Being active in the outdoors, and having a prior career in the outdoor industry, I’ve toyed with the idea of going for my Recreational Maine Guide license off and on over the years. With more spare time than usual over this past winter, I figured it was a good excuse to go for it. First Read More
Land for Maine's Future & Conservation
Victory for Land for Maine’s Future
Maine’s most popular and effective conservation program is finally funded, and the money will be available right away! On July 1, Governor Janet Mills signed into law LD 221, the FY21-23 Appropriations Bill, which includes $40 million over four years for the Land for Maine’s Future program (LMF). Because the budget was passed by at Read More
Support of LD 1702, An Act To Authorize General Fund Bond Issues To Improve Transportation and National Guard Infrastructure and To Promote the Conservation of Land, Working Waterfronts, Water Access and Outdoor Recreation
Senator Breen, Representative Pierce, and Members of the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs, I am Melanie Sturm, the Forests and Wildlife Director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), and I appreciate the opportunity to provide testimony in support of LD 1702 and its provisions pertaining to the Land for Maine’s Read More
Broad Support for Land for Maine’s Future Funding in Governor Mills’ Bond Package
Land for Maine’s Future Coalition news release May 7, 2021 (Augusta, ME) — A broad coalition of organizations are applauding Governor Janet Mills for including funding for the popular and effective Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program in her proposed bond package announced today. Created in 1987, LMF has supported projects in all 16 Maine Read More
Support of LD 983, An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Promote Land Conservation, Working Waterfronts, Water Access and Outdoor Recreation
Senator Breen, Representative Pierce, and Members of the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs, I am Melanie Sturm, the Forests and Wildlife Director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), and I appreciate the opportunity to provide testimony in support of LD 983. In addition to my testimony, I am attaching a Read More
Broad Coalition of Mainers Urge Legislature to Re-fund Land for Maine’s Future Program
Invest in Maine’s Land, Waters, Economy, & Future Land for Maine’s Future Coalition news release April 26, 2021 (Augusta, ME) — An unlikely assortment of Mainers representing a wide range of interests, from farming and commercial fishing to real estate and small businesses, are coming together to ask the Legislature to approve a bond to Read More
Celebrating 30 Years of the Caribou-Speckled Wilderness
September 28, 2020, is the 30th anniversary of the Maine Wilderness Act, which was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush and designated 12,000 acres of the White Mountain National Forest as the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness. The Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) is proud of the role we played decades ago in Read More
U.S. House Passes Great American Outdoors Act to Reinvest in Maine’s Outdoor Economy
House Bill Sponsored by Congressman Golden and championed by Congresswoman Pingree NRCM news release July 22, 2020 (Augusta, ME) – The United States House of Representatives today overwhelmingly passed the Great American Outdoors Act to expand access to the outdoors and support Maine’s recreation economy. The bill, which was sponsored by Congressman Jared Golden and Read More
Maine’s Outdoor Spaces Offer Respite During Trying Times
In E. O. Wilson’s 1984 book Biophilia, the world-renowned biologist and Harvard University professor described an innate “love of life” that humans have, meaning, we are drawn to nature. In an interview with PBS, he said this intrinsic attraction is so basic that he believed most people understand it and that it’s slowly instilling a Read More
