Rethinking Hydropower: The Economics and Politics of Privately Owned Hydropower in the United States

2019 marked the 20th anniversary of the removal of the Edwards Dam in Augusta, Maine (USA). Edwards Dam was the first federally licensed hydropower dam to be denied relicensing, and the dam was removed for the purpose of restoring the 10 anadromous fish species that use the Kennebec River. Since that time, numerous other small dams have been removed in the United States. The relicensing process considers benefit-cost analysis, yet remains fundamentally flawed in the consideration of the benefits of dam removals and fish passage. Successful dam removals rely (mostly) on local efforts and outside analysis.

Understanding the basis of shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) partial migration in the Gulf of Maine

Movement of shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) among major river systems in the Gulf of Maine is common and has implications for the management of this endangered species. Directed movements of 61 telemetered individuals monitored between 2010 and 2013 were associated with the river of tagging and individual characteristics. While a small proportion of fish tagged in the Kennebec River moved to the Penobscot River (5%), a much higher proportion of fish tagged in the Penobscot River moved to the Kennebec River (66%), during probable spawning windows. This suggests that Penobscot River fish derive from a migratory contingent within a larger Kennebec River population. Despite this connectivity, fish captured in the Penobscot River were larger (∼100 mm fork length) and had higher condition factors (median Fulton’s K: 0.76) than those captured in the Kennebec River (median Fulton’s K: 0.61). Increased abundance and resource limitation in the Kennebec River may be constraining growth and promoting migration to the Penobscot River by individuals with sufficient initial size and condition. Migrants could experience an adaptive reproductive advantage relative to nonmigratory individuals.

The Northern Front: Beyond Replacement Narratives

This book concludes where it opened, on the Northern Front of Wabanaki, where the war, and the negotiation of peace, continued long past the summer of 1676. This chapter focuses on a wave of raids that began on the Wabanaki coast, on the same day that Metacom was killed, as well as the efforts of multiple Penacook and Abenaki leaders to end the conflict through diplomacy. It highlights the complex context behind the “surprisal” at Cocheco, involving New Hampshire trader Richard Waldron, and explores the response of Indigenous leaders on the Kennebec River. The chapter concludes with the little-known treaties of Pemaquid and Casco Bay in 1677 and 1678, exploring a wide map of Indigenous communication, diplomacy, and alliance. This wider map also enables acknowledgment of the role of the colonies of New York and New France in both diplomacy and war.