My name is Gordon Mott. I am a land manager and forester. I live in a town that has been under LURC land-use planning, permitting and code enforcement for the 40 years since LURC was established. I have my own small private business managing land parcels located in five counties. I also deal with Planning Read More
North Woods Protection & LUPC
The 10.4-million-acre Maine North Woods, which makes up nearly half of the entire state, is the largest remaining undeveloped forest in the eastern United States. The region is at risk of being lost forever, as rapid changes in ownership have brought unprecedented pressures – from development to heavy logging.
NRCM Testimony on LURC’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan
Good afternoon Sen. Nutting, Rep. Pieh and Members of the Committee. I am Matt Prindiville, Clean Production Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Cathy Johnson, our North Woods Project Director, unfortunately, could not be here today as she is out of town. NRCM has been involved in the revision of LURC’s Comprehensive Read More
Joint Comments of NRCM, Maine Audubon, and AMC to LURC Regarding Expansion of Expedited Permitting Area
To: Commissioners, Maine Land Use Regulation Commission cc: Marcia Spencer-Famous, Catherine Carroll Dear LURC Commissioners: We have been following the Commission’s discussions around TransCanada’s rulemaking petition and are encouraged that the Commission recognizes that TransCanada’s petition to expand the expedited permitting area will set important precedents for how all future petitions are considered. We appreciate that Read More
NRCM Gives People’s Choice Award to West Bath Artist for North Woods Protection
NRCM news release Augusta, ME – Evelyn Dunphy of West Bath was chosen as the winner of the 2009 Natural Resources Council of Maine People’s Choice Award, for her work protecting Maine’s wilderness areas, particularly Katahdin Lake. NRCM’s People’s Choice Award is bestowed each year to an individual or group whose actions have made a Read More
Environmental Groups Critical of Plum Creek and Maine Regulators
by Susan Sharon Maine Public Radio news story Just days after the Plum Creek Timber Company acknowledged that it mistakenly logged a deer wintering area and violated a voluntary agreement with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the company is under fire again; and so is the state agency that oversees land use in Read More
10,000 Square Miles of Maine Included in USFWS Lynx Protection Proposal
Includes Moosehead Lake Forests Where Plum Creek Proposes Massive Development Today, the Federal Register published a proposed rule by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that would protect Canada lynx and their habitat including more than 10,000 square miles of the Maine woods in a “critical habitat” zone, which would require separate review and stricter Read More
LURC Takes One Step Forward for Clean Energy, Not Two
NRCM news release Today, Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission made two important decisions on the future of wind power in Maine. “The Commission could have taken two steps forward on clean energy for Maine; instead they took one,” said NRCM Clean Energy Director Dylan Voorhees. The Land Use Regulation Commission voted 4-2 to recommend rejecting Read More
Board Favors Purchase of Land Near Moosehead
Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA — The Land for Maine’s Future board voted Tuesday to spend $1.25 million to conserve more than 37,000 acres near Moosehead Lake despite access concerns raised by some snowmobilers and professional guides. The LMF money will be combined with more than $4 million in federal funds to purchase a Read More
Katahdin Lake Project Hinged on a Diligent Duo
By John Richardson, Blethen Maine Newspapers Kennebec Journal news story Last summer, with the deal to add Katahdin Lake to Baxter State Park on the verge of unraveling in the Maine Legislature, Sam Hodder headed north and hiked to the lake for a quiet weekend. For months, as project manager for the Trust for Public Read More