NRCM’s Annual People’s Choice Award
Our annual People's Choice Award honors a Mainer who has worked tirelessly to protect a special place, or has helped pass legislation safeguarding Maine’s environment, or has helped stop polluting companies from contaminating our state—someone who selflessly goes above and beyond to make sure future generations will enjoy the kind of Maine we know and love today.
The 2024 NRCM People’s Choice Award winner is: Buck O’Herin of Montville
Nominated by Stephanie Hanner, Midcoast Conservancy
NRCM Communications Manager Beth Comeau presents Buck O'Herin with the 2024 People's Choice Award
Buck O’Herin stands out among the multitude of dedicated conservation individuals in Maine, seamlessly integrating ecological principles into his conservation efforts, prioritizing collaboration, empowering individuals to fulfill their “ecological niche,” prioritizing conservation on all scales, and recognizing that humans are a part of the natural landscape who require connection to the earth. We are nominating Buck for his entire body of work, some of which has been completed, and some of which is a lifetime pursuit. We believe his story serves as a needed and wonderful example to the conservation movement and beyond. We especially hope it will inspire a new generation. The following is a representative list of Buck’s completed projects and initiatives:
- Successfully advocating for the identification of critical habitat for the federally endangered Atlantic salmon in the Sheepscot River.
- Dramatically increasing land conservation in western Waldo County, an underserved part of the state.
- Leading the charge to create the Hills to Sea Trail; 47 miles of public access from Unity to Belfast, which serves as a model in Maine for publicly accessible trails across private land.
- Spearheaded the merger of four separate conservation organizations to create Midcoast Conservancy, and a visionary leader since the merger, ultimately resulting in a merger with a fifth.
- Helping to move land conservation toward the mission of climate change resiliency in the midcoast Maine region through strategic conservation planning efforts.
- Successful acquisition and protection of Haystack Mountain.
- Conservation of hundreds of acres of land as a private landowner and as a leader on Midcoast Conservancy’s Board of Directors.
Past People's Choice Award winners include:
2022: Don’t Waste ME of Old Town, for advocating for policies that protect communities most at risk from the negative impacts of waste facilities, including their recent work to close the out-of-state waste loophole in Maine law.
2021: Sam Saltonstall, of Brunswick, for for almost two decades of tireless advocacy for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and climate change mitigation
2020: Eric Sherman, of Greenville, for incredible work to on the No CMP Corridor campaign ranging from gathering petition signatures to delivering signs to fundraising and keeping others informed, and for his dedication and hard work for the greater good of Maine's North Woods
2019: Sandi Howard, of Caratunk, for her dedication to administering the Say NO to NECEC Facebook group and organizing one of the groups of intervenors in the CMP corridor proceedings at the Department of Environmental Protection and the Land Use Planning Commission
2018: Robin Robinson, of Brunswick, for creating a flourishing online educational community of people who share photos and information about all aspects of Maine’s wild birds, including threats to their habitats and opportunities to make a difference
2017: Addie Farmer and Lainey Randall, of Portland, for their work keeping plastics and other pollution out of Casco Bay. Read a blog post, written by Lainey and Addie, about their work.
2016: The Larouche family, of Old Town, for the family’s commitment to wildlife protection and habitat conservation as well as environmental education for children and adults through the Hirundo Wildlife Refuge.
2015: Bonnie Pooley of Bethel, for her outstanding success in engaging young people in the work of protecting Maine’s environment.
2014: Robert Godfrey of Eastport, for his perseverance in protecting the beauty and heritage of Down East Maine by leading the grassroots organization, Save Passamaquoddy Bay.
2013: Thanks But No Tank of Searsport, for exceptional efforts mobilizing and engaging citizens to protect Searsport and surrounding coastal communities from potential harm posed by a proposed LPG tank and terminal.
2012: Bob Iles of Bethel, for exceptional efforts preserving the summit of and maintaining trails on Whitecap Mountain in Rumford, and for continued work to obtain public access to area lands and waterways as a member of the board of the Mahoosuc Land Trust.
2011: Belfast Co-housing and Ecovillage, for exceptional efforts and tireless work to establish a model environmentally sustainable, affordable, multi-generational cohousing community.
2010: Vera Francis of Perry, for serving as a leader in a true citizens’ movement in her efforts to protect Passamaquoddy Bay from a proposed LNG terminal.
2009: Evelyn Dunphy of West Bath, for her exceptional efforts in protecting Katahdin Lake from development.
2008: Willy Ritch of Woolwich, for exceptional leadership in mobilizing the citizens of Wiscasset to defeat plans for a coal gasification facility in their town.
2007: Maggie Shannon of Belgrade Lakes, for her dedication to the work of the Congress of Lake Associations and the inspiration she provides to others
2006: Eric Brown of Waterville, for starting Gang Green, an environmentally focused group of teachers and students at Lawrence High School. Note: Eric was the winner of our first annual People’s Choice Award.
