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.
Roxanne Quimby’s Son Offers New Hope for National Park Plan
Lucas St. Clair, a fisherman and hunter, is working to gain the trust of people in the Katahdin region and to overcome the hostility that his mother engendered. by Deidre Fleming, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story MOUNT CHASE – The man in jeans, a plaid shirt and flip-flops who strolled onto the lawn Read More
Report Details How Climate Change is Harming Freshwater Fishing
Urgent Action Needed to Protect Freshwater Fish, Their Habitats, & Related Economy NRCM and NWF Press Release Climate change is the most serious threat to America’s freshwater fish and urgent action is needed at all levels to preserve key species and their habitats, according to a new report released today by the National Wildlife Federation. Read More
Project Puffin Celebrates 40 Years, Addresses New Dangers
By Aislinn Sarnacki, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story EASTERN EGG ROCK— Wings beating rapidly, an Atlantic puffin flew by, fish spilling from the sides of its orange bill. “He’s circling,” said Dr. Steve Kress, following the puffin with binoculars. “I think he has hake, maybe herring.” The puffin returned, flying low over the Read More
Learning about Lobsters
I get to do some pretty cool things thanks to my job at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I met Bonnie Raitt at a concert on the eve of the removal of the Edwards Dam. NRCM was invited to work at a Phish concert (how cool is that?!) in Augusta. I met Senator George Read More
Climate Change Threat to Lobsters Spells Big Trouble for Maine
Lobstering, tourism, conservation interests launch campaign to protect iconic Maine species from carbon pollution threat NRCM and NWF news release Portland, ME — At the Maine Lobster Company, just days before the Fourth of July holiday, a diverse group representing Maine’s lobstering, tourism, conservation, and education interests gathered to launch an awareness campaign about the Read More
Scientists: Maine Lobster Industry Threatened by Climate Change
by Susan Sharon MPBN news story It’s that time of year when native Mainers and summer tourists alike don plastic bibs and get crackin’ on succulent Maine lobsters. Last year lobstermen landed about $340 million worth of these coveted crustaceans, generating $1 billion worth of economic activity to the state’s economy. But there’s a largely Read More
Climate Change Threatens New England Birds
The decline in bird populations also poses a threat to Maine’s tourism and recreation industry. by North Cairn, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story Climate change is posing a threat to Maine’s tourism and recreation industry by changing the lives of scores of species of New England birds, according to wildlife biologists. Bird experts Read More
Report: Climate Change Threatens New England’s Migratory Birds
Urgent Action Needed to Protect Birds and Their Habitats NWF and NRCM press release June 24, 2013 — Climate change is altering and destroying important habitats that New England’s migratory birds depend on and urgent action is needed to change that dangerous flight path, according to a new report released by the National Wildlife Federation. Read More
The Chickadees and the “Snake”
Spring is a great time to consider all of the good work NRCM does to protect Maine’s wildlife and there habitats. Birds are, for me, the most noticeable. One of the things I love most about this time of year is the changing behavior of the birds around me. The males sing loud and strong as Read More
Banner photo: Moose near Baxter State Park, by Gerard Monteux
