Exciting things are happening at a rural school district in the heart of Central Maine. RSU 19, a geographically dispersed, rural school district between Waterville and Bangor, is comprised of eight towns: Corinna, Dixmont, Etna, Hartland, Newport, Palmyra, Plymouth, and St. Albans. These communities are among some of the hardest hit by continued cuts to Read More
Nature of Maine Blog
The Natural Resources Council of Maine’s “Nature of Maine” blog gives you the inside scoop on some of the latest issues facing Maine’s environment. From environmental news to threats to opportunities, NRCM is on the frontlines of the latest goings-on—and we’re often leading the charge on efforts to protect Maine’s precious lands, air, waters, and wildlife. Read what NRCM staff members have to say and get the perspective of some of our members and supporters who have been guest contributors.
Perhaps you have an issue you’d like to write about. Maybe you’re an expert on a particular topic and are inspired to share your expertise. Maybe you’ve recently made a visit to a spectacular Maine nature preserve or other natural area and would like to write about it (captioned photos welcome!). For submission guidelines, email nrcm@nrcm.org.
Diminishing Options and the Climate Endgame
by Stephen Mulkey, PhD for the Natural Resources Council of Maine One of the strongest hurricanes on record, Ivan, was photographed on September 11, 2004 from an altitude of about 230 miles by NASA Astronaut Edward M. (Mike) Fincke. At the time, Ivan was in the western Caribbean Sea and reported to have winds of Read More
Summer Day 4: Aroostook River Headwaters
The final leg of my National Geographic Young Explorers grant was bittersweet. The day itself was glorious: warm, blue skies, and no clouds until we finally said goodbye to the Maine North Woods later in the afternoon. After eating breakfast and packing up camp once again, Brian tugged the canoe up the stream to Munsungen Read More
Summer Day 3: Munsungan and Millinocket Lakes
I awoke to rain again, this time pattering against the rain fly of the tent. I knew instantly we had made a mistake the night before, and I snuggled down into my sleeping bag and put the pillow over my head, willing it away for a few minutes. While we had the foresight to put Read More
Picking Ourselves Back Up
Today we awoke to the results of a bitter and divisive election, wondering what it all means. The outcome has many of us deeply concerned about whether the harsh rhetoric of the campaign will translate into policies that put our communities and places we love at risk. At a time when we need to be Read More
Summer Day 2, Part 2: Allagash Falls
The paddle across the lake was easy, but the next rocky section of Allagash Stream was tough. Paint marks on particularly large rocks illustrated that many canoes had scraped along the bottom before us, and we even spotted two lost paddles caught in downed tree limbs and along the shore. We were too heavy, and Read More
Summer Day Two, Part One: Allagash River
Day two dawned wet. We could no longer access the weather report without internet or phone, but there was no mistaking the dense, low-hanging clouds. Though Bob Johnson rarely has canoers, the other couple and us were ready to paddle the Allagash Wilderness Waterway by 8 in the morning. Johnson led all of us down Read More
NRCM Leadership, Then and Now
By NRCM Board President Kate Rush and founding NRCM Board member Bill Townsend One afternoon this summer, I had coffee with Bill Townsend, a founding Board member of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Serving as the second President of the Board, Bill has served as a board member or advisor for NRCM since 1960, Read More
Monumental Road
On an Indian Summer morning in October my husband, brother, and I took a backroad truck ride from Dexter up to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Orange and yellow leaves grabbed the sunlight and tossed it back at us as we rolled along the quiet roads to Millinocket. We were grateful for the brilliant Read More
