After years of talks, Auburn preps to remove Littlefield Dam on Little Androscoggin River

SUN JOURNAL • January 23, 2025

A yearslong effort to remove the defunct Littlefield Dam along the Little Androscoggin River in Auburn is finally nearing deconstruction. The city is seeking engineering consultants to plan a $3 million removal, which officials and environmental organizations are hoping will lead to Atlantic salmon and other migratory fish returning upriver. The project has been discussed for several years, but did not receive federal funding until last year, making it possible for the city to move forward.

Lincoln County welcomes another new farm sanctuary

TIMES RECORD • January 23, 2025

Jenny and Matthew Nichols’ Cottontail Cottage Farm Sanctuary (CCFS) is a haven for horses, goats, sheep, chickens, cats, dogs, rabbits, birds and people. Animals that are sick, injured, neglected or otherwise in need of care come from all over the state to seek refuge in Lincoln County, where the couple has found a new “forever home” in Whitefield. Starting on a 3-acre plot in Lamoine and later moving to Cherryfield, Cottontail has now settled into a secluded farmhouse bordering the Jefferson and Whitefield Wildlife Sanctuary — cozying up with its neighbors, the Darrowby Farm Sanctuary.

Livermore Falls Planning Board approves changes to Solar Energy Systems Ordinance

LIVERMORE FALLS ADVERTISER • January 23, 2025

The Livermore Falls Planning Board on Wednesday evening approved changes to the Livermore Falls Solar Energy Systems Ordinance, limiting their size to 15 acres and adding language to meet national fire safety regulations.

Why officials say electric school buses are the future

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • January 23, 2025

Maine school districts, including Winthrop Public Schools and the Yarmouth School Department, continue to have problems with electric school busessupplied through the Clean School Bus Program from Quebec-based Lion Electric Co. However, experts say the problems with Lion Electric buses are not representative of electric buses as a whole, which can be beneficial for schools, as the buses are cheaper to maintain and better for the health of students and bus drivers, as well as the environment as a whole.

Column: A chilly adventure at Brunswick’s Kate Furbish Preserve

TIMES RECORD • January 22, 2025

One of my favorite places to ski in the winter is at the Kate Furbish Preserve on Brunswick Landing. This preserve is composed of two halves separated by Harpswell Cove — Kate Furbish East and Kate Furbish West, both of which are managed by the Town of Brunswick. When the former Brunswick Naval Air Station closed, the U.S. Navy conveyed the 591-acre parcel to the town and it has since been improved for recreation including the addition of parking areas, signage and the grooming of trails for cross-country skiing. There is a complex environmental history of this piece of land given the Navy’s previous presence there. For the time being, it is a beautiful place to visit and to appreciate how it has continued to offer respite and recreational opportunities throughout the seasons. ~ Susan Olcott

Donald Trump’s Canadian tariffs could raise electric bills in Maine border counties

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 22, 2025

President Donald Trump’s plan to levy 25 percent tariffs could lead to higher electric bills for nearly 60,000 Maine ratepayers along the Canadian border. The higher prices would serve as a tangible consequence of Trump’s aggressive trade policies and affect parts of the state that have backed him in his three elections since 2016. Trump, who began his second term Monday, had threatened to immediately enact tariffs of 25 percent on imports from Canada and Mexico, but he has now indicated they may come on Feb. 1.

With funds running out, Maine is at a PFAS crossroads

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 22, 2025

Over the last decade, Maine has spent more than $100 million as it became a national leader in the fight against harmful forever chemicals, but dwindling funds will soon force state officials to make difficult choices about whom to help and whom to turn away.

Mills proposes $2 million in funding to fight impending budworm infestation

MAINE PUBLIC • January 22, 2025

Governor Janet Mills is proposing $2 million in funding to fight an impending budworm infestation in Maine's spruce and fir trees. The spruce budworm is native to Maine's spruce-fir forests, and usually isn't a problem, in normal population years. But in epidemic years, when the population explodes, the budworm becomes of the most damaging forest insects in North America. An outbreak in the 1970s and 1980s cost the timber industry hundreds of millions of dollars and devastated millions of acres of Maine forest. State inspectors now say the budworms are poised to strike again this spring. The $2 million in state funds will cover Maine's share of a $15 million early intervention pesticide program.

7 Maine fishermen will soon go shrimping for first time in a decade

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 22, 2025

The Maine Department of Marine Resources has selected seven fishermen to go shrimping next month. It’s a rare opportunity — the first time in 10 years that any northern shrimp have been caught and sold in Maine. Federal regulators are launching the program while they consider changing rules that, if passed, will explore the viability of the shrimp fishery’s future more intensively than they have in a decade. But this pilot program isn’t an indication that the fishery will reopen in the near future — or, perhaps, ever.

Blue Hill group could gate property after target practice violation

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 22, 2025

A Hancock County land trust may gate property where people have traditionally hunted, the trust said on social media Wednesday. The Blue Hill Heritage Trust said the gate would limit vehicle access to the group’s Wallamatogus Mountain property, where people who were target practicing with clay pigeons and recreational hikers clashed on Jan. 16 over use of the property. The trust allows hunting with permission on most of its land parcels, but target practicing of any kind is explicitly prohibited.

Environmental officials confirm PFAS contamination in fish from Brunswick spill

MAINE PUBLIC • January 22, 2025

Samples of fish taken near the former naval airbase in Brunswick have been found to be contaminated by PFAS chemicals from this past summer's spill of toxic firefighting foam. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection said concentrations of forever chemicals in softshell clams, blue mussels and oysters were well above what are considered acceptable levels. The results took months to obtain due to complexity involved in testing fish tissue samples, the DEP said.

