Letter: Greed is pricing Mainers out of vacationing in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 28, 2026

My wife and I wanted a brief getaway to go camping. I called a few local campgrounds in Old Orchard Beach. I was shocked by their nightly rates: Bailey’s quoted $146, Powderhorn quoted $150 and Paradise Campground quoted $100. Bailey’s has 700 sites and Powderhorn has 400. On holiday weekends, by my math, Baileys could make $102,000 nightly and Powderhorn $60,000. Add in store sales and rentals, and the only explanation is greed. ~ Doug Davis,Windham

Opinion: Hydropower is central to Maine’s economic future

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 28, 2026

Electrification, advanced manufacturing, digital services and new technologies such as AI all rely on a steady power supply. These changes bring opportunity, but only if our energy grid is ready to support them over the long term. That’s why it’s important to focus on the smartest assets we already have and use them well. Hydropower is Maine’s largest advantage. The state has nearly 700 MW of installed hydropower capacity across roughly 50 facilities, supplying about 20% of Maine’s in-state electricity generation in a typical year. These are proven, durable assets. Many hydropower facilities operate for 50, 75, even 100 years. For businesses, that longevity and scale matter because it translates into long-term price stability and reliability. ~ Kimberly Lindlof, Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce.

As bird watching grows, hobbyists flock to Caribou for monthlong birding series

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 28, 2026

A few hours after dawn, Bill Sheehan and a group of binocular-toting bird watchers ambled down the dirt road toward Caribou’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. Sheehan, a birding guide and the founder of Aroostook Birders, called out the birdsongs radiating out of the trees around them. Around 30 people came out to birdwatch with Sheehan for the fourth outing of “May is Healthy You Caribou.” This May was likely the most successful month in the program’s 14 years, organizers said. Dozens have attended each outing. The trend matches a growing interest in birding worldwide.

AI is giving bad advice to people who want to visit Acadia

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 28, 2026

More visitors than ever are using artificial intelligence to plan trips to Acadia National Park. But the information they’re receiving isn’t always reliable. AI tools often provide inaccurate or outdated advice. As the park welcomes more tourists each year — Acadia recorded more than 4 million visits last year — many are first-timers who may not realize their itinerary is riddled with errors. One TikTok itinerary with more than 14,000 likes — tagged with a disclaimer that the video contained AI-generated media — raved about a coastal road trip starting in Portland, stopping in Kennebunkport, crossing Penobscot Bay and ending on Mount Desert Island. There is no such ferry, and Kennebunkport is southwest of Portland. Among the most glaring omissions in AI-generated Acadia itineraries was how to navigate transportation. Though two models — Claude and ChatGPT — warned that the park becomes particularly busy in summer, neither recommended the Island Explorer, the park’s free shuttle bus service.

9,400 tons of court-ordered sand to be deposited in Penobscot River this summer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 28, 2026

A pilot project depositing about 9,400 tons of sand in the lower Penobscot River to test its effectiveness in covering mercury contamination is likely to begin in mid-August. The project is a court-ordered step, years in the making, toward addressing industrial mercury contamination in the estuary that has had wide-reaching negative effects throughout the food chain and on human uses of the waterway. If successful, the method will likely be used to cap an additional 124 acres of intertidal flats. The mercury contamination stemmed from the now-defunct HoltraChem plant in Orrington, which illegally discharged between 6 and 12 tons of the toxic metal in the river in the late 1960s and early ’70s.

Eastport residents push City Council to oppose DeepGreen’s underwater AI data center

MAINE MONITOR • May 27, 2026

In February, DeepGreen Western Passage SPV LLC applied for a 48‑month preliminary permit with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to conduct engineering and environmental studies, the first step toward developing a tidal‑powered underwater AI data center off Eastport, according to the filing. A group of residents concerned about the proposed data complex have asked councilors to consider a temporary moratorium to pause the project. Resident Birdy Velveteen says that the area identified for the data center’s on‑shore cables includes wetlands protected under Maine’s Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act.

Decoding Data Centers: Local Impacts and Strategies for Community Preparedness, June 4

GROWSMART MAINE • May 27, 2026

Jay, Sanford, Limestone, Wiscassett, Eastport, Scarborough, Lewiston have each been in the news as a prospective host community for data center development in Maine. Data centers will have significant impact on local economies, the environment, and electrical infrastructure. How can communities prepare themselves to approach planning and development decisions that balance a diverse array of local priorities? Growsmart is hosting a webinar, June 4, about the unique impacts and considerations associated with data center developments and a discussion of the strategies for empowering communities in Maine.

