Column: The lessons that birds can teach us

TIMES RECORD • February 17, 2026

“Wind Over Wings” made a profound impact on thousands of people as well as birds for nearly 30 years. Hope Douglas and her partner Carol Fackler moved to Maine in 2012. She and other volunteers for Wind Over Wings made over 300 presentations per year to school groups, libraries, senior centers and other places during that time span. She would bring four birds to each presentation, often hawks or eagles or cockatoos. She would explain the history of each bird, describing the lesson the particular bird can teach us. The lessons ranged from life course change or the power of play to the ability to adapt or how to respect natural defenses. Hope Douglas says, we can learn a lot from birds. Clearly, we can also learn from this woman who dared to change her life course to pursue a fine vision. ~ David Treadwell

Earmarks for Maine Secured by Senator Collins

U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that she secured earmarks for 156 projects in Maine in FY2026 appropriations bills. Projects include:
• $3,288,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Caribou
• $3,500,000 to improve wastewater infrastructure in Fort Kent
• $1,740,000 to upgrade water infrastructure in Loring
• $2,000,000to upgrade drinking water infrastructure in Presque Isle
• $3,000,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Gorham
• $1,000,000 to upgrade stream crossings in the Rangeley Lakes Region
• $12,000,000 to improve the causeway at Deer Isle
• $3,250,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Clinton
• $1,422,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Gardiner
• $3,555,000 to upgrade drinking water infrastructure in Monmouth
• $386,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Vassalboro
• $4,000,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in North Haven
• $1,000,000 to survey lobster settlement in the Gulf of Maine
• $129,000 to support bluefin tuna research
• $5,000,000 to expand the Gulf of Maine ocean observation system
• $1,250,000 to upgrade drinking water infrastructure in Canton
• $1,576,000 to upgrade drinking water infrastructure in Brewer
• $5,000,000 to support rehabilitation of the former Great Northern Paper Mill site
• $4,000,000 to support redevelopment of an abandoned [paper] mill site
• $3,560,000 to upgrade drinking water infrastructure in Old Town
• $500,000 to purchase equipment for the UMaine Forest Health lab
• $600,000 to support spruce budworm research
• $1,878,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Veazie
• $2,500,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Richmond
• $1,019,000 to purchase equipment for logging workforce training
• $2,350,000 to remediate algae blooms in North Pond
• $2,000,000 to remediate algae blooms in Unity Pond
• $2,000,000 to upgrade drinking water infrastructure in Lubec
• $1,378,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Machias
• $5,000,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Washington County
• $6,000,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Biddeford
• $1,000,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Old Orchard Beach
• $3,000,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in South Berwick
• $3,000,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Wells

What’s driving up Maine’s energy bills? Natural gas.

MAINE MORNING STAR • February 17, 2026

Natural gas, not solar panels and wind turbines, is the primary driver behind soaring power prices in Maine, according to a new report released this week by the state’s energy department. Mainers pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country. Possible solutions to the problem of high energy costs are developing clean power, investing in load-flexibility strategies, and continuing to push for home-heating electrification. The report does not suggest gas pipeline expansion as a solution to the state’s energy-cost problems.

Letter: Susan Collins helpful on energy policy

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 17, 2026

Energy policy viscerally impacts families, businesses and communities in Aroostook County and across northern Maine. We really feel it during these cold winters when the heating bills stack up. That’s when reliability and affordability matter the most. Sen. Susan Collins deserves a lot of credit for the way she’s handled energy policy in Washington. Her no-nonsense approach has helped keep energy more affordable and reliable. Her support for battery storage technologies is especially important for Maine families and businesses because storage offers the potential to strengthen the reliability of our electric infrastructure. ~ Sen. Sue Bernard, (R), Caribou

Hancock County towns grapple with keeping coastal roads above rising seas

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 17, 2026

Moving “coastal resiliency” projects from planning to construction has been difficult for small communities in Hancock County that suffered damage from the 2024 storms. One major difficulty is the steep cost of projects like raising roads. Designing and permitting can run hundreds of thousands of dollars, with actual construction easily running ten times more. The towns interviewed for the article had limited funds available for roads in tight budgets. At the same time, federal priorities have moved away from climate change projects and construction costs have increased. “We don’t have a choice to not do these things,” he said of making sure the local roads are usable. “So, knowing that, it’s: ‘How do we do that?’” said Bill Zoellick, chair of Gouldsboro’s coastal resilience committee.

