The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 26 2026
A West Bath woman allegedly set fire to a barn that housed goats on her property earlier this month. Grace Burnham, 38, has been charged with arson, failure to report or control a dangerous fire, and animal cruelty. The March 14 fire destroyed the barn, but no animals were harmed. Burnham was arrested Tuesday at her home in connection with the blaze and taken to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.
MAINE MORNING STAR • March 26, 2026
Dozens of farmers who gathered at the State House on Wednesday to urge lawmakers to put a $50 million agriculture bond on the ballot. Holly Noyes said the funding is critical to the future of their family’s longstanding dairy farm in Albion. “Our family’s been farming since the 50s, and this bill they’re going to talk about is really important to us,” said Noyes, who currently runs the operation. In 2018, a storm destroyed several buildings on the farm, and the family was unable to secure financial support to rebuild. The bond proposal would allow farmers to access low-interest loans and other programs designed to help recover from those kinds of losses. “Maine’s agricultural sector faces unprecedented challenges that require investment,” Rep. Bill Pluecker said. “Between shifting federal funding, climate changes like this past summer’s drought — both leave farmers struggling with losses. Farmers are facing a shifting landscape unlike anything we’ve seen in the past.”
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 26, 2026
Data centers use enormous amounts of electricity. The “large language” models being used are not the only ways to implement AI, but are certainly among the most wasteful of energy. The Trump administration’s irrational energy policies notwithstanding, we must still replace the fossil fuel burning used for heating, and especially transportation, if we’re to keep global warming within bounds. Conservation is still the best way to protect humanity’s place on the planet, and AI data centers work in direct opposition to what should be our joint survival strategy. A one-year cooling off period is simply good insurance in what is clearly an overheated market. ~ Douglas Rooks
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 26, 2026
Paper mills have long been considered dangerous workplaces. The state’s remaining mills have been investigated dozens of times for injuries and safety hazards. But deaths in the industry are rare, especially in Maine, and many questions remain about the circumstances of the gas leak. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration could take months to say if the company is at fault. Paul Cyr, a retired investigator who was one of OSHA’s national experts in forest products industries, said his experience suggests the one at Woodland Pulp was very likely predictable and preventable. “This type of incident should never happen in the United States of America today,” he said. Woodland Pulp, meanwhile, has finished its own investigation, said company spokesman Scott Beal, but has not shared its findings publicly.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 26, 2026
Maine is currently served by one passenger rail service: Amtrak’s Downeaster, managed by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority between Boston and Brunswick. Extending the Downeaster further north to Augusta or to Orono could provide benefits beyond serving as merely a transportation option. A study commissioned by the Maine Rail Group and conducted and published by the Rail Passengers Association reported that extending two round trips of the Downeaster could deliver $61.7 million in economic benefits to the state and projected that the extended service would attract 260,000 additional riders in the first year of operation. With service improvements underway and new equipment coming online, now is the time for the Downeaster to be extended to better serve the people of Maine. ~ Michael Johnson, Bucksport
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 26, 2026
Bryan and Pam Wells bought what they would come to call Wells Demonstration Forest in 2004. The land had been clear-cut, with all the valuable timber taken by logging companies with little regard for best ecological practices. Pam Wells had spent her life dreaming of being a forester, but sexism in the forestry field discouraged her when she was at UMaine in the late 1970s. When she and Bryan bought the woodlot in 2004, it was a chance to build a model for forest restoration that students and the community could learn from. The couple was named the Maine Forest Service’s Tree Farmers of the Year for 2017. Today, the forest has a thriving ecosystem, with an array of mammals and birds making the land their home, and Sunkhaze Stream — the Wells’ forest abuts Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge — running clean through it. A conservation easement on the forest is in the process of being purchased by the Forest Society of Maine, permanently protecting it from development. Pam died in June 2025 after a years-long battle with primary progressive aphasia.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 26, 2026
An extensive downtown Walkable Houlton sidewalk project will finally start on April 20. Funded by Maine’s Department of Transportation, the $1.27 million project includes the reconstruction of sidewalks and pedestrian crossings. Everything is designed to meet all American with Disabilities Act standards.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 26, 2026
Every winter, I read about hikers who died on snowy mountains not far from my home. As an avid hiker, I think long and hard about these tragedies, searching for a way that things could have unfolded differently. What could have saved the person? Wearing ice cleats? Packing an extra jacket? Carrying a map? Hiking with a friend? This line of thinking recently led me to ponder a crucial skill: fire building. On a cold winter night, having the means and knowledge to build a small campfire just might save your life.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 25, 2026
Plastic bags will no longer be permitted in the composting bins in South Portland. Beginning on April 1, Garbage to Garden, a compost company based in Portland that handles South Portland’s collection, will pick up food waste from the five free compost drop-off locations in the city and distribute it directly to local farms. The compost needs to comply with Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association’s standards for organic farms and gardens, so no plastics are allowed.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 25, 2026
‘100 Years of Route One: A Centennial Road Trip’ by Bob Krist of Boothbay Harbor features sites and stories from Kittery to Fort Kent. It was officially designated as Route 1 in 1926 as part of the country’s new numbered highway system. The road basically follows the entire Maine coast from New Hampshire to Canada, then turns north and ends at the top of Aroostook County. Once early highways like Route 1 made it easy to drive along the coast to rural parts of Maine, roadside attractions started popping up for the amusement and comfort of motorists. The film will air on Maine Public TV Thursday at 9 p.m. The film will also air Friday at 1 a.m., Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3:30 p.m. After those showings, it will stream on PBS Passport and at mainepublic.org.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 25, 2026
A massive spill of firefighting foam at a former naval air station has revealed the dual threat of forever chemicals in Casco Bay, highlighting the contrast between persistent everyday pollution and the sudden shock of industrial accidents. A study released Wednesday found persistent, low-level contamination throughout the bay, but concentrations of these harmful manmade chemicals spiked after the August 2024 spill of 51,000 gallons of firefighting foam filled with forever chemicals at Brunswick Landing. The two-year study by Friends of Casco Bay and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay collected 456 water samples from 76 locations and sediment from 45 sites across the Casco Bay watershed. Using chemical “fingerprinting” to isolate the foam’s unique signature, Bigelow Lab was able to track the spilled PFAS as they drifted up to 10 miles from Brunswick Landing, lingering in the waters long after the initial accident.
