John Banks is Director of the Department of Natural Resources for the Penobscot Indian Nation, a key partner in the Penobscot River Restoration Project. A new book detailing the Penobscot project was recently published by Islandport Press. I invited John to share his perspective about the project as well as the book.—Allison Wells John Banks. Read More
Penobscot River Restoration
The Natural Resources Council of Maine is proud to be a founding member of the Penobscot River Restoration Project and the Penobscot River Restoration Trust. The Trust worked for more than a decade to restore magnificent runs of Atlantic salmon, shad, and other sea-run fish to the Penobscot River, the largest river in Maine. The Trust removed two dams that have blocked fish migrations for more than a century—the Great Works Dam and the Veazie Dam, and constructed an innovative, river-like bypass around the third dam on the river at Howland. Fish are using this bypass to access nearly 2,000 miles of historic habitat. The Penobscot River has worked hard for Maine people for hundreds of years. Now we need to take care of the river. NRCM’s membership in the Penobscot River Restoration Trust is one more example of our commitment to protecting and restoring Maine’s environment, now and for future generations.
Reopening the Legendary Penobscot River
Book details how organizations came together to create a model for ecological restoration Islandport Press news release November 10, 2020 (Augusta, Maine)—In June 2016, an Atlantic salmon swam through the town of Howland bound for upriver spawning grounds that had been blocked for nearly two centuries. The historic event followed the remarkable removal of long-standing Read More
New Book Shares Stories of Penobscot River Restoration
A new book, From Mountains to the Sea, captures inspiring stories from the Penobscot River Restoration Project, a collaborative effort including the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) that worked to balance fisheries restoration and hydropower production in Maine’s largest watershed. The project removed two dams—the Great Works and the Veazie—that had blocked fish migrations 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
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
NRCM Testimony in Opposition to LD 1287, An Act To Protect the Penobscot River and Penobscot Bay from Mercury Contamination
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and distinguished members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee: My name is Nick Bennett, I reside in Hallowell, and I am the staff scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 20,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in Read More
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 817, An Act To Advance the Restoration of the Penobscot River
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. My name is Nick Bennett, and I am the Staff Scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 20,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in support of LD 817. As Read More
DEP’s River and Stream Upgrade Proposal is Good for Maine
By Ray Owen, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed I have spent much my life working to improve Maine’s environment. I was a professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Maine for 32 years, commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for four, and chaired Maine’s former Land Use Read More
