#thenatureconservancy — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

DoomsdaysCW @[email protected] · 2026-07-12 · 21:11 UTC

4 Dams Set for Removal in #Maine Will Open Hundreds of Miles of #River for #Salmon, #Herring and #Sturgeon

By Andy Corbley, Oct 15, 2025

"In Maine, ownership of 4 large dams has been transferred to #TheNatureConservancy in a sale it hopes will return the river they operate on into prime habitat for salmon for the first time in a century.

"Operated by #BrookfieldRenewables, the dams along the lower #KennebecRiver prevent ocean going, freshwater fish like salmon from accessing #AncestralSpawningGrounds upriver.

"On September 15th, 2025, The Nature Conservancy (#TNC) and #Brookfield signed a purchase and sale agreement for the four dams totaling $138 million.

"The Kennebec River is fed by #SandyRiver in the heart of Maine before running down to the #GulfOfMaine past the towns of #SkowheganME and #WatervilleME. The Weston, Shawmut, #HydroKennebec, and Lockwood dams are located in intervals along this stretch, called the #LowerKennebec.

"The federal regulatory process for decommissioning a dam, as seen in the recent parallel in #California, where four dams were removed to make way for salmon, needed more than 5 years from start to finish. As a result, TNC will look to gather another $30 million in funding to create a nonprofit that will manage and oversee the decommissioning process, during which the dams could continue to generate power for 5 to 10 years.

"That would include working with Sappi North America, whose Somerset Mill, located between the town of Skowhegan and the #ShawmutDam, to find a solution to the company’s long-term water needs, which are currently met by this dam.

"Their twin goals in the decommissioning project are to return free-flowing conditions to the lower Kennebec River to support regionally-#endangered #NorthAtlanticSalmon, while doing so in collaboration with existing stakeholders in the dams’ activities, Sappi included.

" 'TNC and its partners are 100% committed to developing a solution with Sappi that fully addresses the Somerset Mill’s long-term water system needs,' the organization wrote in a statement. 'We understand the vital role of the Somerset Mill for the forest products industry and the state’s economy.'

"#AtlanticSalmon are considered near-threatened worldwide, but certain stocks in the North Atlantic have almost completely disappeared. Access to Sandy River via the lower Kennebec would open up hundreds of miles of prime habitat for spawning and coming of age.

"Brookfield maintains dams higher up the river, but these areas are considered to be of poor habitat quality. Those dams also happen to produce substantially more electricity than the dams along the lower stretch of the river—those set to be removed.

"The Maine Monitor reports that fishing advocacy groups have argued for the dam’s removal for 'decades.' #RiverHerring [#Alewives], the federally-protected #AtlanticSturgeon, and #AmericanEel all rely on Maine’s freshwater rivers to either spawn or feed before swimming out to sea.

"The current predicament finds around one-twelfth of the historic spawning population of Atlantic salmon returning to the Kennebec via the gulf, where they’re captured at #LockwoodDam and actually trucked up the roads past the next three dams to spawn. During the reverse journey many do not survive the journey to the gulf past the industrial infrastructure.

"The removal of the #KlamathRiver dams this time last year produced incredible results immediately, with fish finding their way back upstream far past the farthest dam to spawn within a single season, proving that ancestral instincts can remain intact despite generations of fish not being able to act on them.

"But examples also lie closer to home, with dams removed years past along another Maine river, the #PenobscotRiver, resulting in long-term economic and environmental improvements."

Source:
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/4-dams-set-for-removal-in-maine-will-open-hundreds-of-miles-of-river-for-salmon-herring-and-sturgeon/

#SolarPunkSunday #DamRemoval #Maine #EndangeredSpecies #WaterIsLife

#maine #river #salmon #herring #sturgeon #thenatureconservancy

DoomsdaysCW @[email protected] · 2026-07-12 · 17:26 UTC

Reconnecting the Wild #Midwest

Explore how #TNC is rebuilding connections between habitats to help #MidwestWildlife—and people—thrive in a changing climate

Published March 02, 2026

"Wildlife needs room to roam, and the Midwest is full of amazing habitats—such as forests, prairies, wetlands and rivers—that aren’t connected, leaving wildlife stuck and struggling. That's why TNC is linking forests, prairies, wetlands and rivers across the Midwest so wildlife can move, adapt and thrive.

"What Is a Wildlife Corridor? Why Are They Important?

"#Habitat Crridors can be interconnected land-based environments, such as #forests and #prairies, as well as #rivers and other freshwater passages that allow aquatic species to move freely. These healthy, #biodiverse areas are beneficial for people too, as they can help reduce flood risk to communities and provide more recreational opportunities in nature.

"However, the Midwest region is highly fragmented. #Habitats are subdivided across different landowners, and many are highly degraded.

"To address this, TNC serves as our own type of corridor, coordinating protection and #stewardship efforts across properties owned by many different partners. Through these collaborations, we help secure funding to connect science with #conservation on the ground and in the water.

"Our work includes large-scale #HabitatRestoration projects that create and improve pathways, like our #CoastalRepair efforts in #SanduskyBay, #DamRemoval efforts in Southern #Indiana and our prescribed fire work in Southern #Illinois."

Learn more:
https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/priority-landscapes/midwest/stories-in-the-midwest/wildlife-corridors/

#SolarPunkSunday #ConnectedHabitats
#Wildlife #WildlifeHighways #WildlifeCorridors #MidwesternUS #TheNatureConservancy #Biodiversity #WildlifeConservation

#midwest #tnc #midwestwildlife #habitat #forests #prairies

DoomsdaysCW @[email protected] · 2026-02-14 · 23:50 UTC

Heart of #Cochamó in Chilean #Patagonia to Be Protected After Historic Purchase

After a period of local and international fundraising, #ConservaPuchegüín announces next steps in creating 328,000-plus-acre protected area in #Chile

"This radical collaboration of passionate individuals and organizations large and small has come together to do something extraordinary—a real gift to our Earth and our grandchildren."
- Jeffrey Parrish TNC’s Global Managing Director for Nature Protection

December 19, 2025

"The largest land holding in Cochamó is no longer for sale. Conserva Puchegüín, a locally driven conservation initiative comprised of multiple organizations, raised more than $78 million to purchase and support the long-term protection and effective management of #FundoPuchegüín, a 328,351-acre property of undeveloped nature in the heart of the Cochamó district in Chile’s northern Patagonia.

"The purchase ends years of uncertainty over the future of Fundo Puchegüín after the previous owner put the property up for sale in 2022. Now begins a new phase of enduring protection and long-term management of the area.

"With the registration process of new ownership complete, Conserva Puchegüín will work toward implementing a governance and management model with an approach that prioritizes community participation and #conservation science.

" 'This is a historic milestone not only because of the size of the protected area, but also because of how it was achieved: with participation, transparency and deep respect for the communities that live in Cochamó,' said Andrés Diez, executive director of #PueloPatagonia. “That is the foundation on which the next phase will be built.'

#SolarPunkSunday #TheNatureConservancy #PreservingNature #LandConservation #EnvironmentalStewardship #Conservation #NaturePreserve