The state had held off on posting signs while the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument was under review by the Trump administration. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — The LePage administration has agreed to allow signs on Interstate 95 and state highways directing drivers to Katahdin Woods and… Continue Reading
Forests and Wildlife
18 Months After Its Creation, National Monument in Northern Maine to Get Road Signs
By Susan Sharon Maine Public news story Listen to full news story. It has been 18 months since former President Barack Obama designated the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in northern Maine — but there are still no road signs to direct interested visitors where to go or how to get there. Republican Gov…. Continue Reading
Athens Community School Receives NRCM Middle School Grant
Funds will be used for hands-on conservation learning. Central Maine newspapers news story Because of a grant from the Natural Resources Council of Maine, students participating in 4-H club at Athens Community School will learn about local wildlife and monitor their behavior. Middle school students, guided by their teacher Kassie Dwyer, will build wildlife houses and set… Continue Reading
Conservation Groups Oppose Development Changes Proposed for Maine Woods
By Bill Trotter, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story Conservation groups in Maine on Wednesday urged state officials not to expand the distance limit that determines where subdivisions and commercial projects can be built in the state’s Unorganized Territory. The Land Use Planning Commission is considering a change in policy that would allow zoning… Continue Reading
Panel Could Allow Greater Development in 2.5M Acres of Maine Woods
By Bill Trotter, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story The Land Use Planning Commission is considering a proposal that could allow subdivision or commercial development in nearly 2.5 million acres in the Unorganized Territory in Maine. Part of that area already allows such development within one mile of existing, similarly developed areas. Development of… Continue Reading
CMP’s “New England Clean Energy Connect” Transmission Line Proposal
NRCM Statement The Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) opposes this project because of significant concerns about the environmental impact of both the line itself and of the sources of power the line may serve and concern that the governor wants to push the project through state agency permitting without fair, science-based review. Some of… Continue Reading
Don’t Blame Land Conservation for Rising Maine Property Taxes
Reduced state aid to municipalities and schools is what’s putting the pinch on taxpayers. Portland Press Herald editorial For years, Gov. LePage has blamed schools for being unwilling to control costs. Now, he says, it was the land trusts all along. On the radio, in his recent State of the State address and in a… Continue Reading
Maine Land Trusts Say Governor Uses Bogus Data in Pitch to Tax Them
Conservation advocates call his claims misleading and say he ignores payments made to host towns in lieu of taxes. by Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is once again accusing conservation groups of “ripping off” taxpayers in Maine by not paying local taxes on vast swaths of… Continue Reading
LePage Policies, Not Land Trusts, Have Driven Up Property Taxes
Bangor Daily News editorial In Tuesday’s State of the State speech, Gov. Paul LePage highlighted a serious problem that deserves attention in Augusta and beyond. Maine’s property taxes are too high, and they are rising. LePage, however, identified the wrong source of the problem. The governor, a long-time critic of land conservation, blamed land trusts… Continue Reading
