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.
North Woods Supporters Denounce Bills to Abolish LURC & Weaken Protections
News Release Today, a group including North Woods landowners, foresters, a logger, a registered Maine Guide, and a planner denounced legislation that would abolish Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC), saying the bills would destroy Maine’s North Woods, the largest undeveloped forest east of the Mississippi, by rolling back 40 years of protections. “The Governor Read More
Statement by Buzz Lamb, North Woods Camp Owner
My name is Buzz Lamb. I own land in two different counties in the unorganized townships, including a “camp” on Lobster Lake in Piscataquis County. I have been spending time in the unorganized townships for 68 years. I have been involved in state, local and county government over the years. I grew up in the Read More
Statement by Gordon Mott, North Woods Landowner and Forester
My name is Gordon Mott. I am a land manager and forester. I live in a town that has been under LURC land-use planning, permitting and code enforcement for the 40 years since LURC was established. I have my own small private business managing land parcels located in five counties. I also deal with Planning Read More
Opposition to LD 341, An Act To Exempt Artificial Wetlands and Artificial Significant Vernal Pool Habitats from State Regulation
Senator Saviello, Representative Hamper, and Members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee: LD 341 would exempt a huge number of wetlands in Maine from state regulation. Most Maine lakes have outlet dams that increase lake levels, and these dams also create wetlands around the lakes. Most Maine rivers are dammed, and these dams also Read More
Court Strikes Down Plum Creek Plan
Statement by NRCM Executive Director Lisa Pohlmann We are pleased and gratified by the Superior Court’s decision today to strike down the Land Use Regulation Commission’s approval of Plum Creek’s massive development proposal for the Moosehead Lake region. The plan calls for 2,000 resort and vacation home units scattered around Moosehead Lake. In his ruling, Read More
Maine Voters Oppose Environmental Rollbacks
New Poll Shows Strong Support for Environmental Laws NRCM news release A poll conducted two weeks ago by Portland-based Critical Insights shows that Maine voters overwhelming oppose specific environmental rollback proposals now before the Maine Legislature, including efforts to weaken shoreland zoning, the bottle bill, and Maine’s energy building code. The survey finds that Maine voters Read More
Vernal Pools at Center of Maine Environmental Regulation Debate
MPBN radio news story Conservationists, sportsmen and wetlands scientists gathered today in Augusta to speak out — again — against proposals before the Legislature. They complain the measures will undermine decades of progress by dirtying Maine’s waterways and polluting the wetlands that wading shorebirds and other waterfowl depend on to thrive. But Republicans say the Read More
A Feast—or Perhaps a Plague—of Frogs
A brief warning to readers before proceeding: this story could make you a bit queasy. Queasy doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I’ve never been a picky eater. My parents demanded that I eat everything on my plate, whatever it was. I remember as a kid dreading Easter dinner at my grandparents’ house Read More
The Joys of a Maine Winter!
These cold January days have not deterred me from enjoying Maine’s outdoors. Those of us who love to fish in Maine can’t stay idle waiting for spring to wet our fly lines. Instead, we bundle up and explore Maine’s lakes and rivers—through the ice. Last weekend, I finally got a chance to get out on Read More
Banner photo: Moose near Baxter State Park, by Gerard Monteux
