Editorial Portland Press Herald Any legislators in doubt about sending Maine voters a borrowing proposal that would revive a popular land conservation program should stop for a moment and reflect on the program’s name: Land for Maine’s Future. In a state that calls itself Vacationland and where tourism is the leading industry, protecting Maine’s natural Read More
Forests and Wildlife
NRCM Testimony Regarding The Budget of the Department of Conservation
Good morning Senator Rotundo, Representative Brannigan and Members of the Committee. My name is Cathy Johnson. I am a resident of Alna. I am here today speaking on behalf of the Natural Resources Council of Maine in support of additional funding for the Department of Conservation. Among many other duties, the Department of Conservation is Read More
Plum Creek’s Grand Plan
by Mechele Cooper Kennebec Journal The state’s largest forestland owner unveiled a proposed “resource plan” on Tuesday for 427,000 acres in the Moosehead Lake region that would mix development with protection for pristine ponds and a guarantee that a working forest wouldn’t be developed for at least three decades. Plum Creek Timber Co. executives called Read More
Plum Creek at a Glance: Two Resorts in Works in Moosehead Region
by Doug Fletcher, staff writer Lewiston Sun Journal “This scale of development could change the character of the Moosehead region forever. This is a turning point in the history of Maine’s North Woods.” – Cathy Johnson, Natural Resources Council of Maine Two resorts in works in Moosehead region A 48,500-acre woodlands buy is part of Read More
Peter Brann and Ben Lund Receive 2004 Environmental Award
The Natural Resources Council of Maine recognizes with deep appreciation their efforts to defend Maine’s environment in the courts. Peter Brann and Ben Lund, partners in the Lewiston-based law firm of Brann & Isaacson, have brought their considerable professional skills, tenacity, and love of Maine to a necessary part of the advocacy process—using the courts Read More
Testimony on Draft MFS Rule – Chapter 23 Timber Harvesting Standards to Substantially
Maine’s Big Old Trees Need to Be Saved
by Cathy Johnson, NRCM North Woods project director Bangor Daily News op-ed When people think of forests with big old trees, we usually think of the West Coast. Here in New England, trees are naturally shorter, and loggers have been cutting the forests for hundreds of years, so many people think we never had big Read More
Saving Salmon
New York Times editorial Conservationists and business interests are at loggerheads so often these days that it is heartening when they can reach an agreement that produces good outcomes for both – and for the environment. A coalition of environmental groups, an Indian tribe, government agencies and a power company recently announced an agreement that Read More
Governor Baldacci’s Liquidation Harvesting Bill Signing Ceremony
Statement by Pete Didisheim, NRCM Advocacy Director I am very pleased to be here on behalf of the Natural Resources Council of Maine to witness the signing of the Governor’s liquidation harvesting bill. Liquidation harvesting is a pernicious practice that is eating away at Maine’s forested landscape. It happens when someone buys a wood lot, cuts Read More
