PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 1, 2026
The Penobscot Nation shares its name with the river that its people have belonged to for thousands of years. Yet, according to the state of Maine, the river does not belong to them. The Nation retains sustenance fishing rights, but it cannot regulate what goes into the water its people depend on to fish. The river runs through the Penobscot Nation’s homeland, and Maine has spent over a decade in court arguing it belongs to the state instead. A multi-dam removal project on the Penobscot has been a celebrated conservation success as it reopened habitat and promised vast “environmental, economic and cultural benefits.” But while the river got ecological justice, the people it’s named for are still waiting for theirs. Multiple tribal sovereignty bills have been introduced in recent sessions of Maine’s Legislature — most only to be vetoed or quietly shelved. The question of who governs the Penobscot River is still, in the most important sense, open. ~ Ainsley Morrison, graduating senior at Bowdoin College