The deal, which was finalized recently between The Trust for Public Land and Linkletter Timberlands, provides public access for recreation – including on two ITS snowmobile trails – while maintaining the land as a working forest. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story A conservation group has finalized a land deal to Read More
Atlantic salmon
Fish Bypass Construction Starts in Howland While Hunt Goes On for Developer of Former Tannery Site
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story HOWLAND, Maine — Preparation work for the construction of a $3.2 million fish bypass and the marketing of the former Howland tannery site are underway, officials said Tuesday. Workers from SumCo Eco-Contracting LLC were installing security fences and silt control devices at the site 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
Without Edwards Dam, Fish and Birds Thrive on the Kennebec
Augusta city officials who initially opposed the removal of the dam now say it’s been good for the city. By Keith Edwards, staff writer Kennebec Journal news story AUGUSTA — The first water to flow through when Edwards Dam was breached 15 years ago was brown and thick with mud from the earthen cofferdam built Read More
A Kennebec for the Generations
Fifteen years ago, the efforts of the passionate souls at the Natural Resources Council of Maine resulted in the removal of the Edwards Dam in Augusta. I didn’t work here then but I’m quite certain that, just as it is today, the culture here was one of steadfast resolve to protect the nature of Maine. Read More
Kennebec River Rebounds After Edwards Dam Removal
by Danielle Waugh WCSH-6 TV news story AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — It’s been 15 years since the removal of the Edwards Dam, and the water and wildlife of the Kennebec River has changed dramatically. On July 1, 1999, the 900-foot dam breached, restoring a free-flowing Kennebec River for the first time in 160 years. Read More
15th Anniversary of Edwards Dam Removal: Benefits to People and Wildlife Keep Flowing
Record-breaking numbers of alewives, eagles News Release Alewives return to Kennebec (chart) C-SPAN story about Edwards Dam, including interview with NRCM’s Pete Didisheim Brief history timeline of Edwards Dam More about the Edwards Dam removal and Kennebec River restoration The health of the Kennebec River is making great strides just fifteen years after the breach Read More
How Unlikely Partners Came Together on a Maine River
Decades of dam building had decimated migratory fish populations that had long sustained local wildlife and people on the Penobscot River. After years of contentious battles, local stakeholders struck a deal. Today, for the first time in 200 years, river life is rebounding. And the power company has not lost any hydropower generation. By Laura Read More
Legislature Overrides LePage Veto of Bill to Protect Fish Spawning Areas from Mining
By Christopher Cousins, staff writer Bangor Daily News story AUGUSTA, Maine — The Legislature on Tuesday overturned a veto by Gov. Paul LePage of a bill that aims to protect delicate fish spawning habitats from motorized mining operations. After a unanimous vote in the Senate on Tuesday morning, the House voted 119-23 Tuesday evening to Read More