More loons are filling Maine’s lakes with their ghostlike calls

ASSOCIATED PRESS • December 15, 2025

Loons are on the mend in Maine, filling more of the state’s lakes and ponds with their haunting calls, although conservationists say the birds aren’t out of the woods yet. Maine is home to a few thousand of the distinctive black-and-white waterbirds — the East Coast’s largest loon population — and conservationists said efforts to protect them from threats helped grow the population. An annual count of common loons found more adults and chicks this year than last, Maine Audubon said. It’s still too early to know if Maine’s loons are on a sustainable path to recovery, and the success of the state’s breeding loons is critical to the population at large.

Opinion: We must mitigate the spread of PFAS on Brunswick Landing

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 15, 2025

The dangerous lack of oversight by the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority (MRRA) that led to the 2024 release of firefighting foam continues to cast its dark shadow over health, safety and new development at Brunswick Landing. The Brunswick Area Citizens for a Safe Environment (BACSE) group was established in 1990 to represent the local community in the long, continuing remediation and redevelopment of the former Naval Air Station at its Superfund (CERCLA) site. All construction on the Landing should be paused until current hydrogeological mapping has revealed the extent of PFAS and other poisons. Many citizens are asking Brunswick planners, the state, the Navy and MRRA, to comply with BACSE’s recommendations and the full, updated CERCLA permitting process now. ~ Bruce Kantner, Brunswick, organic farmer and community advocate, and retired environmental science/sustainability teacher

Letter: Op-ed on climate change offered hope

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 15, 2025

I was encouraged by Prof. Tom Bateman’s Dec. 9 op-ed, “The window of opportunity for productive climate action is still open.” As Bateman says, we have the technology to deal with the climate situation and need only the will to think long-term. Our government is the organization that should be leading us, not holding us back. Let’s move to clean energy, which is available now, and stop pumping more pollution and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Let’s upgrade our electric grids so we can use all that carbon-free energy. Let’s keep our health and that of our planet on the right track for future generations. ~ Maggie Wineburgh-Freed, Los Angeles, Calif.

How a Maine woodsman’s invention paved the way for snowmobiles and tanks

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 15, 2025

Maine ingenuity has brought the world everything from earmuffs, invented in the 1870s by Farmington resident Chester Greenwood, to life-saving medicine like insulin, discovered in the 1920s by a team that included Pembroke native Charles Best. It also helped spur the creation of a machine made to improve the ability of Maine woodsmen to move logs through the forest — the direct precursor to everything from military tanks to the snowmobiles that zoom down Maine trails today. The Lombard steam log hauler, first patented in 1901, was the work of Alvin Orlando Lombard, who was born in the Penobscot County town of Springfield in 1856.

Katahdin nonprofit to expand public trails

MAINE PUBLIC • December 14, 2025

A Katahdin nonprofit plans to expand public trails in Millinocket and Patten, and create a new trail system in Island Falls. Outdoor Sport Institute Executive Director Michael Smith said trail systems are a key support for the region's growing outdoor recreation industry. "Outdoor recreation is clearly part of the economic fabric of this region," he said. "I think there was some question about that as the region transitioned from paper making, but clearly outdoor rec is here and here to stay." Smith said the design work is already complete, and the next step is permitting with the goal of starting construction next year. He said the trails boost the local economy, because when a community is a great place to live, it becomes a great place to visit.

Maine rolls out 'scorecards' for lake health

MAINE PUBLIC • December 14, 2025

Maine's lakes and ponds are a treasured cultural and economic resource. And now for the first time, the state has issued online "scorecards" that show individual water bodies' environmental conditions. Monitors have been collecting data on water quality and other issues for decades, but the information may not be easy for many people to access or interpret, said Jeremy Deeds, with the lakes assessment program at Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Instead, the scorecard indicates how well, or poorly, lakes are faring on issues such as shoreline conditions, water quality, invasive plants and runoff pollution. "What we wanted to do is summarize all these different aspects of lake condition and efficiently convey a picture of lake health," Deeds said. The state has scorecards for about 1,200 Maine lakes and ponds that have the best monitoring data.

