Clean, healthy waterways are vital to our day-to-day lives. They help ensure safe drinking water, suitable habitat for fish and other wildlife, and recreational opportunities that make Maine a special place to live, work, and visit. NRCM is working hard to protect and restore Maine’s lakes, rivers, and streams, now and for generations to come.
But Maine's waterways face huge challenges. For decades, paper companies and other mills along Maine's rivers have treated these great waterways as their own private dumping grounds. The pollution they discharge prevents our native fish from thriving and impairs the quality of life for the people who live in those communities.
Pollution is one issue, dams are another. Dams continue to choke waterways across the state. While some dams are strategically located to minimize damage to fisheries and generate significant amounts of renewable electricity, other dams are obsolete or destroy fisheries resources that are worth far more than the small amount of power they generate.
One such dam was the Edwards Dam. NRCM’s work with coalition partners to remove the Edwards Dam from the Kennebec has become a national model for success. Now, NRCM and our partners in the Penobscot River Restoration Trust are working to restore this vital watershed for the wildlife and people of Maine.
NRCM has served as the voice of Maine people by advocating for clean and healthy waterways. Find out more about the issues we work on and how you can get involved to ensure clean and healthy waters for Maine.
A Kennebec for the Generations
Fifteen years ago, the efforts of the passionate souls at the Natural Resources Council of Maine resulted in the removal of the Edwards Dam in Augusta. I didn’t work here then but I’m quite certain that, just as it is today, the culture here was one of steadfast resolve to protect the nature of Maine. Read More
Kennebec River Rebounds After Edwards Dam Removal
by Danielle Waugh WCSH-6 TV news story AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — It’s been 15 years since the removal of the Edwards Dam, and the water and wildlife of the Kennebec River has changed dramatically. On July 1, 1999, the 900-foot dam breached, restoring a free-flowing Kennebec River for the first time in 160 years. Read More
15th Anniversary of Edwards Dam Removal: Benefits to People and Wildlife Keep Flowing
Record-breaking numbers of alewives, eagles News Release Alewives return to Kennebec (chart) C-SPAN story about Edwards Dam, including interview with NRCM’s Pete Didisheim Brief history timeline of Edwards Dam More about the Edwards Dam removal and Kennebec River restoration The health of the Kennebec River is making great strides just fifteen years after the breach Read More
Clean Water Act Protections Vital to Maine Environment, Economy, People
Mainers who care about water quality should contact the EPA during a public comment period. By Nick Bennett Portland Press Herald op-ed AUGUSTA — Do you hunt or fish in Maine? Do you swim in Maine’s lakes or rivers? Do you drink Maine’s water? Do you own or work for a company that uses water? If Read More
How Unlikely Partners Came Together on a Maine River
Decades of dam building had decimated migratory fish populations that had long sustained local wildlife and people on the Penobscot River. After years of contentious battles, local stakeholders struck a deal. Today, for the first time in 200 years, river life is rebounding. And the power company has not lost any hydropower generation. By Laura Read More
Concern for Maine’s Lakes: An Afternoon on Belgrade’s Great Pond
As Susan MacKenzie wrote about in her recent post, on June 10, a group of NRCM Board members and staff joined Professor Whitney King of Colby College to learn about the waters of Great Pond in Belgrade. Whitney gave quite an eye-opening presentation as he shared some of the startling research data currently being collected Read More
Maine’s LakeSmart Program: Good for You, Good for Maine’s Lakes
On June 10 several NRCM Board and staff members spent a delightful couple of hours with Dr. Whitney King, the Dr. Frank and Theodora Miselis Professor of Chemistry at Colby College and a member of the Maine Lake Resource Center Board of Directors. Following a brief introduction to the ecological and social history of the Read More
Veto of Lake Protection Bill Threatens Maine’s Lakes
NRCM Statement by Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim “Governor LePage today vetoed a bill that would protect one of Maine’s most important natural resources, our 6,000 lakes and ponds that are cherished by Maine people and visitors who come to Maine from around the world. This veto is an insult to the thousands of Maine people Read More
Citizen Leaders Stand Up to Protect Maine’s Precious Natural Heritage
For the Kennebec River, Bald Mountain and South Portland, three people are making a real difference. By Lisa Pohlmann Portland Press Herald op-ed AUGUSTA — This winter, I took my 8-year-old grandson out for an afternoon adventure in the snow-covered woods. We followed deer tracks, talked about the wood duck boxes in the marsh and Read More
Banner photo: Allagash Wilderness Waterway by Sam Horine
