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.
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
Baxter State Park Authority Accepts 43-acre Katahdin Lake Easement
by John Holyoke, BDN staff Bangor Daily News news story The Baxter State Park Authority on Monday voted to accept a conservation easement on an historic 43-acre lot that includes 500 feet of shore frontage on Katahdin Lake. The easement was granted by the James Sewall family, which offered an unconditional gift of various conservation Read More
From Virginia to Maine’s Proposed National Park Lands: 17 Hours to Paradise!
My family has enjoyed trips to Maine’s North Woods for the past several years, mostly spending time around Moosehead Lake, Mount Kineo, and the Monson area. Recently we heard through NRCM that Roxanne Quimby was opening up sections of the Elliotsville Plantation land, which might one day become a national park and national recreation area. So, Read More
Climate Experts: Warming in Maine Leading to Declining Moose, Lobster Populations
By Mario Moretto, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story PORTLAND, Maine — Climate change is real, human activity is causing it, and its effects will leave Maine — and the planet — “fundamentally degraded.” That was the message delivered by renowned climatologist Michael Mann, who spoke to a packed auditorium at the University of Read More
Reclaiming Rivers
By Henry Heyburn Jr., former NRCM board member In July of 1999, I attended the breaching of the Edwards Dam on the Kennebec River. There were hundreds of others in attendance including Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer John McPhee, author of Coming Into the Country, The Survival of the Birch Read More
Official or Not, Roxanne Quimby’s Park Vision Taking Shape
by John Holyoke, BDN staff Bangor Daily News column TOWNSHIP 2 RANGE 8, EAST OF BAXTER PEAK, Maine — Lucas St. Clair clearly has heard the question before. And he’s got plenty of answers that he’s happy to share. He also realizes that sometimes, it’s best to simply stand back and let Mother Nature do Read More
Hunting Access Energizes Plan for National Park
Kennebec Journal editorial A decade ago, “Ban Roxanne” bumper stickers were a common sight from Greenville to Millinocket, and the prospect of a national park in the Katahdin Region looked dim. In spite of the opposition — largely from sportsmen, snowmobilers and the forest products industry — Elliotsville Plantation Inc., the group formed by Roxanne Read More
Banner photo: Moose near Baxter State Park, by Gerard Monteux
