I have worked at NRCM for more than 16 years. During that time I have seen a lot of amazing progress made by NRCM and others to protect Maine’s air, land, water, and wildlife. I have attended press conferences, legislative bill signings, member events, public hearings, annual meetings, and many other activities related to our Read More
Search Results for: edwards dam
10 Years, 430 Dams
New York Times editorial Ten years have gone by since a modest but important moment in American environmental history: the dismantling of the 917-foot-wide Edwards Dam on Maine’s Kennebec River. The Edwards Dam was the first privately owned hydroelectric dam torn down for environmental reasons (and against the owner’s wishes) by the Federal Energy Regulatory Read More
Success on Kennebec Bodes Well for Dam Removal on Penobscot
Feds give $6 million to help with Great Works project by Kevin Miller Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — In the weeks leading up to the historic breaching of the Edwards Dam, there was little doubt that striped bass, sturgeon and salmon would eventually return to the Kennebec River north of Maine’s capital Read More
River Flows, Fish Flourish with Maine Dam’s Demise
by Glenn Adams, Associated Press Forbes.com news story AUGUSTA, Maine — A backhoe took a bite out of the Edwards Dam 10 years ago, releasing the waters of the Kennebec River that had been held back for more than a century and a half. Months after that first torrent gushed through from upstream, the entire Read More
A Decade without a Dam Breathes Life in to a Maine River
by Beth Daley, Globe staff Boston Globe news story Ten years ago today, a demolition crew in Augusta, Maine punched a hole through a 160-year-old dam on the Kennebec River and made history. It was the first time that the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruled that the ecological value of a free-flowing river was Read More
Kennebec River Reborn 10 Years After Dam Removal
People and wildlife have benefited from river’s recovery NRCM news release Augusta, ME – State, federal and local officials and conservation leaders gathered on the bank of the Kennebec River today to celebrate one of our nation’s most significant and successful river restoration projects. Ten years ago, the 160-year-old Edwards Dam was removed to restore Read More
Ten Years After Dam Removal Kennebec River Fish are Jumping Back
by Susan Sharon Maine Public Radio news story For centuries, dams that harnessed water power fueled factories around the Northeast. But the walled barriers prevented migrating fish from reaching their native spawning grounds. Water quality and entire ecosystems changed. Think about a dam on a river you know. Imagine what would happen if that structure Read More
Fort Halifax Dam Removed to Open Fish Passage in Sebasticook
On July 17, 2008, after more than 5 years of legal battles, FPL Energy Maine Hydro breached the Fort Halifax Dam in Winslow. Finally, this section of the river will flow freely again and native sea-run fish – striped bass, salmon, sturgeon, and shad – will be able to return to waters they have not seen Read More
Saturday, July 13: Paddle the Kennebec River with NRCM!
Paddle the Kennebec with NRCM! Saturday, July 13, 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (weather date: Sunday, July 14) Join NRCM staff for an 8-mile paddle on the Kennebec River from Sidney to Augusta. There will be a Registered Maine Guide, Richard Behr, accompanying us on this paddling trip, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Edwards Dam removal. Read More