“I took this photo, Pine Tree in Maple, in my front yard in Portland, Maine. I’m fascinated at how compatible these two trees seem to be!” —Photo by NRCM member Sally Trice of Portland, Maine To see past My Maine This Week photos, or to submit a photo of your own to be featured on Read More
LePage Says He has Ordered Investigation of Land for Maine’s Future
By Christopher Cousins Bangor Daily News news story Gov. Paul LePage made news on several fronts during a nearly hour-long press conference Friday at the Blaine House, which by now you’ve probably read something about. One of the tidbits we know the least about was LePage’s statement that he has called for an investigation into Read More
Saving Canada’s Boreal Forest
by Scott Weidensaul and Jeffrey V. Wells New York Times op-ed STRETCHING from interior Alaska across Canada to Newfoundland, and sandwiched between the prairies and the Arctic, North America’s boreal forest is a mind-boggling 1.5 billion acres in size — bigger even than the vast rain forests of the Brazilian Amazon or the Congo. And Read More
Report: Climate Change Threatens America’s Cherished Outdoor Experience
Stressful Weather Conditions Exacerbate Pests and Threaten Health in Maine News release by the Natural Resources Council of Maine and the National Wildlife Federation Augusta, MAINE, May 27, 2015 – Climate change is creating favorable conditions for many bothersome pests, including ticks, and is increasing their numbers and expanding their ranges, according to a report Read More
Coos Canyon, Swift River
Location: Byron, Oxford County Description: Coos Canyon is a roadside park carved out of the Swift River. Erosion has chiseled steep cliffs on both sides of the river. There are pools to swim in, flat rocks to sit on while you sift for gold, 15-foot cliffs to jump from, smooth rocks to slide down. The Read More
Crystal Spring Farm
Location: Brunswick, Cumberland County. From downtown Brunswick, take Maine St. past Bowdoin College and then right onto Pleasant Hill Rd. Parking for visitors to the farm is located on the left near the top of the rise about a mile out Pleasant Hill Rd. Description: The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust owns Crystal Spring Farm, which is Read More
Lots of Effort Went Into Writing Maine’s Mining Rules, But They’re Still Too Weak
By Hendrik Gideonse, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed For three months I’ve been part of a tiny handful of citizens watching a drive to approve weakened metallic mining regulations that threaten Maine’s precious environment and that challenge the very character of Maine’s democracy. We have attended a dozen-plus mining hearings and work Read More
My Maine This Week: Pemadumcook Lake by Peter Simmons
“Here are two photos from a trip paddling on Pemadumcook Lake and hiking in Baxter State Park.” —Photos by NRCM member Peter Simmons of Brunswick, Maine.
Proposed Mining Rules Still Too Weak to Adequately Protect Watersheds, Taxpayers
Legislature must reject the rules again they still don’t address concerns leading to defeat last year. By Rep. Ralph Tucker & Rep. Jeffrey Pierce Kennebec Journal op-ed A mining statute to relax our laws and attract mining to Maine was rushed through the Maine Legislature in 2012. The Legislature last year rejected weak rules to Read More
