A legacy Aroostook lumberyard is back on the market for twice the price

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 19, 2025

A legacy Presque Isle lumberyard is back on the market three months after it sold at a foreclosure auction. The former Rathbun Lumber Co. was listed for $499,000 through RE/MAX County in late November. It was purchased by Glendon Braley and Green Meadow Farms Inc. of Mapleton at auction in September for $250,000, documents filed in the Southern Aroostook Registry of Deeds show and a Green Meadow employee confirmed Thursday. The lumberyard was run by the Rathbun family at 43 State St. from 1948 until 2016, when owner Alden Rathbun sold it to longtime employee James Mclaughlin. It last sold for $275,000.

I learned the hard way what to pack for the Maine outdoors

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 18, 2025

Since moving from North Carolina to Maine, I’ve learned — sometimes the hard way — that things just happen here. The weather shifts fast. The dirt road is suddenly closed. The old bridge can’t be crossed. A bike tire goes flat. And staying warm takes more energy than expected. Each lesson has added something new to my backpack. It now comes with me every time I head into the woods or onto a back road, and it’s fuller than ever with extra layers of clothes, a compass and maps, a hand-held GPS, safety items, a multi-tool, paracord and even a Ziploc of Vaseline-covered cotton balls for fire-starting thanks to a local guide’s tip. and snacks.

240,000 Miles of Stone Walls Hide in New England Forests

WHEN IN YOUR STATE • December 18, 2025

At its peak, New England had an estimated 240,000 miles of stone walls. They were built by families who cleared the land, fought a revolution, chased a wool boom, and then walked away. The walls they left behind tell a story. The Laurentide Ice Sheet was the principal glacier covering North America during the last Ice Age. Between about 30,000 and 15,000 years ago, the ice scraped across New England. It stripped away the ancient soils, scouring the land down to its bedrock, lifting up billions of stone slabs and scattering them across the region. When the ice melted, it left behind a rocky mess that would take thousands of years to bury. When Europeans first arrived in New England, the land was densely forested and covered with a thick layer of topsoil and humus. By the mid-1800s, 75 percent of New England was clear cut. Without the natural vegetation to hold and replenish the topsoil, the soil eroded and eventually exposed the more stoney glacial soils below. The rocks that glaciers had buried thousands of years earlier were back at the surface, and farmers had to deal with them.

U.K. Organization Launches Petition Opposing New U.S. National Park Fees

NATIONAL PARKS TRAVELER • December 18, 2025

Visit USA, an association that offers U.K. travelers accurate information from U.S. travel experts, launched a petition opposing the new U.S. national park fees for international visitors. The fee changes, announced in late November by the Trump Administration, mean that nonresidents will now have to pay $200 for an annual pass (up from $80). Nonresidents without an annual pass will pay $100 per person to enter 11 of the most visited national parks, including Acadia, in addition to the standard entrance fee. “This fee contradicts the very ethos of national parks — spaces meant to be enjoyed by all, regardless of borders. International tourism not only fosters global understanding and appreciation of the U.S.'s stunning landscapes but also brings significant economic benefits to park-adjacent communities and the nation as a whole,”said Kate Kenward, CEO of Visit USA.

Opinion: Federal permitting reform will unlock Maine’s access to affordable energy

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 18, 2025

Outdated federal permitting laws are slowing projects that could help lower energy prices, strengthen our grid and create new jobs. The process for building essential infrastructure has become unpredictable, overly litigious and far too slow. Maine has felt the consequences more than most. Access to affordable energy, including ever-cleaner natural gas, is often blocked not because of feasibility or environmental concerns, but by outdated and weaponized federal permitting. One example is the lack of certainty under the Clean Water Act, which has been used by activist groups to block pipelines based on political goals unrelated to water quality. By embracing sensible federal reform, we can unlock our state’s full potential, strengthen our grid and create jobs that benefit communities. ~ John Nutting, Leeds, served in the Maine House of Representatives (1986-92) and Maine State Senate (1996-2002, 2004-2010)

