By George Smith Bangor Daily News column Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection has proposed exciting upgrades for more than 400 miles of rivers and streams. Although this is supposed to be something that’s done every three years, this is the first time in almost 10 years that the DEP has proposed to upgrade water quality Read More
Penobscot River
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
Removing Mercury from Penobscot River Likely Won’t be Easy
By Bill Trotter, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story Exactly how does someone clean toxic mercury deposits out of a section of a tidal river more than 30 miles long? That’s the main question a federal judge is expected to decide next year as part of a court-ordered cleanup of mercury dumped over decades 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
Black-backed Woodpeckers and Other Birds in Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
As you now, Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters (KWW) National Monument has been in the news again recently. While Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was doing a tour of the area, we decided to make another visit, on the same day. The birding opportunities in the Monument are so bountiful, but to keep this blog manageable, 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
Two Visions for Katahdin Region: Gov. LePage vs. Lucas St. Clair
By James McCarthy, staff writer Maine Biz news story Two sharply different visions for the future of the Katahdin region were presented during Tuesday’s Republican-led hearing in Washington, D.C., looking at presidentially declared national monuments, including Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Only four witnesses were invited to speak before the Federal Lands Subcommittee 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
Philanthropist Seeks to Build $5 Million Outdoor Recreation Facility Near Baxter and National Monument
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story SOLDIERTOWN TOWNSHIP, Maine — An organization funded by a millionaire philanthropist seeks a permit to build a $5 million outdoor education facility near Baxter State Park and the national monument, with hopes of opening it next fall. If permitted by the state Department of Read More
