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Let’s urge FERC to improve Kennebac dams plan
It is estimated that just a couple thousand adult salmon return each spring to rivers in Maine — the only state that still has Atlantic salmon migrations.
Draft environmental impact study should go further to improve fish passage and save Atlantic salmon “Every spring, for thousands of years, the rivers that empty into the North Atlantic Ocean turned silver with migrating fish. Tomcod and rainbow smelt swam out from beneath melting ice. Young eels found their way from the Sargasso Seas. Alewives…
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FERC plans sells Kennebec’s endangered Atlantic salmon short
This week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released a Draft EIS affecting four hydroelectric dams on Maine’s Kennebec River. The FERC recommendations amount to incremental improvements over what is now a dire situation for Atlantic salmon in the Kennebec. We have tried the incremental approach before on rivers like the Connecticut, Merrimack, Saco, and Androscoggin.…
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Dams out: Maine’s Frost Gully Brook runs free again
In Freeport, Maine the rescue mission was launched with a single word. “Trout!” The operation was anticipated. Construction crews had just an hour prior knocked down a small dam on a tiny stream cutting through Freeport, Maine. As water rushed through the newly formed breach — with a pump aiding the pond-draining effort — the…
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NOAA biological opinion unrealistic for Kennebec River recovery
Atlantic salmon runs in U.S. waters have endured blow after blow over the past two centuries. They just received another one. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) this week released a Biological Opinion (BiOp) on an energy giant’s proposed solutions to improve fish passage infrastructure at four hydroelectric dams on Maine’s Kennebec River, one…
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Maine’s Atlantic salmon on the brink
Removing the four lower dams on Maine’s Kennebec River may be the best hope to save Atlantic salmon in the U.S. The Hydro Kennebec Dam is one of four dams on the Kennebec River that block migratory fish from moving upstream. Spring was a time of renewal and reward in Maine in the pre-industrial age. Hardened…
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Four refuges to add to your summer bucket list
As you make your to-fish-list for the summer, don’t overlook these hidden gems.
As the days get longer and the weather warms up, it’s natural to feel excited to go outside and float rivers, fish streams, and hike trails. No matter what part of the country you live in, there’s always a new place to explore. Although they are sometimes overlooked, we recommend visiting a National Wildlife Refuge…
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Newsletter touts 2021 highlights New England
This past year, it was great for our New England staff, along with our members and partners, to get out on the streams once again to start chipping away at a backlog of projects since most work came to an abrupt halt right near the beginning of the 2020 field season due to Covid. Thankfully…
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