Opinion: Let’s make a community park a reality for Portland’s Bayside

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 28, 2026

Bayside is changing. Hundreds of housing units are under construction or planned, including market-rate and workforce housing. Growth is necessary. But true neighborhood transformation requires more than buildings. It requires investment in amenities that serve the people who live, work and attend school here. Green spaces are vital for everyone. As outlined in the 2000 New Vision for Bayside, residents have long called for grassy areas, trees, benches, picnic tables, exercise equipment for youth and adults and natural space. That vision remains largely unfulfilled. Dedicating just a ¼ acre portion of the site behind Planet Fitness for public park space would still leave roughly three acres available for housing, retail and a parking garage. A small but meaningful green space could anchor the neighborhood, provide safe recreation for students and create a visible sign that Bayside’s future includes balance. ~ Thomas Blackburn, Bayside Neighborhood Association

Maine murders delight crow lovers

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 28, 2026

To some, the ubiquitous crow is a noisy nuisance. To others, it’s a bad omen, a sign of death. But to many Mainers, crows are friends. Across the state, people have spent years — and a lot of food — building friendships with crows. Especially in the winter, when crows gather in large roosts, crow photos and stories inundate some social media groups. When thousands of crows darken the sky as the last remaining daylight fades and the cacophony of caws pierces the peaceful silence of dusk, it is hard not to look up with awe and maybe a shiver of trepidation. This spectacle occurs in the winter, when crows gather in large murders. After foraging all day in all directions, they come together at dusk to spend the night. Sleeping together helps protect them from frigid temperatures and predators like hawks. And although it has yet to be proven, some documentation also shows that crows may also communicate with each other in their roosts. 

Obituary: Walter Anderson

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 28, 2026

Walter Anderson set down his rock hammer on Feb. 15, 2026. Walter returned to New England in 1968 where he accepted a position at the Maine Geological Survey (MGS). As Assistant State Geologist, Walter oversaw natural resource investigations of all kinds. He served as State Geologist from 1978 to 1995. During his tenure, he built a modern geological survey, adding programs in hydrogeology and coastal geology to identify areas most susceptible to coastal erosion to better guide development. He initiated Geographic Information System applications to geology, heralding the modernization of data collection at MGS. When the federal government identified two candidate sites in Maine for the long-term storage of high-level nuclear waste in the mid-1980s, Walter led the scientific effort to oppose this poorly conceived effort. He also served as Chief Geologist for the International Appalachian Trail.

Column: These birds are the first signs of spring in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 28, 2026

Last Saturday evening was ideal for hearing owls as they announced their breeding territories and wooed mates. It was one of those rare times when I heard all three of our common owls calling in one night, and it all happened before 9 p.m. Barred owls are the most frequently seen and heard owls in Maine. The main reason for me to be out on a winter evening was to listen for northern saw-whet owls. Great horned and barred owls don’t migrate, but most Maine-breeding saw-whet owls do. It’ll be about two more weeks before the next signs of spring arrive. That will be a race between common grackles and turkey vultures to see who gets here first. In truth, some are already here, since they never left the state. While politicians may decry climate change as a hoax, birders are watching it happen in real time. Winter doesn’t last as long as it once did. Birders already notice the little signs of spring. ~ Bob Duchesne

Developer wants to build underwater AI data center Down East

QUODDY TIDES • February 27, 2025

A new tidal power project is being proposed off Eastport, but whether the developer has the technical expertise and financial backing to proceed with the proposal is not clear. Along with planning to provide electricity to local communities, the company, DeepGreen Western Passage SPV LLC, is seeking to power underwater artificial intelligence-computer server racks. The project proposes a 51-megawatt tidal energy and subsea data center in Western Passage off Kendall’s Head and extending south nearly to Harris Point in Eastport. On Feb. 11, DeepGreen Western Passage SPV LLC submitted an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a preliminary permit for the project. The company is seeking a 48-month permit to conduct environmental baseline studies and engineering work.

