Opinion: Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument offers a beacon of hope

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 21, 2026

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument marks its 10th anniversary on Aug. 24. The monument has averaged up to 40,000 visitors in recent years, and visitation for 2026 is trending significantly upward. The annual economic impact is over $26 million plus payments in lieu of taxes totalling since 2016 almost $3 million. Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters, has for 10 years has inspired young learners to connect with nature. The National Park Service and Friends have both invested in night sky programs. NPS maintains nation-to-nation relationships with all Wabanaki Nations. In the face of increased threats to public lands, I hope Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument remains a beacon of hope for what can happen when communities come together to invest in a brighter future. ~ Brian Hinrichs, Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters

Fact brief: Do two-thirds of Maine potatoes end up in processed foods?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 20, 2026

Yes. Roughly 65% of Maine potatoes end up in processed foods, such as french fries, potato chips, dehydrated potato products and canned products. Maine harvested about 1.74 billion pounds of potatoes in 2025, worth $257.3 million. Maine’s potato processing capacity expanded this summer with the opening of a Taste of Maine Potato Chip Co. plant in Limestone. The 81,100-square-foot facility uses locally grown potatoes and has an initial capacity to produce 15 million pounds of kettle-cooked chips per year. 

Fisher Farms named as the Maine Dairy Farm of the Year

WMTW-TV8 • August 20, 2026

Fisher Farms in Sabattus has been named the 2026 Maine Dairy Farm of the Year as part of the New England Green Pastures Award. The award recognizes one farm family from each of the six New England states for agricultural excellence, environmental stewardship and community leadership. Fisher Farms has been in the Fisher family since 1865 and is currently operated by Alden and Lisa Fisher alongside their daughters Carmen Fisher and April Wyman. The farm currently oversees 135 animals, including 55 cows that are milked twice per day. 

Sharks spotted near Kennebunk, Kennebunkport beaches

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 20, 2026

Sharks were sighted off Kennebunk and Kennebunkport beaches on Thursday. The sightings were reported off Gooch’s Beach in Kennebunk and Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport, the Kennebunkport Police Department said in a social media post. “Due to increased shark activity along the coast, beachgoers are encouraged to remain alert and use caution when entering the water,” the department said. The department advised people to be extra aware of their surroundings and, if they spot a shark, “to calmly exit the water, alert others nearby.”

Maine’s drought conditions keep getting worse

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 20, 2026

Most of Maine is back under drought conditions. More than half the state was experiencing at least moderate drought conditions as of Tuesday, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. A stretch of the coastline from Cumberland County up through southern Hancock County is under severe drought conditions.

Editorial: 10 years on, Katahdin Woods and Waters is a monument worth celebrating

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 20, 2026

The Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument was created a decade ago when then-President Barack Obama signed an executive order. The 85,563 acres for the monument were given to the federal government, along with an endowment to maintain the monument, by Roxanne Quimby and her family. When first proposed, it was often met with vitriol and venom. A decade after the monument’s official designation, that anger has largely subsided. It is, in part, a testament to the benefits that the conserved land has brought to a region that has been hit hard by the shuttering of paper mills and the accompanying loss of jobs. 

How to stay safe when you or your kids are riding ATVs

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 20, 2026

Maine officials are reminding off-road vehicle users to prioritize their safety following two fatal crashes in two days that claimed the lives of young people. The warden service has investigated six fatal off-road vehicle crashes since spring, including five that involved ATVs and utility task vehicles, also known as side-by-sides. That does not include ATV or UTV crashes that occur on public roads, which fall under other agencies’ jurisdictions. Ronald Fournier, a recreational safety supervisor for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, says there are two constants among fatal ATV crashes: speed and lack of helmets.

In 1964, Jane Sewall bought an abandoned Maine island; later, she gave it away to keep it wild

ECONOMIC TIMES • August 19, 2026

Jane Sewall's childhood dream came true when she purchased Witch Island near South Bristol, Maine. In a generous move, she donated it in two stages to prevent commercialization, carefully timing the gifts to sidestep impending tax regulations affecting property values. The Maine Coast Heritage Trust and the Maine Audubon Society were the fortunate recipients, while Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust now oversees the island as a protected wildlife haven.

National Parks Advocates Plan Day of Protest Against Donald Trump

NEWSWEEK • August 19, 2026

National park advocates are planning a nationwide day of action against President Donald Trump’s parks agenda, calling on his administration to provide greater protection and investment for the federal workforce that maintains the country’s parks. Parks supporters will gather online and at events across the country on August 25 to “speak out for America’s national parks.”

Maine sees uptick in travelers coming from Canada

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 19, 2026

Data shows that border crossings from Canada into Maine are rising again this summer, although traffic is still down from 2024. Federal data shows fewer Canadians visited the United States in 2025 amid political tensions and economic pressures. Some boycotted the United States last year in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The exchange rate for Canadians has also gone up.

Opinion: America’s ‘roadless areas’ are under attack. Here’s what New England stands to lose.

NEW HAMPSHIRE BULLETIN

Whether you have enjoyed a hike to a summit in the Green or White Mountains, fishing a cold-water trout stream, a postcard-perfect view from a highway overlook, or a glass of clean water from your tap, there’s a good chance that a U.S. Forest Service “Inventoried Roadless Area” is to thank. But the Trump administration put New England’s irreplaceable roadless areas in its crosshairs for logging and development by announcing its intent to rescind the “Roadless Rule.” More than one-fifth of the White and Green Mountain National Forests are at risk.