Sprawling complex including a resort and nearly 100 housing units proposed for Katahdin area

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 16, 2026

The owner of a Katahdin-region outdoor center is hoping to expand the site’s complex to include nearly 100 units of housing, 10 commercial spaces and a resort in the coming years. The development would be added to existing cabins and event spaces owned by the New England Outdoor Center, located roughly 10 miles north of Millinocket, in the Hammond Ridge area. Matt Polstein, the owner of New England Outdoor Center, is holding the project’s exact details close to his chest, but said more information will be shared at a public hearing on March 4.

Coastal Rivers enhances visitor access at La Verna Preserve

PENOBSCOT BAY PILOT • February 15, 2026

Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust announces major improvements to La Verna Preserve in Bristol. In October, Coastal Rivers completed a new parking lot on the same side of Route 32 as the trailhead. This addresses previous parking challenges, enhancing safety and convenience by lessening the need for visitors to cross Route 32. The old parking lot now serves as overflow parking. Space for the new parking area was made possible by the sale of a 10-acre property next to the preserve by Steve and Vicki Nichols in 2022. And last year, a generous 13-acre donation of land from neighbor Rebecca Bell further expanded the preserve, creating new connections with other Coastal Rivers properties in the La Verna neighborhood. Planned additions to the preserve include a new kiosk and interpretive panel at the trailhead, set to be installed later this winter.

MaineHealth Pen Bay and Waldo Hospitals advance sustainability through food waste reduction

PENOBSCOT BAY PILOT • February 15, 2026

MaineHealth Pen Bay and Waldo Hospitals are making meaningful operational changes to reduce waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions and protect the environment in the communities they serve. In addition to eight energy conservation projects completed over the last 12 months, ranging from air handler efficiency upgrades to weatherization and building envelope improvements, the hospitals continue to expand sustainability efforts, including zero-sort recycling and composting, with plans underway for a community garden this spring. A key focus area in recent years has been food waste reduction. In 2024, the Food and Nutrition Services teams at both hospitals launched a composting initiative to divert food scraps from landfills. Composting reduces methane emissions while transforming food waste into nutrient-rich soil. Through a partnership with ScrapDogs Community Compost, a local composting service, Pen Bay and Waldo Hospitals composted more than 15,000 pounds of food waste in 2024.

Sailing Ships Maine wins two national educational awards

PENOBSCOT BAY PILOT • February 15, 2026

Youth educational non-profit Sailing Ships Maine, based in Portland, has won two major national awards, according to Tall Ships America and the American Sail Training Association, in a news release. At Tall Ships America’s annual conference, Sailing Ships Maine Senior Captain Anna Maria Hansen was selected as US Young Sail Trainer of the Year, and Sailing Ships Maine, the program she leads, was named US Sea Education Program of the Year. “Thank you so much for the unexpected honor! I feel really touched by the recognition," she wrote in acknowledging the award. "I feel deeply fortunate to offer meaningful wilderness experiences and voyages of self- discovery for young people. I cannot imagine work more worth doing than to empower youth to develop problem-solving skills, communication, teamwork, and environmental awareness."

Don’t take away Maine’s right to clean water

NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • February 15, 2026

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a rule to limit the authority of state and tribal governments to ensure that federally permitted projects – like pipelines, dams, and data centers – do not pollute local rivers, lakes, and drinking water sources. This proposed rollback to the Clean Water Act is intended to fast track the development of new infrastructure like oil and gas pipelines and save developers money, giving industries an easier path to pollute while putting water quality at risk for millions of Americans. This attack on our health and environment simply to protect industry interests cannot stand. Submit a public comment today asking the EPA not to adopt this proposed rule. 

