The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 20, 2025
An Aroostook town will get recommendations on how to save energy costs in its aging municipal buildings thanks to a state award. Fort Fairfield is one of 14 Maine communities awarded technical assistance in the Community Resilience Partnership Energy Efficiency Planning for Rural Communities program, offered through the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future.
MAINE PUBLIC • March 20, 2025
Efficiency Maine Trust and similar agencies in three other states accuse the Environmental Protection Agency of illegally blocking billions of dollars intended to help reduce greenhouse gas pollution in a lawsuit filed in federal court. The agencies said the EPA's termination of $20 billion for lending to clean energy and efficiency programs was unlawful and unconstitutional. Efficiency Maine offers rebates, loans and other incentives for energy efficiency home projects including insulation, weatherization and heat pumps.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 20, 2025
The Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee on Wednesday voted 7-5 along party lines to approve a measure authorizing Efficiency Maine Trust to pursue more than $2 million from an electricity market run by New England’s grid operator, ISO-New England, to help subsidize EV purchases by Maine car buyers. Republicans have criticized state efforts to broaden EV use in Maine, saying they are too costly for many Mainers and that the state has no business remaking private transportation. Democrats and their environmental allies say EVs are a critical part of Maine’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
MAINE BEACON (Maine People's Alliance) • March 20, 2025
“Extremely wasteful and deeply traumatic.” That’s how Tessa Corsetti, a wildlife biologist who was abruptly fired by the Trump Administration from her job at U.S. Fish and Wildlife, described her experience. “Wildlife management and conservation play a vital role in supporting Maine’s economy and culture, and much of this work is done by civil servants,” Corsetti said. “Federal agencies are being gutted, and the policies that protect wildlife and our public lands are under threat.…My job [was] to increase efficiency. So unfortunately, the loss of that has been in direct contrast to what this administration says is their priority.”
TIMES RECORD • March 20, 2025
Within weeks of the presidential inauguration, the federal scientific enterprise that funds academic research has been reshaped, sparking uncertainty in the scientific community. With colleges pausing hiring, reassessing graduate student admissions and eliminating jobs as grant applications languish, the question emerges: How will Maine, a state with labs like the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and university systems, be impacted? Mike Lomas, director of the Bigelow National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota, said, “Scientists must explore alternative avenues — contracting researchers for private companies or turning to philanthropic organizations.”
NORTHEAST WILDERNESS TRUST • March 20, 2025
Kathleen Fitzgerald and Sebastián Di Martino, veteran conservationists with decades of combined experience rewilding landscapes, talk about their work rewilding landscapes across North America, Africa, and South America. Hosted by Northeast Wilderness Trust. Online, May 6, 6 pm, free.
GLOBAL REWILDING • March 20, 2025
Humans are truly at the heart of rewilding and they are the ones benefiting the most from it. This is a true partnership between nature and the human community, with people gently assisting nature to recover, but with wild nature being given time and space to follow her own course, often surprising us, for example, as species reappear that we thought were locally or globally extinct. Rewilding is proving to be a powerful vision that can be turned into reality. It is based on hope and optimism, and inspires people from all walks of life.
TIMES RECORD • March 20, 2025
“Vernalized” is one of my favorite words. It is the concept of nature springing forth in spring and doing so particularly strongly when it is held back in dormancy during the winter. This week marked the official beginning of spring — the vernal equinox. The defining factor of the vernal equinox is not temperature but light. After night and darkness have seemed to swallow up day for many months, now light takes over and becomes more predominant as the season continues. As all of this productivity explodes, marine animals also prepare for their big growth season. ~ Susan Olcott
PENOBSCOT BAY PILOT • March 20, 2025
The Rockport Conservation Commission will present "Rising Tides, Lifting All Boats," a unique performance by the Halcyon String Quartet, March 30, 4 pm, at the Rockport Opera House. This event marks the launch of the Rockport Climate Resilience Hub, a new resource aimed at helping the community understand climate challenges and take meaningful action. The Halcyon String Quartet, a Midcoast artist collective, has been commissioned to interpret data from Rockport's climate vulnerability assessments and greenhouse gas inventory through music. Following the performance, there will be a panel discussion featuring local Midcoast resilience practitioners and volunteers, who will share their stories of climate actions in the region.
SUN JOURNAL • March 20, 2025
Maulian Bryant, executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance, talked Thursday afternoon with Bates College history professor Joseph Hall at the Great Falls Forum at the Lewiston Public Library. Their talk was titled, “Wabanakis Then and Now.” She said, the support and passion from Maine people in recent years to support its indigenous history and culture has been growing. Bryant detailed her progress and battles on more recent legislation to amend pieces of a 1980 settlement between the state and tribes, some of which has been vetoed by Gov. Janet Mills.
