Each year NRCM presents Environmental Awards to people or groups doing outstanding work for Maine's natural resources. This is also the fourth year in which we have presented our People's Choice Award, whose winner is nominated and voted on by members, supporters, and citizens. Thanks to all of this year's winners for their important work to safeguard Maine's environment.
- 2009 People's Choice Award Winner Evelyn Dunphy
- Scott Hall and Richard Fennelly, and PPL Maine
- Russell Pierce, Esq. of Norman, Hanson and DeTroy
- Visit the "NRCM Insider" to watch a video of this year's Environmental Award winners, and a video of this year's People's Choice Award winner, Evelyn Dunphy.
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| Evelyn Dunphy is congratulated by NRCM executive director Brownie Carson. Dick Butterer (right) nominated Evelyn for this year's award. |
Evelyn Dunphy, NRCM People's Choice Award Winner 2009
This is fourth year of our “interactive” category for our Environmental Awards. And this year’s People’s Choice Award race was bigger than ever. This category gives our members the chance to acknowledge someone in their community who is making a difference for our beautiful state. So how strongly did our supporters feel this year about people on the ground doing the good, hard work of protecting their environment? Two of our finalists each – EACH - received more votes than ALL of the votes received last year. Now, that’s passion!
Our finalist, winner of our 2009 People’s Choice Award is Evelyn Dunphy of Bath, Maine.
Evelyn is unique among our past People’s Choice winners, and perhaps of all our past nominations, because she is not only a strong activist, she is also a celebrated artist. We are fortunate that Evelyn has decided to put her talent as an artist to highlight the beauty and special qualities of Maine’s wilderness areas, because not only does she help bring awareness of these natural treasures and our need to protect, she shows us, with her artist’s eye, why we must.
Over and over again, we heard from those who voted for her, about how much her artistic advocacy made a difference for one issue in particular, Katahdin Lake. An innovative among landowners, state agencies, and wilderness advocates led to acquisition of 4,000 acres around the lake, including the last remaining parcel in Governor Percival Baxter’s vision for Baxter State Park. In the words of one of Evelyn’s voting fans, “I can say without hesitation that Evelyn is a remarkable human being who served as a bridge between the artist community and the land conservation community. Her heart, commitment, and creativity were the critical ingredient to the successful completion of that campaign and Maine is indeed lucky to have her as an artistic ambassador of land conservation.”
Evelyn was selected to be the first Baxter State Park “Visiting Artist,” and her stunning interpretations of Maine’s wild landscapes have received numerous awards, been featured in juried exhibitions and magazines, and hang in congressional and state office buildings.
Evelyn has now turned her eye to Moosehead Lake, and we could not be more thrilled, and she is working with other artists to showcase on the canvass just how spectacular a place Moosehead truly is.
In the words of one of her supporters, “Through her work, her enthusiasm, and her energy, Evelyn has ‘moved mountains.’” We trust that she will move many more. It is my honor, on behalf of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, to present to Evelyn Dunphy the 2009 People’s Choice Award.
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| (From left to right) NRCM executive director Brownie Carson, NRCM Board of Directors president Eleanor Kinney, Scott Hall, Tinku Khanwalkar, and Richard Fennelly |
Scott Hall, Richard Fennelly, and PPL Maine
As a party to the Penobscot River Restoration Agreement, the Natural Resources Council of Maine is proud to honor Scott Hall and Richard Fennelly of PPL Maine for their role in making this historic river restoration a reality.
The Penobscot Agreement calls for the purchase of three dams, removal of the two dams closest to the sea, construction a fish bypass around another, improved fish passage at several dams, and energy increases at others to rebalance native sea-run fisheries restoration and hydropower generation on the largest river within Maine. Fully implemented, it will significantly improve access to nearly 1,000 miles of historic habitat to enable the restoration of Atlantic salmon, river herring and several other native sea-run fish while maintaining hydropower. In the past, the Penobscot River teemed with millions of fish—fish that nourished the people and culture of the Penobscot Nation, fed eagles, bear, and other wildlife, added vital nutrients to the river, and replenished the Gulf of Maine. Under the Penobscot Agreement, hundreds of thousands of fish will return annually and we will enjoy vast environmental, cultural, recreational and economic benefits, creating a more sustainable future for generations to come.
The diversity of parties to the agreement is remarkable – a power company, state, federal and tribal governments, and several conservation groups. In addition to NRCM, a founding member of the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, other participating groups include the Penobscot Indian Nation, American Rivers, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, Maine Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, and Trout Unlimited. The project is widely hailed a national and even international model of collaboration.
This far-reaching project required strong leadership and vision. It began a decade ago when PPL proposed, with Scott and Dick as their representatives, a far-reaching conversation about the future of its Penobscot dams. Rather than treating its plans for the Penobscot as set in stone, the company came to the table open to broader possibilities. Through a willingness to consider a comprehensive solution working closely with tribal, federal, state and conservation interests, they created the possibility of restoring the river’s native sea-run fish where many other approaches had failed.