Obituary: Claude Bernard Bonang

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 27, 2026

Brunswick Native, Son of Bowdoin, Maine Renaissance Man – Claude Bernard Bonang, 95, a native of Brunswick, and lifelong resident of the town, passed away on Feb. 21, 2026. Claude’s professional life was a 40-year love letter to the natural world. He did not just teach biology—he lived it. In 1967, he was named the Maine and New England Biology Teacher of the Year, followed later by Bowdoin’s Distinguished Educator Award in 1987. He was a marine biologist by training and a philosopher by nature. In the early 1970s, he traded the chalkboard for the New Meadows River, leading, with his students’ assistance, the first state-funded study of oyster aquaculture, a project that effectively laid the groundwork for today’s growing Casco Bay oyster industry.

York County is rebuilding its destroyed dunes. Officials warn it’s just the start to save the coastline.

MAINE MONITOR • February 27, 2026

Roughly 7,600 cubic yards of dredged sand will be deposited in front of a long row of waterfront homes and businesses along Wells Beach altogether, a sight that York County emergency preparedness coordinator Chris McCall once doubted he’d ever see. York County purchased the dredge in 2021 with federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. After the 2024 storms caused the county roughly $40 million in public damage and wrecked more than 200 homes, county officials began plotting how to use the machine to rebuild dunes from Ogunquit to Old Orchard Beach. The county wants to pursue a broader, $50-million project to restore the dunes to withstand a 100-year flood. Climate change makes powerful storms like those that rocked Maine’s coast that winter more likely, while rising sea levels put protective sand dunes at greater risk.

The Benevolent Landlord of St. Marks Place

NEW YORK TIMES • February 27, 2026

It was 1959 in Downtown Manhattan and the area, largely unpoliced and commercially undeveloped, was known for its dirt cheap rent for substandard accommodations. St. Marks Place between Second and Third Avenues, where Charles FitzGerald lived, was boarded up. He threw open the window and started selling wooden kitchenware directly to passers-by. His portfolio would grow from one shop to seven. Over the next half century, the transplant with no real estate aspirations would come to play a central role in transforming the once-derelict street into an international curiosity. Clubs and performance spaces flourished. And at the age of 91, he has no intentions of slowing down. The operation was never managed well. Kate FitzGerald, his 39-year-old daughter who lives on St. Marks, said whatever success the businesses had was largely because of her mother, Kathy Cerick. Rather than money, Mr. FitzGerald said he cared about adventure, culture and trees. The couple raised funds for a dozen saplings that they planted along the street. They also donated $2 million from the sale of two buildings to a nature conservancy they created in Maine.

A Maine lake’s future is secure after mill surrenders dam license

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 27, 2026

Woodland Pulp has been trying to surrender its 30-year Forest City Dam Project license for nearly a decade. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the request in late January, and once the order is finalized, ownership will be transferred to a nonprofit. Later this year, Woodland Pulp LLC will no longer own the dam or control the international waters on the East Branch of the St. Croix River. Additionally, its downstream hydropower production will cease as ownership transfers to the St. Croix International Waterway Commission. The decision affects East Grand Lake, North Lake, the connecting throughway and the more than 2,000 cottages and camps around the lake because the dam is central to the identity, ecology and economy of the region, according to Anna Levitsky, the executive director of the Woodie Wheaton Land Trust in Forest City.

'Energy coach' programs expand in Maine

MAINE PUBLIC • February 27, 2026

For years the state of Maine and local organizations have offered financial incentives to make homes and buildings more energy efficient. That includes rebates and low-income loans for insulation, weatherization and heat pumps through Efficiency Maine. But the process can be overwhelming, said Rozanna Patane, an organizer with York Ready for Climate Action. It can be tough to figure out where your home needs work, let alone hire the right contractor and filing for a state rebate. "It's like a flood of information coming at people," Patane said. "It's more than most people can deal with, just understanding what their options are and how to get things done and who does them." Four years ago, Patane helped organize an energy coach program in an effort to help. The volunteers help guide homeowners through their efficiency options. Similar energy coaching programs are popping up in Mount Desert Island, Camden and Rockport, Falmouth and Yarmouth and in the Kennebunks. Patane said she's working with other organizers to develop best practices for training and coaching to jumpstart new groups across Maine.

