Opinion: Longing for an alien encounter? Hit the backyard.

SUN JOURNAL • June 14, 2026

You don’t have to travel light-years to encounter alien life because it’s already here—in your own backyard. I’m talking about the common insects buzzing and burrowing all around us. Because, let’s face it, insects are weird. They wear their skeletons on the outside of their bodies. Insect ears can be almost anywhere — on the torso, legs, mouth, or even wings. Their eyes don’t always stay on their heads either — Japanese yellow swallowtail butterflies have primitive eyes on their genitals. Butterflies, moths and flies taste with their feet as well as their mouths. Insect abilities are even more astonishing. For instance, the diabolical ironclad beetle can survive being run over by a car. Insects also possess senses we lack entirely. Even more surprising are recent discoveries about insects’ behavior. Animals with different sorts of intelligences and capabilities are all around us. ~ Margie Patlak, Corea, Maine, and Philadelphia

Birders’ eyes were to the skies for Rangeley Birding Fest

SUN JOURNAL • June 14, 2026

A record number of birders flocked to Rangeley the weekend of June 6 to take part in the 8th annual Rangeley Birding Festival. Eyes were to the skies — and trees — as 104 visitors from New England and beyond participated in excursions in and around town. The festival ran from Friday, June 5, through Sunday, June 7. Around 100 birders of all experience levels participated in more than 20 guided sessions. The festival was run by Western Maine Audubon with help from the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust. Tim Flight, co-organizer of the festival, said he would like to see a steady growth in numbers.

Black flies: Maine’s smallest trail bullies

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 14, 2026

Black fly season in western Maine does not arrive quietly. It announces itself in your ears, around your eyes, behind your neck and anywhere else it can find exposed skin. Black flies and other biting insects are drawn by carbon dioxide, body heat, sweat, scent, movement and dark clothing. The bites are different from mosquito bites. Mosquitoes pierce the skin. Black flies cut or slice it and feed from the blood, which can help explain why the bites may leave angry, swollen welts. How to avoid them: repellent, long sleeves and pants, light-colored clothing and a bug head net. It is best to consult a doctor if swelling persists or there are questions or concerns.

Waterville says goodbye to its oldest resident, a 150-year-old elm tree

CENTRAL MAINE • June 14, 2026

Since sometime in the 19th century, Ellie the elm tree has watched Waterville transform from her home in Castonguay Square. But now, it’s time for her to say goodbye. For years, the city has been taking meticulous care of Ellie. She became particularly important after Waterville, known as the Elm City, lost most of its elmsto construction projects and Dutch Elm Disease in the 1960s and 70s. She’s long been believed to be the oldest and largest elm in Waterville, but despite a healthy past, Ellie has succumbed to what the city thinks is Dutch Elm Disease, and will be cut down later this month.

Acadia tackles climate change with its largest-ever restoration project

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 14, 2026

A major part of the largest restoration project ever in Acadia National Park is nearing completion, part of a sweeping effort to address more than a century of human disturbances and to adapt to a changing climate. The Great Meadow, a 116-acre wetland located next to Park Loop Road near downtown Bar Harbor, at the foot of Dorr Mountain, is undergoing an expansive, multi-year restoration to reclaim its natural water flow, disrupted by years of human-made modifications and the intensifying effects of climate change. One of the most significant project components is almost complete: crews have replaced a failing culvert at the outlet of the wetland with a much wider, more open span that will improve flood management and wildlife passage.

6 Maine summer hikes where you can go swimming

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 14, 2026

There are numerous Maine hiking trails that either lead to or past swimming holes that are bound to be more beautiful and less crowded than most of the public beaches. Here are some of our favorite options.
• Schoodic Mountain near Sullivan
• Tumbledown Mountain in Weld
• Gulf Hagas near Brownville
• Shore Trail near Flagstaff Lake
• Morse Mountain and Seawall Beach in Phippsburg
• Tunk Mountain near Franklin

Judge orders Trump administration to restore National Park changes at sites that ‘disparaged’ US

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 13, 2026

A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to restore sites changed under an executive order calling for the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks to not display elements that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.” The injunction also orders a pause on any additional changes, writing that the plaintiffs have shown that these efforts are meant “to rewrite the Nation’s history with a white-out pen.” The Trump administration must also provide a status report every week describing the progress they’ve made with these changes, the judge wrote. “…this Administration seeks to share a limited history by ordering the removal of all signs, displays, and interpretive exhibits at National Parks that do not align with its preferred narrative, thereby telling half-truths,” the judge wrote.

