Column: Keep those hummingbird feeders up and you may be surprised

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 26, 2026

In eastern North America, we typically only have one species of hummingbird, the ruby-throated hummingbird. It is a migratory species that arrives in Maine each spring then spends the summer nesting across the state. Most ruby-throated hummingbirds depart in September, though we do get reports of small numbers lingering into October and many fewer in November. In October, we should be on the lookout for both ruby-throated hummingbirds as well as western selasphorus hummingbirds. The proper hummingbird food is a simple 4-to-1 ratio of water to plain white sugar. Do not use red dyes, and sugar alternatives. ~ Doug Hitchcox, Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist

Letter: Susan Collins should stop raids on Acadia National Park funding

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 26, 2026

Sen. Collins voted for Interior Secretary Doug Burgum who siphoned maintenance project funds from Acadia National Park for Trump’s vanity projects. Collins and the Republicans allocated these essential funds and Congress has allowed this to be taken away without a fight. Maine can’t afford to have Acadia National Park fall into disrepair as it brings in over $700 million a year to our beautiful state. ~ Gary Loft, Lamoine

‘Do Not Drink’ order in effect for Anson, North Anson and Embden; lifted for Madison

CENTRAL MAINE • September 26, 2026

The Anson & Madison Water District issued a ‘Do Not Drink’ order for Anson, North Anson, Madison and Embden Friday after finding unsafe levels of fluoride in the water. It lifted the order for Madison Saturday at 9:00 a.m., but it remains in effect for the other towns.

Letter: Rethinking CLYNK

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 26, 2026

Gorham recently moved to mechanized single-sort curbside recycling, which prompted our home to revisit its recycling methods, ultimately deciding to discontinue CLYNK. Our goal? Recycle directly though municipal single-sort program while saving on expenses such as gas and bag fees. Economically, CLYNK no longer has value for us. Why does CLYNK not disclose an itemized list of rejected or unreturnable bottles in an account balance breakdown? Maybe because in 2025,  giant TOMRA bought CLYNK and exceeded $253,000,000 in global recycling revenue. Cash is king. ~ Gregory Sundik, Gorham

Juniper Ridge landfill files plans to transfer liquid waste

MAINE PUBLIC • September 25, 2026

Casella Waste Systems, the operators of state-run landfill Juniper Ridge have filed a court document detailing plans to transport liquid waste 20 miles to another facility for processing. Casella says Maine is facing a waste crisis and Juniper Ridge must be expanded as soon as possible to avoid running out of space by 2028. Environmental groups, abutters, and the Penobscot Nation are opposing the expansion. Sarah Woodbury, legislative director for Maine Conservation Voters, says the plan is not sound. "You should have leachate treatment systems at both of those facilities instead of running the risk of some type of spill in between the two facilities," she said. Casella did not respond to a request for comment.

Two years after Brunswick PFAs spill, high levels of forever chemicals detected in Harpswell birds

MAINE PUBLIC • September 24, 2026

Researchers have found elevated levels of forever chemicals known as PFAs in birds that nest in Harpswell, two years after a massive firefighting foam spill at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. Micah Miller with the Biodiversity Research Institute said PFAs levels were four to five times higher in birds within about five miles of the spill, compared with those nesting 40 miles away from it. Conservation research had already been underway on eider ducks and bald eagles in the area, so it was possible for scientists to compare blood PFAS levels before and after the spill. "We actually see the highest concentrations closest to the base, and then they kind of steadily decrease the further you get away,” Miller said. The research shows birds within five miles of the spill site had four to five times the PFAs levels as birds nesting within 40 miles of the spill.

84-year-old boater who went missing near York found dead

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 25, 2026

An 84-year-old boater who went missing near York earlier this week was found dead Friday, according to the York Police Department. Chester Benjamin Wiggins, of Bedford, Massachusetts, was last seen alive leaving Cape Neddick Harbor on a 17-foot boat Tuesday night. The Coast Guard suspended its search Thursday morning, but Marine Patrol and York police officials continued searching via plane and drones and recovered Wiggins’ body Friday afternoon.

Nor’easter to bring hazardous beach conditions, rain to southern Maine coast

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 25, 2026

The nor’easter moving north along the mid-Atlantic and southern New England coast this weekend will bring hazardous beach conditions, rain and gusty winds to southern Maine. The storm has slowed and was moving into southern New England on Friday. While there may be a chance of rain Saturday morning and afternoon in Maine, the odds increase Saturday night and into Sunday and Monday. “We’ve been so dry lately,” Combs said. “So this is a beneficial rain that we will see.”

Midcoast shellfish harvesters bogged down by deadly algae bloom

TIMES RECORD • September 25, 2026

Shellfish harvesters expecting a bountiful season are now assessing their losses and bracing for what’s next after an algae bloom wiped out most of the stock in certain Midcoast bays. Town and state officials, along with scientists and shellfish harvesters, have been monitoring a significant bloom of the phytoplankton Karenia mikimotoi after it was detected in Casco Bay earlier this month. The algae bloom, which is not harmful to humans, spurred the Department of Marine Resources last week to close shellfish harvesting in Maquoit Bay in Brunswick and the eastern side of Middle Bay in Harpswell, where clam diggers noticed dramatic die-offs of softshell clams and worms. More closures could be coming.

A Southwest Harbor landfill known for contaminating local wells is being capped

MAINE PUBLIC • September 25, 2026

Work is underway to cap a landfill in Southwest Harbor responsible for polluting nearby wells. It's a project that has been planned for nearly 20 years. The unlined landfill contains town waste and construction debris, says Ben Worcester, the president of Worcester Associates. The landfill hasn't been used since the '90s. And while the waste was previously capped, this project caps construction debris. David Madore, deputy commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, says water under the landfill will still be contaminated. The state has provided filters to homes with nearby wells that have been contaminated. Those filters will continue to be used while efforts to extend public water lines to affected homes continue. Worcester says his company has been working with the Maine DEP for roughly two decades to get project approval. He says funding was also an issue delaying the project which is expected to be completed by next September.

