By George Smith Bangor Daily News column A special Commission organized by the legislature to respond to Governor Paul LePage’s demands that money be diverted from the Public Lands Bureau to fund heating assistance has unanimously rejected those demands, effectively shutting the forest door on the Governor. But the Commission did vote to divert some surplus Read More
Public Reserved Lands
Maine has approximately 600,000 acres of Public Reserved Lands in more than 30 separate parcels located across Maine. These lands are enjoyed for their outstanding hiking, camping, birding, fishing, and hunting opportunities. They include the Bigelow Preserve, Kennebec Highlands, Tumbledown, Cutler’s Bold Coast, Donnell Pond, and more. Maine’s Public Reserved Lands are managed by the Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL) for multiple uses, including wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, and sustainable timber harvesting. For the past 40 years, BPL has harvested timber from these forests in a sustainable, even exemplary manner, improving both the quality and the quantity of timber on those lands.
Keeping Our Perspective
by Lisa Pohlmann, NRCM Executive Director I have been speaking with many of NRCM’s longtime members these past few months. They remember with pride how NRCM helped restore the Kennebec from a stinking industrial dump to a vibrant river that supports the largest alewife run east of the Mississippi. They remember when we helped ban Read More
My Maine This Week: Bill Amos
This photo, titled, “Selfie on Tumbledown Mountain,” was the winner of our “I Love Our Maine Lands” photo contest. “Having family in New Vineyard, Maine, I have spent all my childhood summers in Maine. Tumbledown Mountain is one of my earliest memories of hiking and camping so I make sure to visit whenever I am Read More
“I Love Our Maine Lands” Photo Contest Pictures
Maine’s Public Reserved Lands are among our state’s most treasured lands—but many people don’t know it! They include much-loved places like Tumbledown, Grafton Notch, Kennebec Highlands, Bigelow Preserve, and many more. In fact, Maine has approximately 600,000 acres of Public Reserved Lands in more than 30 separate parcels located across the state. They are enjoyed Read More
Hunting for Birds on the Deboullie Public Reserved Lands
Driving into Deboullie, part of Maine’s Public Reserved Land system, was like entering Oz. As soon as we crossed the line from JD Irving’s hard-cut lands – lots of young trees, clear cuts, and plantations – the canopy closed around us. It was beautiful. My girlfriend Pam and I both laughed at the difference and Read More
LePage Administration Pushes to Cut Funds for Home Heating Efficiency; Even as Governor Demands More Such Funds Before Releasing LMF Bond
NRCM news release On Tuesday, Governor LePage’s top energy staffer, Patrick Woodcock, led an effort to cut $7.5 million for home weatherization and heating efficiency from the Efficiency Maine’s proposed three-year budget at the same time the governor is refusing to release voter-approved Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) funds because he claims to be concerned Read More
Public Lands Commission Slams the Door on Governor’s Demands
By George Smith Bangor Daily News blog The legislature’s Public Lands Commission has slammed the door on Governor Paul LePage’s demand that revenue in the Public Lands Bureau be diverted to purchase wood stoves for poor Mainers and other purposes. At the Commission’s Tuesday meeting, not a single voice was raised to support the governor Read More
Attorney General Mills Questions LePage Plan to Divert Timber Revenue
Gov. Paul LePage wants to harvest more timber on state-owned land to pay for a home heating assistance program, but he has angered others by linking the issue to the Land for Maine’s Future program. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Attorney General Janet Mills said a LePage administration Read More
Attorney General: LePage Probably Can’t Use Timber Harvest Profits to Pay for Heating Assistance
by A.J. Higgins MPBN news story AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Attorney General Janet Mills is casting doubt on plans by Gov. Paul LePage to use revenues from timber harvesting on public lands to pay for heating assistance for the poor. Citing past court opinions and restrictions in the Maine Constitution, Mills says the governor’s plan Read More