TIMES RECORD • March 20, 2025
As a regular observer of the Brunswick-Topsham bridge project, I have watched with awe from the early excavations through the precision placement of massive steel beams. Progress has been impressive, and we eagerly await the final product. Throughout the bridge construction, environmental considerations have been carefully managed. Both public and private partners have prioritized sustainable practices, ensuring that the project minimizes its ecological footprint. From sourcing materials responsibly to implementing eco-friendly construction techniques, the bridge project serves as a model for environmentally conscious development. Watching the progress as the new bridge takes shape should help us all gain some confidence that we have the capability to build better futures together. ~ John Dorrer, Topsham
WAGM • March 20, 2025
The invasive Emerald Ash Borer is making it’s way to other parts of the state. The bug was first detected in the northern and southern parts of Maine back in 2018. Officials say that they are seeing it spread into central Maine this year. The Emerald Ash Borer is a destructive pest that is not native to Maine but has been living in parts of Maine since 2018. It’s believed that the spread happens through the transportation of firewood. Folks can help slow the spread with early detection, treating ash trees with insecticides, and by not transporting firewood.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 20, 2025
Acadia National Park is reinstating the eight probationary employees terminated in February. “In compliance with court orders, the Department of the Interior is reinstating these employees. All impacted employees will receive back pay, and the department will ensure continued compensation as the White House pursues its appeals process,” the National Park Service said Wednesday. Last Thursday, U.S. District Judge William Alsup declared that the termination of probationary park employees throughout the country was illegal.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 20, 2025
Countries at the forefront climate policy—Denmark, Sweden, New Zealand, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Iceland and Finland—also rank in the top quartile for the proportion of women who have served in government positions. I can’t say that these two statistics are directly correlated, but women are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis, giving them unique insights into the solutions needed for resilience and adaptation, and women are inherent nurturers and therefore can better provide the care our planet requires. Who better to fix a problem than the people being primarily affected by it? Find female climate advocates in your community. Reach out, offer support, listen and learn. ~ Zoe Peterson, Bowdoin College senior
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 0, 2025
My wife and I are members of a small solar array, which we own with eight other families. During a 14-month period, we sent 705 kilowatt hours of “unused expired credits” from our array through CMP’s wires. That electricity was then sold by Avangrid. Poor Avangrid! It wants to eliminate net energy billing but is quite happy to receive the one and a half months-plus worth of free electricity we sent it so that it can sell it on the open market and further increase the millions of dollars in profit it makes each year and pay millions of dollars in dividends to its shareholders. ~ Richard Estabrook, Brunswick
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 20, 2025
Attempts to cancel net energy billing are based on the false claim that the solar program is responsible for increased electricity costs for Mainers. Those cost increases are primarily the result of the rising price of natural gas and storm recovery costs from last year’s devastating storms in January. Every dollar invested in net energy billing results in $1.29 in ratepayer benefits. More than 100,000 Mainers currently have solar installations, providing clean energy to reduce carbon emissions and limit climate change. To cancel net energy billing would break the state’s contract with those Mainers. It would also eliminate any incentive to install solar energy systems. It would be an irresponsible step backward and away from our goal to reduce fossil fuel consumption. ~ Stephen Martin, Brunswick
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 20, 2025
In late January, Maine lost Gary Corson, a wild native brook trout conservationist of unmatched knowledge, accomplishment and influence. Few if any have done as much for Maine’s wild native brook trout as Gary. And when it comes to lake- and pond-dwelling wild native brook trout, no one in the history of Maine ever knew more, and it’s likely no one ever will. In 2001, he was named Sportsman of the Year by Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine. He was the 2011 recipient of Maine’s Legendary Maine Guide Award. He lived and breathed lake- and pond-dwelling native brook trout and dedicated an immeasurable amount of time to their preservation. The next time you see a State Heritage Fish sign while afield, take a moment to thank the person who was most responsible for making it happen, Gary Corson. ~ Bob Mallard
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 20, 2025
Ticks have already emerged in some parts of Maine this month and are likely to be active throughout the spring. This winter’s temperatures were colder compared to those in recent years, which can limit tick survival in certain conditions. But that doesn’t mean the ticks, and the diseases they carry, are likely to drop off in 2025. That’s because the colder temperatures also kept snow cover on the ground, insulating the ticks and protecting them from cold weather.
MAINE GOVERNMENT NEWS • March 19, 2025
Young agricultural leaders from across Maine gathered at the State House for a successful Agriculture Policy Day, a key event in the state's ongoing Year of Youth in Agriculture initiative. The day provided 4-H and FFA members valuable opportunities to meet Governor Mills, the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, and other lawmakers, and share their passion for agriculture and its role in rural and urban communities. The students spent the day engaging directly with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, and Maine Department of Education staff and policymakers. They discussed the importance of agricultural advancement and education and highlighted the critical role young people play in Maine agriculture today and in the future.
WBLM • March 19, 2025
Acadia National Park is one of America's most wonderful attractions. The Maine park glistens with beauty, mystique, and wonder. It's everything that is right with the world, naturally compacted into a lovely little area.Acadia spans over 47,000 acres of stunning East Coast landscape. It offers world-class hikes, the tallest mountain on the Atlantic Coast, picturesque views, outdoor recreation opportunities, and so much more. It even provides plenty of activities during the off-peak months, which is great for locals to enjoy. Acadia saw nearly 4 million visitors in 2024, making it one of the most visited years ever. That was roughly a 2% increase from 2023.
