Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting the Palermo Consolidated School. Through the support of their community, staff, and students have created an impressive network of trails behind their school. The project was supported by a mini-grant of $500 from NRCM, and its growth from there is an impressive story about a remarkable community. Read More
forests
Gorham Middle School Students Meet Maine Forester
The leaves are out, spring has sprung, and Gorham Middle Schools students are learning lots about Maine tree species and how to measure and protect them for future use. Check out this update from teacher Angela Gospodarek! Spring is finally in the air and the trees are starting to unfurl their new leaves. We had a Read More
Maine Biomass Bailout Would Tap $13.4 Million in Public Funds
An amended proposal shifts the burden of the rescue plan from electricity ratepayers to taxpayers. By Steve Mistler, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Lawmakers’ effort to bail out Maine’s six remaining biomass energy plants has shifted from a rescue subsidized by Maine electricity ratepayers to one subsidized by Maine taxpayers. After Read More
Chasing the Dream: A Vacation on the Proposed National Park Lands
Despite a nearly snowless winter, I took advantage of a small window of opportunity to ski the Katahdin Woods and Water Recreation Areas (KWW) with family and friends last week. In fact, our window was so tight, we skied well-groomed trails one day and waded through a massive rain puddle the next. Under any conditions, Read More
Report on Land for Maine’s Future Doesn’t Back Up Governor’s Claims
An extensive inquiry by the LePage administration recommends minor fixes to the popular program but finds nothing to suggest that it is ‘corrupt.’ Portland Press Herald editorial Of all the insults Gov. LePage has leveled at the Land for Maine’s Future program, the most damaging and accusatory is that it is “corrupt” – not a Read More
My Maine This Week: A Poem by Ernest Wright
“I’ve been to Maine often in the past several years, and it seems each time, although I’m inevitably drawn back to the North Woods, I find something new and wonderful each trip…this trip was no different.” Poem by NRCM member Ernest Wright of Richmond, Virginia. Read Ernest’s blog post about his trip to the proposed Read More
Canoeing the East Branch of the Penobscot River: September 13-18, 2015
by Bruce & Hartley Spencer We were introduced to this wild part of Maine when our parents took us to Baxter State Park in 1955. This visit and subsequent visits impressed upon Hartley and me what a magnificent gift Percival Baxter gave to the people of Maine. Our first canoe was named Wassataquoik for this Read More
Shame on Maine for Turning Its Back on Conservation
By George Smith Bangor Daily News column My first reaction was sadness. Later, I was ashamed, for our Governor, our state, and ourselves. When the LePage Administration refused to submit any conservation projects to the federal Forest Legacy Program for funding, for the first time in 15 years, we turned our back on a legacy Read More
Widespread Support in Maine, Across U.S. for New National Park
Petition Signers in 80% of Maine Towns, 50 States, and 53 Nations News release The petition was signed by more than 13,500 individuals living in 371 Maine towns, all 50 states, and 53 countries. The group also released a list of endorsements from groups, businesses, and individuals, and a compilation of public opinion surveys documenting Read More