New initiative lets every St. John Valley 8th grader participate in Allagash canoe expedition

MAINE PUBLIC • November 27, 2025

Beginning next year, a new outdoor education initiative will allow every 8th grade student in the St. John Valley to participate in a three-night canoe expedition on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Dan Dinsmore, executive director of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation, said the annual Youth on the Allagash program will cost roughly $75,000 and will be funded by his organization. "The effort here is to not do this once, but to do this in a sustained way and bake the Youth on the Allagash into the school calendar for all three of these schools," he said. The Allagash, which is part of the National Wild and Scenic River system, extends 92 miles between Aroostook and Piscataquis counties. Dinsmore said the idea is to give students a transformational outdoor experience right in their backyard.

How trading wild turkeys for other animals became a conservation success story

ASSOCIATED PRESS • November 27, 2025

Trading turkeys – for wildlife management, not dinner – was a key part of one of North America’s biggest conservation success stories. After dwindling to a few thousand birds in the late 1880s, the wild turkey population has grown to about 7 million birds in 49 states, plus more in Canada and Mexico.

Try these Bangor-area walking trails for a Thanksgiving day stroll

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 27, 2025

I inevitably eat to the point of discomfort on Thanksgiving. If you’re hosting dinner for family or friends, it may make sense just to go for a walk in your neighborhood. But if you have more freedom, you could travel a short distance to a local preserve or park. In Bangor alone, there are excellent walking trails at the Bangor City Forest, Walden-Parke Preserve, Central Penjajawoc Preserve, Essex Woods, Prentiss Woods and several other locations. Public walking trails also trace the banks of the Penobscot River and Kenduskeag Stream. Keep in mind that it’s deer hunting season in Maine.

Maine Calling: Eliot Coleman

MAINE PUBLIC • November 26, 2025

In his new book, The Self-Fed Farm and Garden, renowned organic farming pioneer and best-selling author Eliot Coleman emphasizes how the organic method was always meant to be a self-sustaining system. We talk with Coleman about his gardening philosophy, his perspective on the organic movement today, and his legacy. Panelist: Eliot Coleman, organic farmer with Four Season Farm; educator; author of The New Organic Grower and other books. Rebroadcast.

Greater Portland Metro gets $4.25M federal grant to modernize bus fleet, expand service

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 26, 2025

Greater Portland Metro will receive nearly $4.25 million in federal funding to replace aging buses and support upcoming service expansions. The money will pay for six new 35-foot buses: three to replace vehicles that have logged more than a decade and half a million miles on the road, and three to support planned expansions into Scarborough and potentially South Portland.

Rehabilitated seal returned to the Atlantic in Phippsburg

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 26, 2025

A juvenile harbor seal found wounded by a predator in September on the banks of the Mousam River in Kennebunk was returned to the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday after being nursed back to health by the state’s only marine mammal rescue organization. The 6-month-old known as Number 269 was the 100th seal to be successfully rehabilitated by Marine Mammals of Maine since its founding in 2011. The Brunswick-based nonprofit rescues stranded seals, whales, dolphins and sea turtles all along the Maine coast.

Government shutdown didn't stop visitors from flocking to Acadia

MAINE PUBLIC • November 26, 2025

Despite the 43-day government shutdown, Acadia National Park is reporting a record number of visitors in October. The park had more than 590,000 visitors, just over 5% more visitors than last October. But the shutdown prevented Acadia from collecting entrance fees from those visitors. Eric Stiles, president of Friends of Acadia, estimated that the park lost around $1.7 million in October. "Park entrance fees provide more funding for the park operations than Congress does, so that's a significant hit to the park for future projects, future programs and for staff," he said. Stiles said even with the federal government now open, staff at Acadia can only plan through January, when the temporary funding measure expires.

Some foreign tourists will pay $100 extra to visit Acadia National Park under new federal rules

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 26, 2025

A new “America-first” pricing policy announced this week by the National Park Service will require many foreign tourists to pay an extra $100 to visit Acadia National Park starting next year. The America the Beautiful annual digital park pass will stay $80 for U.S. residents but is set to jump to $250 for non-U.S. residents starting Jan. 1. Nonresidents without the annual pass will pay an extra $100 per person on top of the standard entrance fee to enter certain national parks, including Acadia. Current daily entrance fees for Acadia range from $20 to $35. In July, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of the Interior to increase entrance and other fees charged to nonresidents at national parks and other federal lands. That order came on the heels of significant staffing and budget cuts to the park service.

Portland winter farmer’s market starts Dec. 6

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 26, 2025

The Portland Winter Farmer’s Market kicks off Saturday, Dec. 6 on Stevens Avenue. Wednesday was the last day for the outdoor Portland Farmer’s Market this year. The indoor winter market is scheduled every Saturday through April 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 631 Stevens Ave. in the Stevens Square Community Center. This year’s market will feature about 19 vendors, according to year-round vendor Jessica Koubek of Good Shepherd’s Farm in Bremen. “The market has really grown exponentially in the last four to five years,” Koubek said.

