In a milestone for the health of the Presumpscot River and Casco Bay, crews removed the dam at Saccarappa Falls over the summer. For the first time in more than two centuries, the waters of the Presumpscot flowed freely over the falls through the heart of Westbrook.
CLF argues the Army Corps of Engineers didn’t do its due diligence before issuing the permit for that project – which, the nonprofit says, will irreparably damage the already degraded estuary.
“The problem here is that we’re putting the cart before the horse a little bit … before we have the results back from investigations that are going on into what is the safest way to treat it,” she said.
“Little Bay is a unique resource that is already threatened by water pollution and the climate crisis,” said Tom Irwin, Vice President and Director of CLF New Hampshire. “The project would severely disrupt this sensitive area and cause unacceptable and unnecessary harm to the bay. The Army Corps was required to fully assess the impacts of this project, and it has failed to fulfill that critical duty.”
On August 15, Massachusetts lost a powerful voice for justice. Michaelann Bewsee was a fearless ally and treasured friend whose passion and selflessness profoundly impacted the lives of her neighbors in Springfield and beyond for generations. In her honor, we want to share this piece, originally published in March of 2015, about her work to… Continue reading Protecting New England Together
In the last couple of weeks, the news has reported tragic stories of healthy dogs dying shortly after swimming in toxic algae-choked waters. These stories highlight the dangers of the algae pollution problem here in Massachusetts, where dog owners have been warned to keep their pets out of waters across the state. This is one of many reasons why CLF is fighting so hard to clean up our waters.
“This proposed rule change would hobble the most important tool that states have to protect significant waters, from prized trout streams to essential drinking water sources,” said Bradley Campbell, president of the Conservation Law Foundation.
CLF succeeds because we have people like you by our side. In this special annual report issue of Conservation Matters, we are honoring just a few of our many local heroes, people who have devoted their time, energy, and passion to defending our homes, protecting our children’s health, and supporting the vibrancy of our communities.
“For many years we’ve been seeing a sort of downward spiral in the state of the health of this remarkable network of rivers and bays that we live near. The bottom line is that we still have a lot that’s getting into our water that’s making it hard for this to be a robust and healthy ecosystem.”
A group of Exeter activists turned a trip on the Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper boat into a town-wide call to better protect water resources, conserve energy, and be a more sustainable community. After their boat ride last fall, the four women worked to create Exeter’s Sustainability Advisory Committee, which recently for met for the first time.
