Interior Department Must Declare Canada is Undermining International Wildlife Protections News Release Destructive mining and drilling practices in the heart of Canada’s boreal forest—a huge and important bird nursery—are putting millions of America’s migratory birds at risk and have already resulted in potentially hundreds of thousands of fatalities, according to an issue brief released today Read More
Protecting Maine's Wildlife
Maine is home to a wide variety of wildlife, and, for some species, Maine makes up a vast majority of their range or provides essential habitat that can’t be found elsewhere. NRCM works to protect Maine’s wildlife by advocating for policies that ensure they have healthy habitat and abundant resources to thrive.
Naked Guy and Other Abuses Cause Landowner to Post Her Land
By George Smith, Maine Woods blog post Bangor Daily News After posting three columns about the sad state of landowner relations in Maine, it’s time to start telling the stories of some long-suffering private landowners. After reading the initial columns in this series on landowner relations, Pam Wells emailed me her story. Pam and her Read More
Maine Climate Warming Up Quickly, Analysis Shows
It’s tied with Vermont for the fastest rise in annual average temperature for all the states in the past 30 years, affecting wildlife, farmers and fishermen. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story The climate has warmed in Maine and Vermont more than in every other state in the past 30 years, Read More
Legislature Overrides LePage Veto of Bill to Protect Fish Spawning Areas from Mining
By Christopher Cousins, staff writer Bangor Daily News story AUGUSTA, Maine — The Legislature on Tuesday overturned a veto by Gov. Paul LePage of a bill that aims to protect delicate fish spawning habitats from motorized mining operations. After a unanimous vote in the Senate on Tuesday morning, the House voted 119-23 Tuesday evening to Read More
Maine’s Public Forests at Risk from Increased Logging
Administration Plan Developed in Private NRCM news release Read full report. Reference documents for report. According to a new investigative report issued today by the Natural Resources Council of Maine, the LePage Administration over the past two years privately developed a plan to dramatically increase logging on Maine’s public lands without disclosing the plan to Read More
State Plan Changes after Delay in Reporting Mercury in Lobster
Portland Press Herald news story by Scott Dolan, staff writer State Toxicologist Andrew Smith received an urgent message in 2011: A team of independent scientists had discovered dangerously high levels of mercury in black ducks in a marsh near the mouth of the Penobscot River. But what Smith didn’t know was that the same scientists Read More
Contamination of Maine Lobster Shows Value of Regulations
Kennebec Journal editorial The lobster fishery has been the one bright spot in Maine’s seafood industry for years — at least until last week. On Feb. 18, the state Department of Marine Resources ordered a two-year shutdown of lobster and crab harvesting in a 7-square-mile region at the mouth of the Penobscot River. Mercury contamination Read More
Lemmings Fuel Biggest Snowy Owl Migration in 50 Years
By Darryl Fears, The Washington Post Bangor Daily News news story For the lowly Arctic lemming, life is cruel. On the wide-open tundra, they are nature’s carryout meal, the Lay’s potato chip of an unforgiving habitat — no predator can eat just one. In a flash before death, often the last things a lemming sees Read More
“Snowy Owl Fever” – Catch It!
If you’ve ever wanted to see a Snowy Owl, this is your year. Snowy Owls have been moving into Maine for the winter in higher numbers than we’ve seen in decades. In fact, since late last fall, more than 70 of these magnificent owls have been reported throughout our state. From the southern reaches of Read More