Can’t get a slot to see the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain? Try these other Acadia sites instead

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 12, 2026

While Cadillac Mountain is the most popular spot to watch the sunrise in Acadia National Park,  it’s not the only place where visitors can enjoy an enchanting daybreak. For the visitors who either can’t secure a Cadillac reservation or are less enticed by the swarms of onlookers, there are still quite a few spots to catch a glorious sunrise in Acadia.
• Egg Rock Overlook
• Schoodic Point
• Otter Cliffs
• Champlain Mountain
• Seawall picnic area

5-acre brush fire in Otisfield contained after 15 departments respond

ADVERTISER DEMOCRAT • July 12, 2026

Crews have contained a fire in Otisfield that broke out in the woods Sunday. Otisfield Fire Department Deputy Chief Ryan Fox said a call came in just after 11 a.m. reporting a brush fire off Bolsters Mills Road. When crews arrived at the scene, the fire had spread about 2 acres, but quickly grew to 5 acres. Otisfield Fire Department called for additional engines. A total of 15 fire departments responded. The fire was contained after several hours, but officials were taking preventative measures to ensure it does not reignite.

Five-acre brush fire in Otisfield contained after 15 departments respond

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 12, 2026

Crews have contained a fire in Otisfield that broke out in the woods Sunday. Otisfield Fire Department Deputy Chief Ryan Fox said a call came in just after 11 a.m. reporting a brush fire off Bolsters Mills Road. When crews arrived at the scene, the fire had spread about 2 acres, but quickly grew to 5 acres. Otisfield Fire Department called for additional engines. A total of 15 fire departments responded to the scene.

UMaine is applying to receive up to $1 million for agricultural research infrastructure

MAINE PUBLIC • July 12, 2026

The University of Maine could receive up to $1 million in federal funding for agricultural research infrastructure. The funding is part of a new partnership between the U.S. departments of Agriculture and Education to encourage land-grant universities to address deferred maintenance and to accelerate modernization of agricultural research facilities. UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy said, "It's about helping rural farms be sustained.

Rooftop solar eases New England's electric demand in heat wave

MAINE PUBLIC • July 12, 2026

Solar panels mounted on rooftops across New England significantly eased overall demand for electricity from the regional grid during an intense heat wave in early July, according to a new analysis. Jamie Dickerson, senior of climate and clean energy programs at the Acadia Center, said distributed solar generation helped New England electric customers save at least $130 million in wholesale energy costs during the heat event between June 28 and July 4.

They could be lurking right outside your door. Tips on avoiding ticks in your yard from Maine experts

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 12, 2026

Maine residents are in the midst of this year’s tick season and experts say the tiny menaces could be as close as your front or back yard. Last week, the Androscoggin Valley Soil and Water Conservation District held a workshop at the Auburn Public Library on a variety of ways to reduce ticks in your yard. The state’s current data suggests it’s shaping up to be a normal tick season. For tick-proofing landscaping tips, go to the University of Maine’s Cooperative Extension’s resource page at extension.umaine.edu.

Column: How 30 minutes can help one of Maine’s most iconic birds

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 11, 2026

The good news: Maine’s loon population is doing well overall. A total of 3,174 loons were reported across southern Maine lakes last year, including 568 chicks. The population has more than doubled since the first official Loon Count in 1983. More than 1,800 volunteers count loons on 400 lakes and ponds across southern Maine. This year’s loon count is next Saturday, July 18. Traditionally, surveys covered only southern lakes because northern lakes didn’t have enough resident volunteers to cover the necessary territory. Nonetheless, Maine Audubon is working to expand the range of surveyed lakes north. It’s too late to sign up to survey a remote lake this year. But maybe next year. ~ Bob Duchesne