How to keep bad bugs from hitchhiking on holiday decorations

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 14, 2025

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry is stressing to Christmas tree growers and wreath-makers the importance of preventing the movement of pests into and out of Maine on holiday decorations that contain plant material. “Invasive insects, diseases and plants can easily be moved long distances on Christmas trees and wreaths,” said Gary Fish, state horticulturist. “All of these pests can end up emerging on old wreaths or trees that are left out in the yard after the holidays.”

Maine loggers are used to hard times. Then came the tariffs.

MAINE MONITOR • December 14, 2025

From loggers to the woodlot owners who open their land to timber harvests, almost every link of New England’s forest products supply chain has been hit hard by a perfect storm of tariffs and falling market values, loggers, researchers and industry officials say. Maine’s forest products sector provides more than 29,000 direct jobs. Although the sector has been in overall decline, there is hope among industry players that investments in more specialized paper product manufacturing and innovation will keep businesses across Maine humming. But tariffs hamper domestic forest products manufacturing, contrary to the Trump administration’s stated purpose.

After devastating flood, Jay leads the way on climate change preparation

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • December 14, 2025

When torrential rainstorms washed out sections of roads and trails and sent debris cascading through stream crossings and across roads in the summer of 2023, town officials saw more than a damaged roadway. They saw a warning. Jay officials enrolled in Maine’s Community Resilience Partnership, which helps communities identify where they are vulnerable, and provides grants to help build resiliency and lower carbon emissions. The partnership is a core part of Maine’s climate-preparedness strategy as climate change brings the likelihood of more powerful and more frequent storms, with hundreds of communities now participating.

Walking group in Orono wins award for fighting senior loneliness

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 14, 2025

The “Geezers in sneakers getting coffee” group is what it sounds like – senior citizens who meet every Monday and Friday morning for a 30-minute walk. Members stroll down numerous routes at differing speeds and meet back at the library for coffee for an hour. Dave Yarborough of Old Town said, “When you get to being a codger, socialization and exercise are the keys to longevity.” The group’s work combating loneliness in partnership with the library earned them an international award in November.

South Portland’s Long Creek Trail will soon be more accessible

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 12, 2025

South Portland’s Long Creek Trail will soon receive a makeover that will make the nearly 20-year-old trail more accessible for visitors. The South Portland Land Trust was awarded a $139,000 grant to renovate the trail. The work will begin next spring, and the trail is expected to reopen by the end of 2026, according to the Land Trust President Tex Haeuser. The improvements — funded through the first round of the Maine Trails Program — will include widening the trail, reducing the grade, adding handrails and benches, and replacing the bridge. The land trust will install trailhead signage, an orientation kiosk and educational signs along the trail so visitors can learn as they walk.

$1.25M in state and federal grants will expand Katahdin trails

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 13, 2025

A multiyear $1.25 million trail project, funded by federal and state grants, will deliver more than 18 miles of natural surface trails in Island Falls, Patten and Millinocket. The Outdoor Sport Institute, a nonprofit based in Millinocket, was recently awarded the grants to expand non-motorized trail systems throughout Maine’s Katahdin Region as a way to support the region’s growing outdoor economy, according to institute Executive Director Mike Smith.

Column: Why Maine birders are so different from everyone else

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 13, 2025

Mainers — true Mainers — think a sunny day of 22 degrees and no wind is downright balmy. Perfect for birding. On colder days, Maine birders have only one big decision in the morning: how many layers to wear. Maine is larger than the other five New England states combined. Traveling longer distances is normal for Mainers. A birding excursion from Bangor to southern Maine is just a quick hop. In fact, Mainers don’t describe in miles how far it is to where a rare bird is being seen. They estimate how long it takes to get there. Mainers know where the Atlantic puffins are. We wish snowy owls would visit more often. Mainers are self-reliant, rugged and resilient. Nobody gets the best of us. Except squirrels. Maine is a state of 1.3 million people. People from away think that all birders in Maine must know each other. We do. ~ Bob Duchesne

As tax credits expire, how will heat pump costs change in Maine?

