Maine Loses Ability to Have Any Say in Water Management for Next 25 Years NRCM * AMC * CLF * Maine Rivers * Trout Unlimited PORTLAND, ME – Conservation groups are charging that the deep cuts in, and ongoing reorganization of, personnel at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection have resulted in a clear case of Read More
Waters
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 has been working on clean water issues since we were founded in 1959 to protect the Allagash.
NRCM continues to advocate for clean and healthy waters across Maine. Read more news & blogs about our work to protect Maine's beautiful rivers, lakes, and streams.
Poll Shows Maine Voters Oppose Environmental Rollbacks
A poll conducted two weeks ago by Portland-based Critical Insights shows that Maine voters overwhelming oppose specific environmental rollback proposals now before the Maine Legislature, including efforts to weaken shoreland zoning, the bottle bill, and Maine’s energy building code. The survey finds that Maine voters place a high priority on protecting our land, water and air; Read More
Returning to Sea—by David Wilkins
Editor’s Note: Alewives are river herring, a term that also includes their close relatives the blueback herring and American shad. Alewives spend most of their life at sea. In early to mid-May, alewives leave the ocean, enter Maine’s coastal rivers, and make their way upstream to spawning habitat in lakes and ponds, sometimes traveling more Read More
Removing Dams in Maine
by Bobby Bascomb Living on Earth story An unusual collaboration has led to a deal that will remove two dams on the largest river in Maine. As Living on Earth’s Bobby Bascomb reports, the Penobscot River dam removals will not only benefit native fish, but also the hydroelectric utility. GELLERMAN: Over the past decade, more Read More
Orono, Stillwater Dam Upgrades to Fill Energy Gap Left by Removal of Other Dams
By Nick McCrea, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story Two dams have received approval to boost their energy capacity and fill the gap left when three other Penobscot River dams are demolished or decommissioned over the next two to three years. The Department of Environmental Protection cleared Black Bear Hydro Partners LLC, the company Read More
Historic River Reclamation Impacts All of New England
Dave Sartwell Gloucester Times news story The Penobscot River in Maine is on the verge of an historic reclamation. The Lower Penobscot River Restoration Project has cleared what at first seemed insurmountable opposition to removing dams and restoring the natural flow of the river. Although the implementation will take several years, all of the agreements Read More
Restoring the Penobscot
Maine is getting a chance to prove it’s possible to make clean energy and restore sea-run fish access to rivers. By Tom Bell, State House Writer Maine Sunday Telegram news story GREENBUSH – Ian Kiraly gently nudges the bow of an alien-like vessel along the banks of the Penobscot River. The electro boat, with its Read More
Salmon’s Return Means Much to Tribe
By Tom Bell, State House Writer Maine Sunday Telegram news story INDIAN ISLAND – In 1835, when the new dam at Veazie was closed in the winter, blocking all fish passage, the Penobscot Indians protested that the dam would destroy the annual runs of salmon and other sea-run fish. Their complaints went unheeded, even when Read More
Alewives Spark Legal Debate
By Nick Bennett, NRCM Staff Scientist Maine Lobsterman’s Association newsletter August 2011 guest column More than two years ago, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association joined the Natural Resources Council of Maine, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, Maine Rivers and nearly 50 other conservation, sporting, and commercial fishing groups in petitioning the International Joint Commission (IJC) to reopen Read More