Maine Conservation Voters Action Fund Endorses Hannah Pingree for Governor

MAINE CONSERVATION VOTERS • December 1, 2025

For the first time, Maine Conservation Voters Action Fund has made an endorsement in a primary for governor. The organization is supporting Hannah Pingree. “Unprecedented times call for unprecedented actions,” said Maureen Drouin, executive director of Maine Conservation Voters. “Hannah Pingree stands out, demonstrating time and again her commitment to taking on big, important fights and standing up to special interests to protect the health of Maine people, the environment, and our democracy. Hannah will fight for lower energy prices and a clean energy future. We are proud to endorse her candidacy for governor.”

Maine Calling: Paul Mayewski

MAINE PUBLIC • December 1, 2025

After leading the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute for 24 years, climate scientist Paul Mayewski stepped down from his role this past September. His transition comes amidst a shift in support for climate research. Mayewski talks about his career and research as a leading glaciologist, his outlook on the future of climate action, and what his plans are going forward. Panelist: Paul Mayewski, glaciologist, climate scientist; former director, University of Maine Climate Change Institute.

Maine is lagging on key climate targets

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 1, 2025

Maine is falling behind in its efforts to hit several major climate goals, including electric vehicle adoption, green job creation and land conservation, a new report finds. The Maine Climate Council’s annual update doesn’t explicitly say Maine won’t meet its climate goals on time, but the report cites “massive adoption gaps” and the need for a “significantly accelerated pace.” It points to “political headwinds” from the federal level as “delaying necessary federal support” as an explanation for why progress in certain high-cost areas, like the buildout of new electric vehicle charging infrastructure, is not keeping pace. The report concludes that while Maine is 91% of the way to being carbon neutral, achieving the final 9% will depend not just on continued heat pump installation but on overcoming the massive adoption gaps in EVs and the expansion of the green workforce.

Mainers made a noble effort to reintroduce caribou

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 1, 2025

On Dec. 10, 1986, a harrowing 1,200-mile journey ended when 22 woodland caribou from Newfoundland stepped into a fenced enclosure at the University of Maine in Orono. Their arrival marked Maine’s second attempt to reestablish caribou. The first occurred in 1963 with the release of 23 Newfoundland caribou in Baxter State Park. By 1965, all 23 animals had died or migrated to Canada. The 1986 caribou project galvanized Mainers. Most favored reintroducing caribou because earlier generations had contributed to their demise. Between 1987 and 1989, the birth of 50 caribou calves in captivity represented a milestone. The first release, in April 1989, was in Baxter State Park. Half were killed by bears and the others died of brainworm. Great Northern Paper Company offered a release site near the park for the remaining 20 caribou. But most of those were dead by October 1990. A restored caribou herd would have been a remarkable achievement, but it would have been difficult for woodland caribou to survive. Climate change is affecting Maine’s snow regime. Caribou require deep, fluffy snow.

Winter storm warning issued as Maine braces for first major snowfall of season

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 1, 2025

The first significant snowstorm of the season is expected to move into Maine on Tuesday morning, with forecasters warning that driving conditions could be dangerous. The storm is expected drop about 3 to 6 inches of snow along Maine’s coast, but inland areas could get 8 inches or more by late Tuesday night. During the afternoon, snow could fall at a rate of an inch an hour.

Water bills are shooting up in rural Maine

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • November 30, 2025

Since the start of this year, about 40 of the 152 water utilities regulated by the commission have filed proposals to raise their rates. Most reflect smaller increases that are part of a yearslong pattern of incremental change. But in at least half a dozen districts, rates have risen or are slated to rise by 20% or more by Jan. 1. Years of deferred maintenance are catching up with some small utilities, forcing them to raise rates by as much as 75%. At the same time, the state says there is a pressing need for heightened investment in Maine’s drinking water infrastructure, including to safeguard it from the effects of climate change.