Peregrine falcon rescued from Bates mill in Lewiston

SUN JOURNAL • January 22, 2025

The falcon had apparently chased a pigeon into the old mill before becoming lost and disoriented in the roughly one acre of mill space. It was estimated the bird had been inside the mill, away from its food and water sources, for nearly a week.

Freight train speeds to increase up to 4 times in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 22, 2025

CSX Transportation, which operates on 481 miles of track and maintains 269 public grade crossings in Maine, will increase some train speeds to 40 mph. That’s up from 10 to 25 mph, depending on track locations. The speed increase follows a 2023 Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram investigation into recent derailments that found the eight companies running freight through Maine are responsible for maintaining their own tracks, mostly police themselves, and too often fail to report accidents and injuries. The majority of nearly 4 million tons of freight traveling through Maine annually consists of pulp, paper, lumber and other wood products, as well as refined petroleum, minerals, chemicals and food.

Scarborough Land Trust protects 32 acres along Beaver Brook

SCARBOROUGH LEADER • January 22, 2025

In another win for conservation, clean water, wildlife and residents of Scarborough, Scarborough Land Trust recently purchased and will protect 32 acres along Beaver Brook. The property consists of mature forests, intermittent streams, wetlands and 1500 ft. along the brook, which flows into the Scarborough Marsh, Maine’s largest contiguous salt marsh and an area of statewide ecological importance. The purchase was funded through grants from the state’s Land for Maine’s Future program, the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, and the town of Scarborough Land Bond, as well as donations from generous individuals.

Trout Unlimited seeks to remove 200-year-old dam in Buckfield

SUN JOURNAL • January 22, 2025

The Buckfield Select Board on Tuesday unanimously agreed to enter into a memo of understanding with Trout Unlimited, who wants to remove the Brush Shop Dam on the Nezinscot River, which is over 200 years old. The dam is privately owned. Representatives of the Merrymeeting Bay chapter of Trout Unlimited attended Tuesday’s board meeting to explain the process of removing a dam. Gene McKenna, conservation chairman of the chapter, said the removal would benefit brook trout as they migrate to colder waters upstream. It would also allow the river to return to its natural state. The organization has been involved in the removal of several other dams in the state. The process could take several years as local, state and federal permits are sought.

Opinion: Susan Collins should oppose Russell Vought

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 22, 2025

Here in Maine, we understand that climate change poses real risks. That’s why it’s alarming that a Project 2025 author, who is hellbent on ousting science and public health experts and gutting clean energy investments, could take a powerful post in President Trump’s administration. The U.S. Senate just held a hearing on the nomination of Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget. I’m extremely concerned about his promises to dismantle safeguards and solutions that our communities depend on. Vought wants to remove any consideration of “climate” from the government, as if that might erase the impacts people in Maine are already facing. It’s clear that Vought will use his power to gut investments in clean energy and grid resilience. Sen. Collins should reject his confirmation. ~ Chandler Green, Environmental Defense Fund

Nordic skiing faces uncertain future in southern and central Maine

MAINE PUBLIC • January 21, 2025

After 30 years offering cross-country skiing on its network of trails, Smiling Hill Farm made the tough decision this winter to permanently end the skiing program. The farm has been in Michael Knight's family for over 300 years. He used to groom the trails with his father. But despite his love for the sport, Knight says it's just not viable anymore. Last winter, the farm saw just one good day of skiing. Between grooming, hiring employees, and maintaining rental equipment, cross-country skiing hasn't brought in a profit for the farm in over five years. Ski trails all across Southern Maine have been bare this winter due to lack of snow. Even this past weekend's snowstorm wasn't enough to open cross-country ski trails at Pineland Farms in New Glouster.

Brunswick pushes to curb chemical lawn treatment

TIMES RECORD • January 21, 2025

Brunswick is rolling out rules regulating lawn treatment and pesticide use. Brunswick resident Abbie Sewall, with support from the town Marine Resources Committee and Conservation Commission, is preparing ordinance changes to protect lands in the shoreline protection overlay (SPO) and Brunswick’s coastal waters as a first step. To mitigate stormwater pollution, the goal is to create setbacks where only products approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) are allowed. Dan Devereaux, the town’s coastal resource manager, envisions a swift transition in which property owners in the SPO are given educational resources to replace their garden products with OMRI alternatives.

Trump’s order halting offshore wind disrupts Maine’s efforts to build an industry

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 21, 2025

An executive order that President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office targeting further development of offshore wind complicates, and likely delays, Maine’s budding effort to stand up an industry to capitalize on winds sweeping the Gulf of Maine. At stake are three projects in Maine: commercial offshore wind leases in the Gulf of Maine; a University of Maine research site, also in the Gulf of Maine; and plans to build a terminal on Sears Island to assemble turbines.

Nordic Aquafarms to stop pursuing Belfast fish farm project

MAINE PUBLIC • January 21, 2025

Nordic Aquafarms announced Friday that it will no longer pursue its land-based salmon farm in Belfast, after years of legal challenges from opponents. The company said it has spent tens of millions of dollars on the project, and secured local, state and federal permits; calling the decision a sad day for the Maine economy and aquaculture industry. But the project faced legal setbacks when trying to secure access to Penobscot Bay to draw water and discharge wastewater. Upstream Watch, which has long opposed the project, said it is a huge win for the city, and that the project was ill-conceived, and would have polluted Penobscot Bay.