Ten years ago the Edwards Dam in Augusta, Maine, was removed from the Kennebec River and the river has totally come alive. The coalition of groups that worked on this project for more than a decade knew that the benefits would be enormous, and they have been. The Edwards Dam had blocked the river since Read More
Search Results for: edwards dam
Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Removing the Edwards Dam
Remarks by NRCM Executive Director Brownie Carson Good morning and welcome to the 10th anniversary celebration of the removal of the Edwards Dam. Ten years ago, many of us who are here today stood on the opposite bank of the Kennebec to witness the beginning of a new chapter for this great river. On that Read More
Kennebec River Flows Free as Edwards Dam is Removed
Dam Removal Marks Turning Point for River Restoration Nationwide Statement by Brownie Carson, NRCM Executive Director Good morning and welcome to this historic celebration for the people, wildlife and communities of the Kennebec River. My name is Brownie Carson. I am the executive director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine and am pleased to be Read More
Kennebec River Dams Must be Removed
Conservation groups cite impact on endangered Atlantic salmon in FERC filing Kennebec Coalition/Conservation Law Foundation news release August 16, 2021 (PORTLAND, ME) – In a filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), several Maine conservation groups have called for the removal of four dams on the Kennebec River between Waterville and Skowhegan. The Shawmut Read More
Mainers Call for Removal of Dams to Restore a Healthy Kennebec & Save Salmon
Kennebec Coalition News Release Augusta, ME (March 11, 2021) – Endangered Atlantic salmon are on the brink of dying out in Maine’s Kennebec River because of four antiquated dams between Waterville and Skowhegan, according to state and federal officials. A broad coalition of Maine people and organizations are speaking out in support of removing the Read More
How Removing One Maine Dam 20 Years Ago Changed Everything
The removal of the Edwards Dam on Maine’s Kennebec River helped river conservationists reimagine what’s possible. February 11, 2019 By Tara Lohan Turning Points column in The Revelator View graphics from news story. Welcome to the first edition of “Turning Points,” our new column examining critical moments in environmental history when change occurred for the Read More
Taking Down Dams and Letting the Fish Flow
By Murray Carpenter, staff writer New York Times news story BANGOR, Me. — Joseph Zydlewski, a research biologist with the Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit of the United States Geological Survey, drifted in a boat on the Penobscot River, listening to a crackling radio receiver. The staccato clicks told him that one of Read More
Setting Rivers Free: As Dams are Torn Down, Nature is Quickly Recovering
By Doug Struck, Contributor Christian Science Monitor cover story BENTON FALLS, Maine — “Look underneath you,” commands Nate Gray, a burly biologist for the state of Maine. He reaches down to the grate floor of a steel cage perched on a dam straddling the Sebasticook River, and pulls back a board revealing the roiling river Read More
Paddling into the Wind: A Trip Down the River after Edwards
This is Steve Brooke’s (former Kennebec Coalition Project Coordinator) account of his canoe trip down the Kennebec the day after the Edwards Dam breach – July 2, 1999. Early last Friday morning (the morning following the breach of the Edwards Dam), a caravan of cars with canoes headed north from Augusta. By 8:30 AM, 20 canoes Read More