Opinion: Setting the record straight on Brunswick foam spill

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • November 30, 2025

Like everyone, I was shocked by the accidental release of PFAS-containing firefighting foam in a hangar at Brunswick Executive Airport in 2024. I was also disappointed by the statements of public officials. The record clearly demonstrates that the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority was neither negligent in its firefighting system maintenance efforts, reticent in its efforts to manage the emerging PFAS issue, nor obtuse to the environmental factors on the former base. The unfortunate release resulted from a fault in an electronic sensing unit, and was not associated with any negligent maintenance issue. I hope the officials who were so critical will correct their statements. ~ Steve Levesque, former executive director of Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority

Why late fall is the best time to explore these 3 Down East preserves

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 30, 2025

Our mission: to explore a few coastal preserves and enjoy the quiet that descends over the state’s outdoor destinations in November. Three preserves made it onto our agenda: Bog Brook Cove Preserve in Cutler and Trescott, Long Point Preserve in Machiasport, and Boot Head Preserve in Lubec — all owned and managed by Maine Coast Heritage Trust. At an overlook, we watched the sun sink toward the horizon, throwing color into the clouds like magic. I’ve always said that November is one of Maine’s “ugliest” months, but moments like that make me second-guess myself. I’m thankful that in this crazy world, we have places where nature still has space to delight us. ~ Aislinn Sarnacki

Small Maine ski areas beat the odds as they struggle for survival

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 29, 2025

While many of the more experienced and out-of-state skiers head for the big resorts, thousands of Maine residents, looking for a more cozy, less crowded and less expensive experience, head to one of the state’s smaller ski areas. Some of those are thriving, while some are just getting by. Either way, they face an uphill struggle for survival as they work to stay affordable and relevant as a source of winter fun. In the 1960s, there were dozens of smaller, community ski areas in Maine. Today there are 14, plus a few private ski hills associated with schools. Each year the financial hurdles get higher. Changing weather patterns; more expensive liability insurance, electricity and fuel; and the need for greater snowmaking challenge the affordability of ski areas.

Woodpeckers in Maine are acting weird

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 29, 2025

Last week, a neighbor asked if it was possible an immature red-headed woodpecker was outside their cabin in Carrabassett Valley. It was, I opined, highly unlikely. Birds that migrate are more likely to get caught up in storms or wander off course. Most woodpeckers don’t migrate, so they’re less likely to show up out of range the way long-distance migrants sometimes do. I suggested the mystery bird could be an immature yellow-bellied sapsucker. I was wrong. My friend’s subsequent photo confirmed a juvenile red-headed woodpecker. Red-bellied woodpeckers pop into Maine every year. But that’s not the weirdest thing. On Nov. 16, Maine recorded its first-ever hybrid yellow-bellied x red-naped sapsucker in Alna. Frankly, I didn’t know there was such a thing. Jeff Cherry produced the photos confirming the identification, and I am in awe. My New Year’s resolution for 2026: Be wrong less often. ~ Bob Duchesne

Federal shutdown delays Mi’kmaq fish hatchery expansion

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November x, 2025

The completion of a substantial expansion to a Mi’kmaq-run fish hatchery in Aroostook County has been delayed until at least June of 2026 because of the U.S. government shutdown. The 9,000-square-foot hatchery, which is primarily funded through a U.S. Economic Development Administration grant, was slated to be completed this month. But the shutdown delayed the release of federal funding, and as the Caribou-based farm waits for that money, construction has stalled. The tribe’s plan to construct the new hatchery was announced in late 2022, with the intent for construction to be completed in 2023. The project was delayed after increased costs drove the price tag from $3.9 million to $5.5 million and the Mi’kmaqs needed to raise additional funds. It will also allow them to explore selling their trout in national and — potentially — international food markets.

Does technology blur the lines of ethical hunting?

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 28, 2025

What is ethical hunting? It’s following the laws, for sure, but much is left up to personal choices that we sometimes make in an instant. I am a meat hunter, not a trophy hunter, but I also am a nature lover. And I believe in fair chase. How all of that fits into my views on technology is complicated. I see nothing wrong with using game cameras. But the law doesn’t address the newer cameras that can be viewed in realtime from your cellphone. The difference between the newer cameras and drones is that you still have to walk to where the camera is and the deer or moose may no longer be there, whereas with a drone, you can follow it directly to an animal. Drones also are noisy and border on harassing the animals — and the people who also enjoy the nature experience. Using a drone to hunt with is not only illegal in Maine, it’s unethical. As with so many things, there could be compromise. ~ Julie Harris, BDN Outdoors editor

Acadia to start charging foreigners $100 to enter the park

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 28, 2025

Starting in a little more than a month, Acadia and 10 other national parks will start charging $100 entrance fees to each non-U.S. resident. The surcharge will be in addition to other entrance fees that Acadia charges, including a $35 charge for each private vehicle that enters the park, according to federal officials. For a family of four visiting the U.S. on vacation, the cost of driving a rental car through the Sand Beach entrance station in Acadia will be $435. The fees go into effect on January 1, 2026, federal officials said. Non-residents will be eligible to purchase an annual park pass to Acadia for $250, which for U.S. residents will cost $80. Non-residents without an annual pass will be charged $100 apiece.