A battle brews over Maine’s salmon farms

MAINE MORNING STAR / INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS • September 25, 2026

The corporation that owns three salmon farming operations in Eastern Bay—Cooke Aquaculture, a Canadian multinational based in Saint John, New Brunswick—is being sued for business practices alleged to harm the environment, local fisheries and tourism. That’s why Beals Island and a few other Maine towns have recently tried to exert more local control over whether and how aquaculture facilities operate in their waters.

Maine town raffles off guns to replace fire gear lost in deadly mill explosion

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 25, 2026

Most of us who have ever camped for long in the big woods, have come to know the Canada Jay (aka Gray Jay, Whiskey Jack, Gorby and Camp Robber). These sociable creatures, next to a hummingbird, are the most interesting of all winged critters. They are non-migratory, a part of the crow family and can live up to 18 years. Somewhat tame and very inquisitive, the Gorby likes to stay in familiar surroundings. It gets through the long winters in the coniferous forest by stashing food in various places, demonstrating incredible resourcefulness. Naturalists speak of the bird’s amazing cleverness when it comes to caching food. Canada Jays are also known to mimic the calls of other bird species.

The Silent Shift in American Hunting

WESTERN OBSESSION TV • September 24, 2026

Hunting participation is declining. In 1982, there were 16.7 million hunters in the United States, representing 7.2% of the total population. By 2022, that number had dropped to 15.9 million. Hunters now represent just 4.8% of Americans.

Department of the Interior announces largest expansion of hunting and fishing by USFWS

NRA • September 24, 2026

The Department of the Interior recently announced the largest expansion of hunting and sport fishing opportunities in the history of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. More than 92 million acres—over 95 percent—of National Wildlife Refuge System lands are available for hunting. The rule will increase access at 111 field stations, including 107 national wildlife refuges and four national fish hatcheries. It also includes first-ever hunting or sport fishing opportunities at 14 refuges and three hatcheries.

Midcoast Wood Bank prepares to meet huge need as heating oil prices surge

TIMES RECORD • September 24, 2026

The Midcoast Wood Bank is bracing to meet high demand for free firewood as heating oil prices peak and temperatures drop. Midcoast Woodbank founder Bruce Wildes said, “The price of oil is through the roof, and people are struggling with heat and food and fuel for their cars. We are counting on donors and volunteers to help us bring the wood to people who need it.” On Wednesday, volunteers split donated wood into 16-inch pieces, and then used a small tractor to dump it on a pile to dry. This batch likely won’t be ready to burn until the fall of 2027. The organization offers two cords of wood to any household that needs it. The volunteer-run operation prepares firewood in Topsham, stockpiling in the leadup to the winter months. Volunteers meet to work from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and Wednesdays.

Historic Cape Elizabeth barn gets a new life

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 24, 2026

The air smelled of old wood and remnants of smoke. The dark wood-paneled walls were bare, except for a yellowed birthday poster for Peter Eastman – or Pops to some. The creaky floors were empty. Soon, the approximately 100-year-old barn will be buzzing with activity, a new home to educational programs, movie nights and community events for the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust. It will continue the building’s legacy as a gathering space, said Executive Director David Briman.

Will a weekend nor’easter be enough to bust the drought? Keith Carson explores

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 24, 2026

Literally 100% of Maine is in at least a moderate drought, with parts of the coastline in extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The good news: We’re actually in better shape than we were last fall, but we still need a lot of rain to officially be out of a drought. Those graphics show us that Maine’s coast would need almost a foot of rain — 11.29 inches, to be precise — in just one month to stomp this drought out. That’s why one rainy weekend won’t fix this. 

Rural Maine road to a popular hiking trail finally being paved after a year-long battle

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 24, 2026

Chick Hill Road in Clifton was regraded Wednesday and will be repaved Thursday and Friday, according to a notice from the town. The road is used by residents and hikers to gain access to the nearby 1,100-foot peak the road is named after. Chick Hill Road was the subject of multiple agenda items last fall for the Clifton Select Board after it was torn up as part of an improvement project but not immediately repaved.

Happytown Farm, Orland, 55 acres protected

MAINE FARMLAND TRUST • September 23, 2026

In late August, farmers Karen and Paul Volckhausen and Angelica “Munch” Harwood celebrated a new chapter for Happytown Farm as Maine Farmland Trust closed on an easement protecting the 55-acre farm in Orland, with support from Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust. Since the early 1980s, the Volckhausens have been producing organic vegetables, meat, poultry, and flowers, and have long been deeply involved with MOFGA, local farmers’ markets, MFT, and mentoring countless young farmers. As they began to plan for retirement, Karen and Paul searched for many years to find new owners for the farm – and with transition planning support from Land For Good, farm employee Angelica “Munch” Harwood recently took over operations under a rolling lease agreement, which should allow her to build the equity necessary to eventually complete the purchase of the farm, while MFT’s and GPMCT’s purchase of the easement on the farm will help to make this arrangement financially feasible for Paul and Karen. The Volckhausens also donated a trail easement across the property.

Deering Family Farm, Scarborough39 acres protected

MAINE FARMLAND TRUST • September 23, 2026

The Deering Family Farm has become the latest in a growing cluster of protected farms in Scarborough. In August, the Deering family five siblings, including longtime MFT Lands Committee member Glen Deering, purchased 39 acres from the O’Donal family while simultaneously closing on a conservation easement with MFT to permanently protect the land. The Town of Scarborough contributed half of the funds toward the easement through the town’s conservation Land Bond.