planet maine vol. 30: what does a future full of climate-friendly solutions look like?

MAINE PUBLIC • June 3, 2026

Don’t ask Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, author of “What If We Get it Right: Visions of Climate Futures,” about hope. As a scientist, she says she’s too well-acquainted with the facts on climate change to feel hopeful about the future. “If I waited to feel hopeful I’d be waiting a very long time without acting,” she says. Her 2024 book, recently updated and published in a new paperback edition this year on Earth Day, is an attempt to paint a picture of the possibilities of what the best climate future looks like — and introduces readers to a whole host of people working to help create it. I sat down with Johnson to discuss the book.

Letter: Farm Bill opinion appears totally disingenuous

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 3, 2026

A May 26 op-ed written by Will Coggin of the Center for the Environment and Welfare offered support for the 2026 Farm Bill that strips enforcement of California’s Proposition 12. I did a little research. Coggin works for a public affairs PR firm based in Virginia specializing in campaigns for food, fuel and alcohol corporations. The center appears to be just a website funded by corporate interests. Industries are welcome to share their points of view, but it is disingenuous to do so hiding behind a creatively named nonprofit. ~ Larry Ely, Falmouth

Column: A community came together to get a lost bird home to Lewiston

SUN JOURNAL • June 3, 2026

When Bijoux joined the family, he was accepted by all, including Boots the family cat and Wicket the dog. All was well: a family scene fit for framing. Until, that is, a brief lapse in household security led to anguish. The door was open for a split second. Out Bijoux flew into a world with which he was not familiar. The bird’s family watched in horror as their beloved conure vanished into the night. There was no chance that Heather was going to give up on Bijoux. She went to a popular Facebook page. One lady reported that Bijoux almost landed on her shoulder. That’s how eager he was to find his way home. The good news came from Lewiston’s animal control officer, Chris Sanders, who was enlisted to return the bird to its proper home. It was only through the empathy and generosity of the strangers that this story was brought to a joyful conclusion.

Franklin County leaders criticize Sugarloaf for not repaying $152,224 grant

SUN JOURNAL • June 3, 2026

Franklin County commissioners Tuesday criticized Sugarloaf Mountain Corp. for failing to repay the county $152,224 owed by the ski resort from a canceled project to replace Caribou Pond Dam. At issue is a grant awarded to Sugarloaf in 2020 to replace the Caribou Pond Dam in Mount Abram Township, an unorganized territory in northern Franklin County. It was aimed at improving Sugarloaf’s snowmaking ability and the environment for aquatic life and wildlife. However, the project was dropped after it was determined the cost was too great for the benefits received. Sugarloaf repaid Franklin County $69,547 of the total, leaving $152,224.

More than 120 nests of these endangered birds are hatching right now

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 3, 2026

If you’re visiting a beach in southern or midcoast Maine soon, keep an eye out for piping plovers. These tiny shorebirds are hatching right now. According to Maine Audubon Coastal Birds Seasonal Outreach Coordinator Kevin Mullan, four chicks hatched in Biddeford over Memorial Day weekend. Maine Audubon has identified more than 120 piping plover nests this spring, meaning many more chicks are expected to hatch in the coming weeks.

The remarkable story behind Maine’s record Atlantic salmon that vanished for decades

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 2, 2026

Oct. 7, 1980, on Maine’s Sheepscot River, angler Howard Clifford is fly fishing the Larabee Pool. Then it happens. “Fish on!” Clifford’s salmon was 43 inches long, had a 19-inch girth and tipped the scales at 28 pounds, 1 ounce. It was a U.S. record. Clifford agreed to let L.L. Bean display the fish for five years before it was returned to him. After much inquiry, Maine marine scientist Paul Christman eventually located a deceased Howard Clifford from Southampton, New York. He got Linda Clifford on the phone. She was the wife of the late Howard Clifford and, yes, she had the fish. Christman picked it up in New York on April 13, 2026, returning the historic fish to Maine. He plans to display the impressive mount for a time before donating it to the Maine State Museum.

