By Nok-Noi Ricker, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story OLD TOWN, Maine — Removal of the Great Works Dam in Bradley and the Veazie Dam, part of the Penobscot River Restoration Project, had an added benefit for those who like whitewater, according to organizers of the upcoming Penobscot River Whitewater Nationals Regatta. “It’s got Read More
Atlantic salmon
Politics, Preservation, and Salmon Fishing
An annual rite of the Penobscot River sporting world brought a Maine angler and the year’s first Atlantic salmon to the president’s doorstep. By Catherine Schmitt Boston Globe news story ON MAY 25, 1992, Claude and Rosemae Westfall drove their Buick south on Maine’s I-95. Claude was dressed sharply if atypically in a green suit Read More
Howland Fish Bypass Construction to Start Next Month
by Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story HOWLAND, Maine — Construction of the $3.5 million fish bypass at the former Howland tannery site is likely to begin next month, ending 11 years of preparation, officials said Friday. Construction crews already demolished the former powerhouse attached to the Howland Dam on the Read More
Land Deal Protects Nearly 5,800 Acres in Franklin County
The deal, which was finalized recently between The Trust for Public Land and Linkletter Timberlands, provides public access for recreation – including on two ITS snowmobile trails – while maintaining the land as a working forest. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story A conservation group has finalized a land deal to Read More
Fish Bypass Construction Starts in Howland While Hunt Goes On for Developer of Former Tannery Site
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story HOWLAND, Maine — Preparation work for the construction of a $3.2 million fish bypass and the marketing of the former Howland tannery site are underway, officials said Tuesday. Workers from SumCo Eco-Contracting LLC were installing security fences and silt control devices at the site Read More
Setting Rivers Free: As Dams are Torn Down, Nature is Quickly Recovering
By Doug Struck, Contributor Christian Science Monitor cover story BENTON FALLS, Maine — “Look underneath you,” commands Nate Gray, a burly biologist for the state of Maine. He reaches down to the grate floor of a steel cage perched on a dam straddling the Sebasticook River, and pulls back a board revealing the roiling river Read More
Without Edwards Dam, Fish and Birds Thrive on the Kennebec
Augusta city officials who initially opposed the removal of the dam now say it’s been good for the city. By Keith Edwards, staff writer Kennebec Journal news story AUGUSTA — The first water to flow through when Edwards Dam was breached 15 years ago was brown and thick with mud from the earthen cofferdam built Read More
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