8 must-try Maine hikes if you love waterfalls

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 11, 2026

Here are eight Maine hikes where gorgeous waterfalls await your arrival.
• Moxie Falls, near The Forks
• Niagara Falls in Baxter State Park
• Ledge Falls in Baxter State Park
• Orin Falls in Katahdin Woods and Waters
• Gulf Hagas near Brownville
• Mariaville Falls in Mariaville
• Peter’s Brook Trail in Blue Hill
• Little Wilson Falls, near Elliottsville

Column: Appalachian Mountain Club celebrates 150 years with relay from Virginia to Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 11, 2026

Founded in 1876 by a group of scientists, educators and outdoor enthusiasts, the Appalachian Mountain Club is the oldest outdoor recreation and conservation organization in the United States. The original goal of the club was to explore, map and protect the mountains of New England, with particular focus on New Hampshire’s White Mountains. One hundred fifty years later, AMC remains dedicated to fostering the protection, enjoyment and understanding of the mountains, forests, waters and trails in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Over 90,000 members — including nearly 6,000 in Maine — across 11 chapters comprise the club’s vibrant and passionate outdoor community.  ~ Carey Kish

Explore the wonders of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway

NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • July 10, 2026

Have you had the chance to explore the wonders of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway? Luke Frankel, NRCM’s Woods, Waters, & Wildlife Director and Staff Scientist, recently headed up there for a five-day canoe trip with friends.

Japanese knotweed giving you fits? Here’s how you can kill it

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 10, 2026

apanese knotweed is among the world’s most invasive, resilient plant species. In Maine, it has spread “everywhere,” said Abigail Edenfield, Presumpscot Regional Land Trust’s environmental steward from Maine Conservation Corps. Travelers brought the plant from eastern Asia to North America in the late 19th century to adorn domestic gardens. The species is highly damaging to Maine’s natural ecosystems. Enter Mainers, who are working to remove the unwelcome plants not only from their own gardens and yards, but also from their communities more broadly.

Maine's old growth forests are disappearing. This program could help save them

MAINE PUBLIC • July 10, 2026

After centuries of farming and logging, only pockets of large, old trees remain in Maine, especially in southern Maine. "If northern Maine has 3% or 3.5% of the landscape in this, than there is less than 1% in southern Maine," said Brian Milakovsky, a senior forester with the New England Forestry Foundation. He said old woods are critical for biodiversity. And they serve an outsized role in trapping climate-warming carbon dioxide. Preserving those trees is a challenge in Maine, where most forests are private. The foundation is using a $4.3 million U.S. Forest Service grant to offer landowners partial value of their timber to defer logging trees. That should give groups time to conserve the parcels through purchase or easement. Or to let carbon credit markets develop that would pay landowners for the carbon storage potential of their living old trees.

Letter: ‘Secret beach’ is overrun by visitors who will stop at nothing

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 10, 2026

Some years ago, the Press Herald published an article about “secret beaches.” Since then, Cliff House Beach attendance has soared. Cliff House Beach is a small beach with sand only at low tide. People have to cross a field of rocks and boulders to access any sand. The article identified it as a public beach. That may be, but it is in a neighborhood that traffic has absolutely flooded into. I have two areas of concern: safety and preserving the beach ecosystem. ~ Brenda Daly-Weiss, Cape Elizabeth

2 rescued after boat fire on Moosehead Lake

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 9, 2026

Two people were rescued Tuesday after flames engulfed their boat on Moosehead Lake.The fire broke out on the boat about 12:11 p.m. near Sugar Island, according to the Greenville Firefighters Association. Both occupants fled into the water, and nearby boaters brought them to safety.

Maine will resume ferry service to Swan Island Wildlife Management Area for first time since 2022

MAINE PUBLIC • July 9, 2026

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will resume complimentary ferry service to Swan Island Wildlife Management Area in Richmond this upcoming weekend for the first time since 2022. The service will resume because of a bill introduced by Rep. Sally Cluchey that was approved last year. "Reliable ferry access is more than access to the island, it's about access to economic benefits that come with it, breathing new life into our local economy, and making sure that future generations will have the chance to learn, explore, and fall in love with Swan Island," Cluchey said. the new ferry service will be provided by Capt. Gary Smith, owner and operator of River Run Tours in Bath.

