Martin Woods Farm: Evolving Through the Farming Experience

DAILY BULLDOG • July 30, 2026

For generations, family farms have been at the heart of rural Maine, providing food, employment, and a gathering place for neighbors. Today, however, many small farms have evolved beyond traditional agriculture, finding new ways to remain sustainable while continuing to serve their communities. From educational programming and agritourism to locally made products and seasonal events, modern family farms are proving they can preserve rural traditions while embracing new opportunities. That philosophy is evident at Martin Woods Farm in Starks, where owners Sarah and “Bud” Martin have spent the last decade building an 88-acre destination that blends agriculture, horsemanship, education and community.

Column: From leaf to reef: Managing nutrient runoff from your yard

TIMES RECORD • July 30, 2026

This is the season when lawns get the most feeding, spraying and watering — and not all of it stays put. Some travels downhill into a storm drain, a creek, a river and eventually the ocean. Too much nitrogen or phosphorus feeds algae that overgrow and smother corals. A wise yard care plan is a step on the Water pathway, and it touches Habitat, too. ~ Fred Horch and Peggy Siegle, Sustainable Practice

Black bear dies at Maine Wildlife Park in Gray

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 30, 2026

A black bear died at Maine Wildlife Park in Gray on Wednesday. The wildlife park announced in a social media post on Thursday the loss of “our beloved resident black bear,” Luvey. It said one of the bear’s wildlife keepers had seen Luvey eating and otherwise behaving normally before she “suddenly collapsed.” “Staff responded immediately, but she passed away within minutes,” the park said. Luvey began her roughly five-year stay at Maine Wildlife Park in 2021. “A beautiful cinnamon-phase black bear, she quickly became a favorite among visitors and staff alike.”

Thousands of fish may have died in Penobscot River dam shutdown

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 30, 2026

A sudden Monday shutdown at a dam on the West Branch of the Penobscot River may have killed thousands of fish, leaving Maine anglers and guides warning that a nationally recognized cold-water fishery is being put at repeated risk. A downed power line triggered a “trip event” around 4:30 p.m. at McKay Station, which is about 30 miles west of Millinocket near Ripogenus Dam. The event automatically shut down the turbines. Water levels on the West Branch then fell from about 2,400 cubic feet per second to roughly 450 cfs almost instantly and stayed there for more than two hours. The unplanned outage at the dam has revived criticism of Brookfield Renewable, Maine’s dominant dam owner, its equipment maintenance and its response times when things go wrong.

Drought conditions worsening again in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 30, 2026

Drought conditions in Maine have worsened in recent weeks after months of fairly steady improvement. Maine’s coastline from York County through much of Hancock County is under moderate drought conditions as of this week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. All of Washington County and areas further inland, including most of Androscoggin, Kennebec, and Penobscot counties, find themselves under abnormally dry conditions. Slices of southern Aroostook, Franklin, Somerset and Piscataquis counties are also abnormally dry.

Baileyville paper mill fined $800,000 for ‘willful’ safety violations that killed 2

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 30, 2026

The operator of a Washington County paper mill willfully violated workplace safety laws, resulting in the deaths of two young men in January, federal investigators said Thursday. Twenty-year-old chemical engineering intern Kasie Malcolm and 26-year-old process engineer Allen Hornberger died of complications of hydrogen sulfide exposure when they were working at the Woodland Pulp mill in Baileyville, the Maine medical examiner’s office determined. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Woodland Pulp $794,456 this week. The mill, which has 15 days to contest the penalties, has been owned since 2010 by International Grand Investment Corporation, whose directors are based in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Beyond e-bikes: high-speed electric rides create new road hazards in central Maine

CENTRAL MAINE • July 30, 2026

E-bikes started becoming popular around 2019 and, boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic, they became a popular option for commuters and people with mobility issues. But in recent months, reports of e-bike crashes have increased across the country, with many involving children. One such crash occurred last week on Bangor Street in Augusta, where a 14-year-old riding an e-bike suffered serious leg injuries. Andrew Zarro, executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, said e-bikes aren’t the problem. Electric motorcycles are. E-bikes can’t go above 28 mph, but e-motos can — some drive up to 65 mph.

