My family has enjoyed trips to Maine’s North Woods for the past several years, mostly spending time around Moosehead Lake, Mount Kineo, and the Monson area. Recently we heard through NRCM that Roxanne Quimby was opening up sections of the Elliotsville Plantation land, which might one day become a national park and national recreation area. So, Read More
Bald Mountain Open-pit Proposal Shows Need for Strong Mining Rules
The rules that Maine has drafted will protect neither our environment nor our taxpayers. by Nick Bennett, NRCM Staff Scientist and Watersheds Project Director Portland Press Herald op-ed AUGUSTA — In his Nov. 6 Maine Voices column, Walter Anderson missed the mark on the mining issues facing Maine (“Maine should take lead in crafting modern Read More
Mining Bald Mountain Poses High Risks
DEP Failed to Reveal the Risks to Lawmakers and the Public NRCM produced an investigative report showing that documents in the possession of Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), but not disclosed to Maine lawmakers or released to the public, reveal that an open-pit mine at Bald Mountain in Aroostook County is likely to pollute Read More
Tunk Lake Area, including Donnell Pond and Spring River Lake
Tunk Lake Area, including Donnell Pond and Spring River Lake Location: In and around Township 10 SD, 12 miles east of Ellsworth, Hancock County Description: The Donnell Pond Public Reserved Land unit includes mountains, pristine lakes, and remote ponds all spread out over 14,000 acres in eastern Maine. There are sites for camping along the pond’s beaches, Read More
Pocomoonshine Lake
A Land for Maine’s Future program grant helped the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife acquire land alongside the Town of Princeton’s boat launch on Pocomoonshine Lake. The increased lake frontage will allow for parking and a turnaround at this popular sport fishing site, and will create safer opportunities for swimming (situated farther from Read More
Presumpscot River Preserve and Walton Park Water Access Site
Before its waters were harnessed for dams and polluted with industrial waste, the Presumpscot was a clear and swift-moving river that plunged over 12 sets of falls in its 24-mile course from Sebago Lake to Casco Bay. Improvements in water quality have renewed recreational interest in the river, after decades in which people kept far Read More
Rangeley Lakes Region
The Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program has helped to conserve three recreational gems in the Rangeley Lakes region. An LMF grant enabled Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust to purchase Bald Mountain from International Paper. The Trust subsequently transferred this 1,873-acre tract to the Bureau of Parks and Lands for management as the Bald Mountain Public Reserve. A Read More
River-Link Trail
Multiple conservation partners have joined forces to establish the River-Link Trail, a 10-mile stretch of protected freshwater and tidal streams, forests, shorelands, and trails connecting the Sheepscot and Damariscotta Rivers. By linking existing conservation holdings, this corridor will enhance the ecological value of established preserves and create a unique 20-mile hiking experience in Midcoast Maine. Read More
Round and Long Ponds
Knowing that Round Pond was a popular destination for fishermen seeking bass and brown trout, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (IF&W) began looking for a water access site on its shores more than a decade ago. Finally, in 2000, the State had an opportunity to acquire an attractive, wooded 17-acre parcel, bordering Read More