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.
Opposition to LD 983, An Act To Exempt from Permit Requirements the Repair of Low-head Dams
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, my name is Nick Bennett, and I am the Staff Scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 20,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in opposition to LD 983. Maine Read More
Support of LD 959, An Act To Increase Funding for the Maine Lakes Society’s “LakeSmart” Program
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. My name is Kristin Jackson, I am an Outreach Coordinator for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, and I appreciate this opportunity to testify in support of LD 959, which would provide important funding to help protect Maine’s lakes. Read More
LD 817, Advance Restoration of Penobscot
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. My name is Nick Bennett, and I am the Staff Scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 20,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in support of LD 817. As Read More
Let’s Clean Our Lakes and Ponds
Loads of lead fishing lures can be found at the bottom of even the cleanest bodies of water. By George Smith Kennebec Journal column We’re blessed with our beautiful brooks, steams, rivers, ponds and lakes — but there is still a lot of work to do to clean them up. Thankfully, we don’t have the Read More
Support of LD 543, An Act To Protect Public Health through Subsurface Wastewater Disposal System Inspections
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee: My name is Nick Bennett, and I am the staff scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 20,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in support of LD 543. This Read More
“Who Wants to Swim in a Cesspool?”
State lawmakers are likely to approve a measure to require the inspection of lakefront septic systems whenever a property changes hands, a regulation already in place for seaside properties. by Steve Collins Sun Journal news story AUGUSTA — In a bid to preserve water quality in Maine, there is a good chance state lawmakers this Read More
How Removing One Maine Dam 20 Years Ago Changed Everything
The removal of the Edwards Dam on Maine’s Kennebec River helped river conservationists reimagine what’s possible. February 11, 2019 By Tara Lohan Turning Points column in The Revelator View graphics from news story. Welcome to the first edition of “Turning Points,” our new column examining critical moments in environmental history when change occurred for the Read More
DEP’s River and Stream Upgrade Proposal is Good for Maine
By Ray Owen, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed I have spent much my life working to improve Maine’s environment. I was a professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Maine for 32 years, commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for four, and chaired Maine’s former Land Use Read More
Opposition to LD 281, Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Portions of Chapter 692: Siting of Oil Storage Facilities, a Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Environmental Protection
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee: My name is Nick Bennett. I am the Staff Scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), which is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 20,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in opposition to LD 281 and the Read More
Banner photo: Allagash Wilderness Waterway by Sam Horine