A new book explores conflicts created by the seal population recovery

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 17, 2025

Have seal conservation measures worked too well? In her book, “A Year with the Seals,“ Alix Morris is admirably even-handed as she explores and reports on her findings. The controversy over seals is not one “just of human-wildlife conflict, but of human-human conflict.” Morris is probably right when she predicts that conflicts between our species and the rest of the world are likely to get worse, not better. Investigations like hers will be essential in order “to take the time to identify and address the deeper issues at the heart of them.” ~ Thomas Urquhart

The man behind the fall of offshore wind

MAINE MORNING STAR • December 17, 2025

David Stevenson saw himself as an outlier at the Heartland Institute’s 2023 International Conference on Climate Change. He leaned over during one session to tell me, cheekily, that he might be the ​“only person here who believes in climate change.” And yet, despite that belief, Stevenson has dedicated the better part of a decade to obstructing a source of clean energy that can help replace the fossil fuels that are baking the planet. In fact, that’s why he was at the Heartland Institute’s conference: to rail against offshore wind farms. The following day, Stevenson laid out his case. It’s too expensive, he argued, and the United States was not effectively assessing its environmental impact. He suggested a plan to get the public to care about this issue: putting whales front and center.

Brunswick native plays with paradoxes – and multiple selves – in ‘Tim Travers’ movie

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 17, 2025

Samuel Dunning, a Brunswick native, stars in the new comedy/science fiction film "Tim Travers and the Time Traveler's Paradox." Now, he is working on promoting his directorial debut, “Canoe Dig It?” — a Maine-set mockumentary about a freestyle canoeing competition at Moosehead Lake that he also wrote and starred in.

Patten man gets scouting nod for sharing outdoor adventures with youth

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 17, 2025

A Patten physician has been awarded the 2025 Wallace H. “Bud” Jeffrey Award for distinguished service to youth through his work with the Maine High Adventure Program, part of the Katahdin Area Council of Scouting America. Ron Blum, who first came to Patten in 1975 as a rural health program physician, has been connected to the Maine High Adventure Program at Baxter State Park since the 1970s. He first came on as a local doctor who occasionally treated scout injuries from the program base. The Maine High Adventure base in Matagamon, created by Bud Jeffrey.

Maine hopes ‘citizen scientists’ will take lead for lake health

SUN JOURNAL • December 16, 2025

With complicated datasets drawn from decades of monitoring, information about the conditions of Maine’s waterbodies has been difficult for the public to access or understand, according to state scientists and Lake Stewards of Maine. That’s why a scorecard interpreting that data will be a helpful tool for residents and visitors who want to understand the health of the waters they enjoy, said Alison Cooney, executive director for the Lake Stewards of Maine. The new scorecard was created by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and is hosted on the Lakes of Maine website, which is owned and managed by the Lake Stewards of Maine.

New buyers express interest in Hermon ski mountain

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 16, 2025

New buyers have expressed interest in scooping up Hermon’s ski mountain. The identities of the interested buyers haven’t been disclosed, but Hermon Mountain Ski Area said Tuesday that they have “strong local ties.” The group is under contract to buy the ski area. The sale hasn’t closed yet, but “momentum is strong and the outlook is encouraging,” according to the owners. “Most importantly, this group is committed to keeping Hermon Mountain a ski area and honoring its long-standing role in the community,” the owners said.

Brunswick approves new plan to guide growth

TIMES RECORD • December 16, 2025

The Brunswick Town Council on Monday night approved a sweeping plan that will guide the town’s land use and growth over the next decade. The plan, crafted over six years by the Comprehensive Plan Update Steering Committee, serves as the legal basis for the town’s zoning and land use and provides guidance on future investments and development, building on the previous plan from 2008. Titled “One Brunswick, Beautifully Balanced,” the 2025 plan designates areas for growth, limited growth and rural protection, and serves as an outline for protecting natural resources, investing in infrastructure and maintaining town character. Notably, the plan reduces the designated growth area and discourages development in rural parts of town.

