Man accused of digging up wire and copper around Moscow wind mill

CENTRAL MAINE • July 2, 2026

Police accuse a 37-year-old man of bringing an excavator to a work site in Moscow and digging up and making off with ground wire and a large amount of copper. Alex Stanley, of Tomhegan Township, was arrested Monday on charges of Class B theft by unauthorized taking or transfer; Class C burglary; and Class C aggravated criminal mischief. “The excavator was utilized to dig up ground wire from a wind tower station,” Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster said. The total estimated value of the items stolen and cost to repair damages is approximately $200,000.

How to safely enjoy the water in Maine as temperatures rise

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 2, 2026

After a string of recent deaths and with temperatures rising this week, officials are encouraging people in Maine to keep safety in mind when enjoying the water. “Once it’s warm enough in Maine to access natural water sources, we might make decisions that we wouldn’t otherwise, and people are often not as competent swimmers as they think,” said Brooke Teller, founder and executive director of Maine Community Swimming, citing an American Red Cross report. According to the Red Cross, 80% of adults say they can swim, but less than half can perform the five water competency skills required to save their own lives.

Biddeford man drowns after kayak tips off Martin’s Point Park on Sabattus Pond

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 2, 2026

A Biddeford man drowned Wednesday night when the kayak he was paddling tipped over near the shore of Martin’s Point Park on Sabattus Pond in Sabattus. Latti said Mateo Franco Cifuentes, 29, did not know how to swim and was not wearing a personal floatation device. Several friends and witnesses attempted to help him to shore, but they were unable to do so.

How to use a new fully accessible Kennebunk trail

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 2, 2026

The Kennebunk Land Trust this week officially unveiled its new Alewive Access Trail, marking the end of a yearlong project. The 1.1-mile trail was designed to make nature as accessible as possible to a wide swath of people, including wheelchair users, parents with strollers or other folks who may face obstacles enjoying the outdoors. One less-advertised gem in the trail is a curved bridge built by one of the volunteers.

Aroostook town turns unused land into a spot that grows connections

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 2, 2026

A plot of land in a northern Maine town that had been unused for over 15 years is now a thriving space that grows food and builds community. The Van Buren Community Garden, which was funded by a $44,345 Community Action Grant, is one of the town’s many revitalization efforts that use existing assets and grant funding to minimize local costs. The garden was built on a plot devastated by a 100-year flood in 2008. Besides repurposing the land, the venture allows residents to socialize, spend time outside and learn about food production. It also helps to address food insecurity.

This corner of Maine just keeps getting better for hikers

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 2, 2026

Leighton Field in Pembroke is a 25-acre property, part of Cobscook Shores, a system of waterfront parklands in far Down East Maine owned and managed by the private nonprofit Butler Parklands. Penobscot River Trails and the Seboeis Riverside Trail in the wild country east of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument also fall under Butler’s conservation umbrella. The hike at Leighton Field was the last of a two-day romp around these parts, where we sampled seven new-to-us Cobscook Shores preserves out of the system’s 20. Today there are about 25 miles of trails, most of them along 17 miles of shoreline. More is in the works.

State tightens rules on bringing animals into Maine to keep away flesh-eating flies

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 1, 2026

Maine is adding new restrictions to bringing animals into the state in response to a parasitic, flesh-eating fly recently rediscovered in Texas, six decades after it was eradicated from the country. The New World screwworm can lay its eggs in open wounds or orifices of any warm-blooded animals, from livestock to wildlife to pets — and even people. Larvae then feed on the animal’s tissues, tearing into it with sharp hooks around their mouths, injuring and potentially killing the host. The larvae then drop to the ground and later grow into adult flies. That means infested animals moving to new areas bring a risk of spreading the fly.

Piping plovers have another record-breaking nesting season in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 1, 2026

Conservationists are working to protect vulnerable chicks during the busy beach season. Beachgoers who spot a sandy-gray bird darting across the shoreline on bright orange legs may be looking at one of Maine’s biggest conservation success stories. After wintering along the southern Atlantic coast, endangered piping plovers returned to Maine’s beaches this spring and are nesting in record numbers. As of Wednesday, Maine Audubon reported 185 nesting pairs statewide — surpassing the previous record of 174 pairs set in 2025.

Mt. Agamenticus: Foundation of a Living Coastal Landscape

NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • July 1, 2026

Mt. Agamenticus (Mt. A) in York crowns a singular, treasured locale. It’s the centerpiece of the 10,000-acre namesake Conservation Region that is located within an additional 30,000-acre expanse of conservation land in southern Maine. This preservation movement serves as a shining example of how like-minded individuals, along with conservation and environmental organizations, raise awareness, and galvanize landowners and the public about the crucial importance of saving and protecting extraordinary landscapes brimming with life. It’s a campaign that’s required—and continues to require—the concerted efforts of state, local, and federal conservation groups and environmental organizations under the aegis of the Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative, mta2c.org.

