2025 Annual Report
Creating access welcome community
Dear Members and Friends,
As I reflect on the past year, I am filled with deep gratitude for our community of members, volunteers, and partners. Your dedicated support made 2025 a landmark year for Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, allowing us to strengthen our stewardship of local lands and waters while directly serving our neighbors.
Together, we achieved extraordinary progress across every facet of our mission:
Land conservation with community focus: We completed six conservation projects protecting 401 acres, including our largest independent acquisition to date—the 270-acre Deer Meadow Brook Preserve. In doing so, we balanced vital ecological preservation with pressing local needs by creating two new housing lots to help address our region’s housing shortage.
Safer, accessible trails: We expanded trail networks and enhanced safety across our preserves, highlighted by the completion of a new 950-foot ADA-accessible trail at Castner Brook Community Forest.
Read more from Board Chair Matthew Hanly
Community-driven science: Nearly 100 community science volunteers served as the frontline defenders of our waters – monitoring lake health, guarding against invasive species, and helping launch a landmark $850,000 eelgrass restoration project in Great Salt Bay.
Inspiring future generations: From upgrading the Great Salt Bay Nature Center to supporting hands-on learning through Camp Mummichog and school field programs, we continued to foster lifelong connections between local youth and the natural world.
Local partnerships & food security: We deepened our collaborations with local towns and schools, and continued supporting regional food security efforts in partnership with Twin Villages Foodbank Farm.
Our vision remains rooted in the belief that caring for the lands and waters of this region starts with caring for our communities. As we look ahead to implementing our new Strategic Framework, we remain committed to creating welcoming, thriving natural spaces for everyone who lives in or visits this special place.
I end by thanking you for making this vital work possible, thanking the amazing Coastal Rivers staff, and offering a special thanks to board member Malcolm Foster for serving as the interim board chair during most of the past year.
I invite you to explore the full 2025 Annual Report to see the lasting impact of your generosity.
With warm regards,
Matthew Hanly
Chair, Board of Trustees
Our Vision
We believe that caring for the lands and waters of this region starts with caring for our communities. We envision a future where everyone who lives in or visits this region can access, enjoy, and feel welcomed in to beautiful and thriving natural spaces that connect, inspire and sustain us.
Our mission
Caring for the lands, waters, and communities of the Damariscotta region.
Our Values
Our values guide how we do our work at Coastal Rivers. We strive to be an organization that is:
- Welcoming. Coastal Rivers is an inclusive, respectful, and joyful space where everyone feels valued and encouraged to participate.
- Trustworthy. We are honest, transparent, and accountable, always maintaining the highest ethical standards.
- Caring. We cultivate compassion and respect by building meaningful connections and making nature accessible to everyone.
- Adaptable, We embrace growth and continued learning, staying flexible and creative in our work.
Staff
Steven Hufnagel, Executive Director
Kyle Amergian, Education Director
Katie Beaver, Deputy Director
Sarah Gladu, Community Science Director
Jenny Granger, Administrative Coordinator
Jim Grenier, Trails & Facilities Manager
Megan Howes, Membership and Engagement Coordinator
Hannah McGhee, Communications Director
Bell Moroney, Stewardship and Volunteer Coordinator
Amelia Neilson, Conservation Coordinator
Bill Robinson, Facilities Assistant
Anna Tracht, Development Manager
Brad Weigel, Stewardship Manager
Board of Trustees
Matthew Hanly, Chair
Emily Weiss, Vice Chair
Lee Schiller, Treasurer
Kelsey Gibbs, Secretary
Jen Atkinson
Dr. Damian C. Brady
Charlie Coit
Laura Conkey
Elizabeth Ehrenfeld
Malcolm Foster
Carol Lariviere
Kathy Leeman
Rod Melanson
Dennis McKenna
Gordon Morrell
Dru Sanford
Michele Walsh
Ellen Wells
Land Conservation
2025 Conservation at a glance
- 6 conservation projects completed
- 401 acres conserved
- 2 donated projects (both gifts of land)
- 2 bargain sale purchases
- 1 donation of trade land property, the sale of which (with the donor’s express permission) was used to fund other conservation projects
- ~6650′ fresh water shoreline conserved
In 2025, your commitment to the Damariscotta-Pemaquid region fueled a landmark year for land conservation!