Opinion: How to make electric power affordable for Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 16, 2025

Affordability of energy costs and especially electricity were discussed recently by a panel of the Maine Legislature. One statement stood out as questionable: “…a wave of solar development…created a multimillion dollar burden for electric customers.” I do not see a charge on my electric bill attributable to solar development. What has changed is the cost of “delivery” or transmission of electricity to the rate-paying customer. The Public Utilities Commission approved utilities to recover storm damage costs suffered during the winter 2022 storms. Despite that these were considered “100- year storms,” we are paying off the damage in two to three years. The way to improve the affordability of Maine electric power is 1) to mitigate the infrastructure damage done by coastal and winter storms, and 2) to produce as much power as possible locally, to limit our dependence on transmission lines, which represent the most expensive part of our power bills. It may even be worth consideration of public ownership of the delivery infrastructure. Sustainable energy sources contribute to both goals, unlike fossil fuels. ~ Thom Moore, former NASA scientist, Scarborough

Letter: Landfill expansion does not benefit local residents

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 16, 2025

On Nov. 21, Casella Waste Systems submitted a permit application to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for the proposed expansion of Juniper Ridge Landfill. This application was made despite a two-hour meeting on Sept. 29, in which Casella and staff from Maine’s Bureau of General Services heard directly from JRL’s immediate neighbors, the Penobscot Nation, and Old Town residents about JRL’s ongoing assault on health and quality of life. It appears that sacrificing our health and environment is considered acceptable if Maine can continue to avoid responsible waste management for the next 11 years. ~ Daisy Goodman, Old Town

Maine’s frozen waterways come alive on skates

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 16, 2025

I saw movement under the ice. I knelt and peered into the depths to figure out what had caused the movement. There it was: a turtle swimming through the reeds beneath the ice. I was about ten years old and will never forget that moment. It’s not just the fun and speed of ice skating that makes it my favorite winter activity. It’s the scientific wonder and wildlife observations that skating on wild ponds, lakes, rivers and streams keeps me coming back for more. To skate outdoors, you have to take safety seriously. I have never fallen through the ice and don’t plan to. I always bring a hatchet and chop a small hole all the way through, no matter how thick the ice. This lets me measure the thickness accurately. Ice skating keeps me observant, aware and most importantly, filled with the same childlike glee about the wonders of nature that has no age limit. ~ Hazel Stark

2025 Maine Environmental Scorecard

MAINE CONSERVATION VOTERS • December 15, 2025

Holding our elected officials accountable for the votes they take each year is a cornerstone of the work of Maine Conservation Voters. Today, MCV released the new 2025 Environmental Scorecard, which tells the story of what happened in 2025 – the first half of the 132nd session of the Maine Legislature. Check out the scorecard to see how your lawmakers voted this year on key environmental and democracy bills.

If the right whales return this winter, southern Maine lobstermen have a plan

MAINE PUBLIC • December 15, 2025

A group of Maine lobstermen have worked out a plan to respond to endangered North Atlantic right whales in federal waters. In January 2025, an unusually large number of whales surprised fishermen and scientists when they showed up in the southern Gulf of Maine. Maine lobstermen who fish in those waters want to be better prepared if it happens again. About two dozen lobstermen turned up at the American Legion Hall in Kennebunkport on December 10. Fishermen in Lobster Zone Council G, which stretches from Eliot to Cape Elizabeth, decided their best option was to reduce the number of vertical ropes in the water, by removing one of two endlines attached to their trawl — a move which is usually against regulation. But in this case, enforcement officials made an exception.

Column: Maine hunters turning attention from deer to wily coyotes

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 15, 2025

Snow is piling up and the air stays cold, even during the height of day. Herbaceous vegetation has long died off and acorns are far scarcer than just a few weeks ago. Survival becomes more challenging for deer, and though the two-legged hunters have yielded the field, four-legged ones are keeping the deer on their cloven-hoofed toes. With the end of expanded archery and muzzleloader seasons, most deer hunters will hang up their gear and call it a year. A few, however, will simply shift gear(s) and set their sights on another species. Coyote season is open year-round, but night hunting season begins as soon as the two-legged deer hunters are done. ~ Bob Humphrey

Attempts to Weaken the Endangered Species Act Put Birds at Risk

AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY • December 15, 2025

The federal government has announced four proposed rules that would weaken the Endangered Species Act, one of the most effective laws ever enacted to prevent extinctions. Described as a means to increase resource development and economic growth, the proposed rules erode keystone sections of the ESA. Many of our bird populations are in decline. Without strong protections, some of today's threatened species may face extinction.

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.