Having survived (can I say “enjoyed?”) NRCM’s New Year’s Eve day Polar Bear Dip & Dash and welcoming in the New Year with a sunrise walk with the dog through the Spurwink Marsh, I feel like I am entering 2012 with a good reserve of energy and optimism. Looks like we will all need lots of both. Before 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.
Mean Mr. Grinch Thwarted this Holiday Season
On a recent blustery winter day, I found myself skulking and slinking around Portland’s Monument Square dressed as Dr. Seuss’ the Grinch. Sporting a three-piece, pinstriped suit and hauling bags of dirty coal over my shoulder, I spread holiday fear wherever I went. But why, you ask? I have never considered myself a Grinch by Read More
Coalition Concerned About Impact of LURC Proposal on Maine’s North Woods
Planners, conservationists, and citizens throughout Maine are concerned about the impact of proposed changes to Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) on Maine’s North Woods, and are urging the Legislature to examine the proposal carefully and think long and hard about the importance of Maine’s signature natural resource. “We are pleased that the LURC Reform Read More
NRCM Comments Regarding DEP’s Proposed Amendments to Chapter 305, Permit by Rule, Concerning Inland Waterfowl and Wading Bird Habitat
Dear Chair Lessard and Members of the Board: My name is Nick Bennett, I reside in Hallowell, and I am the staff scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with 12,000 members and supporters. I am also testifying as a passionate waterfowl hunter and a member of Ducks Read More
Returning to Sea—by David Wilkins
Editor’s Note: Alewives are river herring, a term that also includes their close relatives the blueback herring and American shad. Alewives spend most of their life at sea. In early to mid-May, alewives leave the ocean, enter Maine’s coastal rivers, and make their way upstream to spawning habitat in lakes and ponds, sometimes traveling more Read More
Salmon’s Return Means Much to Tribe
By Tom Bell, State House Writer Maine Sunday Telegram news story INDIAN ISLAND – In 1835, when the new dam at Veazie was closed in the winter, blocking all fish passage, the Penobscot Indians protested that the dam would destroy the annual runs of salmon and other sea-run fish. Their complaints went unheeded, even when Read More
Study Commission for Maine’s North Woods Criticized as “Rigged from the Start”
NRCM news release The Natural Resources Council of Maine and Environment Maine today expressed deep concern that a study commission on the future of Maine’s North Woods will not provide an objective assessment, but instead has been stacked with people who are determined to abolish Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC). The 13 members of Read More
Inside Interior Secretary Salazar’s National Park Meeting
Last Thursday was a big day for the future of Maine’s North Woods. In the afternoon, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Salazar addressed a crowd of about 300 at the high school auditorium in Millinocket. The topic was Roxanne Quimby’s proposal for a national park on the 70,000 acres she owns along the East Branch Read More
Birds & Berries on LMF’s Kennebunk Plains
Looking for a beautiful natural area to bring the family to this summer? Maine’s beaches are wonderful, and our mountains are spectacular. But how about some place you might not think of, some place unique and incredibly special, some place that also is a good reminder of why the Land for Maine’s Future program is Read More
