Twenty years ago on Monday, July 1st, hundreds of Mainers stood along the banks of the Kennebec River in Augusta to watch as the Edwards Dam was breached and the river passed through the dam, freely, for the first time in more than 160 years. On the 20th Anniversary of that historic event, we have Read More
dam removal
Opposition to LD 983, An Act To Exempt from Permit Requirements the Repair of Low-head Dams
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, my name is Nick Bennett, and I am the Staff Scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 20,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in opposition to LD 983. Maine Read More
LD 817, Advance Restoration of Penobscot
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. My name is Nick Bennett, and I am the Staff Scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 20,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in support of LD 817. As Read More
How Removing One Maine Dam 20 Years Ago Changed Everything
The removal of the Edwards Dam on Maine’s Kennebec River helped river conservationists reimagine what’s possible. February 11, 2019 By Tara Lohan Turning Points column in The Revelator View graphics from news story. Welcome to the first edition of “Turning Points,” our new column examining critical moments in environmental history when change occurred for the Read More
Restoration of Alewives in Maine Rivers is No Fish Tale
Some animal migrations are large and obvious. I’ve seen many films of giant wildebeest herds moving across the plains in Africa numbering in the hundreds of thousands. I’ve been to South Dakota to hunt the spring migration of snow geese on their way to arctic breeding areas. I stayed in the small city of Aberdeen, Read More
Conservation Projects Have Let ‘Astounding’ Number of Alewives Return to Maine Rivers
By A.J. Higgins Maine Public news story Watch videos. Alewives, or river herring, are making their usual spawning migration to Maine in unusually high numbers this year, thanks in part to restoration efforts and the removal of dams on the Penobscot and Kennebec Rivers. Because they serve as a food source for several fish species Read More
Maine’s River Herring Making Dramatic Comeback, a Godsend for the Food Chain
With the path to inland spawning grounds clear, the species rebounds with unexpected speed, benefiting everything from bald eagles to Atlantic cod. By Colin Woodard, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story BATH — Motorists crossing the bridge over the Kennebec this spring and early summer were afforded dramatic views of one of Maine’s mightiest 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
