At 400 feet, Blackstrap Hill is one of the highest points in Cumberland County. The hill is covered in a mix of conifers and hardwoods, with notable stands of rare black birch, mature hemlock and old-growth trees (including a white oak 14 feet in circumference!). Blackstrap Hill’s wooded slopes are visible for miles, a welcome Read More
Bowden Farm
Since 1989, Blue Hill Heritage Trust has worked to preserve agricultural land on the Blue Hill peninsula. As part of this effort, the Trust sought to acquire an agricultural easement on Bowden Farm, an attractive 208-acre mix of woods and fields along Route 15. The Land for Maine’s Future program and the USDA Farm and Ranch Land Read More
Bradbury-Pineland Corridor
The State owns two major tracts of public land in eastern Cumberland County, both within 40 minutes of Maine’s two largest urban areas – Pineland Public Reserved Land (600 acres) and Bradbury Mountain State Park (800 acres). These two resources are located only three miles apart, and the trail corridor and park expansion created to link them with Read More
Opposition to LD 1226, An Act to Keep Maine’s Transportation Infrastructure Safe by Providing More Sources of Revenue for the Highway Fund
Senator Ron Collins, Chair Representative Andrew McLean, Chair Joint Standing Committee on Transportation My name is Dylan Voorhees and I am the Clean Energy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM.) Thank you for allowing us to present this testimony. NRCM strongly opposes this legislation, which would undermine Maine’s ability to reduce our Read More
New Report: Proposed EPA Cuts Put State’s Environment At Risk
by Susan Sharon Maine Public news story A new report from the Natural Resources Council of Maine paints a bleak picture of what could happen in Maine if the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency are adopted. The proposal calls for cutting the agency’s budget 31 percent, slashing 3,200 jobs and eliminating Read More
Portland Councilors Want City to Use 100% Clean Energy by 2040
Portland Press Herald news story Portland city councilors will consider a new goal of powering municipal operations with 100 percent clean energy by 2040. City Councilor Spencer Thibodeau, chairman of the Sustainability and Transportation Committee, is presenting the goal in the form of a council resolution. Thibodeau will formally announce the goal Thursday at a Read More
Opposition to LD 1126, An Act To Support Tourism on Public Reserved Lands by Leasing Sites to Commercial Sporting Camps
Good afternoon Senator Davis, Representative Dunphy, and members of the Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee. My name is Eliza Donoghue. I am here today on behalf of the 20,000 members and supporters of the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) to speak in opposition to LD 1126, An Act To Support Tourism on Public Reserved Read More
The Woods and Waters are What Make Maine Great. It’s Our Duty to Conserve Them.
By John Tjepkema Bangor Daily News op-ed As we celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, Mainers should be proud of our accomplishments since its first observance in 1970. U.S. Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine was a driving force behind the 1970 Clean Air Act and the 1972 Clean Water Act. Since that time, a wide range Read More
Broadturn Farm (formerly known as Meserve Farm)
Broadturn Farm is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm that raises organic vegetables, cut flowers, strawberries, a small amount of poultry, and turkey, as well as natural lamb and pork. The property is in agricultural conservation with the Scarborough Land Conservation Trust (SLCT). Formerly called the Keith Meserve Farm, the land is one of the largest Read More
