Kennebec Coalition News Release Augusta, ME (March 11, 2021) – Endangered Atlantic salmon are on the brink of dying out in Maine’s Kennebec River because of four antiquated dams between Waterville and Skowhegan, according to state and federal officials. A broad coalition of Maine people and organizations are speaking out in support of removing the Read More
Atlantic salmon
Continuing the Restoration of Maine’s Kennebec River
Atlantic salmon are on the brink of dying out in the Kennebec River because of Brookfield Renewables’ four dams between Waterville and Skowhegan. The Natural Resources Council of Maine is working as part of the Kennebec Coalition to restore a healthy, free-flowing Kennebec River for Atlantic salmon by removing all four dams. Maine’s Department of Read More
New Book Shares Stories of Penobscot River Restoration
A new book, From Mountains to the Sea, captures inspiring stories from the Penobscot River Restoration Project, a collaborative effort including the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) that worked to balance fisheries restoration and hydropower production in Maine’s largest watershed. The project removed two dams—the Great Works and the Veazie—that had blocked fish migrations Read More
All Saints Catholic School Students Study Salmon
The Natural Resources Council of Maine awarded grants to six Maine middle schools through our “Engaging Maine Middle School Students in Protecting the Nature of Maine” program, which we started in 2015. Each of the schools began their projects in early 2020, though due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools, of course, have gone to online learning, Read More
Why These Conservationists are Feeling Optimistic about Atlantic Salmon
By John Holyoke, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story Two pieces of fisheries-related news were welcomed with enthusiastic responses by Atlantic salmon conservationists in Maine last week. Dwayne Shaw, the executive director of the Downeast Salmon Federation, and Andrew Goode, the vice president of U.S. programs for the Atlantic Salmon Federation in Brunswick, said Read More
Penobscot River Restoration Project Celebrates First Anniversary of Connecting 2000 Miles of River to the Sea
Collaborative effort to rebalance fisheries and hydropower on Maine’s largest river completed one year ago News release One year ago, on Tuesday, June 14, 2016, hundreds of people, including federal, state, local, and tribal officials, and project partners, gathered in Howland, Maine, to mark and celebrate the completion of the last major milestone in the Read More
Once Again, the River Runs Wild
The now-undammed Penobscot River has brought bounty to my backyard. by Robert Klose Christian Science Monitor news story MAY 3, 2017 —Until recently, my home was snuggled neatly between two dams along the banks of the Penobscot River here in central Maine. The behavior of the river was therefore a function of the human forces Read More
Taking Down Dams and Letting the Fish Flow
By Murray Carpenter, staff writer New York Times news story BANGOR, Me. — Joseph Zydlewski, a research biologist with the Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit of the United States Geological Survey, drifted in a boat on the Penobscot River, listening to a crackling radio receiver. The staccato clicks told him that one of Read More
2016 NRCM Conservation Leadership Award Presented to Penobscot River Restoration Trust
Penobscot River Restoration Trust (Penobscot Nation, Atlantic Salmon Federation, Maine Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, and the Natural Resources Council of Maine) Conservation Leadership Award For significantly improving access to nearly 2,000 miles of habitat for eleven species of native sea-run fish, with no net loss of hydropower More than two centuries ago, members Read More