6 events at the Scarborough marsh this summer

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 7, 2026

There is no shortage of activities and events at the Scarborough marsh this summer, whether you love wildlife watching, group walks or volunteering. The Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center hosts early morning bird walks every Wednesday at 8 a.m. all season. On the same day, you can return to the marsh from 10:30 a.m. to noon for the Family Nature Walk: Mummichugs and Marsh Muck from June 17 to Aug. 26. Or you can take another bird walk with Scarborough Land Trust volunteer and expert birder Brad Woodward on the Eastern Trail. The free event takes place from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22. The Eastern Trail Alliance hosts a full moon walk in the marsh on a monthly basis, and the next one takes place 7:45-9:15 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28. Join the Scarborough Land Trust in celebrating the marsh with a full day of activities on Marsh Day, Aug. 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Column: Maine gardeners find it hard to leave a paradise they created themselves

SUN JOURNAL • July 7, 2026

Twenty-one years ago, Andy Turocy moved from Provincetown, Massachusetts, to a 1732 colonial on an idyllic forested road in Georgetown. He devoted as many as six hours a day to the 2-acre “park” he carved out. Now, Turocy is selling the house and moving to Wells. Three years ago, Claudia Thompson and her husband moved from their home of three decades in Cambridge, Mass, to Piper Shores senior living community in Scarborough. Over many years, Thompson had taken their Cambridge yard with its unsightly brush pile and nonexistent landscaping and turned it into “this rich, biologically diverse, absolutely beautiful native landscape.” The couple faced health challenges. They made the difficult decision to put their house, with its cherished garden, on the market. Westbrook resident Jennifer Rowland was also nurturing a native garden. She’s at a major life turning point as well, in her case, divorce. Aaron Chadbourne, of the Greater Portland Board of Realtors, advises clients not to return to check out their garden after they’ve sold their house. Turocy gestured at his garden. “It’s going to be for the next person to interpret. You just have to pass it on.” ~ Peggy Grodinsky

7 beaches in Androscoggin County where you can beat the heat

SUN JOURNAL • July 7, 2026

There are plenty of beaches on the Maine coast. But if you are looking for something a little closer to home, there are beaches in Androscoggin County too. Here are seven places to go and have fun this summer.
• Range Pond State Park, Poland
• Cherry Pond, Greene
• Lake Grove Park, Auburn
• Brettuns Pond Beach, Livermore
• Stinchfield Beach, Leeds
• Bear Pond Beach, Turner
• Tripp Lake Beach, Poland

Letter: Trump fiddles while Earth burns

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 7, 2026

Donald Trump publicly denies that global warming is happening. That in spite of planet Earth burning, both literally (with more widespread and more severe wildfires across the world) and figuratively (with high temperature records being routinely broken, ocean temperatures rising, glaciers melting, severe droughts, and more damaging tornadoes and hurricanes). He even adds “fuel to the fire” with wanting to burn more coal (more pollution and more carbon dioxide). He has abdicated his responsibility as president to try to make things better. ~ Gordon Canning, Ripley

What does a changing climate mean for central Maine? We asked an expert

CENTRAL MAINE • July 5, 2026

Gail Carlson, Colby College associate professor of environmental studies, said, “There is a ton of uncertainty in predicting exactly how hot it’s going to be in the world, in the U.S., and in Maine. We have made progress in terms of climate action at the policy level and investments in renewable energy, such that the worst-case scenarios for warming are probably off the table now. So that’s a good thing. But Maine has already warmed around 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit over the last 150 years or so, so it’s not like, ‘Oh, we’re good now.’ I think it’s reasonable that we can expect warming to continue. Exactly how much in Maine is hard to say.”