US ocean regulator faces criticism over changes to right whale protection rule

SPECTRUM NEWS • February 15, 2026

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday that it plans to soon announce proposed new rules designed to "modernize" North Atlantic right whale protections. The proposal will be a "deregulatory-focused action" that will seek to "reduce unnecessary regulatory and economic burdens while ensuring responsible conservation practices for endangered North Atlantic right whales." Several environmental groups criticized the move away from vessel speed rules. Some cited the Feb. 10 confirmation of the death of a 3-year-old female whale. Right whales migrate every year from calving grounds off Florida and Georgia to feeding grounds off New England and Canada. Along the way, they are vulnerable to collisions with ships and entanglement in commercial fishing gear. They were once numerous off the East Coast but were decimated during the commercial whaling era and have been federally protected for decades. 

Opinion: Maine must not go from Vacationland to Generationland

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • February 15, 2026

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, railroad companies marketed Maine to the wealthy of Boston, New York and Philadelphia. By 1936, Maine adopted the nickname Vacationland. Mainers received value in this exchange — employment, tax revenues and support for small businesses. But Mainers have lost access to the majority of the state’s natural beauty, privatized to the benefit of those to our south. For the most part, land privatizations have represented a small percentage of Maine’s actual land, and have not done much to change Maine’s physical landscape. This is about to change, as the other New England states look to Maine to decarbonize their economies. The vast majority of the wind and solar projects will be sited in Maine. New England must become “Nuclearland” or Maine must become “Generationland.” Maine’s renewable resources should be used first by Maine to meet its long-term decarbonization commitments. ~ Richard Silkman, Ph.D., former CEO of Competitive Energy consulting firm in Portland

Letter: Of course the petroleum industry doesn’t want to pay

SUN JOURNAL • February 15, 2026

Drew Ketterer’s Feb. 5 op-ed (“Climate superfund bill is an impractical choice for Maine”), concerning LD 1870, continues the petroleum industry’s history of misleading information (he is an attorney for petroleum companies, no surprise there). A 2025 report, endorsed by 12 national health organizations found 350,000 premature deaths each year in the U.S. due to the fossil fuel industry. The fossil fuel industry and its attorneys will continue to make the perfect the enemy of the good as they obfuscate and delay action to address the pollution and climate change impacts they are directly responsible for causing. ~ Mark Follansbee, Scarborough

Column: These big birds hunt smaller ones at backyard feeders

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 15, 2026

There were 15 mourning doves huddling around my bird feeder. Whoops! Make that 14. In the blink of an eye, the birds exploded into the air and disappeared. Their instant panic could only mean one thing. They were under attack. I ran to the window just in time to spot the expected culprit — a Cooper’s hawk. Whenever we attract birds, we run the risk of attracting other birds that eat them. It’s inevitable that while we watch our birds, other critters are watching them, too. I’m aware I’m feeding more than just the birds. One odd set of footprints caught my eye this morning. I didn’t have to wait long before a snow-white ermine Squirrels are welcome to any seeds that reach the ground. I once thought I was merely feeding birds. Now I think I’m running a zoo. ~ Bob Duchesne

This ‘little’ mountain in western Maine is a great winter trek

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 15, 2026

When I traveled to hike Little Bigelow Mountain, which rises 3,070 feet above sea level, I didn’t let the word “little” lull me into the false impression that the hike would be easy. After all, 3,000 feet is pretty big for a Maine mountain. Out in the state’s western wilderness, Little Bigelow is the sixth and easternmost prominent peak in the Bigelow Mountain Range. Years ago, I visited the range to hike to its highest peak, Avery, at 4,046 feet. That night, I tented out just below the peak, then rose in the morning to trek over to West Peak and the Horns. If I’d been looking for a longer hike, I could have continued another 1.4 miles along Little Bigelow’s lengthy top to its western edge, where a side trail leads to another viewpoint. From there, the AT continues, down to Safford Notch, then up to Avery Peak and onward, all the way to Georgia. ~ Aislinn Sarnacki

