The Land Use Planning Commission would open millions of acres of fragile ecosystems to development. by Rebecca Tripp, a resident of Searsport Portland Press Herald op-ed Maine’s North Woods is the largest undeveloped forest in the Eastern U.S., and it is being threatened by a proposal put forth by the Land Use Planning Commission, which Read More
North Woods
Squirrel Booms and Passenger Pigeons in the Year of the Bird
A time of abundance is often an opportunity to reflect, especially during the Year of the Bird, a special name given to 2018 in celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the signing of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act that has helped keep many bird species from becoming extinct. This month, we’re putting the spotlight on Read More
Katahdin Woods and Waters Gives Me Hope for the Future of This Region
By Richard Schmidt III, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed Two years is a tender age for a national monument. But Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument has already delivered tangible benefits and real promise for our region and the state. Only recently, the governor finally has allowed highway signs to point the Read More
Road Signs in the Works as Katahdin Woods and Waters’ Anniversary Approaches
David Sharp, The Associated Press Bangor Daily News news story At long last, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument will soon have highway signs directing motorists to the federal recreation area, which boasts hiking, canoeing and camping, along with stunning views of Maine’s tallest mountain, Katahdin. The road signs won’t be installed before the monument’s Read More
Proposal would Relax State’s Restrictions on Rural Subdivisions
Maine’s Land Use Planning Commission wants to allow development within 10 miles by public road of any rural ‘hub.’ by David Sharp, The Associated Press Portland Press Herald news story The agency overseeing development in Maine’s vast wilderness is considering dramatic changes that would alter restrictions on where subdivisions and businesses can be built. The Read More
Maine Environment Spring 2018 Newsletter
Maine Environment Spring 2018: What’s Inside! In this issue of Maine Environment, we feature an important story about big-picture implications of plastic waste, and why we need to shift away from the use of “convenience plastics.” It also highlights the work Sarah Lakeman, NRCM’s Sustainable Maine project director, is doing with local Maine towns to Read More
Patience Urged on Land Management Rule Changes
by Kate Cough Ellsworth American news story ELLSWORTH — New rules under consideration by the Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) could alter the way land in Maine’s unorganized territories, including Fletchers Landing Township and areas around Tunk Lake, is managed, if they are passed as is by the nine-member commission this fall. On June Read More
Public is Right: There’s No Reason to Change Unorganized Territory Development Rule
Bangor Daily News editorial A website devoted to changes that would allow more scattered development throughout Maine’s Unorganized Territories begins with this statement: “Development that is farther away from public services can lead to difficulty providing those services, and scattered development may interfere with forestry, recreation, and habitat. Right now, new zones for subdivisions and Read More
Land Use Planning Commission’s Proposed New “Adjacency” Rule has Few Backers. Will It Matter?
By John Holyoke, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story One by one, interested parties walked to to the microphone Wednesday afternoon, introduced themselves to the members of the Land Use Planning Commission, and told those commissioners why scrapping their one-mile “adjacency” principle was the wrong thing to do. One by one by one. After Read More