How to stay safe on an e-bike in central Maine and beyond

SUN JOURNAL • July 30, 2026

Laurel Parker is the medical director of the emergency department at MaineGeneral Medical Center. She and most of the her colleagues have seen several e-bike injuries She said head injuries are the most common, as well as orthopedic injuries to the arms, ankles and wrists. “I think it’s just a matter of time,” she said. “Especially as these things go faster, because you don’t have a steel cage around you like in a car.”

A poacher killed a doe and left her body to rot in a Maine apple orchard 4

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 30, 2026

A poacher killed a doe and left her body to rot in an apple orchard in Mercer. The poacher likely shot the deer sometime between 11-11:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Maine Operation Game Thief is offering a $2,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest or conviction of those responsible for the killing.

Land trust seeks to preserve Belgrade Scout camp, avert new development on nearly 300 acres

CENTRAL MAINE • July 29, 2026

A regional land trust and conservation organization raising funds to purchase the nearly 300-acre Camp Bomazeen Boy Scout camp describes the move as a once-in-a-generation opportunity. It’s a chance to protect and preserve one of the largest, undeveloped swaths of significant wildlife habitat remaining on Great Pond. Seven Lakes Alliance officials warn if they can’t raise $3 million within the next two months, it would be a highly desirable site for private development.

Bats and rabies in Maine: What to do if you’ve been exposed

CENTRAL MAINE • July 29, 2026

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday that a handful of bats have tested positive for rabies so far this year. With midsummer marking the start of bats’ most active season in Maine (ending in early September), the agency shared precautions people should take should they be exposed to the flying mammals.

Freedom adopts new rules aimed at curbing rowdy behavior at popular swimming spot

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 29, 2026

After complaints of drug use, nudity and other rowdy behavior, the town of Freedom will limit parking to recreational boaters and local residents, cut back hours and prohibit “disorderly conduct” at a popular boat launch and swimming spot. The select board has been trying for weeks to settle on new rules for the boat launch and swimming area on Freedom Pond, also known as Sandy Pond. The revised policy, released this week, forbids “indecent acts, intoxication or coarse language” and includes a $250 fine for vehicles that exceed the boat launch’s weight limits.

Yarmouth marina businesses worry about dam removal impact

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 29, 2026

Removal of the Bridge Street dam began in Yarmouth last week, an effort to restore the natural flow of the Royal River as it moves through town and out into the harbor that leads to Casco Bay. The town announced last week that it secured an environmental liability insurance policy with a total coverage limit of $8 million that would cover potential harm to businesses. American Rivers fully funded the policy premium of $44,200. The conservation nonprofit also secured funding for the dam removal.

Maine sees surge in salmonella cases linked to backyard poultry

SUN JOURNAL • July 29, 2026

Maine is seeing a surge in salmonella infections amid a multistate outbreak tied to backyard poultry. There have been 30 salmonella cases in Maine between April and July, including six hospitalizations, said Lindsay Hammes, spokesperson for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. People can get sick from touching backyard poultry and then touching their mouths.

Discovering Biodiversity on a Maine Mountain

FROM THE GROUND UP • July 29, 2026

After traveling several miles on one of Maine’s countless gravel roads, we parked at a log landing just growing up to raspberries. The surrounding northern hardwood forest had been recently harvested. This land had recently been acquired by a conservation organization ensuring a balance of sustainable forestry and protection of sensitive habitats in perpetuity. Two weeks into my new Ecologist position with the Maine Natural Areas Program, I accompanied our Chief Ecologist, Kristen Puryear, and her Field Assistant, Emily Carty, to assess rare natural communities and plants on the mountain looming above. Our observations also demonstrated the value of conservation across an elevation continuum, and at a “landscape” scale, where natural communities are interspersed, providing for species now and into the future. ~ Christopher Reidy

