Cats aren’t the only domestic animals that disappear

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 24, 2025

Cheryl Curtis was at home last week when the Jersey steer she spent nearly $3,000 raising to feed her family this winter disappeared from her barn. A horse went missing from another farm in Somerset County the same week, also a suspected theft. Though there’s only so much farmers can do to prevent losses, knowing how to respond if their animals go missing can increase the chances of finding them. Livestock with valuable genetics can be stolen for resale. For that reason, keep an eye on local farm auctions, social media and online listings such as Craigslist.

The Maine ski town being overtaken by pricey vacation homes

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 24, 2025

Newry, which is known for the Sunday River ski resort, is not a typical small town. It has long had local builders putting up fancy vacation homes for sale. But the luxury housing market boomed during the pandemic, raising prices for homes that once were in the $500,000 range as well as demand for them on small plots on or near the mountain. It is leading to some concern in the western Maine town. It will hold a public meeting Wednesday to consider writing an ordinance that would regulate vacations rentals, although town officials have already decided against capping them as some other popular Maine tourist towns including Kennebunkport and Bar Harbor have done in recent years.

A Bangor neighborhood is frightened by coyote sightings

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 24, 2025

A state wildlife biologist says the best way for residents in a Bangor neighborhood to get rid of their coyotes is to remove food sources, not trap or hunt them. Residents in Bangor’s Fairmount neighborhood, near the Bangor Municipal Golf Course, are afraid because coyotes have been spotted in the residential area several times in recent months. Now, they’re considering how to rid themselves of the animals. Additionally, Keel Kemper, a regional wildlife biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said neighbors shouldn’t let their pets, including cats, outside alone, especially at night. “If you’re scared, you can carry a whistle. It’s very easy to scare off a coyote.”

Future economic development in Maine: Are there limiting factors?

TIMES RECORD • February 23, 2025

Should the California fires tragedy be a “wake-up call” for Maine to closely examine our own plans to prepare for: record-setting hottest years, more strong variability in precipitation, more violent hurricanes, torrential rains and enhanced coastal/inland flooding Yes. One solution: implementation of efficient and widespread public transportation systems, further reducing our carbon footprint. Additionally, designing future communities, where housing/markets/shops/services are within close proximity/walking distance, thereby reducing use of personal vehicles. Further, new strategies to improve/manage traffic/pedestrian flow patterns would aid in reducing greenhouse gases. Lastly, carbon capture and sequestration technologies, intended to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from large industrial sources, could be introduced state-wide. ~ Dr. John M. Mishler, former Professor of Basic Life Sciences; and Sigrid R.E. Fischer-Mishler, former medical/radiological technologist; they live in Harpswell

Trump has some Canadians rethinking their Maine vacation plans

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • February 23, 2025

Thousands of Maine business owners who have been snared in recent political tensions between the U.S. and Canada and are bracing for the potential impacts of President Donald Trump’s threat to levy 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, as well as his insulting statements about their Canada. Maine’s tourist economy is particularly at risk because it depends on people feeling good about how and where they spend their fun money. In 2023, 781,400 Canadians visited Maine and spent $464 million while they were here. The Maine Tourism Association, which represents over 1,600 member businesses, has received a rash of calls and emails from Canadians with questions and concerns about their 2025 travel plans, said CEO Tony Cameron. “Some voiced their intent to cancel.” Now, 56% of Canadians say they will not travel to the U.S. or have canceled plans to do so.

Biggest ever Skijor Skowhegan meshes Scandinavian sport with economic impact

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • February 22, 2025

Skijoring began in Scandinavia, usually with dogs or reindeer instead of horses, and the sport made its way to the U.S. as early as 1915. Maine is now a hub for the sport on the East Coast. Main Street Skowhegan, the town’s major economic development nonprofit, brought skijoring to Maine seven years ago at Eaton Mountain. The popularity of Skijor Skowhegan has skyrocketed. Thousands of spectators braved the cold and wind Saturday to watch the festivities, hovering right around record attendance.

Regulators move forward with compensation rules for solar on farmland

MAINE MONITOR • February 21, 2025

Maine environmental regulators moved one step closer on Thursday to implementing rules that would force solar developers to pay for impacts to high-value agricultural land. The Board of Environmental Protection, which is developing the rules in concert with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, voted to schedule a public hearing on the proposed rule and post it for public comment. A date for a public hearing has not yet been set. The substance of the rules, which include what counts as high-value agricultural land and defining compensation tiers, is being developed by DACF. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has been tasked with putting a dollar amount on the tiers once they are finalized and collecting the money, which will be set aside for mitigation or farmland conservation, similar to the way the state collects fees for impacts to wetlands. 

Volunteers keep Acadia’s carriage roads ready for skiers

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 22, 2025

About half a dozen regular volunteers help keep nine of Acadia National Park’s historic carriage roads groomed for cross-country skiers, allowing visitors to glide past Jordan Pond and Frenchman Bay, said Nikki Burtis, stewardship manager with Friends of Acadia. Now supported by Friends of Acadia, volunteers have been caring for the trails since the 1980s. Initially, they used homemade groomers — like cinderblocks and box springs towed behind snowmobiles — to flatten the snowpack, Burtis said. But these days, crews have access to a small fleet of snowmobiles and specialized equipment.

