Russell Pierce receives 2009 Environmental Award from the Natural Resources Council of Maine

The Maine LURC proceeding was the largest of its kind ever in the State of Maine. From the years leading up to the 4-week evidentiary hearing, to the highly contested hearing itself, Russ represented NRCM as a joint intervenor with Maine Audubon, mounting formidable opposition to the scope and intensity of Plum Creek’s proposed development plans in this treasured area within Maine’s North Woods. The hearing involved scores of expert witnesses, on topics as diverse as forestry practices, wildlife biology, recreational and scenic impact studies, water quality, land use standards, traffic impact science, and tourism industry economics. Russ and NRCM were instrumental in compelling the Commission to require Plum Creek’s massive revision of proposed Conservation Easements (currently, the largest connected conservation easement ever undertaken in Maine, at nearly 400,000 acres), and forced critical amendments to the plan, scaling back development on remote ponds and other environmentally sensitive areas. The hearing was simultaneously broadcast over the internet, while often nearly a hundred people were in attendance during key cross-examinations.