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.
With our coalition partners, NRCM has won many significant victories over the years, from helping establish the Allagash Wilderness Waterway to passage of legislation limiting irresponsible clear cuts. But the challenges of protecting Maine’s treasured wildlands and the wildlife that depend upon them have never been greater, nor the need more urgent.
We worked to establish a National Monument just east of Baxter State Park and continue our work to push for Land for Maine’s Future funding to acquire public lands, watchdog Maine’s public lands and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, stop the ill-conceived East-West Highway from being built, weigh-in when harmful development is proposed in Maine’s North Woods, and ensure that any timber harvesting laws and policies are as protective as possible.
More than one-third of the state has changed ownership in the past 20 years. Corporations that have no stake in our local communities are buying up hundreds of thousands of acres. Slicing and dicing these natural areas can destroy the character of Maine’s North Woods forever.
This loss would affect not only the people of Maine but also our wildlife. The region is home to moose, bear, deer, and dozens of bird species—Boreal Chickadee, Spruce Grouse, Pine Grosbeak, Cape May Warbler, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher—for which the North Woods are the southernmost limit of their breeding range. Maine’s North Woods also provide many recreational opportunities for Maine people. Unchecked development threatens access to undeveloped, wild forests, lakes, and rivers for hiking, canoeing, camping, hunting and fishing.
While development pressures and the loss of public access continue to intensify, NRCM remains a voice for balancing economic development in Maine’s North Woods with conservation.
We invite you to learn more about our work to protect Maine’s North Woods and other natural areas, and to support our vital work for generations to come.
Visit Should Convince Interior Secretary that Monument is Welcome Addition to Maine, America
Bangor Daily News editorial We are pleased that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is visiting the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and surrounding area as part of his assignment from President Donald Trump to review 27 recently created monuments. It is important for him to meet with area residents firsthand and to spend time exploring Read More
Mills Threatens to Sue Trump Administration if it Rescinds Monument
By Judy Harrison, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story Maine Attorney General Janet Mills threatened to sue the Trump administration if it decides to reverse the presidential order that created Maine’s national monument. Mills on Monday issued a news release and a copy of the comments filed with the Department of Interior about the Read More
Maine Attorney General Vows to Challenge Any Attempt to Undo Katahdin-area Monument
Taking a stand at odds with Gov. LePage, the attorney general calls for an end to the Interior secretary’s review of Katahdin Woods and Waters two days before he arrives. by Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Attorney General Janet Mills called the Trump administration’s review of the Katahdin Woods Read More
Zinke Needs to Know This When He Visits Maine’s Monument
By Rick LeVasseur, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed As part of his review of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is coming to Maine on Tuesday. He wants to gain insight into the history of the monument, which will help him make a recommendation to Read More
Interior Secretary Should Do More than Visit Maine’s New National Monument
Because of economic stress in the Katahdin region, not all those who need to be heard are still there. By The Editorial Board Portland Press Herald editorial Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is coming to Maine this week to visit the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, where he plans to paddle a canoe and talk Read More
Some Things You Ought to Know about Maine’s New National Monument
By John Holyoke Bangor Daily News column On Wednesday evening, Lucas St. Clair — president of Elliotsville Plantation Inc. and the man who led the effort to establish a national monument in northern Maine — sat down to chat with me in front of a packed house at the Bangor Public Library. The event was Read More
State Considers Taking Over Dam on Popular Fishing Lake
by Fred Bever Maine Public news story Gov. Paul LePage wants the state to take over a small dam in northern Maine that straddles the border with Canada on the St. Croix River. It’s one option to prevent its total abandonment by the paper company that now owns it. But the proposal is meeting skepticism Read More
LePage Misrepresented Maine Opinion on National Monument
There was plenty of public outreach prior to the Katahdin designation, and polls of Mainers show strong support for it. By James Talbott, owner of the Millinocket radio station WSYY and a resident of Millinocket Portland Press Herald op-ed MILLINOCKET — As a longtime business owner in the Katahdin region, I am shocked by the Read More
What’s Next for the North Woods National Monument?
By John Holyoke, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story In the nine months since the official designation of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Lucas St. Clair said the emotional climate in that part of the state has changed quite a bit. St. Clair, who oversaw the monument formation effort on behalf of his Read More
Banner photo: Moose near Baxter State Park, by Gerard Monteux
