By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story TOWNSHIP 4, RANGE 8, Maine — A part owner of a parcel of environmentally sensitive land near Baxter State Park is pursuing legal action to keep state foresters from harvesting wood on the property. Atkinson resident Charles Fitzgerald filed a petition to partition land Read More
Forests and Wildlife
NRCM works to protect Maine’s natural areas and wild, undeveloped character, particularly in the North Woods. We support responsible land development and sustainable forest practices that protect sensitive ecosystems and wildlife. We work for increased public ownership of Maine lands, so future generations will know the Maine we love today.
Protection of Maine’s natural, remote areas was one of the issues for which NRCM was founded in 1959. More than 60 years later, much progress has been made but major threats to Maine’s land and water resources continue.
Read news & blogs about our work to protect Maine's forests and wildlife.
National Park a Great Opportunity for Katahdin Region, State
We and our elected officials should be jumping at the chance to link two powerful, attractive brands: Maine and National Parks. By Adam Lee of Cumberland, president of Lee Auto Malls Maine Sunday Telegram op-ed If you were driving cross country and your Jeep broke down, would you call the Jeep dealership or Frank’s car repair? If Read More
Legislative Committee Votes Against LePage’s Anti-National Monument Bill
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — The first legislative review of Gov. Paul LePage’s attempt to prevent the creation of a national monument within Maine began badly for him when one of the state’s top environmental attorneys advised that no state law could accomplish the governor’s goal. Read More
LePage’s Bill Aims to Prevent National Monument Status for North Woods
By A.J. Higgins MPBN news story Plans to preserve large sections of Maine’s North Woods for a future national park could be undermined by a bill advanced by Gov. Paul LePage. The bill targets efforts by Roxanne Quimby and her son Lucas St. Clair, who have held discussions with federal officials that could lead to Read More
National Park Proponents, Opponents Spar at Monument Bill Hearing
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — The first hearing on Wednesday on a bill that would effectively bar national monuments from Maine featured 2½ hours of far-ranging debate over the future of the state’s northern woodlands and many of its industries. The testimony heard by the Legislature’s Read More
Chasing the Dream: A Vacation on the Proposed National Park Lands
Despite a nearly snowless winter, I took advantage of a small window of opportunity to ski the Katahdin Woods and Water Recreation Areas (KWW) with family and friends last week. In fact, our window was so tight, we skied well-groomed trails one day and waded through a massive rain puddle the next. Under any conditions, Read More
Nahmakanta Dreams
I first explored the Nahmakanta Public Reserved Land Unit, located southwest of Baxter State Park, while guiding a 10-day wilderness canoe and work experience for disadvantaged youth about 20 years ago. Together, four guides and eight kids spent a little less than a week constructing trails throughout the Nahmakanta Unit and then paddled the St. Read More
Plan for Development in the UT Through Zoning, Not Weakened Standards
By The BDN Editorial Board Bangor Daily News editorial Land owners, developers and residents of the state’s Unorganized Territory have long complained that it is too hard to subdivide land and build houses there. Currently, the Land Use Planning Commission is considering easing a longtime restriction on subdivisions throughout the entire 10 million acres of Read More
Why Continuing Dialogue is Crucial to the National Park Debate
By The BDN Editorial Board Bangor Daily News editorial The debate over the potential of a national park in the Maine woods has taken on urgency as the National Park Service and White House have shown an interest in creating a national monument near Baxter State Park. Elliotsville Plantation Inc., a nonprofit foundation started by Read More