Maine Farmland Trust 2024 Annual Impact Report

MAINE FARMLAND TRUST • February 22, 2025

In 2024, we accomplished: 
1,720+ acres of farmland protected with agricultural conservation easements across 12 farms
885+ acres of Maine’s best agricultural soils protected
545 acres with an Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value across 5 farms
‍366 acres of farmland remained in agriculture through 6 links to new farmers
40+ farmland protection projects in process for 2025 and beyond

Drilling in National Parks? Trump's Environmental Gutting Continues

MSN • February 22, 2025

On the very first day of his presidency, Donald Trump made it clear that his administration would prioritize industrial development over environmental conservation. Through a series of executive orders, he dismantled existing climate and conservation policies that had been put in place to protect public lands. These orders primarily focused on opening up these lands for drilling and mining activities, which marked a significant shift from the previous administration's priorities. The swift actions taken on inauguration day were a harbinger of the administration's intent to reshape America's environmental landscape. Public lands that were once protected were suddenly at risk of being exploited for their natural resources. The executive orders sparked immediate concern among environmentalists who feared the long-term impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems.

National Parks cutting hours, limiting services as Trump layoffs reduce staffing

USA TODAY • February 22, 2025

National Parks across the country are cutting hours, cancelling tours, closing visitor centers and warning of other cutbacks following Trump administration cuts to the federal workforce. Advocates say the cuts will hurt park users: the American public. Interior Secretary "Doug Burgum is already leaving a path of destruction across America’s parks and public lands," said Aaron Weiss, the deputy director of a public lands advocacy group. "These terminations are foolish, heartless, and do nothing to make the government more efficient.” Ashley Korenblat, who runs a cycling business, said, "We've spent millions and millions and millions of dollars marketing America's National Parks to the world and now we're just throwing away that money."

Part of L.L.Bean flagship store torn down as part of $50M renovations

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 22, 2025

The $50 million makeover of L.L.Bean’s flagship store and campus accelerated this week with the demolition of an exterior portion of the building on Main Street in Freeport. The flagship store’s renovation is expected to provide a more accessible and immersive customer experience, including a new first-floor entrance and grand staircase and a larger indoor trout pond with multiple tiers and more viewpoints for better fish watching. The project is on track to be completed by fall 2026.

Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians acquires 1,327 acres

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 22, 2025

The land along the North Branch of the Meduxnekeag River in Monticello has been returned to the Maliseet people following a two-year combined effort by the tribe and several conservancy groups, First Light Learning Journey, The Nature Conservancy and the Conservation Fund. The acquisition of 1,327 acres abutting tribally owned Wilderness Pines Campground is part of a larger effort in Maine to restore access and ownership of tribal lands to the Wabanaki people.

Maine is at an impasse with towns that pass aquaculture restrictions

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 21, 2025

Towns up and down Maine’s coast have grappled for more than a decade with the changes that come with a growing aquaculture industry. In the last several years, some have gone further, considering local ordinances meant to restrict state-issued leases for large aquaculture projects in their waters. It has brought to the forefront tensions between traditional uses of Maine’s coast and the growth of aquaculture, an industry that has grown by about 2 percent annually for the last two decades and brings in more than $85 million in sales each year. It has also highlighted disagreements about which entity — the state or the municipality — has the authority over those uses, creating an ongoing impasse.

Community tree steward to offer orchard care workshops at Lewiston-Auburn schools

SUN JOURNAL • February 21, 2025

Community fruit orchards in the Twin Cities have a new caretaker and a promising spring ahead. Sean O’Connell, a community tree steward serving with Maine Conservation Corps, is set to lead free fruit tree care workshops and orchard maintenance days in Lewiston-Auburn schools. O’Connell plans to build an arboretum in one of the eight L-A orchards before he wraps up his term in November.

National Park Service restores some jobs, pledges to hire 7,700 seasonal workers

ASSOCIATED PRESS • February 21, 2025

The Trump administration is restoring jobs for dozens of National Park Service employees fired amid government-wide reductions and hiring nearly 3,000 additional seasonal workers, following an uproar over an aggressive plan to downsize the agency. Lawmakers and advocacy groups have criticized the widespread layoffs as unnecessary and a threat to public safety and the parks themselves. Concern about the layoffs was bipartisan. Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, said she’s worried that Acadia National Park will “not be able to hire the seasonal employees required to collect entrance fees and perform other essential tasks such as maintaining trails and providing first responder services to visitors.”

Maine will not meet goal to eradicate childhood lead poisoning by 2030, according to new report

MAINE PUBLIC • February 21, 2025

A new report says that Maine's state goal of eradicating lead poisoning by 2030 will not be realized until 2050. State CDC Toxicologist Dr. Andrew Smith said blood testing of young children and housing inspections have increased, and that public health officials in high-risk communities such as Lewiston have secured federal funds to tackle the problem. But the state concluded that efforts so far will not be enough to eradicate lead poisoning by the end of the decade.

Proposed rule requiring solar companies to pay fee to use agricultural land takes step forward

MAINE PUBLIC • February 21, 2025

A proposed rule that would require solar companies to pay a state fee in order to place panels on agricultural land took a step forward Thursday. State agricultural officials and the Board of Environmental Protection say the proposed fee is aimed at balancing competing land uses. If implemented, solar companies would have to pay a compensation fee to the DEP in order to develop on what is assessed as 'high-value agricultural farmland.' The Department of Agriculture estimates that roughly 13% of Maine land would be have this designation.

Cutting clean energy tax credits would drive up Maine power bills

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 21, 2025

A halt to clean energy tax credits being considered in the Republican-controlled Congress and by the Trump administration could boost electricity prices in Maine by 17% over the next 15 years, adding an average of $15 to a monthly bill, according to a study. Eliminating tax credits could lead to a $22 billion-a-year falloff in clean power investment in the U.S.; in Maine, the loss would be $100 million annually, according to the report. Nearly 1,500 megawatts of power generated by onshore wind, battery storage and solar energy would be lost in the next 15 years in Maine, with most disappearing by 2030. The result would be a loss of less expensive clean energy produced in Maine, exposing consumers to price volatility for fossil fuels such as natural gas and oil, whose prices are tied to global markets.