by A.J. Higgins MPBN news story Just over 40 years ago, the first Earth Day was celebrated in the United States. In observance of the event, the Natural Resources Council of Maine today unveiled its new 55-panel solar energy system designed to reduce more than 16,000 pounds of carbon pollution each year. The project is Read More
climate change
Warming Winters Threaten Maine’s Outdoor Traditions
“On Thin Ice” Report Details Impacts on Maine’s Outdoor Heritage Natural Resources Council of Maine and National Wildlife Federation Augusta, Maine—Near-record warmth in the winter of 2011-2012 left wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts and the businesses in winter-based sectors scrambling to adapt—and it’s just a preview of what’s to come in a warming world, according to Read More
A Birder’s Take on Signs of Spring
Last year around this time, dozens of cars lined up along Route 126 from South Gardiner to Gardiner. Children, along with one or both of their parents, gazed out through the windows or stood nearby as two Coast Guard ice breakers plowed their way up the Kennebec River, slicing through thick layers of ice—an annual Read More
Conservation Advocates Voice Fears about Oil Pipeline
The prospect of transporting ‘tar sands’ crude to Portland from Canada draws more than 200 to a forum at USM. By Dennis Hoey, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story PORTLAND – A pipeline accident that allows oil to get into Sebago Lake could contaminate the water supply for thousands of southern Maine residents, a Read More
Mercury and Birds
A report by the Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI), finds that mercury contamination is at levels dangerous enough to cause physiological and reproductive harm in a wide-range of songbirds and bats in the 11 northeastern states, including Maine. The report, Hidden Risk, finds that certain species and habitats are of special concern. Bicknell’s Thrush, Rusty Blackbird, Read More
Weathering the Storm and a Dip in the Icy Atlantic
Having survived (can I say “enjoyed?”) NRCM’s New Year’s Eve day Polar Bear Dip & Dash and welcoming in the New Year with a sunrise walk with the dog through the Spurwink Marsh, I feel like I am entering 2012 with a good reserve of energy and optimism. Looks like we will all need lots of both. Before Read More
Recalling the Cold Sledgehammer: NRCM’s Polar Dip and Dash
By Jeff Wells I have felt the cold sledgehammer of ice water closing in on my head before—that’s what it felt like to me when I plunged under the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean at Portland’s East End Beach during the Natural Resources Council of Maine’s (NRCM’s) Polar Plunge in 2009. That was a Read More
Man Trapped in Polar Bear Costume
To raise awareness about climate change and to help raise funds to address it, one Natural Resources Council of Maine staffer has vowed to stay in a polar bear costume until NRCM reaches its pledge goals: Help us get him out of that costume! Please support our work for clean energy and efficiency by participating in Read More
George Mitchell: Climate Change Skepticism Will “Not Last”
By Seth Koenig, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story PORTLAND, Maine — Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader and world diplomat George Mitchell called upon President Barack Obama — and everyone else who backs stiff environmental protection laws and the science behind climate change — to be bold and persistent in the face of opponents Read More