By A.J. Higgins Maine Public news story Watch videos. Alewives, or river herring, are making their usual spawning migration to Maine in unusually high numbers this year, thanks in part to restoration efforts and the removal of dams on the Penobscot and Kennebec Rivers. Because they serve as a food source for several fish species… Continue Reading
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.
Removing Mercury from Penobscot River Likely Won’t be Easy
By Bill Trotter, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story Exactly how does someone clean toxic mercury deposits out of a section of a tidal river more than 30 miles long? That’s the main question a federal judge is expected to decide next year as part of a court-ordered cleanup of mercury dumped over decades… Continue Reading
Maine’s River Herring Making Dramatic Comeback, a Godsend for the Food Chain
With the path to inland spawning grounds clear, the species rebounds with unexpected speed, benefiting everything from bald eagles to Atlantic cod. By Colin Woodard, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story BATH — Motorists crossing the bridge over the Kennebec this spring and early summer were afforded dramatic views of one of Maine’s mightiest… Continue Reading
Penobscot River Restoration Project Celebrates First Anniversary of Connecting 2000 Miles of River to the Sea
Collaborative effort to rebalance fisheries and hydropower on Maine’s largest river completed one year ago News release One year ago, on Tuesday, June 14, 2016, hundreds of people, including federal, state, local, and tribal officials, and project partners, gathered in Howland, Maine, to mark and celebrate the completion of the last major milestone in the… Continue Reading
Once Again, the River Runs Wild
The now-undammed Penobscot River has brought bounty to my backyard. by Robert Klose Christian Science Monitor news story MAY 3, 2017 —Until recently, my home was snuggled neatly between two dams along the banks of the Penobscot River here in central Maine. The behavior of the river was therefore a function of the human forces… Continue Reading
2016 NRCM Conservation Leadership Award Presented to Penobscot River Restoration Trust
Penobscot River Restoration Trust (Penobscot Nation, Atlantic Salmon Federation, Maine Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, and the Natural Resources Council of Maine) Conservation Leadership Award For significantly improving access to nearly 2,000 miles of habitat for eleven species of native sea-run fish, with no net loss of hydropower More than two centuries ago, members… Continue Reading
16-year Penobscot River Restoration Project Reaches the Finish Line
by James McCarthy Mainebiz news story For the first time since the 1800s, nearly 1,000 miles of habitat along the Penobscot River are accessible to Atlantic salmon and 10 other fish species that spend part of their lives at sea but return to fresh water for spawning. The final step making that possible — a… Continue Reading
Sturgeon Return to Milford After Nearly 200 Years
WCSH-6 TV news story Watch full news video. MILFORD, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — On Thursday, people in Milford and Old Town celebrated the discovery of Sturgeon after it’s disappearance from the northern part of the Penobscot River following the installation of the Great Works and Veazie Dams. The removal of the dams has allowed the… Continue Reading
Why the Penobscot River’s Revitalization is Just Beginning
By The BDN Editorial Board Bangor Daily News editorial Last week, the last piece of a years-long project to return much of the Penobscot River to a free-flowing waterway was completed with the opening of a bypass around the Howland Dam. The Penobscot River is Maine’s largest watershed. For more than a century, however, the… Continue Reading
