Mi’kmaq Nation and federal wildlife refuge agree to share land in Aroostook County

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 23, 2026

The Mi’kmaq Nation, based in Presque Isle, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signed a historic agreement Wednesday that grants the two organizations mutual access to their respective abutting lands at the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge. Co-stewardship agreements are a rarity in the eastern United States, said Shannon Hill, the tribe’s environmental health director. The agreement signed Wednesday codifies what has long been a positive relationship between the two neighbors. It started after a forest ranger contacted the tribe several years ago to tell them that he had found brown ash within the refuge. The tree species, imperiled by an invasive beetle, is traditionally used by Mi’kmaq basketmakers. The Fish and Wildlife Service is building a trail connecting tribal land to the refuge, replete with signs in the Mi’kmaq language, Hill said in a March interview.

When eco-anxiety hits, the tough turn to poetry

MAINE PUBLIC • April 23, 2026

About two dozen students have gathered in a cafe at Thomas College in Waterville to hear Meghan Sterling read her poems that deal with the climate crisis and the natural world. Sterling is taking requests for poems from a gathered group of college students at a cafe at Thomas College in Waterville. Sterling co-edited the work of 65 writers from around the state for a poetry anthology titled A Dangerous New World: Maine Voices on the Climate Crisis, published in early 2020 with a forward from Gov. Janet Mills. From her home in Gardiner, Sterling says that having a sense of community is one of the things that makes her feel better in the face of climate change. Processing her emotions about the climate crisis by writing poetry is another.

Fishermen have recycled thousands of old lobster traps on Vinalhaven this winter

MAINE PUBLIC • April 23, 2026

Since January, Buzz Scott's non-profit, OceansWide, and the crew have processed and recycled nearly 5,400 derelict lobster traps — more than 170 tons — from Vinalhaven alone. Scott believes they've only scratched the surface. "I think there's 60,000 to 100,000 traps on this island that need to be processed and removed," he said. Scott grew up on Matinicus but spent much of his childhood on Vinalhaven. He said he worried at first that fishermen might not be on board with what he was doing. But once they learned that OceansWide wanted to remove derelict traps from the waters surrounding the island, Scott said the fishermen starting showing him where to search. Then they asked Scott to help them remove old traps from the shore, and the initiative took off. Eventually, word spread on the island, he said, and fishermen started showing up to the processing site looking to help.

Brunswick residents raise concerns about fuel station

TIMES RECORD • April 22, 2026

A fuel island set to be constructed next to Brunswick’s Public Works facility is prompting alarm among nearby residents, who say they are worried about fumes, traffic, disruption and the future of Brunswick’s Senior Gardens — which will be demolished in the construction. Several neighbors who live in the area of Water Street — which leads to Industry Road, where the Public Works building is located — told the Brunswick Town Council at its meeting Tuesday night that they’re concerned about the possible environmental impacts. “The construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure is directly contradictory to the town’s climate action plan,” said Paul Whitcomb, a Brunswick resident.

UNE receives $5M gift for public and environmental health institute

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 22, 2026

The University of New England will have a new research center dedicated to environmental and human health, thanks to a $5 million donation from the founder of IDEXX Laboratories, the school announced Wednesday. The Institute of Public and Planetary Health will be named in honor of donor David Evans Shaw, and is an interdisciplinary research and academic center focused on health sciences, public health, marine and environmental science, political science and sustainable business.

3 southern Maine farms to find local spring produce

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 22, 2026

As spring produce is harvested, more and more local farmstands are beginning to open across southern Maine. Here are three of our favorites, and an easy recipe using fresh spring vegetables. 
• Chase Farms, 1488 North Berwick Road, Wells. chasefarmswells.com
• Frith Farm, 61 Ash Swamp Road, Scarborough. frithfarm.net
• Spring Brook Farm and Market, 168 Greely Road, Cumberland. sbfarmandmarket.com

Maine National Guard uses Black Hawk helicopter to rescue hikers on Bigelow Mountain

SUN JOURNAL • April 21, 2026

The Maine National Guard assisted in the rescue of two stranded hikers on Bigelow Mountain on Tuesday. Members of the 126th Aviation Regiment conducted a mountain hoist extraction using a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter after the Maine Warden Service requested assistance early Tuesday. One of the hikers, a 24-year-old from Drums, Pennsylvania, was suffering from severe hypothermia. Rescuers reached the hikers around 1:45 a.m. and wrapped both in heavy sleeping bags, started a fire and gave them warm drinks. Temperatures were in the mid-teens and there were 3 to 5 inches of fresh snow on the mountain, the release stated. The woman’s condition “continued to deteriorate,” so the rescue team called the Maine Air National Guard to initiate the aerial rescue. The helicopter arrived around 6:45 a.m.