What Maine hunters and anglers should know about the ‘Big Brother Bill’

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 26, 2025

A new Senate bill, nicknamed the “Big Brother Bill,” could change how Mainers experience some of the state’s most treasured public lands — and that’s why hunters, anglers, hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts should pay attention. Senate Bill 2967, formally titled the Border Lands Conservation Act, was introduced by Sen. Mike Lee, R‑Utah, on Oct. 2. The bill gives the Department of Homeland Security and federal land management agencies authority to install roads, barriers and surveillance equipment on federal lands that directly share a boundary with the U.S. border. It also allows the use of motor vehicles, aircraft and other tactical means on wilderness lands along the border to enforce border security. Federal lands that physically touch the international boundary could fall under the bill’s provisions. In Maine, that includes portions of Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge that directly abut the line. The American Hunters & Anglers Action Network said the bill would “weaponize” federal lands and allow federal agents to secretly monitor law-abiding hunters and anglers.

Updating Nash Stream Forest management plan will get underway next year

BERLIN (NH) SUN • November 25, 2025

Updating the forest management plan for the 40,000-acre Nash Stream State Forest will get underway next year. Nash Stream Citizens Committee member Jamie Sayen said revising the plan will require looking at the current plan to see what has worked, what has changed, new data, and potential issues that may not have been addressed. “I’m certainly going to make a big pitch that climate change is so much bigger than it was 10 years ago,” Sayen said. The environmental activist said the region is seeing a lot of extreme weather events and precipitation events and needs to pull in outside research. Sayen said there are about 330 new species and the guide, "Good Forestry in the Granite State" is being updated. Sayen said if some on the committee cannot make the time commitment, he recommended other members of the public be brought in to fill out the gaps. He said the state technical team should play a major role in shaping the revision but they should not be writing the plan.

Falmouth Land Trust asks town to pay for half of 42-acre property

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 24, 2025

The Falmouth Land Trust asked the town Monday to contribute $192,000 to help the trust purchase 42 acres of a 77-acre property near Highland Lake called Babbidge Woods. Falmouth last helped the land trust purchase property a decade ago, when it acquired Hurricane Valley Farm. The 42 acres come with $384,000 price tag, with the Falmouth Land Trust proposing to split the cost down the middle with the town. The organization already has raised or been promised $142,000 toward the property purchase from the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and other organizations and individual donors.

Trump EPA moves to abandon rule that sets tough standards for deadly soot pollution

ASSOCIATED PRESS • November 24, 2025

The Trump administration is seeking to abandon a rule that sets tough standards for deadly soot pollution, arguing that the Biden administration did not have authority to set the tighter standard on pollution from tailpipes, smokestacks and other industrial sources. The action follows moves by the administration last week to weaken federal rules protecting millions of acres of wetlands and streams and roll back protections for imperiled species and the places they live. In a separate action, the Interior Department proposed new oil drilling off the California and Florida coasts for the first time in decades, advancing a project that critics say could harm coastal communities and ecosystems.

Rangeley to purchase .35-acre property despite environmental concerns

RANGELEY HIGHLANDER • November 25, 2025

The Rangeley Board of Selectmen is moving forward with purchasing a parcel of property that could have a potential environmental issue due to a spill from a turned over oil tank on the property in 2023. The board voted 4-1 Monday after residents Nov. 5 voted in favor, 309-186, of acquiring the .35-acre property at 50 Pleasant St. for $99,500. The property is next to the Town Office and Rangeley Fire Rescue parcel, and abuts the town lot at 3 School St. If the property is not able to be built on, then it could be used as a green space or parking lot.

Colby College buys site of midcoast general store that burned down

MIDCOAST VILLAGER • November 24, 2025

Colby College’s new Center for Resilience and Economic Impact has purchased considerable property and buildings in the center of the village “to help revitalize the community’s historic waterfront and create a home” for its new center. The transaction includes the purchase of the Seaside Inn, The Barn, the Squid Ink building and the site of the beloved Port Clyde General Store, which was destroyed by the fire in September 2023. The acquisition of the historic waterfront properties was made possible by a generous donation to the College from longtime Port Clyde residents Dan and Sheryl Tishman. The sale price for the properties totaled $3,325,000.

Four lives lost in ten days. This Must End Now.

BICYCLE COALITION OF MAINE • November 25, 2025

In the last ten days, four people have been killed while walking in their own communities. A 74-year-old woman in Waterville. An 85-year-old man checking his mail in Durham. A 74-year-old woman jogging in Portland. And a 12-year-old boy getting off his school bus in Rockland. Four lives lost in less than two weeks. Four families forever changed. Four communities mourning. These tragedies are not isolated events. So far in 2025, Maine has seen nearly 30 bicycle and pedestrian fatalities, and more than 400 crashes involving people walking or biking. We are just entering the time of year when these crashes become even more frequent. This is a public health crisis.

Someone has been poaching deer in Down East Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 24, 2025

Several deer have been poached in the Cherryfield area since September. All the deer were killed and left to waste, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. That includes a four-point buck killed in Harrington in September; a six-point buck killed in Deblois in early October; a doe killed in Township 18 MD BPP in October; a fawn button buck in Cherryfield this month; and a large buck, which was shot and left with its antlers cut off, in Deblois this month, the department said Tuesday. “There is no place in Maine for night hunting, exceeding your bag limit, deer baiting, or false registration,” the department said. A $1,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to a conviction in these cases.

Maine’s Climate Action Plan: A Guide

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • November 25, 2025

Curious about climate solutions in Maine? Check out this easy-to-read, visual guide to Maine Won’t Wait. Perfect for students, educators, and anyone new to climate action, it shows how you can get involved and help build a more resilient Maine. Free educator resources included!