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.
“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
Quimby’s Historic Gift Marks New Era for Maine
Some of the sting of the paper industry’s retreat could be eased by a more diverse economy. By The Editorial Board Kennebec Journal editorial When historians look back on Aug. 24, 2016, what will they say about the decision to take 87,000 acres of land in the heart of Maine’s northern forest out of production Read More
The National Monument We Have Been Waiting For
By Gail Fanjoy, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed President Barack Obama’s decision to establish the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is wonderful news for the Katahdin region. This is a moment that many of us have been waiting for, working for, and dreaming of for years. This news is particularly exciting Read More
‘Is There a More Glorious Place on Earth Than This?’
by Lou Ureneck Boston Globe op-ed I made my first trip to Maine’s north woods when I was 15. It was a late November deer-hunting trip in the autumn of 1965. I didn’t shoot a deer, but the immensity and wildness of the place left an impression on me that has lasted a lifetime. I Read More
Obama Designates 87,500 Acres in Maine as National Monument
By Richard Pérez-Peñaaug New York Times news story President Obama turned a vast stretch of Maine woods into the nation’s newest federal parkland on Wednesday, siding with conservationists in a dispute over government control of land in a state that has long been averse to intrusion from Washington. Mr. Obama designated more than 87,500 acres, Read More
Maine Land From Burt’s Bees Founder is New National Monument
By David Sharp news writer The Associated Press news story President Barack Obama on Wednesday created a new national monument in northern Maine on 87,000 acres donated by the founder of Burt’s Bees, fulfilling conservationist Roxanne Quimby’s goal of gifting the land during the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. The Katahdin Woods and Read More
Banner photo: Moose near Baxter State Park, by Gerard Monteux