MAINE PUBLIC • March 25, 2026
The Maine Legislature is considering a pared back version of a bill initially proposed to set up a "climate superfund" to hold big oil corporations responsible for damage from fossil fuel pollution. Instead of starting a superfund program, the bill now directs the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to calculate the dollar value of costs to Maine from greenhouse gas emissions over a period of about 20 years. State Sen. Stacy Brenner, D-Scarborough, told lawmakers on the Environmental and Natural Resources Committee that avoiding a potential lawsuit motivated backing off from a full climate superfund program, at least for now. New York and Vermont are both defending their own superfund laws from court challenges.
MIDCOAST VILLAGER • March 24, 2026
Route 17 from Meadow Street to Route 90 in Rockport will be closed most of Wednesday due to an overturned tanker carrying liquid nitrogen. The crash occurred shortly after 6:30 a.m., slightly east of the intersection with Route 90. The 18-wheeler was on its way to Fisher Engineering in Rockland when it went off the road and onto its side.
THE COUNTY • March 23, 2026
Southern Aroostook planners are pulling out all the stops to make towns off Interstate 95, like Island Falls, Patten and Houlton, more than just visitor pitstops en route to more northern Maine outdoor recreation locations. The southern Aroostook and northern Penobscot regions are fast becoming an outdoor hub for entrepreneurs looking to tap into the region’s four-season draw. Surrounded by motorsports trails, hiking and biking trails, rivers, lakes and secluded hideaways, the area has significant potential to transform sleepy rural locations into destination stops, planners said. Drawing on last season’s dramatic 50% growth in Aroostook tourism and the unprecedented success of the 2024 total solar eclipse, planners want to continue that momentum.
MAINE MORNING STAR • March 25, 2026
Sen. Susan Collins continues to back some climate and environmental efforts, but she has largely stood by during the Trump administration’s all-out assault on federal climate and clean energy policy. When the Department of Energy released a so-called “critical review” of climate science by five hand-picked climate skeptics—Collins did not speak out. Nor did she publicly oppose the EPA’s move to repeal the endangerment finding underlying all current federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. Or any of the administration’s many moves to block already permitted offshore wind developments, including in New England. “The silence is deafening,” said Jesse Lee, a senior advisor to the nonprofit group Climate Power.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 24, 2026
The Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program was established in 1987 as the state’s primary funding source for protecting the outdoor spaces that we all love. By conserving over 650,000 acres of land and working waterfronts, supporting traditional industries like farming and fishing, and securing public recreational access, the LMF program works not only to protect the environment but also Mainers’ ways of life. Nearly all of the $40 million allocated to LMF in 2021 has been spent or obligated, yet there is still much land to protect in our state. Maine has experienced unprecedented development pressure since the pandemic, putting farmland at risk, limiting waterfront access and making it harder to enjoy the special places. ~ Jane Brekke, Sierra Club Maine
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 24, 2026
Officials are seeking information about a snowmobiler who caused more than $20,000 in damage at a York County nursery. Someone riding a snowmobile between Feb. 26 and 28 left a marked trail and went through a roped-off area before they ran over small trees and saplings at Pierson Nurseries in Dayton. About $21,000 in damages was caused, the department said, and a $2,000 reward is being offered in exchange for information that leads to the arrest of the person responsible.
MAINE MORNING STAR • March 24, 2026
“Inescapable: Facing Up to Forever Chemicals” (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2026) by F. Marina Schauffler reminds us that rural communities, often overlooked, can lead the way in confronting the defining environmental challenges of our time. People across the country have been poisoned by PFAS, also called “forever chemicals,” for decades. But one state has responded like no other. Farmers and communities in Maine—one of the most rural states in the country—have demonstrated unparalleled leadership in the forever chemical crisis.
MAINE MORNING STAR • March 24, 2026
The U.S. government will pay a French energy firm nearly $1 billion to cancel its plans to build a pair of wind farms off the East Coast, the Trump administration announced Monday in its latest move to stymie offshore wind. The French firm TotalEnergies will forfeit its leases for the projects, with the United States paying $928 million to reimburse what the company initially spent on the leases. Under the deal, TotalEnergies will reinvest that money into oil and gas projects.