Trails around Rangeley Lakes region getting upgrades

SUN JOURNAL • May 27, 2026

As the summer season quickly approaches, the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust is expanding trail upkeep on its properties around the region. The nonprofit manages over 40 miles of trails, all with their own needs to stay in shape for public use. Molly Shaw, communications director for Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, said, “There’s a lot that goes into trail building,” Shaw said. “It’s not just clearing some brush and hacking down a trail. There’s kind of an art form to it.”

Wild blueberry farms across Maine suffer as climate change upends growing seasons

MAINE MORNING STAR • May 27, 2026

Last summer, the wild blueberry fields at Crystal Spring Farm turned red too soon. Severe drought had gripped most of the state of Maine. At his farm in Brunswick, Seth Kroeck knew the leaves were changing color prematurely because the blueberry plants were stressed. Berries shriveled before they could ripen. The farm’s 2025 harvest was almost a total loss. “In the last seven years, we’ve lost the crop three times, almost completely,” he said. As the climate changes, these losses are getting more common for wild blueberry farmers. And, experts say, the solutions are pricey. From buying equipment to drilling wells to trucking in loads of mulch, major one-time investments are difficult for small farms with thin profit margins.

Crews contain wildfire in Maine’s North Woods

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 26, 2026

Crews have contained a wildfire deep in Maine’s North Woods. The Pine Stream Fire broke out Sunday in T4 R13 WELS, near Chesuncook, in Piscataquis County, according to the Maine Forest Service. The 10-acre fire was burning in an old timber harvest. By Tuesday morning, that fire had swelled to about 25 acres.

These Katahdin trails are now open to hikers

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 26, 2026

Katahdin hiking season has officially opened. The Hunt and Abol trails up Katahdin opened to hikers Tuesday, as well as the Traveler Ridge trails in the northeastern end of Baxter State Park. The remaining trails up Maine’s highest mountain — Cathedral, Dudley, Hamlin Ridge and Helon Taylor — are closed to hikers until further notice. Katahdin’s weather can quickly change, and hikers should be prepared to encounter strong winds and chilly temperatures near the summit, even in summer. Hikers can reserve a day-use parking spot on Baxter State Park’s website, by calling the reservation office at 207-723-5140 or by visiting the park’s headquarters in person in Millinocket. A reservation isn’t needed for hikers who are camping in the park.

Three Ways that a New Land Monitoring System is Transforming How We Manage Forests

NASA • May 26, 2026

The world has lost over 2,000,000 square miles of tree cover since 2000—equivalent to the total land area of India and Mexico combined.  Of that total, around 36% is estimated to be permanent deforestation. Much of this forest loss is driven by agriculture, wildfires, and logging. For those in charge of managing our planet’s vast forests, tracking each tree felled is a nearly impossible task. But not catching new logging operations, illegal deforestation, or the onset of forest fires can lead to polluted waters, habitat degradation, and out-of-control blazes. That’s where the global land change monitoring system DIST-ALERT comes in. It provides rapid alerts each time vegetation is disturbed.

Interested in bird-watching in Maine? Join the flock

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 26, 2026

A federal study published in 2024 found that 96 million people in the United States had either traveled one or more miles from home to observe birds, or tried to identify birds around their homes. That’s one in three people over the age of 16. The hobby is becoming more inclusive and diverse. Some high school have a Maine Young Birders Club. In June, a new Maine chapter of the national Feminist Bird Club will host its first event at Owl’s Head State Park. Birders recommended digital tools managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, including the Merlin app, which can help ID birds based on characteristics and sounds. People of all ages still reference printed field guides.The Maine Birding Trail is another suggested resource.

UNE sues Biddeford after city denies permit for controversial pier project

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 26, 2026

The University of New England is suing Biddeford in York County Superior Court, where the school said it is asking a judge to reverse the city’s denial of a permit request. UNE has already appealed to the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals, which upheld the denials earlier this month. The school wanted a permit to remove about 50 trees from its property, to allow for an access road to a planned research pier on the Saco river. Commercial fisherman who say they fear the construction will disrupt their moorings.

