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Photo by Joseph Ciembroniewicz for The Maine Monitor

Good morning,

Spring is a time for fresh starts, so it seems like a good time to announce changes we’ll be making to this newsletter in the coming weeks.

The first is that Emmett Gartner, who has been covering environmental issues for The Maine Monitor, is leaving us later this month to be closer to family. He has done some excellent reporting for us over the past three years — on the state’s deteriorating dams, on how small towns are preparing for disaster, on how tariffs are impacting Maine’s forestry industry — and we are sad to see him go, but we are excited to see where he lands. 

When we first conceived of Climate Monitor, we wanted it to be a dedicated space to showcase both The Monitor’s environment reporting as well as other important environment and climate journalism from around the state. It was the first (and for a long time, the only) beat newsletter The Monitor offered, and became the model for our other dedicated topic newsletters (Health Monitor, Downeast and Western Maine Monitor). It was a little bit scrappy and a little bit experimental.

It’s exciting how far this newsletter (and The Monitor) have come in just four years, and how much incredible, impactful environmental reporting we’ve done along the way. 

You’ll soon see a new name in the Climate Monitor byline, a reporter who will bring lots of experience and fresh eyes to environmental issues in Maine. At this moment of transition, we will be adjusting the tempo of the newsletter to give our new reporter time to dig into the beat.

You will see this newsletter again April 17 and every other week thereafter. You will also see new features, including reporter notes, interviews and data projects as we use this space to bring you more insights. 

As our new reporter gets settled, we also want to hear what issues you think are most important and undercovered on this beat. Send your ideas to us: editors@themainemonitor.org.

This piece from Grist: "To keep climate science alive, researchers are speaking in code" on the great "climate hushing" and how researchers and scientists are self-censoring or reframing their work to avoid attracting unwanted attention from the Trump Administration. 

While The Maine Monitor does not place its content behind paywalls, some newsrooms we link to in this newsletter may. 

Bill adding hunting and fishing to Maine's "Right to Food" law gets Senate approval | Maine Public

Towns vote in different directions in latest debates over aquaculture regulation | Maine Public 

A Winch, A Van and $2,000 Worth of Stolen Lobsters | Midcoast Villager

Gov. Mills joins New England states in commitment to explore nuclear energy | Spectrum News Maine  

Mainers could see refunds, decreased electric rates after overpaying for more than a decade | Portland Press Herald

Climate researchers dig into Maine's mountain snowpack | Maine Public

Maine Resiliency Center officially opens new location this week | Maine Public

Maine Climate Council grapples with affordability | Portland Press Herald

Maine doubles species covered by wildlife conservation plan | Maine Public

Maine heating oil prices up to highest point in years | Portland Press Herald

Have feedback, a correction or know of something we should look into? Send it to our newsroom. You can also email The Monitor's editors: editors@themainemonitor.org.  

The Maine Monitor is a publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit news organization that produces investigative journalism. We believe news is a public good and keep our news free to access. We have no paywall and do not charge for our newsletters. If you value the reporting we do for Maine, please consider making a donation! We cannot do this reporting without your support.

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