The conservation of the 270-acre Deer Meadow Brook Preserve, completed in April 2025, represents our largest independent acquisition to date in the Town of Newcastle. The preserve is part of a block of nearly 4,700 acres of undeveloped wildlife habitat along Deer Meadow Brook.
Together with the purchase of the 19-acre Penny property adjacent to Marsh River Bog in Newcastle, Deer Meadow Brook expands River~Link North – part of a vital corridor that stretches along the Boothbay Peninsula. Through a dedicated alliance of state and local partners, we are crafting a resilient landscape that benefits clean water, recreation, and wildlife.
Additionally, in an effort to balance critical conservation with thoughtful development, this project directly addresses our local housing shortage by creating two new house lots with road frontage. This strategic approach allowed us to preserve the vast majority of the property while contributing to the community’s housing needs. And by selling the existing farmhouse and 12 surrounding acres, we ensured that the prime agricultural land could remain in production while generating essential funding to secure the permanent conservation of the remaining acreage.
Read more 2025 conservation highlights
In Damariscotta, a 75-acre property purchased at fair market value expands Castner Brook Community Forest to the south and will help protect water quality in this important tributary of the upper Damariscotta River.
Donated by siblings Nancy and John Dean, the 34-acre Muscongus Pond Preserve in Bremen provides public access to the shoreline of Muscongus Pond while building on the Three Ponds, One Forest focus area.
Elsewhere on the Pemaquid peninsula, the bargain sale of 5 acres of coastal spruce forest in South Bristol added to the Rutherford Island Preserve, while a donation of 13 acres in Bristol created a key connection between La Verna Preserve and another conserved property.
Find it on the map
Click on any of the red hotspots on the map below for details about projects completed in 2025, as well as one that has carried over into 2026.
CASTNER BROOK ADDITION
75 acres, Damariscotta
DEER MEADOW BROOK ACQUISITION
270 acres, Newcastle
Includes 70 acres of freshwater wetlands
and 5000' of stream frontage
DEAN – 34 acres, Bremen
Donation of land that includes 1600+ feet
of shoreline access to Muscongus Pond
HART WOODS
499 acres in Bremen & Bristol
Closing in 2026
PRESTON – South Bristol
Bargain sale, adjacent to Rutherford Island Preserve
BELL – 13 acres, Bristol
Expands La Verna Preserve, creating a key
connection with other conserved land
PENNY – 19 acres, Newcastle
Bargain sale, expands Marsh River Bog
Land & Water Stewardship
Trails & stewardship: Safe and accessible trails, healthy forests
When you support Coastal Rivers, you aren’t just protecting pristine land—you are opening doors for neighbors and families to explore, learn, and connect with nature. Thanks to your generosity, 2025 was a landmark year for making our preserves safer, more accessible, and welcoming to all.
Expanding Trail Networks & Community Access
Pemaquid Pond Preserve: Our Maine Conservation Corps (MCC) crew and dedicated volunteers cleared a new loop trail, constructed a new bridge, and expanded the parking lot to welcome more visitors.
Castner Brook Community Forest: Together with Six Rivers NEMBA, we worked on a new 1-mile intermediate mountain bike trail, with a new engineered bridge to be constructed in 2027.
Marsh River Bog: Partnering with Mexicali Blues, we established a new trailhead behind their flagship store on Route 1 and added a spur trail, creating improved access to this quiet preserve.
Sarah Weston Kent Preserve: Volunteers and the MCC trail crew cut the initial trail corridor, laying the foundation for a brand-new destination for local hikers.
Prioritizing Accessibility & Visitor Safety
Castner Brook Community Forest: In the fall, with support from the Athletic Brewing Company and their Two for the Trails grant program, we completed construction of a 950-foot ADA-accessible trail that starts at Piper Mill Road and winds through beautiful, shaded woods right near downtown Damariscotta.
