FAYETTE (AP) – Andrew Weegar, a writer and part-time farmer who helped conduct seminars for environmental reporters, was killed this week when he fell from his tractor and got trapped under one of its rear wheels.

Weeger, 41, had gone to clear brush near his home in this central Maine town Tuesday morning and wasn’t found until his wife returned from work late in the day.

“It was an accident, clearly,” said Fire Chief Ronald McLallen. “We’re still trying to piece together what happened.”

Weegar, who grew up in Bridgton, was an associate director of the Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources and participated in 24 of the Montana-based organization’s 28 expeditions.

“He was widely respected for his knowledge and skills – as a naturalist, woodsman, fisherman, canoe builder, river guide, farmer, land steward, teacher and writer,” the institute said in an e-mail. “He was beloved for his keen sense of history, magnanimous spirit, cheerful disposition, delightful sense of humor and highly developed ability to tell tall tales.”

A lifelong Maine resident who held a master’s degree from Harvard Divinity School, Weegar wrote for Maine Times, a now-defunct weekly newspaper, and co-authored a book on Maine and New Hampshire hiking.

Survivors include his wife, Abby Holman, and their 6-year-old daughter, Molly. A funeral will be held Monday at the North Fayette Church, next door to Weegar’s farm.