Opinion: Wyman Station is a problem Maine must solve

SUN JOURNAL • June 13, 2026

Wyman Station towers over Casco Bay. Its shadow similarly looms large over Maine’s energy future. It is Maine’s largest power plant. On cold days, the facility burns residual fuel oil to generate electricity and backstop the regional power mix. Despite Wyman’s old age and noncompliance with state air quality standards, Maine does not have a plan for how to replace Wyman’s on-demand power in the winter once the facility retires. New England’s regional capacity market is broken, and the reforms currently being considered could substantially increase electricity supply costs for Maine ratepayers while failing to incentivize investment in a balanced mix of new resources. Maine’s current energy policies have encouraged growth in renewable electricity, but do not resolve the grid reliability issues we face. It is time for Maine to come up with a plan and to get to work. ~ Eben Perkins, Competitive Energy Services, Portland

Bigelow Preserve’s 50th anniversary a good time to visit

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 13, 2026

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Bigelow Preserve, which was established by citizen referendum on June 8, 1976. It was the first time in U.S. history that a statewide vote was held to create a public parkland. The vote was close; out of the nearly 168,000 ballots cast, 51% voted in favor of the preserve question, while 49% voted against. The Bigelow Preserve protects more than 36,000 acres of this incredibly beautiful and ecologically rich terrain. It’s a recreational treasure that features over 30 miles of trails, miles of pristine lakefront, high elevation ponds, and abundant opportunities for hiking, backpacking, paddling, mountain biking and camping.  

Letter: Portland’s trees make way for yet more soulless construction

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 13, 2026

Early in June, the bureaucrats of the city of Portland approved the murder of 16 beautiful and perfectly healthy birch trees, after being hidden behind an ugly chain link and black plastic construction fence at the corners of Middle, India and Fore streets. This marks the beginning of the construction of yet another hotel in our city. The city prefers to see more dollars in the coffers than trees in our neighborhoods. Forest City is being overrun by foreign corporations that build soulless architecture of no benefit to the people who live here. ~ Julia Flanders, Portland

Column: Why you shouldn’t rely on this popular birding tool

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 13, 2026

Merlin is the bird identification app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Download it onto a smartphone, and you’ve got a free bird expert in your pocket. It can identify many birds by sight and sound. It can also misidentify them. Merlin is frequently right and infrequently wrong. It’s a good tool for identifying bird songs, as long as you treat its results as suggestions, not gospel. There’s no substitute for learning bird songs yourself. Nonetheless, I highly recommend Merlin for inexperienced birders, if it’s used as a tool and you understand its limitations. ~ Bob Duchesne

Letter: More investment needed to prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 13, 2026

In recent years in Maine, there have been more than 6,000 vehicle collisions annually with deer, which can result in injury and death for both animals and people. In the United States, wildlife-vehicle collisions kill 200 people and injure 26,000 every year, and they result in the death of millions of animals. This doesn’t need to continue. Using wildlife crossings — like bridges, tunnels, and culverts — animals are able to safely cross our roads, reducing animal-vehicle collisions by 80% to 90%, sometimes even more. They are a reliable and economically effective way to prevent unnecessary collisions. Let’s do our part to protect wildlife and save lives. ~ Lee Rusiecki, Freeport

Maine towns fight off invasive flowers as they encroach on popular swimming pond 10

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 13, 2026

In its native ecosystems across the Atlantic, loosestrife proliferates when a disturbance like a flood opens up new ground. But there, weevils eventually knock it back, a species that’s not present in Maine. Elsewhere in the U.S., the flowers have been controlled with the introduction of beetles that prey on it. Catching invasive plant populations early also helps get a handle on how quickly they spread and how common the plants can become. Seeds are easily carried by birds and can travel. The Maine Natural Areas Program produces a guide to identifying invasive species.