Column: Maybe They Should Be Called "Zebra-tailed Hawks"

BOOTHBAY REGISTER • July 29, 2026

We hate to be the ones to say this, but could you think of a bird name that’s more boring than this: broad-winged hawk? What does the non-birder imagine when they hear that? Maybe a large, eagle-sized bird with wings as wide as a door? Or do they wonder whether most hawks have narrow wings—this particular “broad-winged” species just really stands out? One of the greatest marvels of broad-winged hawks is their migration. We enjoy them here in summer but by late August or early September, most will have begun flying south. Unlike most other hawks, broad-wings like to migrate in large flocks. Sometimes these flocks number in the thousands, providing an unparalleled spectacle of abundance. Single daily counts of migrating broad-winged hawks in south Texas have numbered over 250,000 and in Veracruz, Mexico, over 500,000. We’ve only got them here in Maine for a few more weeks. Enjoy them while you can! ~ Jeff and Allison Wells

Insects & Other Natural Wonders, Aug 3

FRIENDS OF MERRYMEETING BAY • July 29, 2026

Ecologist Kathy Claerr who will lead a late afternoon walk in Brunswick on Monday, August 3, 4-6pm. While trees dominate in their contribution to forest biomass, native insects contribute a dominant slice of forest biodiversity. Insects act as pollinators and seed spreaders, even in ponds! They aid in wood and forest floor decomposition, recycling nutrients critical to the health of forests and, they eat and are eaten, by each other and by species as diverse as reptiles, amphibians, mammals, fish and birds. Unfortunately we appear in the midst of a major global insect decline. Preregister, contact Ed Friedman at 207-666-3372.

Portland launches strategic plan for urban forest areas as risks persist

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 29, 2026

Invasive pests. Intensifying storms. Housing development pressure. The trees of Maine’s largest city are increasingly at risk. “We’re facing pretty strong headwinds,” said Jack Phillips, executive director of Portland Parks Conservancy, who estimates that the city is planting only two trees for every three it loses. In an effort to fight back against these challenges, the conservancy has partnered with the city and a consulting firm to develop an urban forest master plan.

Opinion: Susan Collins still isn’t listening

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 29, 2026

We all knew what would happen once Brett Kavanaugh was on the Supreme Court. Everyone knew, it appears, but Sen. Susan Collins. In the fall of 2018, when the 17 of us went to Sen. King’s and Sen. Collins’ offices to ask them both to vote no on Brett Kavanaugh, only one met with us face-to-face. Sen. King made the time. He listened. He voted against Kavanaugh. Collins didn’t give us five minutes. She never even said hello. Over 200 Maine attorneys shared their concerns about how Kavanaugh’s voting could affect environmental laws and civil rights. Sen. Collins’ platitudes and assurances made on the Senate floor before she cast her deciding vote were a slap in the face to all of us who warned what his appointment meant. ~ Maureen Terry, Gorham, former Maine House majority leader, and Bev Uhlenhake, former mayor of Brewer

‘Stubborn’ wildfire in Penobscot County turns into full-time response for volunteer firefighters

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 28, 2026

Volunteer firefighters have spent a grueling week extinguishing a roughly 3-acre wildfire along a stream in the Penobscot County town of Bradford. The first of seven days along Mohawk Stream for volunteer firefighters began July 22. “We were kind of thinking, ‘Oh, this could be a minor thing…We’ll put it out, no big deal,'” Bradford Fire Chief Desmond Murray said. They soon realized what they were truly up against. Murray said his firefighters — all volunteers — have worked the scene for about 70 hours over the past week, and “we all have full-time jobs. All these small town fire departments…not one of them got paid the whole time. It takes a lot out of my department. My department is so burnt out after all this.”