Fisheries and wildlife chief Judy Camuso to take over reins at Maine Audubon

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 20, 2026

Judy Camuso, the departing commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, has been tapped to serve as Maine Audubon’s next president. She will become the first woman to lead the statewide environmental organization since it was formed in 1843. Camuso, who is leaving state government at the end of April, began her wildlife career at Maine Audubon nearly three decades ago, working as a seasonal biologist, staff naturalist and then the director of Gilsland Farm, the nonprofit’s environmental education center and headquarters in Falmouth. In 2007, Camuso went to work at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, where she ascended from assistant regional biologist to special projects coordinator, then becoming director of the wildlife division and ultimately the commissioner under Gov. Janet Mills.

Opinion: Maine’s high electric rates are due to legislative failure, not corporate greed

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 20, 2026

Gordon Weil’s argument for public power (“How to cut electric rates in Maine — without public power,” April 2) ignores a hard reality: Maine’s high electric rates aren’t driven by utility profits. They are driven by more than 40 years of legislative micromanagement and mismanagement. Our situation is 100% self-induced. The state is fully responsible for 18 of the 30 cents/kwh we pay, and the heavy increases that Mainers have seen over the past 40 years. Electricity supply, the public policy charge, the Efficiency Maine assessment, Maine’s renewable portfolio standard, the RGGI tax, the impacts of deregulation, hydro dam removal and many more make up that 18 cents. Start with electing politicians who actually care about reliability and affordability, and ones who have enough humility to let the experts build and implement the plan to achieve it. ~ Gerry Chasse, former president of Bangor Hydro/Emera Maine

Opinion: Support ‘blue-collar research’ on Maine’s experimental forests

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 20, 2026

The tremendous volume of data that has been collected at the U.S. Forest Service’s Penobscot Experimental Forest, a 3,900-acre forest in Bradley and Eddington, has formed a baseline of ecological knowledge that is unmatched. The Penobscot contains one of the longest-running studies in North America examining how forest management influences forest dynamics in northern conifer forests. Its long-term data have made it internationally recognized across forest science. Similarly, the Massabesic Experimental Forest located in Lyman has conducted long-term research on oak-pine forests, a prevalent forest type across southern New England. With the recent announcement of the U.S. Forest Service’s reorganization, many experimental forests are left in a state of uncertainty. The investments in long-term research that have been made at Maine’s experimental forests would deteriorate if facilities were closed. ~ Matt Russell, forest data scientist, Arbor Analytics, St. Albans

Opinion: Maine’s finest conservation efforts are rooted in community

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • Apirl 19, 2026

The Maine Land Conservation Conference, the largest annual meeting of its kind in the state, is an opportunity for organizations to share tools, strengthen partnerships and explore emerging challenges. It also highlights one of Maine’s greatest conservation strengths: a network of more than 80 land trusts working in collaboration to benefit lands, waters, people and wildlife. This network represents the highest number of land trusts per capita of any state. It not only reflects Maine’s strong conservation ethic, but also its distinctly local approach to stewardship. Land trusts are shifting from organizations that serve the environment to organizations that serve both the environment and people. At a time when many people feel disempowered about decisions affecting their future, community-led stewardship and taking care of the land offer hope and an opportunity to help people feel more connected — to nature, to one another and to their future. ~ Angela Twitchell, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and Matt Markot, Loon Echo Land Trust

New law aims to get Mainers to use "off peak" electricity

MAINE PUBLIC • April 14, 2026

A new state law will encourage Maine electric customers to shift their heavy power use to times of the day when there is lower overall demand. The law directs Efficiency Maine to develop a pilot program offering education and outreach to customers who could benefit from switching to cheaper "time of use" rates offered by Maine's electric utilities. Under those rates, customers can lower their monthly bill if they avoid using lots of electricity between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., when demand is highest. Officials across New England are implementing similar programs to reduce wholesale electric prices and the need to build out expensive infrastructure.