Portland makes pedestrian-friendly signal updates along Washington Avenue

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 19, 2026

The city of Portland has implemented new traffic signal timings along outer Washington Avenue that are meant to improve pedestrian safety. A news release Wednesday said the changes reflect the city’s “prioritization of vulnerable road users and safety in general” as officials continue a Vision Zero campaign aimed at eliminating pedestrian injuries and deaths.

Silent film festival will showcase Maine films unseen for over 100 years

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 19, 2026

In the early 20th century, Maine’s forests, lakes, rivers and coastline made the perfect backdrop for films made by small, local production companies. Silent film expert and restorer Ed Lorusso will host the 4th annual silent film festival “Up in Maine” showcasing three films shot in Maine that haven’t been screened in more than 100 years. Silent film actor Edgar Jones, William B. Williamson and Blaine Viles built a film studio in Augusta and produced 25 films between 1919 and 1921. Jones set out to make North Woods dramas based on topics like the lumber industry. The “Up in Maine” festival will be Aug. 29, 1-3 p.m. at the Colonial Theater, 139 Water St., ​Augusta. Tickets are $10.

Column; New Portland station could help launch rail revival in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 19, 2026

Passenger rail service in Maine scored its first big success since Amtrak trains started running to Brunswick in 2012 when the Federal Railroad Administration last Friday announced a $48 million grant to relocate the current Portland station to a site near Mercy Hospital. The new station could open up a new era of passenger and freight rail travel in Maine, if the state’s leaders would only listen to the growing popular demand for new service, expediting Amtrak service to Lewiston, Waterville and Bangor. ~ Douglas Rooks

Janet Mills joins growing chorus opposing major utility merger

MAINE PUBLIC • August 19, 2026

Gov. Janet Mills joined officials from four other New England states in opposing a major acquisition in the electricity industry that the governors suggest could impact rates and infrastructure improvements. The proposed merger of Florida-based NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy, which is headquartered in Virginia, would reportedly create the world’s largest regulated electric utility. The proposal is being reviewed by federal regulators. But in a joint statement released Tuesday, five governors said the deal would “concentrate an unprecedented amount of leverage in NextEra,” with potential ramifications for ratepayers.

Maine’s top court denies appeal of controversial Bar Harbor aquaculture lease

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 18, 2026

Maine’s highest court on Tuesday denied a second appeal of a state decision to grant a roughly 20-acre aquaculture lease in the waters off Bar Harbor to a Trenton-based mussel grower. The decision comes almost seven years after Acadia Aqua Farms first applied to lease about 40 acres in Eastern Bay to grow blue mussels. It also leases waters in Deer Isle, Blue Hill Bay and Frenchman Bay. The Bar Harbor proposal was met with organized opposition from residents and waterfront landowners.

Trump administration advances plan to rescind protections for nearly 45 million wild acres

MAINE MORNING STAR • August 18, 2026

The Trump administration will move ahead with plans to end more than 25 years of sweeping protections for tens of millions of wild, federally managed acres across the U.S. Brooke Rollins, head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, on Tuesday filed a rule to rescind “in its entirety” the national 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which prohibits road construction, logging and mining on nearly 45 million acres managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The Roadless Rule prohibitions are intended to protect wildlife, watersheds and old-growth forests.

Maine officials, offroad clubs urge safety after two ATV-related deaths

MAINE PUBLIC • August 18, 2026

On Saturday, 20-year-old Bruce Kennedy of North Berwick lost control of his ATV while traveling at a high speed on Piscataquis County trails. He died at the scene due to the injuries suffered in the crash. A day later, two fifteen-year-olds were riding in a 2026 CF Moto Z Force side-by-side in Fort Fairfield. One of the boys was thrown from the vehicle and died on the scene. The other boy was transported to Cary Medical Center in Caribou with injuries. Ron Fournier is the recreational safety supervisor for the MDIFW. He says riders often neglect basic safety protocol on trails they feel comfortable on, but conditions are often changing.

Letter: How Maine farmers can hack the market

CENTRAL MAINE • August 18, 2026

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of driving to Maine’s North Country where we saw firsthand our enormous fields of potatoes, buckwheat and other vegetables. We stopped at Bouchard Family Farm in Fort Kent where we were told that carrots and other local vegetables are sold to the public one day a week. Why don’t more Maine farmers do what Bouchard is doing, and run co-ops? Better yet, use building space next to a Hannaford store. That way, Hannaford becomes David. Maine farmers become Goliath! ~ Louise Haggett, Old Orchard Beach

Portland waterfront workers question zoning change for Hearts of Pine stadium

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 18, 2026

Workers who rely on Portland’s western waterfront for their livelihood are organizing against a zone change required for the Hearts of Pine’s stadium plans at Cassidy Point. Mariners working in commercial shipping, tugboat operation and more say they’re concerned about losing a substantial swath of industrial waterfront property — and future jobs — following the Aug. 4 unveiling of a $50 million soccer stadium proposal. The team has an agreement to purchase about 8 acres of property at the western edge of Commercial Street along the Fore River, which includes a commercial pier. However, in order for the 9,000-11,000-seat stadium to move forward, the city would need to approve a zone change.