fertilizer ordinance will remain in place. Falmouth voters decided not to repeal the regulations at the polls on Tuesday. There were 3,344 votes cast to keep the regulations and 2,727 votes to repeal them. The ordinance expands on a 2020 pesticide and fertilizer ordinance that required licensed commercial pesticide and fertilizers applicators to register annually with the town. The ordinance prohibited the application of fertilizer between December and March. Additionally, the new ordinance bans the use of neonicotinoid pesticides and any non-synthetic substance listed as “prohibited” on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances.

Maine lawmaker files to challenge Chellie Pingree in 2026 Democratic primary

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 4, 2025

State Rep. Tiffany Roberts, D-South Berwick, is challenging U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree to a 2026 primary in Maine’s 1st Congressional District. Roberts, who represents parts of South Berwick and North Berwick by the New Hampshire border, chairs the Legislature’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee. Roberts’ entrance means the state’s two Democratic incumbents in the U.S. House will each face primaries in 2026. U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a 2nd District centrist from Lewiston, must beat Maine State Auditor Matt Dunlap of Old Town in the June primary for the chance to take on former Republican Gov. Paul LePage in the November election.

Maine's shark specialist wants the public to help state decide how to manage sharks

MAINE PUBLIC • October x4, 2025

The state Department of Marine Resources says that for the first time, recent research reveals that multiple white sharks have been found in the same place, at the same time, off Scarborough Beach. The findings were revealed at a public forum in Saco on Monday, November 3, where state science and policy experts began a public conversation about the future of shark management in Maine. About 25 people turned out to Saco City Hall to find out what the state's lone shark researcher has been learning about shark activity, especially that of federally protected white sharks, in Maine's coastal waters. Matt Davis runs the state's white shark monitoring program, which was created in 2020 after Maine's first recorded fatal shark attack occurred near Bailey's Island, and is still in its early days. Davis says not all the data from this season are available yet, but "2025 has been an interesting year so far."