By Lisa Pohlmann, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed For the last few weeks sea-run fish known as alewives have been heading up Maine’s rivers to lay their eggs. Their journey is a breathtaking force of nature to behold, as they fight strong currents, heading upstream in droves. While probably hundreds of millions Read More
Clean Water
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.
Concern for Maine’s Lakes: An Afternoon on Belgrade’s Great Pond
As Susan MacKenzie wrote about in her recent post, on June 10, a group of NRCM Board members and staff joined Professor Whitney King of Colby College to learn about the waters of Great Pond in Belgrade. Whitney gave quite an eye-opening presentation as he shared some of the startling research data currently being collected Read More
Maine’s LakeSmart Program: Good for You, Good for Maine’s Lakes
On June 10 several NRCM Board and staff members spent a delightful couple of hours with Dr. Whitney King, the Dr. Frank and Theodora Miselis Professor of Chemistry at Colby College and a member of the Maine Lake Resource Center Board of Directors. Following a brief introduction to the ecological and social history of the Read More
Portland Council Adopts Fee for Bags, Bans Foam Containers
The 6-3 votes follow sharply divided testimony between supporters and opponents of the plan. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story Portland city councilors voted late Monday night to charge consumers a nickel for every disposable shopping bag they get and to ban foam containers for food and beverages in an effort Read More
Portland City Council Bans Foam Packaging, Endorses Bag Fee
Tonight, the Portland City Council voted 6-3 to ban foam packaging in city stores and restaurants, and voted 6-3 to enact a 5-cent fee on disposable shopping bags. News Release “We congratulate Portland for approving these ordinances, which will clean up Portland’s neighborhoods, streets, and Casco Bay by encouraging the use of reusable bags and Read More
Report: Mining Tar Sands Threatens Migratory Birds
Written by Lisa Neff Wisconsin Gazette news story Destructive mining and drilling practices in the heart of Canada’s boreal forest are putting millions of America’s migratory birds at risk and have already resulted in potentially hundreds of thousands of fatalities, according to a report from the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Read More
Prolonged Legal Battle Over Penobscot River Mercury Cleanup Headed to Federal Court
By Dawn Gagnon, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story BANGOR, Maine — A 14-year legal battle over the cleanup of mercury in the Penobscot River will rev up next week, when a trial begins on a lawsuit filed by a Maine-based citizens group and its national ally against a former owner of the defunct Read More
Creature Feature: Brook Trout
Mainers are lucky. Very lucky. Almost all of us live within a bike ride of streams or ponds where brook trout live.
Veto of Lake Protection Bill Threatens Maine’s Lakes
NRCM Statement by Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim “Governor LePage today vetoed a bill that would protect one of Maine’s most important natural resources, our 6,000 lakes and ponds that are cherished by Maine people and visitors who come to Maine from around the world. This veto is an insult to the thousands of Maine people Read More