Letter: Action needed to stop fish deaths on Penobscot River

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 3, 2026

I live and work on the West Branch of the Penobscot River. On July 27 at 4:30 p.m. I noticed the flow had drastically decreased to 450 cubic feet per second; earlier in the day, it was over 2,000 cfs. My husband was down river at Little A Rapid and found 39 dead baby fish due to being stranded because of the low flow. This event warrants immediate investigation. This type of event seems to happen regularly. It results in significant stress on aquatic habitats throughout the West Branch; resulting in reduced available habitat, increased water temperature, decreased dissolved oxygen levels, and creates detrimental conditions to fish and other aquatic species. River flows need to be maintained at levels sufficient to protect fish populations and aquatic habitat. Action is needed now. ~ Sarah Sindo, Kingfield

Auburn dam removal begins, aimed at freeing up fish, improving water quality

SUN JOURNAL • August 2, 2026

A little-known dam built in the early 1900s for hydroelectric power generation on the Little Androscoggin River is being dismantled. The $3.5 million project, funded by the federal government, has been in the works since 2018, while the concrete structure has been obstructing the waterway for decades. There are 5 dams on the Little Androscoggin River. As long as the Littlefield Dam is obstructing the river, fish are not able to safely navigate it and water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels are negatively impacted by it. There are over 200 Atlantic salmon habitat units and more than 8,000 acres of potential river herring ponds upstream of the dam. NOAA, the state, and conservation groups say the dam’s removal has the potential to reconnect habitat for sea-run fish species like American shad, blueback herring, alewife, and Atlantic salmon.

New bridges span crossings at Farmington’s Mosher Hill Falls

SUN JOURNAL • August 2, 2026

Visitors to Mosher Hill Falls can cross Mosher Stream above and below the waterfall on two aluminum footbridges installed by the High Peaks Alliance. The bridges replace crossings where hikers previously picked their way across wet, loose and slippery rocks. They make it easier to complete the steep loop trail through the 199-acre Bernard and Jean Kinney Family Forest while preserving the trail’s rugged character.

Letter: Trapping is inhumane

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 1, 2026

A recent BDN article listed new animal trapping regulations in Maine. I am amazed that people still use traps. It is inhumane and cruel to use a device that causes severe lacerations, broken bones, joint dislocations or the drowning of wild animals. Once “caught” the creature is typically in severe pain, frightened and totally helpless until the trapper eventually returns. Depending on location, Maine law only requires traps to be checked every five days. There is the real possibility for an animal, including a non-target species such as endangered wildlife or a family pet, to get caught and die a horribly painful death over five days. Why is this activity considered a sport or even permitted? Sounds like the sport is “trapped” in the 1800s. ~ Charles Mitchell, Belfast

Column: If you want to see seabirds, August is your month

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 1, 2026

Atlantic puffin and a handful of other birds benefit from the nutrient rich waters off our shores. ~ Doug Hitchcox

Keeping Maine Beautiful

DOWN EAST magazine • August 2026

The highway crews, bottle redeemers, and altruists who clean up after everyone else.

Opinion: Cause for hope in the face of climate change

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 1, 2026

It is understandable why people succumb to hopelessness about the future habitability of our planet. The extraordinary website “Fix The News,” based in Australia, focuses entirely on good news around the world, and there is plenty of it. Focusing on such positive developments, however, doesn’t mean we can ignore reality. As global temperatures and seal levels continue to rise, climate impacts in the foreseeable future will become more severe. Keeping our foot on the pedal in the transition to renewable energy, we can stay on a trajectory to attain net zero emissions. We may not be able to restore lost coastlines or lost species, but the planet will establish a new equilibrium, and still be habitable. ~ Joseph Hardy, Wells

Maine lobster defamation suit hits choppy waters

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 1, 2026

The Maine lobster industry’s defamation lawsuit against a California aquarium that red-listed the fishery as a threat to an endangered whale took a hit this week in federal court, with judges voicing skepticism over the industry’s legal arguments. During oral arguments, a three-judge panel questioned whether an industry of 5,600 members can legally claim libel over scientific opinions publicized by the Monterey Bay Aquarium about the rope-based fishery’s impact on the endangered North Atlantic right whale. The judges’ pointed questions suggest the industry faces a steep climb to keep its legal challenge alive in the appeals court.

