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.

2016 NRCM People’s Choice Award Presented to Larouche Family for the Hirundo Wildlife Refuge
2016 People’s Choice Award presented to Stephanie Larouche, representing the Larouche family for the family’s commitment to wildlife protection and habitat conservation as well as environmental education for children and adults through the Hirundo Wildlife Refuge. Eleven years ago, the Natural Resources Council of Maine created our People’s Choice Award to give NRCM members and Read More

“So This Guy Walks into a Monument…”
And in the “Thanks, Obama!” column we are still celebrating the addition of 87,500 acres to the national park system in the form of the brand-new Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. I have been working at NRCM for the entire five years that we have been advocating for a national park and recreation area Read More

North Woods Monument “An Educational Opportunity” for Children, Residents Say
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story MEDWAY, Maine — The Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument needs a management plan, and Bruce Cox said he was happy to offer some ideas for it. The Medway School Committee member stood over a map of the monument’s five parcels on Tuesday placing Read More

It’s Worth the Trip: Katahdin Loop Road Has So Much to Offer
The way into the new national monument is full of scenic views and hiking possibilities. By Josh Christie Portland Press Herald news story On Aug. 24, President Barack Obama established a huge swath of Maine’s northern woods as a national monument. Named the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, the 87,500 acres cover a vast Read More

Let’s Not Waste the Opportunity the Monument Offers to Revive the Katahdin Region
By Richard Schmidt III, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed There is one thing the Katahdin region communities have become extremely familiar with over the past few decades: change. President Barack Obama’s designation of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is the latest change. But, for the first time in at least a Read More

“Monumental” News for Bird Conservation
By Jeff and Allison Wells Boothbay Register column By now you may have heard the good news: Maine has a new 87,500-acre national monument located just to the east of Baxter State Park. Named the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, the area is a spectacle of mountains, streams, bogs, ponds, and rivers and, yes, Read More

Opinions Still Split on Tourism in Katahdin Woods Region
By Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff Boston Globe news story MILLINOCKET, Maine — It has been a cherished land for so long, the majestic Katahdin woods overlooking this old paper mill town, the streams and the East Branch Penobscot River, the trails and turns that provide sweeping views of the fabled Mount Katahdin. Now the Read More

Interior Secretary Test-drives Newest National Monument
Sally Jewell experiences ‘the bounty of the Maine woods’ as part of the park service’s 100th year. By Leslie Bridgers, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story TOWNSHIP 5, RANGE 8 — U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell arrived by canoe at Haskell Deadwater on Saturday afternoon escorted by two guides on stand-up paddleboards. Read More

North Woods Monument Will Bring New Energy, People to Region
By Lucas St. Clair, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed With President Barack Obama’s proclamation, Maine is now home to our country’s newest national monument. While I know that the journey to this point has, at times, been contentious, all of us who care about the Katahdin region can work together to make Read More
Banner photo: Moose near Baxter State Park, by Gerard Monteux