Jay Select Board weighs solar farm plan

MAINE MONITOR • February 14, 2026

The Jay Select Board Monday heard plans for what would be the largest solar farm in Maine. Dale Knapp, head of development for Walden Renewables in Portland, said the company is “in the very early stages of developing a project in Jay” and looking for landowners willing to lease property for solar energy arrays. “We build, own and operate the farms,” he said. Walden Renewables is negotiating with the new owners of the former Androscoggin Mill property to lease undeveloped land on the mill site. An operation that size could generate up to 150 megawatts.

Trump administration's repeal of EPA ‘Endangerment Finding’ sparks debate in Maine

NEWS CENTER MAINE • February 14, 2026

The Trump administration has revoked the EPA’s long-standing “endangerment finding,” a scientific determination made during the Obama administration that concluded greenhouse gases pose a danger to human health and welfare. Supporters say the rollback could lower vehicle costs and boost energy independence, while critics warn of environmental and public health risks. "The findings were flawed so it's good to have them updated," State Representative Mike Soboleski, R-Phillips, said. “The repeal of this finding threatens the health of people and our environment immediately,” Kate Sinding Daly, who serves as Vice President for Law and Policy at the Conservation Law Foundation, said.

Letter: It’s time to act on climate change

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 14, 2026

Climate change concerns me greatly, yet it appears to have been put on the back burner. LD 2037 supports the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI supports decreasing the greenhouse gasses that add to global warming. LD 1870 would support some financial incentives for people to lower their carbon emissions. I believe these bills need support from everyone. My husband and I gave up buying toys, going out to dinner regularly, going to shows, and forfeited many vacations so that we could run our house with solar. Many of us could do this, and yes, like us, it means giving up something. Giving up something before we have famine, before fire burns us down, before rain floods us out, and before wind destroys our everything; before rebuilding becomes impossible. It is time to act and put our dreams aside for now. ~ Ann Pedreschi, Holden

Somerset SnowFest kicks off with week of winter activities in Skowhegan

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February x, 2026

Kayaks and kiddie pools, it turns out, work well as sleds. A laundry basket — not so much. That was the lesson learned among competitors in the “Anything But a Sled” downhill race Saturday at the west side of Lake George Regional Park, one of several activities going on as part of the first day of Somerset SnowFest. Among the other popular events Saturday was the fifth annual Ice Hole “World Championship,” which had dozens of competitors. The game is like cornhole, but players toss pucks into two shallow holes in the ice 33 feet apart. A long-running annual winter carnival at Lake George grew into Somerset SnowFest as the local economic revitalization nonprofit Main Street Skowhegan began hosting Skijor Skowhegan in 2019. The two organizations have now joined forces to coordinate the winter event.

A Valentine’s story in the tundra: How two whimbrels reunite each year in Arctic Alaska to mate

MAINE MORNING STAR • February 14, 2026

It may be the most enduring love story in the shorebird world, two birds coming together from different parts of the hemisphere. Hudsonian Whimbrels are famously faithful, often mating for life and returning each May and June to the same stretch of Arctic tundra to breed. What is also noteworthy is that the love story pairs with one of the most astonishing migrations in the natural world. The whimbrel is a striking, long-legged shorebird with a graceful down-curved bill, traveling up to 9,000 miles each year from the high Arctic to the coasts of South America. What makes this story urgent is that the whimbrel is disappearing. Once numbering in the hundreds of thousands, populations have declined by as much as 70% over the past two decades due to habitat loss, climate change and disruptions along the very migratory routes they have followed for millennia.