Column: Rare birds keep turning up in Maine this summer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 1, 2026

A bridled tern has been haunting the waters of southern Maine. A gull-billed tern was sighted several times in the Popham Beach area. A Forster’s tern has been spotted a few times in southern Maine. A royal tern wandered over to Matinicus Rock last Thursday. During an all-day voyage on Bar Harbor Whale Watch sharp-eyed birders picked out a tufted puffin among the thousands of Atlantic puffins nesting on Machias Seal Island. Tufted puffins nest exclusively in the northern Pacific. Does a tufted puffin seen near Machias Seal Island count as a bird seen in Maine? The island is claimed by both the United States and Canada. Two shorebirds are unexpected summer anomalies. A Baird’s sandpiper is at Kettle Cove, Cape Elizabeth. A long-billed dowitcher is in Scarborough Marsh. ~ Bob Duchesne

Waldoboro lobsterman buys longtime midcoast seafood wharf

LINCOLN COUNTY NEWS • August 1, 2026

Owning a fishing wharf had been a lifelong dream for Waldoboro resident Derrick Parlin. That dream came true when he purchased Osier’s Wharf in South Bristol and reopened the business on June 16 as Parlin’s Lobster Wharf. Parlin had been lobstering since the age of 12, had been fishing out of Osier’s Wharf for the past 15 years, and owned the 54-foot boat F/V Killshot. Parlin said he thought those experiences gave him a strong understanding of what it would take to run the wharf successfully. Parlin will be introducing some new menu items and is hoping to open a bar or a restaurant in the building.

This hike leads you to an enchanting waterfall on the Appalachian Trail

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 1, 2026

Surrounded by slate walls that reach up to 90 feet tall, Little Wilson Falls is one of the most impressive waterfalls — or series of waterfalls — in Maine. And it’s fairly accessible. From Monson General Store, where I enjoyed a hardy Trailblazer Sandwich, it was just a 20-minute drive to the trailhead off of Elliotsville Road. The upper falls is called a “horsetail,” meaning it’s long, thin and fans out at the end. Horsetail waterfalls drop off a steep cliff face but maintain contact with the rock beneath. ~ Aislinn Sarnacki

Staff turnover at coastal Maine food co-op leads to wasted crops for farmers

ISLAND AD-VANTAGES • July 31, 2026

Frustrated area farmers are pushing for changes at the Blue Hill Co-op after the store suddenly stopped ordering local produce during peak growing season. Four farmers said the timing of the problem, right as they were harvesting food to sell dealt an unexpected financial blow to farms already operating on thin margins. According to general manager Kevin Gadsby, the sudden halt in ordering was the result of staff turnover and disorganization in the nonprofit grocery store’s produce department. “Small farms play a significant role in making an area climate resilient, and the co-op plays a huge role in supporting small farms. I hope they figure it out,” said Reid Calhoun, co-owner of Moonbeam Farm in Blue Hill.

Freeport sculptures pay homage to Maine’s state flower — the pinecone

TIMES RECORD • July 31, 2026

“Pinecones with Tassel,” created by Patrick Plourde of recycled shovels, is the latest artwork to be displayed in front of Town Hall thanks to a partnership between the town and Meetinghouse Arts. “I really appreciate that both the Pinkies and the pinecones have not only the sustainable materials piece, but they’re tied to nature,” said Freeport Town Council Chair Joanna Benoit. “So there’s a tie to thinking about how we interact with our environment.”