A Maine student is upending how the world thinks about the T. rex

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 27, 2026

Adrian Boeye, a 21-year-old senior student at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor has upended long-held beliefs about how the Tyrannosaurus rex moved, suggesting the prehistoric predator navigated its world more like a nimble, eight-ton bird than a heavy-footed beast. For decades, the cinematic image of the T. rex has been defined by the earth-shaking, heel-first thuds seen in films like “Jurassic Park.” But new research led by Adrian Boeye, a 21-year-old senior, suggests that the 40-foot-long dinosaur actually sprinted on its tiptoes like that of a modern ostrich or roadrunner.

Column: Ditch those Bean Boots — and 6 more tips for walking in winter

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 27, 2026

The scene this winter, which got off to a cold and snowy start, has gone from hellscape to wonderland and back more than once. And we know, for at least the next month or so, it could happen again anytime.
1. Leave your Bean Boots at home. When you’re going to be navigating an icy or snowy urban environment on foot, choose something with better tread, or at least invest in traction devices to slip over them.
2. Beware of brick. In addition to their smooth surfaces being slicker to walk on than their concrete counterparts, complaints about their incompatibility with winter include that their grooves make them difficult to shovel and uneven spots are hard to see in snow.
3. Avoid steep streets. Seeing the glaze coating Cumberland Avenue from the bottom of Munjoy Hill one year I had to request the shortest-ever Uber ride to my apartment a couple blocks away.
4. Tell on your neighbors. Sidewalks that haven’t been shoveled are less predictable hazards, but there is something you can do about them — complain.
5. Heed the hedges. Some property owners shovel thin paths within the sidewalk, not taking into consideration their overgrown hedges, forcing pedestrians to sideways limbo in order to get by.
6. Work from home. Parking lots as the most common place people fall.
7. Consider the beach. If you still want to get your steps in, you might have better luck at the beach, the preferred winter walking locale of some. Even when snow accumulates there, an outgoing tide will clear a swath by the shore. Although walking on sand is not my idea of a good time, it beats falling on ice.
~ Leslie Bridgers

Arctic seals have returned to Belfast Harbor this winter

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 27, 2026

Earlier this month, a friend sent me a photo of Belfast Harbor. On the floats near where I dock my boat was a white seal in a “banana” pose — a C-curve with the flippers up. Instantly, I knew it was a hooded seal from the Arctic. Arctic, or “ice,” seals spend much of their lives around sea ice in colder climates. Hooded and harp seals occasionally migrate to the Gulf of Maine in winter and are typically spotted between December and March. It’s kind of like their Florida. There’s likely little time left to see Arctic seals in Belfast Harbor at this point in the winter. Wanting to mark the visit, I sponsored an ice sculpture of the seal for this weekend’s Belfast Ice Festival. ~ Nicolle Littrell

Bucksport blasts company over approaching state deadline to close landfill

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 27, 2026

The scrap metal company that owns the landfill which once accepted waste from Bucksport’s paper mill is once again at the center of local concern that it might not comply with state orders to close it by the end of December. After years of attempts to reopen the landfill and with its mandated closure date approaching, the company has explored transferring or, according to Bucksport officials, amending its license. The landfill is owned by Bucksport Mill, LLC, a subsidiary of Montreal-based American Iron and Metal. Its exploratory steps to do so have met with strong local resistance.

Letter: Maine shouldn’t rely more heavily on natural gas

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 27, 2026

In Rep. Laurel Libby’s opinion column on Feb. 19, she advocated for bringing more natural gas to Maine to produce electricity. This is a bad idea. Natural gas prices are volatile. There are serious health implications to burning fossil fuels and serious climate issues too. Maine can produce its own power and reduce the $4.5 billion drain on our economy each year, money we send out of state to purchase fossil fuels. The Gulf of Maine has been called the Saudi Arabia of wind. ~ David Dietrich, Blue Hill

Space-Age Technology, Stone-Age Pursuit: Hunting Technology and the War Against Wildlife

