March 5, 2025 (Augusta, ME) — A final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) issued for four dams on Maine’s lower Kennebec River ignores the best available science and could doom endangered Atlantic salmon to extinction while harming recovery of other sea-run fish, according to a coalition of local residents, conservation organizations, and fishing groups, together with Read More
Edwards Dam and Kennebec Restoration
For more than a decade, NRCM and the Kennebec Coalition worked to open up the Kennebec River to sea-run fish past the Edwards Dam in Augusta. In a precedent-setting action, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) decided that the ecological value of a free-flowing river was greater than the economic value of a dam. The Edwards Dam was removed on July 1, 1999.
Today, millions of alewives swim from the Atlantic Ocean up the Kennebec every spring in what is perhaps the largest alewife run on the eastern seaboard.
A Paddling Adventure on the Sandy for Salmon
In May 2024, photographer Joe Klementovich and three others embarked on a Source to Sea paddle on the Sandy River to experience the spawning grounds of endangered Atlantic salmon and other sea-run fish. The trip was organized by Rivers for Change and supported by the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Here, Joe gives us his perspective Read More
Alewives Abound at Benton Falls
At the end of May we were lucky enough to join our colleagues on a field trip to the Benton Falls Dam on the Sebasticook River to see the alewife (river herring) run. Alewives spend the majority of their lives in the ocean and only follow freshwater routes to spawn in interior lakes and ponds Read More
Mainers Urge Collaborative Solution for Future of Kennebec and Salmon
May 21, 2024 (Waterville/Augusta, ME) — Thousands of Mainers who care about the fate of Maine’s Kennebec River are urging federal officials to consider survival of sea-run fish, including critically endangered Atlantic salmon, as licensing actions for the river’s lowermost four dams are underway. More than 2,000 people have signed a petition calling for a Read More
Draft EIS for Kennebec River Fails to Meet the Moment
The Kennebec River experienced a dramatic resurgence in sea-run fish populations, water quality, and wildlife with the removal of the Edwards Dam in 1999. The restored river has also helped revitalize riverfront communities. We need to continue this success by restoring access for sea-run fish to the Kennebec above Waterville. Right now, the Federal Energy Read More
Fight to Prevent Extinction of Atlantic Salmon Moves to FERC Relicensing Process
Atlantic Salmon Federation | Conservation Law Foundation | Maine Rivers | Natural Resources Council of Maine Today, four groups that were suing Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE: BEP; TSX: BEP.UN) for violating federal law by harming endangered Atlantic salmon on Maine’s Kennebec River announced that they had withdrawn their lawsuit. The groups said they are focusing their Read More
NOAA Ignores Science Showing Extinction Threat for Atlantic Salmon
An analysis released today by NOAA Fisheries ignores the threat to sea-run fish posed by four dams on Maine’s Kennebec River, according to a leading fisheries biologist and local Maine conservationists. The decision specifically understates the potential for extinction of endangered Atlantic salmon if the four dams are allowed to continue operating. “We have Read More
Penobscot River Dam Owner Violating Federal Endangered Species Act
The owner of the Milford Dam on Maine’s Penobscot River, Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE: BEP; TSX: BEP.UN), is actively breaking federal environmental law by harming endangered Atlantic salmon, according to documents obtained through the state’s Freedom of Access Act. In the documents, a federal biologist confirms that most Atlantic salmon are not able to Read More
Celebrating Maine’s Clean Water Champions
Marking the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act Remarks by Pete Didisheim, NRCM Interim CEO, at a Clean Water Act event on September 29th in Lewiston, Maine, along the banks of the Androscoggin River Greetings and welcome to this celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. We are now at the Read More
