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.
Down Comes Another Dam
New York Times editorial On Monday, a demolition crew will begin removing the Veazie Dam on the Penobscot River just above Bangor, Me. The Veazie is the lowest of the Penobscot dams and closest to the river’s mouth on the Maine coast. It is also critical to the entire Penobscot River watershed, which covers nearly Read More
‘Ah, Freedom’: Historic Penobscot Dam Removal Begins
The river restoration project will allow fish access to spawn deep in the heart of Maine. by Tom Bell, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story EDDINGTON — A backhoe equipped with a big jackhammer smashed through the top of the Veazie Dam on Monday morning, sending chunks of concrete and a spray of water Read More
Breaching of Veazie Dam Begins as Part of Penobscot River Restoration
by John Holyoke, BDN staff Bangor Daily News news story EDDINGTON, Maine — Hundreds of onlookers stood on the banks of the Penobscot River on Monday morning, watching as demolition crews breached the Veazie Dam, continuing the process of opening the river to sea-run fish for the first time in almost 200 years. The Veazie Read More
Dam’s Demolition Renews Hopes for Restored Penobscot River Fish Runs
by Susan Sharon MPBN news story In a scene repeated from the Penobscot River last year, when the Great Works Dam was demolished, the historic removal of another large dam began, in sections, today. This time it was the 830-foot-long Veazie Dam at head of tide in Eddington: first, a small trickle of water as Read More
NRCM Statement on the Penobscot River Restoration Project Breaching the Veazie Dam
NRCM news statement “Today is a great day for the people, fish, and wildlife, of the Penobscot River. The removal of the Veazie Dam will give Maine’s largest river a new lease on life while maintaining hydropower production. The Penobscot River has worked hard for Maine people for hundreds of years. It’s time for us Read More
Construction Workers Begin Veazie Dam Removal
by Caitlin Burchill WABI-TV news story Eddington – For more than a decade, the Penobscot Indian Nation, along with conservation groups, hydropower companies and state and federal agencies have worked together to come up with a plan to restore sea-run fisheries while maintaining hydropower. Monday was a huge step as crews began to breach the Read More
Lower Kennebec River a Secret Jewel for Paddlers
Waterville to Gardiner stretch ‘kind of a little gem of a river trip that’s very accessible for people that live here,’s says state official by Paul Koenig, staff writer Morning Sentinel news story The paddling trip from Waterville to Augusta, or even farther south to Gardiner, is an underrated trip compared to more popular waterways, 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
Banner photo: Allagash Wilderness Waterway by Sam Horine