Opinion: A California law is hurting Maine farms and consumers. Congress can fix it.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 26, 2026

As inflation sweeps through the Maine economy, residents are desperate for relief — from gas to the grocery store. Fortunately, help could be on the way via the 2026 Farm Bill. The legislation passed the House in April and now awaits sign-off from the Senate. Central to the package is a fix to California’s Proposition 12, which bans the sale of normal pork and eggs in Golden State supermarkets. The only option for shoppers are Whole Foods-style products at expensive Whole Foods-level prices. Developed with little to no input from farmers, veterinarians or experts in animal care and food safety, Prop 12 is hurting cash-strapped farms everywhere. ~ Will Coggin, Center for the Environment and Welfare

Opinion: Bowdoin’s proposed Kingfield campsite would be a win-win

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 26, 2026

Bowdoin College’s proposed campsite in Kingfield would include seven gravel campsites on a 20.7-acre lot. At full capacity, it could have 28 tents. This is not a place for students to go up and party. It would be one of the options students have to better see our great state. Although I am not a part of the Bowdoin Outing Club, I know the organization’s general attitude. It is made up of students and staff who are respectful and want to see as much of Maine’s outdoors with the little time at Bowdoin that we have. The college has pledged to donate $5,000 a year to the town to maintain the roads after initial improvements. Maine ought to be shared with those who have not had the chance to get used to the expansive wilderness around us. With this proposed campsite, my college is looking to do just that in the most safe and respectful way possible. ~ John “Jack” Donoghue, senior, Bowdoin College

How Donald Trump’s policies are slowing a Maine mill’s revival

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 26, 2026

The Iran war is delaying progress on a western Maine data center, the second time recently that President Donald Trump’s policies have interfered with the redevelopment of an old paper mill in a town that has staunchly supported him. A Pakistani company that bought the retired paper machinery can’t remove it so construction can begin. That’s because Iran has blocked ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime route, since the war started in February. Last year a separate project to redevelop the mill site fell apart when the Republican president’s tariffs became too burdensome for the forest products company that wanted to set up there. Trump’s policy decisions quickly threw wrenches into the town’s economic revival.

New study says consumers may pay more for lobster caught with ropeless technology

WMTW-TV8 • May 25, 2026

A new study has found consumers are willing to pay over $3 more per lobster roll if the meat was harvested using ropeless technology. The study, led by University of Maine business school associate professor Angie Zheng, surveyed 2,000 people across the United States. Traditional lobstering methods use ropes to connect the trap on the seafloor with the buoy on the surface. However, those ropes may be harmful, even deadly, to the endangered North Atlantic right whale. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association says entanglements with fishing gear are the leading cause of death for the right whale. There are fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales left.

The 10 hikes across Maine that will get you from your couch to Katahdin this year

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 25, 2026

The clock is ticking and you’ve got to get ready for the big Katahdin climb, but you don’t know where to start. Not to worry. You’ve got all summer to go from the couch to Katahdin, but it’ll take a little discipline and some regular hiking to improve your physical fitness, which will increase your safety measure and maximize enjoyment of your day on the peak. To train for tackling lofty Katahdin you’ll want to start small — a local hill, for example — and slowly but surely work your way up to higher mountains, longer miles and larger elevation gains. 
• Bradbury Mountain
• Bauneg Beg Mountain
• Great Pond Mountain
• Round Top Mountain
• Cadillac Mountain
• Mt. Zircon
• Caribou Mountain
• Little Jackson Mountain
• Old Speck

The websites and essential lists to know before you hike

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 25, 2026

There is a lot of advice online for where to hike, what to bring and how to maximize your time outdoors on the trails. Here is Carey Kish’s list of some sites to familiarize yourself with before hitting the trails, to ensure you hike safely, have a good time and respect nature. A few websites for Maine trails: mainetrailfinder.com, mainebyfoot.com.If you follow our couch-to-Katahdin guide to hiking, here are two sites to consult with information on Baxter State Park: Baxter State Park, baxterstatepark.org, Friends of Baxter State Park, friendsofbaxter.org. According to the National Park Service, here are 10 items they consider the essentials for safe hiking in case of minor injuries or changes in weather. The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics has advice on how to safely and ethically hike and explore the outdoors in a way that has minimal impact on nature.