Column: Appalachian Trail survey highlights do’s and don’ts of the hike

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 28, 2025

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy recently released the results of their annual hiker survey. The No. 1 item was the importance of solitude. Camaraderie ranked high, too, but most hikers concurred that enjoying time alone amid the peace and quiet of the woods and mountains, and absorbing the many beautiful sights and sounds along the way (in contrast to the hubbub of busy lives back home) was paramount. The ATC survey also highlights the top gaps in backpacking skills. Many who begin their AT hikes are inexperienced. In addition, poor behaviors impact the trail experience for everybody. These can be attributed to a lack of knowledge and simple inconsideration. ~ Carey Kish

Coastal Maine fishing newspaper prints final issue after more than 50 years

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 28, 2025

Commercial Fisheries News came to an end with its December edition in the face of declining advertising revenue, a changing media landscape and the retirement of its current senior editor, Stonington native Brian Robbins. The closure is another casualty in the shrinking news landscape and represents changes in how people find and share information today. It also marks the end of a local institution rooted in Stonington that reached around 5,000 subscribers, which for years focused on telling the stories of people in Maine’s iconic fishing and boatbuilding industries.

He almost died sailing around the world. Now he’s getting ready to try again.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 28, 2025

For more than 100 days, he had been winning his battles against the world’s fiercest seas and most of the other 15 sailors he was racing around the globe. Never before, in all those wet, cold, sleepless nights, had he truly been afraid. Now, as a massive storm hurdled toward the spot where he bobbed some 700 miles off the coast of Argentina, it seemed that all was lost. The race. His dream of completing a solo lap of the planet. The partner waiting for him back in Maine. It took something approaching a miracle — technological and otherwise — for Simpson to be rescued that day in February 2024. It’s something else that has compelled him to try it all over again. In 2027, Simpson plans to compete in the second-ever Global Solo Challenge, an around-the-world race that pits sailors against each other, the elements and the limits of their own will to endure. As he did two years ago, he will base his campaign in Portland, quietly the American epicenter of the little-known sport. 

50 years on, Maine's black bear study is still essential tool for population management

MAINE PUBLIC • November 28, 2025

Maine's black bear monitoring project — one of nation's longest-running bear studies — turns 50 this year. Scientists say the data collected have been an essential tool in helping to manage the state's healthy bear population. A half century later, a lot more is known about the more than 25,000 black bears in the state. Thanks to the huge data set from this field study, combined with data collected during the hunting season, biologists now have a better understanding of not just how big the population is, but also of black bear denning habits, what habitat they prefer, and how they're impacted by natural food cycles.

Trump administration proposes stripping wetland protections

MAINE PUBLIC • November 28, 2025

A rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency would strip federal protections from seasonal and intermittent wetlands, including streams and waterbodies in Maine. Anya Fetcher, federal policy advocate with the Natural Resources Council of Maine said the rule could impact more than 200 miles of streams in the state. Wetlands are protected from unpermitted pollution or destruction under Maine environmental laws. But Fetcher said there have been efforts in the past to dilute those safeguards and the could be rolled back in the future. "Without the safety net of the federal protections that is where we would see more risk of pollution or loss of these streams and wetland areas," Fetcher said.

Maine lawmakers outline competing visions for energy policy, agree affordability is key

MAINE MONITOR • November 28, 2025

As the Trump administration works to dismantle renewable energy initiatives and boost oil, coal and natural gas, states such as Maine with aggressive climate initiatives will be largely on their own to maintain momentum. Or maybe shift gears. One takeaway from a recent panel discussion with legislators at the Maine State Chamber of Commerce’s Energy Summit in Portland is that energy affordability — under mounting stress chiefly from rising electricity prices — will be a litmus test for most any climate policy or spending decisions. That puts pressure on Democrats. They have set Maine’s energy agenda, embodied in the state’s climate action plan. Building clean energy projects to meet “our climate goals” remains among the most divisive issues.

Federal appeals court upholds state's right to track location of lobstermen in federal waters

MAINE PUBLIC • November 28, 2025

A federal appeals court has upheld the Maine Department of Marine Resource's right to continue monitoring the movements of federally-permitted lobster boats using electronic vessel tracking devices. According to the DMR, the collection of this spatial data helps regulators improve their understanding of fishing effort in federal waters and make better management decisions and enforcement actions. Those decisions are becoming increasingly complex in the face of a changing lobster stock, the need to protect endangered whales, and emerging ocean uses, like offshore wind development.