As we know, however, talk does not guarantee a successful resolution, especially when the status quo has been in place for decades. Scott and Dick took a fresh approach: they brought a productive, creative, and respectful approach to the negotiations that ultimately lead to success. Scott and Dick came to the table willing to set aside historic disagreements in the interest of a new approach. They were willing to envision a potential reconfiguration of the dams that would look very different from what PPL planned before discussions started. They helped to build, and sometimes rebuild, trust as the basis for a collaborative solution, listening well to other viewpoints while productively expressed their own. Scott and Dick brought their experience and knowledge of the dams and creative thinking toward the attainment of the parties’ common goals and worked through seemingly intractable issues with respect and, when needed, good humor.
Full implementation of the Penobscot Agreement, from purchase to implementation, also requires that PPL work actively with the other project partners to ensure the Agreement’s success. The Penobscot Trust and other project partners frequently called upon them to meet with communities along the river in town council and selectmen’s meetings, talk with landowners to answer technical questions and share their perspectives, field a myriad of questions from people throughout the basin, and participate in scores of presentations to organizations and communities. Their full support and commitment for the project’s goals have helped ensure the project’s success. We look forward to continuing to work with Scott, Dick, PPL and all other current and future project partners to ensure the full success of the Penobscot Project.
For their leadership and collaboration in the restoration of the Penobscot River, we are honored to recognize Scott Hall, Dick Fennelly, and PPL Maine with a 2009 Environmental Award.
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| (From left to right) Brownie Carson, Eleanor Kinney, Russell Pierce, and Peter DeTroy |
Russell Pierce, Esq. of the law firm of Norman, Hanson and DeTroy.
Taking on the largest private landowner in the country—telling them, no, you cannot build houses on the spectacularly beautiful north end of Moosehead Lake, on the remote trout ponds scattered around Moosehead Lake, and on the very shorelines of Moosehead and other lakes and ponds.
Russ Pierce of the firm of Norman, Hanson and DeTroy did this, and he didn’t bat an eyelash.
In April of 2005, Seattle-based Plum Creek submitted its original proposal for the Moosehead Lake region. So much was wrong with that plan that Plum Creek went back to the drawing board.
In April, 2006, Plum Creek submitted its second version of its proposal. Faced with continuing, vociferous public opposition, back went Plum Creek to the drawing board again.
In April, 2007, Plum Creek submitted its third version. And for the third time, the proposal had to be reviewed from start to finish.
By no means an easy task: Every one of these proposals was hundreds, and in some cases, thousands, of pages long. And each page had to be read, analyzed, and responded to.
NRCM was ably represented throughout every step of this long, exhausting process by the law firm of Norman, Hanson and DeTroy. The firm contributed hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours of free legal assistance for which we are unspeakably grateful. And the human being who did all that work on behalf of the firm was our attorney and fearless leader, Russ Pierce.
Russ’s passion for protecting the Moosehead region was evident from the beginning. His love of hiking and the outdoors is second to none. How much easier is it to work with someone who shares your values, so that when you use a phrase like “the largest development proposal in Maine history” you know the person knows not only what that means in total acreage, but understands what it means to the heart and soul of one of Maine’s most breathtaking places.
But Russ has far more than passion. He has unwavering commitment, clearly demonstrated in his willingness to work days, nights, and weekends, for weeks and weeks on end, which soon became months and months. His dedication to the big job of protecting Moosehead Lake quickly became apparent. As NRCM staff and legal team labored through three, then four, then five versions of the plan, as we organized the testimony of our own witnesses and read, evaluated, and prepared cross examination for over a hundred and seventy Plum Creek and other parties’ witnesses, Russ’s capacity to absorb, evaluate, respond to and recall thousands of pages of testimony was stellar. He can speed read a document faster than anyone I’ve ever met!
And then came the four weeks of hearings. Between reviewing the day’s testimony, every day, and preparing for the next day, it was practically a 24-hour-a-day job, day in and day out. Stress was plentiful, and the opportunity for enflamed tempers was great, but Russ never lost his cool. No matter how outrageous the process got, Russ met each challenge with intelligence and equilibrium. Faced with an army of lawyers working for Plum Creek, Russ maintained his calm demeanor at all times.
And did I mention, he hardly eats? Give him an apple and he’s good for a whole day.
While the final chapter in the Plum Creek saga is yet to be written, the current plan includes more conservation land, development has been removed from many remote ponds, and the number of shorefront lots has been scaled back. This is all the direct result of Russ’s efforts.
For his passion, intelligence, hard work, and untiring commitment to the cause, NRCM gives its heartfelt thanks to Russ Pierce of the firm of Norman, Hanson and DeTroy and presents him the 2009 Environmental Award.