Milo sawmill will close this month due to rising costs, owner says

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 14, 2026

Lumbra Hardwoods in Milo is closing this month after 74 years in business. The sawmill can’t sustain rising electric and machinery costs, forcing the family business to close, co-owner Stephen Lumbra said. “The company can’t continue like this..” Lumbra Hardwoods is the second Milo business to close within the last two years due to rising utility prices. Costs of incentives for building solar arrays and using solar power have been pushed onto companies that can’t afford their now higher bills, Lumbra said, forcing them to close. Employees will work at the mill until the end of April when the last logs are sold, Lumbra said. The company has 20 employees.

State to provide ongoing funding for Land for Maine's Future program

MAINE PUBLIC • April 14, 2026

For the first time since its formation in 1987, state lawmakers have elected to provide continuous funding to the Land for Maine's Future program. "It's really a game changer," said Luke Frankel of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. "It's a big win for the environment, outdoor recreation and Maine's natural resource-based economy." The money will come from a portion of the interest earned on the state's Budget Stabilization Fund — also called the Rainy Day Fund. "It's estimated that this would generate $7 million to $8 million," he said. "So that's a substantial amount of money going towards the program on an annual basis."

Forest Service shake-up will boost states’ role — but even supporters have concerns

MAINE MORNING STAR • April 14, 2026

A sweeping reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service signals that the agency is planning to lean heavily on states to manage millions of acres of federal land. State officials and timber industry leaders say they’ve been given scant details about the plan, which will move the agency’s headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, restructure its regional management, and close scores of research stations in dozens of states. Many forestry veterans fear the shake-up will cause more attrition in an agency that’s already shrunk by nearly 5,900 employees because of Trump’s cuts. Some see a clear sign that moving the headquarters to Utah — a state whose leaders are often hostile to federal land ownership — is designed to undermine the Forest Service’s management of its lands. The closure of 57 research stations will threaten critical science that states and other forest managers rely on. The agency is required to seek congressional approval to relocate offices, which will trigger legal challenges. [There are 47,000 acres of national forest in Maine.]

Maine makes a high-stakes bet to protect its waterways

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 14, 2026

Workshops are being held by the Maine Forest Service to teach the low-tech art of live staking, a nature-based stabilization method using “living rebar” to prevent Maine rivers, lakes, and coastal dunes from washing away in a changing climate. For years, the standard reaction to a crumbling shore was rip rap or a retaining wall. But state regulators now think hard armor can backfire, damaging neighboring lots, causing downstream erosion, and destroying the “living edge” that filters out pollutants before they reach the water. Under the new regulations, most landowners will have to prove nature-based solutions will not work before they are permitted to haul in stone or pour concrete.

Maine herring smokehouse, the last in US, may get a 2nd act

QUODDY TIDES • April 13, 2026

In 1991 when the McCurdy Smokehouse in Lubec closed, it was the “last of the last” commercial herring smokehouses in the country. For 100 years, it was a place where herring were smoked, packaged and shipped all over the world. The smoked herring business was one of the most important industries of Down East Maine, and now the intact smokehouse, the last of its kind, preserves a vanished era of working waterfronts of the region. It is also endangered by the rising tide. Lubec Landmarks is fundraising to acquire the property, having already secured a verbal agreement with the owners that they will not sell until Lubec Landmarks completes the congressional funding process. If the project is successful, the smokehouse may get a second act on higher ground and be a boon for tourism.

Maine Legislature passes first in the nation ban on data centers

MAINE PUBLIC • April 13, 2026

Maine is poised to become the first state in the nation to temporarily ban the development of large data centers. But Gov. Janet Mills has said the measure needs to have an exemption for a proposed $550 million project at the former Androscoggin paper mill in Jay to get her support. The developments have increasingly met backlash from communities concerned about their huge appetite for electricity, water and their environmental impact.

Maine had one of the lowest economic growth rates in the country last year

MAINE PUBLIC • April 13, 2026

Maine's gross domestic product grew by 0.6% in 2025. That's the 4th lowest in the country. Growth was dragged down by declines in several sectors, including accommodation and food services. At the same time, the analysis finds total personal income grew by about 4.7% , putting the state roughly in the middle of the pack nationally. Maine’s per capita personal income rose to $71,662.

This Maine man knows how to find the land’s hidden histories in the woods

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 13, 2026

For decades, Tom Wessels has pioneered and publicized this art of “reading the forested landscape” in New England. An author and retired professor now living in Blue Hill, the ecologist is still teaching others how to find these clues – not just to uncover human history, he said, but to help people see the stories of the interconnected relationships at work in nature.