Chebeague Island restoration effort improves shore for people and plovers

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 3, 2026

The curving shoreline of Chebeague Island’s Indian Point, also known as “the Hook” to island residents, will flow back into its more natural state and be more accessible to visitors following a restoration project completed by Chebeague and Cumberland Land Trust in June. The changes also aim to make the beach better for the tiny birds that share the shore — endangered piping plovers, which have started nesting on its sands.

planet maine vol. 32: green crab week; a new tick-borne illness

MAINE PUBLIC • July 1, 2026

The Green Crab Derby is a new event this year that’s part of the annual National Green Crab Week meant to raise awareness about the invasive, unregulated crab species. Green crabs first arrived on ships bound for the U.S. from Europe and North Africa. They’ve been present in New England waters for decades but climate change and warming waters have fueled a population explosion. Participants were given a 5-gallon bucket and a directive: collect as many green crabs as you can in an hour. Prizes would be given out to those who collected the biggest crab, the most crabs, and the most softshell. The participants won’t have to kill the crabs themselves; Wolfe’s Neck Farm & Campground in Freeport will add them to their compost.

Weather service declares extreme heat watch for eastern Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 1, 2026

The U.S. National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat watch for Mount Desert Island and the surrounding area. This week, the heat wave has moved scorching temperatures from the central portions of the United States east into New England and north into Canada. For Acadia National Park and coastal Hancock County, the extreme heat watch runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday. According to the weather service, this sort of watch is when “dangerously hot conditions with the heat index values up to 105 Fahrenheit are possible.”

Column: Finding dance halls in the hills

TIMES RECORD • July 1, 2026

A lifetime of trails has kept me reasonably adept at the juggling cadence needed for New England trails and their studding of rocks and roots. Thoughts for those who would “dance” trails:
• Never take one step where you can take two.
• Avoid stepping on roots or wood; it can be very slippery.
• Learn to read mud; you can discern skim mud from bog.
• Follow the water; its downhill trace is usually the one of most grace.
• Stop whenever you want to take in the view.
• When moving, keep your focus on your partner trail.
• Bonus thought: sing to yourself as you go.
~ Sandy Stott

Hiking in Piscataquis County

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 1, 2026

Whether you’re an avid hiker tackling new trails every weekend or someone who enjoys the occasional family hike, Piscataquis County is a beautiful place to explore. You can find everything from stretches of wilderness to gorges, lakeside paths, and waterfalls. Here’s a list of diverse places to explore:
• Mount Katahdin
• Gulf Hagas
• Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit
• Chimney Pond Trail
• Lily Bay State Park
• Guilford Memorial Walk

Environmental artist talks science comics, the Gulf of Maine and animal sex

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 1, 2026

Artist and environmentalist Perrin Roosevelt Ireland has been telling visual stories inside of scientific and policy institutions for years. Now in her debut book, “Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex,” she brings readers into the worlds of various species — hyenas, albatrosses, cephalopods, spiders and seahorses — and how they encounter sex. From mating, to pleasure,  desire and all that happens in between, creatures have much to say about gender and sexuality — and the world of science itself.

Opinion: Environmental laws should not be waived for border walls

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 1, 2026

West Texas may seem far from home here in Maine, but Homeland Security waiving 28 key environmental laws to expedite border wall construction in the Big Bend Region and ease the award of billions of tax dollars to private contractors should have everyone concerned. As a border state, Maine is similarly vulnerable to these environmental waivers, which can extend up to 100 miles from an international border. I was the archaeologist at Big Bend National Park until a few months ago and it is impossible to overstate how devastating these walls and other infrastructure will be to the culture and environment of this region. ~ Sarah Loftus, Hallowell

Letter: People in Maine need cars — and choices

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 1, 2026

The transportation funding crisis facing Maine didn’t come out of nowhere. In 2011, then-Gov. LePage froze the gas tax relative to inflation, effectively draining nearly $600 million from transportation system funding that would have made Maine safer, more accessible and better connected. Since then, Maine voters have had to pass 10 highway bonds to support transportation infrastructure. Even before today’s shortfall, safer and healthier transportation options like public transportation, walking, biking, rolling and community rides — have been chronically underfunded. That’s why we’ve assembled Transportation for Maine (T4ME) with more than 20 organizations statewide calling for long-term solutions that will allow Maine to start building the connected transportation system of the future. ~ Zoe Miller, Portland

Lincoln artist illustrates the historical transformation of Maine logging

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 1, 2026

The Maine lumbermen’s story during a tumultuous time comes to life in artist and former logger Roger Ryder’s paintings, reflecting his days of living in the woods at Telos Camp near Chamberlain Lake in the early 1970s as a Great Northern Paper foreman. This recent donation to Patten Lumbermen's Museum, made by his grandson, Vance Tompkins, 11, not only portrays the end of Maine’s river driving era, but marks the museum’s first steps to expand into the history of mechanized logging. The vibrant paintings detail the new equipment, night logging and the devastating spruce budworm that threatened Maine’s timber economy. 

Letter: Maine should expand fall deer season

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 1, 2026

I think it’s very logical to expand the “any deer permits” along the coast of Maine (BDN, June 18). What seems totally illogical to me is the lack of foresight in not moving the seasons ahead by two weeks when the fall is colder. The reasons being: The deer are moving. The weather being cooler means if one has to hold a deer longer for processing, there is less chance of spoilage. ~ Fred Carey, St. George

Letter: Maine should expand fall deer season 3

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 1, 2026

I think it’s very logical to expand the “any deer permits” along the coast of Maine (BDN, June 18). What seems totally illogical to me is the lack of foresight in not moving the seasons ahead by two weeks when the fall is colder. The reasons being: The deer are moving. The weather being cooler means if one has to hold a deer longer for processing, there is less chance of spoilage. ~ Fred Carey, St. George