Former midcoast college donates 27-acre park to town of Unity

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 31, 2026

The town of Unity voted Friday to accept a popular park from Unity Environmental University. The university said it has supported the town by providing access to the park for years and the gift “guarantees public ownership and access for generations to come.” Some Unity residents have complained that the 27-acre Field of Dreams park, which has sports fields, a tennis court, a playground and shorefront on Unity Pond, had fallen into disrepair. The park was created in the 1990s and later taken over by the university, formerly known as Unity College, which announced last month that it had sold its Unity campus for $6 million. The identity of the buyer has not been disclosed, but the university has said the new owner will convert the campus into an “upscale summer camp.”

Dam operator says Penobscot River flows met federal requirements during outage

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 31, 2026

The operator of the McKay Station hydroelectric facility said water continued to flow into the West Branch of the Penobscot River during Monday’s turbine shutdown, meeting the minimum release requirements under its federal license. The shutdown renewed criticism of Brookfield Renewable’s operations after a similar 2023 shutdown killed fish and aquatic life. Anglers, guides and conservation groups say the latest event again exposed fish to sudden dewatering, while a preliminary estimate suggests thousands of juvenile landlocked salmon may have died.

Yale survey indicates Mainers losing interest in climate change

MAINE PUBLIC • July 31, 2026

Big majorities of Maine residents believe in global warming, think it is caused by human activities, and that it is harmful. But public interest and concern with global warming slipped in 2025, according to the Yale University Program on Climate Change Communication. Big majorities supported transitioning away from fossil fuels, regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant and building solar and wind power in their local area. Fewer than half of people, however, said they have felt the effects of climate change or believe it will harm them personally. Since President Donald Trump assumed office last year, the federal government has hobbled renewable energy, boosted fossil fuels, stopped publishing some emissions data and obstructed research into climate. Meanwhile, the U.S. and other parts of the world are facing bouts of dangerous heat, wildfires and other disasters made worse by a warming climate.

Maine lobster boat builder nets first clean engine waiver

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 31, 2026

A Maine boatyard is building the nation’s first lobster boat exempt from modern clean-air rules thanks to a waiver program designed to offer financial relief to the state lobster fleet, but that opens the door to more diesel pollution in fast-warming New England waters. The exempted vessel taking shape in the yard at Wesmac Custom Boats in Surry is heading south to a Massachusetts buyer, but it sets a powerful example for Maine, home to the country’s largest lobster fleet. The Surry builder said there’s simply no room for a bulky exhaust scrubber under the deck.

Latest Brookfield Dam Shut-Down Hits West Branch of Penobscot Massive Fish Kills

TROUT UNLIMITED • July 30, 2026

A two-hour dam shut down and sparks from old electric transmission lines at facilities owned by Brookfield Renewable on the West Branch of the Penobscot River triggered fish kills and forest fires this week. This is the latest such event, which killed hundreds of landlocked salmon.  The latest fish kills and fires renew repeated calls—so far ignored—for improved onsite dam monitoring and staffing, and proper maintenance of aging infrastructure. "Brookfield has shown no inclination to adequately maintain its transmission lines between McKay Station and Millinocket, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has taken no action to change that since a similar event occurred many times before,“ said Steve Heinz, Maine Council of Trout Unlimited, representing some 1,500 resident conservationists and sportspersons. “On the current course of inaction, we can unfortunately expect more of the same -- fish kills and forest fires.”  

Monumental Success?

DOWN EAST magazine • August 2026

Carving Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument out of Maine's north woods was a big win for conservationists and other supporters. A decade later, questions about what the property could–and should–become are still up for debate.

Midcoast Conservancy to host State of the Lake Aug. 20

BOOTHBAY REGISTER • July 31, 2026

Midcoast Conservancy will host the State of the Lake on Thursday, Aug. 20, 4-6 p.m., at the Jewell Lodge at Wavus Camp in Jefferson. State of the Lake offers an opportunity to hear about the work Midcoast Conservancy is doing throughout the Damariscotta Lake Watershed. Guest speaker Sgt. Justin Fowlie, of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, will present a program on Maine’s regulations on recreation, recent law changes, enforcement policies, and water quality and invasive plant initiatives. Free but registration is requested.