Belfast City Park neighbors say pickleball noise is ruining their lives

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 2, 2026

Neighbors of Belfast City Park say nonstop noise from the park’s pickleball courts is making their house “uninhabitable” and causing them mental distress. “This is not a background tone,” Alexander Giblin told the City Council on Tuesday. “It is a relentless invasive barrage that penetrates our windows, our closed doors. We hear it in every room. There is no reprieve.”

Business owner clear-cut land in Scarborough without approval

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 2, 2026

A business owner clear-cut land near Route 1 without a permit, according to a notice of violation from the town of Scarborough. Cary Seamans is the owner of Seamans Construction and CVS Foundations LLC, according to Seamans’ LinkedIn account. Seamans recently purchased around 10 wooded acres with a single home. A large part of the property is also subject to the shoreland zoning ordinance — which protects the environment and wildlife on land near a pond, river, stream or wetland — as it is within 250 feet of the Stuart Brook east of the Maine Turnpike. Seamans needed approval to clear or remove vegetation for the portion of the property in the Stream Protection 2 Overlay District. “I didn’t have any real reason for the trees to be removed,” Seamans said. “We were thinking about hopefully developing the property.”

For World Fish Migration Day, eyes turn to restoring the Mousam River

MAINE PUBLIC • June 2, 2026

On World Fish Migration Day at the end of May, dozens of people gathered in downtown Kennebunk on the banks of the Mousam River. There were informational booths, a fly tying demonstration and live fish on hand to demonstrate the kinds of species that make the river their home. Chris Schorn, southern Maine land protection project manager for Maine Coast Heritage Trust said the 27-mile river snaking through York County is a biodiversity hotspot with a “diversity of rare, different rare, threatened and endangered species." It's also one of the most heavily dammed rivers in Maine. There are 11 dams on the Mousam's main stem, almost one every two miles. Fish trying to make it upstream halt at a series of three aging hydropower dams in Kennebunk, just a few miles from where the Mousam meets the Gulf of Maine. MCHT, along with local and state advocacy groups, wants the dams taken out and the lower Mousam restored to a free-flowing river. It's a scenario that's playing out all over Maine, on rivers big and small.

Acadia advisory panel created by Congress fails to meet for 3rd time in 18 months

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 2, 2026

Acadia National Park’s citizen advisory commission has missed its second meeting in a row,  and its third meeting in less than a year and a half, amid funding cuts and staff departures across the National Park Service. In 1986, Congress established the 16-member commission to advise the secretary of the U.S Department of the Interior on Acadia National Park management and development. Since President Donald Trump was sworn into office in January 2025, there has been a mass firing of federal workers that included eight full-time employees at Acadia, where chronic seasonal staff shortages have left the park struggling to keep up with services.

Action Alert: Oppose Increased Funding for Trump’s Dept. of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division

Under the Trump administration, rather than focusing on enforcing the nation's bedrock environmental laws against billionaire corporate polluters, Trump has directed the Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) to defend meritless and lawless rollbacks to clean air and water protections, challenge state and local efforts to protect themselves from pollution, and reduce accountability for industries that continue to destroy our natural heritage. ENRD is now more focused on finding and bringing meritless lawsuits to undo state-level efforts to address even the most basic efforts to address the climate crisis and to wreak havoc with every effort to expand renewable energy in this nation. Send a message to Maine's federal delegation calling on them to oppose this funding!

Fifty Years of Common Ground: The Posters of the Common Ground Country Fair

MAINE ORGANIC FARMERS AND GARDENERS ASSOCIATION• June 2, 2026

This fully illustrated publication features all fifty Common Ground Fair posters, as well as essays by Maine Arts Commission Executive Director Amy Hausmann, MOFGA’s Executive Director Sarah Alexander, and more, offering a deep dive into the cultural history of the Fair and the community movement it has built.

The best hikes in Lewiston and Auburn are gems ‘right in the middle of the city’

SUN JOURNAL • June 2, 2026

There are plenty of green spaces accessible in Lewiston-Auburn. But it can be difficult to know where to find good nature walks or hikes and what to expect when you get there. Below is a list of trails and information to help you plan your trip.
• Garcelon Bog Conservation Area
• David Rancourt River Preserve
• Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary
• Mount Apatite Park
• Lake Auburn Watershed Commission trails

Maine’s busiest lobster port plans for new public pier

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 2, 2026

Stonington plans to add access to its working waterfront from the site of a historic downtown building, a project years in the making. The town is looking for grant funding to stabilize the shoreline behind the Independent Order of Odd Fellows hall it purchased two summers ago and create a new pier and ramp for more float space. The project would provide room for additional dinghies next to its existing public fish pier and add resiliency to sea level rise.