Keyes Woods: Thanks to our Trail Tamers volunteers, we fully laid out and cleared a new barrier-free accessible loop trail. The trail is great for walking now, and will be fully accessible once the final layer of stone dust is added in fall of 2026.
La Verna Preserve: Your contributions funded essential parking lot upgrades and a new trailhead parking area on the same side of Route 32, minimizing the need for visitors to cross a busy road to enjoy the trail.
Round Top Farm to Whaleback Shell Midden: We resolved drainage issues along the accessible trail by adding new ditching and culverts.
Strengthening Municipal & School Partnerships
Connecting culture & classrooms: In partnership with Bristol Consolidated School and Healthy Lincoln County, we installed a 0.5-mile storywalk along the Bristol Recreational Trail focused on Wabanaki culture.
Investing in local youth: Students and teachers teamed up with us to carry heavy timber into the woods, constructing 40 feet of bog bridging along the Great Salt Bay School trail. At Nobleboro Central School, we helped repair a trail stream crossing.
At Salt Bay Farm, dozens of Lincoln Academy students and teachers spent a soggy day hauling wood chips and improving trails.
Living alongside wildlife: We partnered 50/50 with the Town of Damariscotta to install a “Beaver Deceiver” on Back Meadow Road, allowing local wildlife to thrive while minimizing road maintenance costs and disruption to traffic.
Safeguarding Ecosystems
- Protecting our hemlocks: To combat the invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, we coordinated the biological release of over 2,000 predatory S. tsugae beetles across local public and private lands.
- Field management for the birds: We continue to work on field management plans for Round Top Farm and Salt Bay Farm to knock back the invasive knapweed, improving hay quality as well as habitat for ground nesting birds such as Bobolinks and Savannah sparrows.
- Tackling invasives: “Bittersweet Brigade” volunteers meet weekly to work on removing Asiatic bittersweet, Multiflora rose, Japanese knotweed, and other invasive plants from Coastal Rivers preserves.
Water Quality and Community Science:
Your impact in action
Our waters are the lifeblood of the Damariscotta-Pemaquid region, but keeping them healthy requires more than just good intentions—it requires constant, rigorous data. In 2025, your support empowered nearly 100 community science volunteers to serve as the eyes and ears of our ecosystem. From Pemaquid Beach to the quiet shores of our inland ponds, these dedicated neighbors spent their season collecting samples, peering through microscopes, and conducting boat inspections to ensure our region remains a safe, thriving place for both wildlife and people.
This year’s highlights – ranging from a landmark $850,000 eelgrass restoration partnership to the critical detection of toxic algal indicators – demonstrate the power of community-driven science. Your contributions provide the training, equipment, and expert staff coordination necessary to turn these individual observations into a powerful regional defense against climate change and environmental degradation.
Protecting public health
- Safe swimming: Volunteers conducted weekly bacterial testing at Pemaquid Beach, Biscay Pond, and Bristol Mills. When a spike was detected at Bristol Mills, we worked with the Town to identify the source (wild geese). Bristol’s Parks and Recreation Department is now taking measures to deter geese from the swim area.
Additionally, in collaboration with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, we monitored Pemaquid Pond and connected waterbodies for toxic cyanobacteria. Species were detected in Pemaquid, Biscay and Muddy/Paradise Ponds during brief periods. For the 2026 season, we’re working on developing advisory procedures with local municipalities.
- Early warning systems: Our phytoplankton monitoring team detected toxic algal indicators on 15 occasions this year, providing a critical “first-alert” system to protect our local marine resources and food sources.
- River clean-up: Staff and volunteers once again joined local oyster growers and other organizations to remove plastics and other debris from the Damariscotta River shoreline.
Guarding against invasive species
- Vigilant inspections: We conducted 163 boat inspections at Pemaquid Landing and Biscay Beach. No invasive plants were found.