Opinion: Maine needs more energy storage. It also needs more rigorous environmental review.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 12, 2026

The proposed Western Maine Energy Storage project in Dixfield has attracted attention because it could provide a significant amount of grid-scale energy storage. The project would use pumped-storage technology, moving water between two man-made ponds and generating electricity when demand is high. Unless the ongoing environmental review identifies unexpected impacts or fatal flaws, it is likely to receive the approvals it needs to move forward. The Dixfield project should receive the same scrutiny that Mainers would expect for any other major industrial development proposed in the Maine woods. Hydropower is renewable, but renewable and environmentally benign are not the same thing. Maine needs more energy storage. It also needs rigorous environmental review and an understanding of the tradeoffs that accompany large-scale development. ~ Steve Heinz,Maine Council of Trout Unlimited

Brunswick student group aims to spark next generation of environmentalists

TIMES RECORD • June 12, 2026

Avery Peterson wanted more opportunities to learn about environmental issues and possible solutions. So, she created one — teaming up with the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust to establish an Environmental Youth Leadership Program at her school. In the program’s inaugural year, 12 Brunswick High School students visited local businesses, municipal facilities and research centers and spoke with community members about how the environment informs their jobs and day-to-day lives. “Youth voices matter more than we think,” Peterson said. “People are actually interested to hear what teenagers have to say, and showing up really matters more than we think it does. Everything is impacted by climate change. It can be really positive to see all the good work people are doing around you.”

‘Different this time’: Wind farms and transmission lines poised to come to northern Maine

MAINE MONITOR • June 12, 2026

The Maine Public Utilities Commission has tried to encourage the development of large-scale renewable energy projects in Aroostook County for years. That saga may finally reach a resolution as the commission closes its latest round of bidding today and says it may begin making awards this month. Northern Maine is “a fantastic wind resource,” according to Eliza Donoghue, of the Maine Renewable Energy Association. That wind power could help Maine and other New England states meet rising electricity demand as well as their renewable energy goals as climate change prompts policymakers and the energy system to find ways to shift away from fossil fuels.But Aroostook County lacks transmission lines going south to export that energy, and the state and developers have been “trying to unlock that puzzle of how to make that happen for a long time,” Donoghue said. Northern Maine has its own electric grid, linked to New Brunswick, Canada, rather than to New England.

$1M grant will help Aroostook pallet maker expand to Houlton

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 12, 2026

Nearly $2 million in federal and private matching funds will help a Mars Hill pallet manufacturer expand to a new facility in Houlton. The Southern Aroostook Development Corporation secured a $1 million grant on Friday through the Northern Border Regional Commission’s Forest Economy Program to support the Houlton Industrial Park project. The grant funds, combined with $800,000 from private donors, will be used by SADC to develop a modern manufacturing facility that it will lease long-term to Mars Hill-based Kearney Pallet.

Portland Foreside power plant loses first round with PUC

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 12, 2026

The Maine Public Utilities Commission issued a ruling this week preserving its authority to regulate a proposed cogeneration plant that would power hundreds of homes and businesses on Portland’s eastern waterfront. Portland Foreside Development Co. had requested an advisory ruling that the natural gas-fired plant would be exempt from regulation as a public utility. The plant would generate electricity and heat for several properties in the 10.5-acre mixed-use development, including a 132-unit condominium building, a 200-apartment complex and a 130-room hotel with 38 residences that are planned. The plant would be off the public grid and not linked to Central Maine Power Co.

Commentary: Taking on Trump to protect the Atlantic’s only marine national monument

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 12, 2026

The Trump administration has unlawfully opened up the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to commercial fishing. They don’t have the authority to do this. That hasn’t stopped them – so Conservation Law Foundation and our partners will. We just filed a lawsuit with the Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council, and whale watch naturalist Zack Klyver to block this reckless attack on the jewel of the Atlantic Ocean. As a marine scientist who has studied New England’s canyon ecosystems, I know how incredible this place is. ~ Dr. Gareth Lawson, Senior Scientist, Conservation Law Foundation Ocean Program

Column: How to spend 36 hours on Rangeley Lake

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 11, 2026

Out in western Maine, this tourist destination offers a throwback version of summer, marked by wilderness adventures and the amenities of a quaint downtown. Whether you’re paddling in the lake or overlooking it from a patio, the point is to be outside as much as possible. Here’s how to make the most of a weekend getaway in the region.