Robbins Lumber has resumed operations in wake of deadly explosion

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 1, 2026

Robbins Lumber in Searsmont resumed full operations last Tuesday, just 11 days after the fire and explosion that killed a firefighter and injured 12 other people. Robbins Lumber has multiple locations across the state that are aiding operations in Searsmont, the co-owner stated. That includes using a Sanford location for warehousing, while a mill in East Baldwin “has stepped up production efforts to support customer order needs.” The company has also constructed a temporary warehouse on site in Searsmont.

River driver remembers Maine’s last log drive 50 years later

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 1, 2026

North America’s last log drive ended on the Kennebec River in 1976, halted by environmental regulations and a legislative ban. It also marked the end of the historic Kennebec Log Driving Company (KLD). Founded in 1853 by 63 sawmill owners, the company was formed to coordinate wood transport, manage log-driving dams and minimize conflicts among river drivers. Dave Calder, 76, of Canaan, was one of the last KLD workers. “I started working on the log drives in June 1967 when I was 17 years old,” said Calder. “Because my dad was a river driver, I wanted to work on the river, too. Earning one dollar an hour for a 55-hour work week, I was bringing in pretty good money back then.”

Non-Target Catches

THE MAINE SPORTSMAN • June 2026

Non-target catches are one of the problems a trapper has to deal with. The capture of a Canda lynx must be reported to a game warden or biologist prior to removing the animal from the trap, unless a Department official cannot be reached in time to prevent injury to the lynx.

Opinion: Federal policy change means farmworkers in Maine will likely see a pay cut this year

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 1, 2026

the federal H-2A visa program, which allows foreign workers to work in seasonal agricultural jobs in the United States. A key part of the H-2A program is the Adverse Effect Wage Rate, or AEWR. For most of 2025, the AEWR for H-2A workers in Maine was $18.83, well above the current state minimum wage of $15.10. For 2026, the baseline AEWR for most H-2A workers in Maine will be $14.81. By law, these workers cannot be paid less than the state minimum wage, but this still works out to a potential pay cut of up to $3.73 per hour. We are lucky to live in a state with such rich and diverse agriculture. But we must also remember the lives and livelihoods of the workers who bring this produce to us and reflect on what fairness demands that we provide these workers in return. ~ Michael Haedicke

Opinion: Maine’s energy future can’t be built on 1980s rules

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 1, 2026

Our rapid adoption of heat pumps proves that Mainers are ready for change. But as we electrify our heating, we are trading a dependence on foreign oil for a reliance on a regional electric grid that faces massive demand during our coldest months. To survive a deep winter freeze without fossil fuels, our regional grid requires what engineers call firm power, meaning steady, reliable electricity that operates independent of the weather. Wind, solar and efficiency are vital, but they cannot carry the baseline load alone during an extended sub-zero snap. If we want true energy independence for New England, Maine needs to start looking further ahead. That means taking a serious look at Small Modular Nuclear Reactors. ~ Nathaniel Eames, Portland

Maine was warned about toxins in sludge decades before PFAS crisis began

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 1, 2026

In 1983, two farmers attending a growers’ meeting in southwestern Maine heard about a new product that would change their lives, and farming in the state, for decades. That product was sludge, a muddy byproduct of industrial processes and municipal wastewater treatment that also contained nutrients for enriching soil. For Fred Stone, a dairy farmer from Arundel, the decision to spread the fertilizer meant a free way to enrich his clay soil to grow cow feed. But Tim Leary decided against it. Friends at the wastewater department and local dairy cautioned about the chemicals and heavy metals likely to be in the fertilizer, which was made of refuse from the S.D. Warren Paper Mill in Westbrook. That growers’ meeting proved to be a trigger for the spreading of sludge throughout Maine, including through a state-sponsored program. The decisions made by Stone and Leary sent them down separate paths, the effects of which both farmers still feel.