- Native habitat defense: Volunteers surveyed local ponds throughout the season, confirming that our freshwater habitats appear to remain free of invasive aquatic plants.
Leading regional science and restoration
- Eelgrass restoration: In a major win for coastal resilience, we were named the primary community partner for a new $850,000 eelgrass restoration project coordinated by Maine Coastal Program. This 5-year initiative will launch in 2026 to restore this vital habitat in Great Salt Bay.
- Midcoast leadership: Coastal Rivers’ Community Science Director Sarah Gladu continues to chair the Maine Coastal Observing Alliance (MCOA), which provides essential data on nitrogen and dissolved oxygen across nine Midcoast estuaries to track the long-term health of our coastline. New fact sheets on dissolved oxygen, temperature and nitrogen analysis are available on MCOA’s website.
Understanding our changing waters
- Water quality monitoring: Our Water Resources Intern works with a team of volunteers to monitor seven local lakes and ponds, providing deep-dive data on phosphorus and clarity that helps us predict and manage future changes. Another group of volunteers takes readings and water samples at several locations in the Damariscotta River estuary. Both programs help us understand how conditions are changing over time.
- Ancient neighbors: We continued our long-standing study of horseshoe crab populations in Great Salt Bay, a vital project for understanding how our ecosystem is shifting over time.
Community Partnerships: Strengthening our local fabric
Coastal Rivers is deeply woven into the fabric of the Damariscotta-Pemaquid region, serving as a dedicated partner to the people and municipalities that make this area home. Our work extends far beyond our own preserves; we work hand-in-hand with local towns to provide natural resource expertise and help manage town-owned forests and trails for the benefit of all.
From providing a home course for the Great Salt Bay School cross-country team to supporting regional food security at Twin Villages Foodbank Farm, your generosity ensures that Coastal Rivers remains a steady community presence – ready to lend expertise and offer access to all who call this beautiful region home.
Municipal & school partnerships
- Arbor Day Celebration: Together with the Town of Damariscotta, we hosted our first ever Arbor Day celebration, including free trees for community members, hands-on kids’ activities, and planting lots of trees at Round Top Farm.
- Pemaquid Beach Triathlon: In partnership with the Bristol Parks and Recreation Department, we helped organized this annual favorite to raise funds for an accessible community playground.
- Student art exhibitions: Every spring, the Denny Conservation and Education Center at Round Top Farm is transformed into gallery space for Lincoln Academy and Great Salt Bay School art shows.
- A home course with all the views: Salt Bay Farm serves as a home course – and a fan favorite among spectators – for the Great Salt Bay School cross-country team.
Regional food security
- Twin Villages Foodbank Farm: We are proud to continue our deep-rooted partnership with Twin Villages Foodbank Farm. By providing essential farmland, space for the Community Food Storage Hub, and administrative support, we are keeping prime farmland in production while helping to feed our neighbors in need.
Nature Education
Inspiring the next generation of stewards
Because of your generosity, 2025 was a transformative year for environmental learning across the Damariscotta region. From a renovated community gathering space to full classrooms and bustling summer camp sessions, your support provides the tools, guidance, and spaces that foster a lifelong connection to the natural world.
Connecting students to local ecosystems
Classroom & field experiences: Your investment delivered 1,845 student hours of free nature education to kids in South Bristol, Bristol, Nobleboro, Jefferson, Damariscotta (Great Salt Bay), and Lincoln Academy.
Unforgettable hands-on learning: Highlights included wading into salt marshes with Medomak Valley High School students to search for horseshoe crabs and planting trees with students from Great Salt Bay.
Thriving summer programs
Upgraded learning spaces: Renovations at the Nature Center at Salt Bay Farm were completed just in time for the summer season, providing a welcoming and comfortable home base for campers, families, and community members.
Camp Mummichog: With 165 registrations and waitlists for popular sessions, campers spent their summer outdoors making stories, forming lasting friendships, and exploring forests, fields, and marshes.
