Senator Brenner, Representative Tucker and distinguished member of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee: My name is Nick Bennett. I am the staff scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 25,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in opposition to LD 390. NRCM 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.
LD 817, Advance Restoration of Penobscot
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. My name is Nick Bennett, and I am the Staff Scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 20,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in support of LD 817. As Read More
Let’s Clean Our Lakes and Ponds
Loads of lead fishing lures can be found at the bottom of even the cleanest bodies of water. By George Smith Kennebec Journal column We’re blessed with our beautiful brooks, steams, rivers, ponds and lakes — but there is still a lot of work to do to clean them up. Thankfully, we don’t have the Read More
How Removing One Maine Dam 20 Years Ago Changed Everything
The removal of the Edwards Dam on Maine’s Kennebec River helped river conservationists reimagine what’s possible. February 11, 2019 By Tara Lohan Turning Points column in The Revelator View graphics from news story. Welcome to the first edition of “Turning Points,” our new column examining critical moments in environmental history when change occurred for the Read More
Gulf of Maine’s 3rd-warmest Year on Record Harms Puffins, Turtles and Kelp
The effects on species that thrive in cold waters provide glimpses of the damage that rising ocean temperatures can do, but the federal and state response remains weak. by Colin Woodard, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story The Gulf of Maine is experiencing its third-warmest year on record, triggering the starvation of puffin chicks Read More
New Rules Place At-risk Species Further in Peril
Proposals favoring industry over conservation won’t improve the Endangered Species Act. By The Editorial Board Portland Press Herald editorial It says something about the politics of the time that in 1973, the Endangered Species Act passed Congress overwhelmingly – 355-4 in the House of Representatives! – before it was signed into law by Republican President Read More
Decades of Chemical Pollution Suspected in Maine’s Seal Die-off
With their immune systems compromised by toxins such as PCBs, the Gulf of Maine marine mammals are susceptible to disease. By Peter McGuire, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story As the number of dead and stranded seals washing up on southern Maine beaches rises by the day, researchers are linking the sudden die-off to Read More
Chaplain Grateful for Endangered Species Act
Pray that our congressional delegation recognizes and values the importance of this landmark law. By Macauley Lord, resident of Brunswick, an Episcopal chaplain and a fly-fishing guide Portland Press Herald op-ed BRUNSWICK — When a Republican president signed the Endangered Species Act into law in 1973, he probably could not have dreamed how effective it Read More
The Return of Alewives to This Bangor-area Stream is an Epic Success Story
By John Holyoke, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story BRADLEY, Maine — The old saying about migrating fish holds that during the peak of a run, it’d be possible to walk from stream bank to stream bank on the backs of the fish, and never get your feet wet. While most of us don’t Read More
