A proposed mine near Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument threatens water, wildlife and dark skies — as well as the Penobscot Nation’s way of life and decades’ worth of work in restoring endangered fish.

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument preserves 87,500 acres along Maine’s East Branch of the Penobscot River. Its vast boreal forests, abundant wildlife and flowing rivers inspired American conservationists from poet Henry David Thoreau to President Theodore Roosevelt and led to its establishment as a national monument in 2016. 

Maine’s iconic sports fish, brook trout, as well as bear, moose and the Canada lynx, which is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, rank among the national monument’s wildlife. Hikers, skiers, mountain bikers, hunters and anglers alike enjoy this land — a total of 43,000 visitors came to Katahdin Woods and Waters in 2022 and spent $3 million in the local economy.

To read the whole story: https://www.npca.org/articles/3667-maine-s-penobscot-watershed-is-too-important-to-allow-mining