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Conservationists celebrate key Maine dam removal 20 years on

The Natural Resources Council of Maine says supporters will gather in Augusta on Monday to celebrate the removal of the Edwards Dam.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Environmentalists in Maine say the removal of a dam on the Kennebec River remains a pivotal moment in the state's conservation movement 20 years later.

Supporters gathered in Augusta on Monday to celebrate the removal of the Edwards Dam. The group credits the dam removal with allowing fish to return to the river and improving habitat for birds such as bald eagles and ospreys.

"Sometimes the fish need to win, and we showed here in Maine that if you remove a dam that's been blocking fish passage, the fish will come back with a vengence," said Pete Didisheim, Advocacy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. "All of the ecosystem that depends on those fish will also return, and that's been quite exciting."

NRCM says the removal of the dam was also the beginning of a movement toward river restoration around the country. It says 1,200 dams have been removed since.

The former dam site is now a park that includes a boat launch. The July 1 anniversary event was held at the park.

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