Beachcombers’ Discovery Center at Pemaquid Beach: In partnership with Bristol Parks and Recreation, our volunteer-led center welcomed over 2,110 visitors for interactive displays and popular Thursday touch-tank sessions.
Adult & community education
Midcoast Stewards Program: A full-capacity cohort explored coastal ecology, spruce-fir forests, and local conservation issues, building strong community networks and deeper roots in Midcoast Maine.
Workshops & skill-building: Year-round community offerings featured hands-on workshops like pack basket weaving and an aquatic invasive plant program with Lakes Stewards of Maine.
See what’s coming up on our calendar here!
Coastal Rivers' 2025 Financials
Where does the money come from?
Where does the money go?
Statement of Activities
Year ended June 30, 2025
| Revenues | Total | % |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions and grants | $1,951,369 | 61% |
| In-kind gifts | 55,792 | 2% |
| Sales and fees | 175,492 | 5.5% |
| Interest, dividends, partnership income | 341,978 | 11% |
| Other income | 694,243 | 22% |
| Total Revenues | $3,218,874 |
| Expenses | Total | % |
|---|---|---|
| Land acquisition | $497,622 | 18% |
| Land and water stewardship | 429,087 | 16% |
| Other programs | 155,862 | 6% |
| Management and general | 546,096 | 20% |
| Education and outreach | 343,697 | 13% |
| Development | 327,207 | 12% |
| Program facilities | 236,827 | 9% |
| Depreciation | 210,458 | 8% |
| Total Expenses | $2,746,856 |
| Net | $472,018 |
|---|
Statement of Financial Position
Year ended June 30, 2025
Assets
| Current Assets | Total |
|---|---|
| Cash and equivalents | $313,790 |
| Receivables | 332,900 |
| Prepaid expenses and other | 71,753 |
| Total Current Assets | 718,443 |
| Total Property and Equipment | 3,615,895 |
| Other Assets | Total |
|---|---|
| Conserved fee title property | $12,873,493 |
| Investments | 1,267,590 |
| Miscellaneous | 641,354 |
| Total Other Assets | 14,782,437 |
| Total Assets | 19,116,775 |
Liabilities
| Current Liabilities | $516,163 |
| Long-term Liabilities | 302,123 |
| Total Liabilities | 818,286 |
| Total Net Assets | 18,298,489 |
A look ahead
Heading
As we look to the year ahead, we are filled with gratitude for you – our members, donors, volunteers, and community partners. Your trust and generosity make every project, preserve, and program possible. Because of your steadfast support, Coastal Rivers entered 2026 with strong momentum and an ambitious vision for our shared future.
Our priorities for the coming year are directly anchored in our newly adopted Strategic Framework – a guiding map designed to deepen our impact across land conservation, trail accessibility, community education, and coastal resilience. Here is how that vision comes to life in the next few years:
Steward Land and Waters
Over the next five years, we will be dedicating greater effort and resources to stewardship across our entire portfolio. This includes hiring additional stewardship staff and constructing a dedicated equipment depot so we have the right team, tools, and materials to keep projects moving smoothly.
Expand Connected Landscapes
We continue to build on the River~Link North wildlife and recreation corridor with the August 2026 closing on 112 acres adjacent to Marsh River Bog, expanding vital wildlife habitat and trail connections.
Broaden Public Access
Visitors will see improvements at trailheads and expanded accessible trail options designed to welcome community members of all ages and abilities.
A major highlight of this effort is the upcoming mile-long extension of the River Trail along the Upper Damariscotta River, connecting Round Top Farm to Salt Bay Farm. With final designs and engineering drawings now complete, we will soon launch fundraising efforts to bring this transformative project to life.
Inspire a Love of Place
Hiring a dedicated Education Director allows us to grow our celebrated Nature Education programs for local schools and youth.
This shift also frees up Sarah Gladu to focus on growing our Community Science initiatives, empowering local volunteers to safeguard our waters.
None of this progress is possible without you. Thank you for standing with us as we care for the lands, waters, and communities of the Damariscotta-Pemaquid region—today and for generations to come!
