Natural Resources Council of Maine – “No Place for a Mine”

In September 2023, we jumped in Jerry’s Jeep to explore some pretty remote backroads in Maine’s Katahdin Region for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Our goal was to produce several short videos that could be used in NRCM’s battle to prevent mining near Pickett Mountain, east of Katahdin and in the heart of the Mattawamkeag River valley. The mine would be a zinc metal mine and would produce all of the usual toxic waste associated for that type of mine in one of the most pristine native brook trout regions in the country. Our task was to capture drone footage of the region and film an interview with Chuck Loring, Director of Natural Resources for Penobscot Nation, and edit all into three 60 second videos – one horizontal high-res version for the web, and two vertical versions featuring Chuck for Instagram and TikTok.

Dawn clouds over Mount Chase as seen from above Lower Shin Pond in Patten, Maine.

Dawn clouds over Mount Chase as seen from above Lower Shin Pond in Patten, Maine.

This shoot was one of the first times we flew our new Mavic 3 Pro drone on a shoot. It worked like a charm and gave us some new perspectives to work with since it has three different focal length cameras. The above shot was made with the longest focal length. You’ll see more from this drone in future videos that are currently in port-production.

Jerry also photographed this project for NRCM back in 2020, You can see some of those photos in this blog post over on his EcoPhotography site:

What It’s Really Like to Make Conservation Photos in the Maine Woods.