Selected Highlights of LURC's CLUP
Learn about Maine's Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP)
Facts about Maine's Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP)
Q&A of NRCM's appeal of Plum Creek decision
Comments about Lily Bay submitted to LURC.
NRCM's evaluation of LURC's proposed amendments to the Plum Creek proposal.
Land for Maine's Future Learn more about its successes and reasons to continue funding this vital program.
Major Land Sales in Maine Since 1998, tw-thirds of the land in Maine's North Woods (more than 7.1 million acres) has changed hands.
Learn more about forest certification by visiting the Alliance for Credible Certification coalition website.
Fact sheet regarding the difference between SFI and FSC forest certification. (PDF file)
Public Land Ownership by State (pdf) Note: This is a big table and may take a long time to load.
Can Plum Creek Be Trusted to Protect What's Special About Maine? Watch our ad.
Plum Creek's "Big Moosetake"
Watch our movie and pass it on to your friends and family.
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NRCM works to protect Maine's natural areas and wild, undeveloped character, particularly in the North Woods. We support responsible land development and sustainable forest practices that protect sensitive ecosystems and wildlife. We work for increased public ownership of Maine lands, so future generations will know the Maine we love today. |
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Plum Creek's Massive Moosehead ProjectIn April 2007, the nation’s largest private landowner, Seattle-based Plum Creek Real Estate Investment Corporation, announced its third "revised" development proposal for the Moosehead region. Find out why NRCM continues to be concerned, and why you should, too. |
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Maine's North Woods at a CrossroadsThe largest remaining undeveloped forest in the Eastern United States is at risk of being lost forever. NRCM is fighting to protect what makes this region unique. Now is the time to look at the North Woods as a whole and help direct its future. |
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Allagash Wilderness WaterwayNRCM is a vital partner in Citizens to Protect the Allagash, a coalition of groups working to protect and restore the character of Maine's signature watershed. |
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Land ProtectionNRCM helped lead a coalition of 300 businesses, associations, and organizations promoting funding for the Land for Maine's Future (LMF) program, which has protected public access to Maine's natural areas in all 16 counties. |
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Protecting Maine's WildlifeMaine is home to a wide variety of wildlife. For some species, Maine provides habitat for a large part of the entire world population. NRCM works for initiatives that protect Maine’s wildlife by advocating for policies that ensure the health of the environment upon which they rely. |
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Other Forestry IssuesSome companies put profits ahead of responsible forest stewardship, leaving a legacy of destruction for future generations. Liquidation harvesting, also called "cut-and-run logging," is a harmful forest practice that NRCM is working hard to prevent. |
In-Depth Project Description
Protection of Maine’s wilderness was one of the issues for which NRCM was founded in 1959. Almost a half-century later, major threats to Maine’s wild places continue.
NRCM has won many significant victories over the years, from helping establish the Allagash Wilderness Waterway to passage of legislation ensuring responsible forest management. But the challenges of protecting of Maine’s treasured wild lands and the wildlife that depend upon it have never been greater, nor the need to protect them more urgent.
More than one-third of the state has changed ownership in recent years. Corporations that have no stake in our local communities are buying up hundreds of thousands of acres. Slicing and dicing these natural areas can destroy the character of Maine's North Woods forever.
This loss would affect not only the people of Maine but also our wildlife. The region is home to moose, bear, deer, and dozens of bird species—Boreal Chickadee, Spruce Grouse, Pine Grosbeak, Cape May Warbler, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher—for which the North Woods are the southernmost limit of their breeding range. Maine's North Woods also provide many recreational opportunities for Maine people. Unchecked development threatens access to undeveloped, wild forests, lakes, and rivers for hiking, canoeing, camping, hunting and fishing.
While development pressures and the loss of public access continue to intensify, NRCM remains a voice for responsible economic development in Maine's North Woods. With our coalition partners, we work for more public lands and responsible forest management practices in Maine.
We invite you to learn more about our work to protect Maine’s North Woods and other natural areas, and to support our vital work for generations of Mainers to come.