As the campaign to create the Allagash Wilderness Waterway heated up more than 50 years ago, Lew Dietz wrote: “A river that can serve, not the demands of man’s materials needs, but as a sanctuary of the human spirit, is a large river indeed.” Sentiments like this ring true today as our planet is increasingly Read More
rivers
Reflections On Our Work Together
On October 16, NRCM celebrated our 2019 Conservation Leadership Award recipients. The event took place in Portland, at the Jewish Community Alliance and was filled with warmth and celebration among our members and friends. It was truly an honor to recognize people so dedicated to helping protect the nature of Maine. I invite you to Read More
U.S. EPA Finalizes “Radical Repeal” of Common-sense Clean Water Protections
NRCM news release September 12, 2019 (Augusta, ME) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today it has finalized its aggressive rollback of some of the nation’s most effective clean water protections. For more than 46 years, the Clean Water Act has proved effective at making rivers, lakes, and streams safer for swimming, fishing, and drinking. The Read More
Allagash Wilderness Waterway: Reasons to Celebrate
The Allagash Wilderness Waterway is a treasure of northern Maine. The two of us have, collectively, canoed the full length or significant parts of it a dozen times since it was designated a Wild and Scenic River by the federal government in 1970. The longest trips begin either at Telos or Chamberlain Lakes—with a side Read More
July 1, 2019: Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Edwards Dam Removal, Augusta
Twenty years ago on Monday, July 1st, hundreds of Mainers stood along the banks of the Kennebec River in Augusta to watch as the Edwards Dam was breached and the river passed through the dam, freely, for the first time in more than 160 years. On the 20th Anniversary of that historic event, we have Read More
New Laws Deliver Landmark Protections for Sustenance Fishing and Clean Rivers
NRCM news release (Augusta, ME) — Maine’s tribes will receive long-sought water quality protections for sustenance fishing under a bill signed into law by Governor Janet Mills today. Along with an upgrade of legal protections for more than 400 miles of rivers and streams that was signed into law on Tuesday, it will represent the Read More
St. George School: All Things Alewives!
Since our last update, a huge milestone was met; our digital salinity probe was put in the marsh! It now is busy collecting temperature and salinity data. From this, we got to look at the first several weeks of data in comparison to the spring tides of May. We are wondering if the salinity that Read More
Landmark Bill Would Protect Sustenance Fishing Rights in Maine’s Tribal Waters
May 29, 2019 (Augusta, ME) – Under a bill proposed by Governor Janet Mills that earned broad-based support during a public hearing today, Maine’s tribes will receive long-sought water quality protections for legal sustenance fishing rights provided to the tribes in the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980. The bill (LD 1775) addresses an Read More
Bill Would Upgrade Clean Water Protections for Maine Rivers
News Release May 23, 2019 (Augusta, ME) — More than 400 miles of Maine’s rivers and streams will receive increased legal protection under a bill (LD 1743) that will receive a public hearing today. Of particular significance, the bill includes critical portions of Maine’s largest river, the Penobscot, and 200 miles of trout streams flowing Read More