Two years ago, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) started a visiting artist program, and every year the Natural Resources Council of Maine’s Forest & Wildlife Director Melanie Sturm has interviewed the artist to explore the intersection of art and Maine’s environment. Below is Melanie’s interview with Jordan Parks, the 2022 AWW Artist in Residence and Read More
Allagash Wilderness Waterway
Resolve, Authorizing the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry To Convey Certain Land in Aroostook County and Penobscot County
Good morning, Senator Dill, Representative O’Neil, and Members of the Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee. I’m Melanie Sturm, Forests and Wildlife Director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate the opportunity to provide comments on LD 1756. Regarding Section 1, the proposal for T12 R13 in Aroostook County, we have a couple Read More
A Conversation with 2021 Allagash Visiting Artist Martha Kotter
Every year, visiting artists are hosted at the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and Baxter State Park. The program presents exciting opportunities to learn more about these special places through the eyes of creative artists. The Natural Resources Council of Maine’s Forests & Wildlife Director Melanie Sturm has been exploring the intersection of art and environmental protection Read More
News & Noteworthy — April – June 2021
Here are some highlights from this month’s news stories and opinion pieces related to the environment, including Maine’s air, land, water, and wildlife, in this month’s News & Noteworthy from the Natural Resources Council of Maine. June 2021 New Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visited Maine and spent time at Acadia National Park, including watching the Read More
A Conversation with Michael Vermette, Allagash Visiting Artist
This is the second in a two-part blog series that explores the intersection of art and environmental protection with interviews featuring the 2020 visiting artists for Baxter State Park and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Read our interview with Baxter visiting artist Jill Osgood. This year the Bureau of Parks and Lands introduced a new artist Read More
Celebrating 30 Years of the Caribou-Speckled Wilderness
September 28, 2020, is the 30th anniversary of the Maine Wilderness Act, which was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush and designated 12,000 acres of the White Mountain National Forest as the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness. The Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) is proud of the role we played decades ago in Read More
Your Stories from the Allagash
We asked, and you answered! Thank you to everyone who sent us their stories and photos from the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in celebration of the 50th anniversary of it being designated a Wild and Scenic River. These are wonderful tales and, in some cases, utterly wild. Enjoy! —Melanie Sturm, NRCM Forests & Wildlife Director “If Read More
You’ll Head to the Allagash after You Read “Allagash Explorer”
One of my all-time favorite adventures was a trip down the Allagash. The feds designated the Allagash as a National Wild and Scenic River, with lots of protection. I was very pleased recently to receive a copy of the booklet, Allagash Explorer, created to help you enjoy an Allagash adventure. A lot of people contributed Read More
Protecting Maine’s North Woods: The Legacy of Cathy Johnson
by Douglas Rooks For 30 years, there’s been no fiercer, more consistent, or passionate advocate of protecting the Maine woods and enhancing its wildness. Cathy Johnson came to the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) in 1990, and two years later began working full-time on the North Woods project – a role she fulfilled for Read More