THE WILDLIFE NEWS • February 26, 2026

A look through almost any hunting equipment catalog reveals a plethora of tools available to the modern hunter: trail cameras that photograph and record animal movements; game scanners; hearing enhancers; night-vision goggles; thermal and infrared scopes; rangefinders; variable-power riflescopes; latex calls; animal scents; how-to books and videos; state-by-state hunting statistics; ATVs with gun mounts; drones; GPS-based mapping systems — thousands of gadgets designed to increase a hunter’s chance of finding and killing wildlife. Technology has saturated the world of hunting. Opening day — D-Day — the assault begins. At least hunters aren’t calling in air strikes on elk, although they probably would if they could. There is, indeed, a war underway against wildlife.

Rare bluebird day allows winter climb to Mount Washington summit

FRANKLIN JOURNAL • February 26, 2026

Winter trips on the Mount Washington Auto Road typically stop at treeline, about 4,200 feet above sea level, where stronger winds, drifting snow and changing visibility can make summit travel unsafe. But on Feb. 3, the combination of sunshine and low winds allowed vehicles to climb the full 6,288 feet to the summit. “This is a pretty rare occurrence on the Auto Road,” said Don Bilger, events manager for the Mount Washington Auto Road. “… Well worth the trip when you get a clear blue sky day on the summit.” The tracked vehicle climbs steadily through forest and into alpine terrain, revealing increasingly expansive views of the Presidential Range and valleys below. Sean Birkel, Maine’s state climatologist, said Mount Washington’s elevation influences weather across the region, including western Maine.

League of Conservation Voters releases National Environmental Scorecard

LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS • February 26, 2026

The League of Conservation Voters has released its 2025 National Environmental Scorecard. It represents the consensus of two dozen experts on environmental, environmental justice, democracy, and conservation issues from across the movement who selected the key votes on which members of Congress should be scored. LCV scores votes on the most important issues of the year, including energy, climate change, public health, environmental and racial justice, worker protection, democracy, public lands and wildlife conservation, and spending for environmental programs. The votes presented members of Congress with a real choice and help distinguish which legislators are working for environmental protection. Maine’s congressional reps got mixed pro-environment scores based on their voting record in 2025 on key issues:
US Sen. Susan Collins (R) 31%
US Sen. Angus King (I) 88%
US Rep. Chellie Pingrie (D) 98%
US Rep. Jared Golden (D) 48%

Nobleboro denied a request to build a Verizon tower. Now the developer is suing.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 26, 2026

Blue Sky Towers III, LLC, last year applied to build a nearly 200-foot tower on the northern edge of town. The tower would “remedy a significant gap in coverage” along Route 32 and near the narrows of Damariscotta Lake, the company claimed. Though it would be built primarily for Verizon, it could eventually accommodate up to three additional carriers. But Nobleboro’s zoning ordinances prohibit any cell towers from being built more than 300 yards from U.S. Route 1. Last month, the Nobleboro Board of Appeals ruled against approving the tower. In its lawsuit, Blue Sky said that the town’s ordinance and the board’s decision violate federal telecommunications laws.

Column: Conserved land in Maine has growing economic power

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 26, 2026

Across Maine, conservation is often considered in the context of protecting wildlife, safeguarding clean air and water, preserving working lands and waterfronts and providing access to outdoor recreation. Increasingly, conservation is also being evaluated through an economic lens. Each year, trail-related activity supports 900+ jobs and generates over $42 million in worker earnings, as well as nearly $113 million in sales in Greater Portland alone. When accounting for ripple effects across the state, these numbers increase to over 1,200 jobs, $54 million in worker earnings and nearly $142 million in total sales in Maine annually. Also, economists estimate the ecosystem services provided by land along the Portland Trails network, such as stormwater absorption, carbon sequestration and air filtration, may be worth $2-5 million annually. Conserved lands generate hundreds of millions of dollars in annual benefits to the Downeast region. The best investments we can make are those that keep the landscapes, and the communities they support, thriving for the long term. ~ Jon Kachmar, Portland Trails, and Erin Witham, Downeast Conservation Network