MAINE MONITOR • December 12, 2025

Federal tax incentives for clean energy upgrades are going away at the end of this year, cutting into potential savings on rooftop solar, heat pumps and more. In 2026, homeowners who install a heat pump will no longer be able to apply for federal tax credits amounting to 30 percent off installation costs or new equipment. At the same time, a pilot program from Central Maine Power that charged a lower rate in the winter to certain customers with heat pumps is also set to expire. This means that homeowners may see costs associated with installing and running a heat pump go up next year. Efficiency Maine Trust, the quasi-state agency responsible for energy programs, plans to continue offering several types of heat pump rebates.

Federal judge rules in favor of Maine and 19 other states in disaster funding lawsuit

MAINE PUBLIC • December 12, 2025

A federal judge has ruled that the Trump Administration unlawfully ended a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) program designed to help states prepare for and mitigate the effects of natural disasters. Twenty state attorneys-general, including Maine attorney-general Aaron Frey, had sued the Trump Administration in July over canceling FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. The BRIC grant program was established after Hurricane Katrina to give states funding to proactively prepare for disasters, like building floodwalls, evacuation shelters, and fire prevention.

Trump DEI crackdown expands to national park gift shops

THE HILL • December 12, 2025

The Trump administration’s efforts to purge diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from the federal government is hitting gift shops at national parks. In a memo, acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron says items available for purchase in park gift shops should be reviewed for compliance with an order from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to cease activities related to DEI, accessibility or “environmental justice.” Like the order before it, the memo does not define DEI. “Banning history books from park stores and cracking down on park T-shirts and keychains is not what national park visitors want from their Park Service,” said Alan Spears, National Parks Conservation Association senior director for cultural resources. The memo comes as part of a broader Trump administration push to reshape the portrayal of history at national parks and beyond.

As NOAA funding lags, a critical ocean weather system nears a breaking point

INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS • December 12, 2025

Years of underfunding and new delays in federal grantmaking threaten buoys and ocean monitoring assets run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that protect fishermen, cargo ships and endangered species across the country. With key grant deadlines now passed and new awards still pending, regional operators warn that some of those services could go dark at the peak of hurricane season.

See the 7 towns National Geographic recommends in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 12, 2025

Most travel writers recommend that visitors stop in Portland for a meal at a buzzy restaurant or a stroll through the shops of the Old Port. National Geographic, however, wants tourists to consider destinations farther afield. “You haven’t been to Maine until you’ve visited these small towns,” the publication declared this week. The list includes Bar Harbor and Camden — two towns often pictured on postcards. Ten miles off the mainland, Monhegan Island is well known to painters and naturalists. Skiers know Rangeley, of course. But the list includes some destinations Mainers might know and out-of-towners might not, such as Brooklin, Brunswick and Greenville.

After 23 years, Maine guide still finds trophy fish and new adventures

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 12, 2025

I’ve been guiding for 23 years and have fished many popular places around the state. Last April, with a client, I tried a completely new body of water. Chris caught a small largemouth bass and a couple pike. Then we hit the opposite shoreline and drifted down. That’s when Chris really got into largemouth. He ended up landing 30 fish up to 21 inches. What shocked us was the 20-inch brook trout I caught. I looked up the stocking report when I got home, and sure enough the state had put broodstock brook trout in that lake. ~ Kevin McKay

US House advances bill around water permits; environmental groups say it guts water protections

MAINE MORNING STAR • December 12, 2025

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to pass a bill that Republicans say would reform the Clean Water Act and cut through regulatory burdens. Democrats and environmental groups said the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act protects water polluters and removes clean water protections. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, who cosponsored the bill, said it would implement reforms that would stop the act from “being weaponized” to stop infrastructure projects like a pipeline. Democrats on the floor argued the bill would lead to more water pollution, higher water utility bills and decreased ability for a state to control the pollution within its boundaries.