Since working as Stewardship Intern for Coastal Rivers, I’ve acquired numerous practical skills, including how to use various everyday equipment. Understanding how this equipment operates is essential for this internship and beneficial for everyday life. Additionally, I’ve picked up construction techniques that streamline work processes. (…)
As Coastal Rivers’ Water Resources Intern this summer, my main role is monitoring water quality in local lakes, including Pemaquid Pond, Biscay Pond, Muddy/Paradise Pond, Muscongus/Webber Pond, McCurdy Pond, and Clark Cove Pond. I have also been staffing the Beachcombers’ Discovery Center at Pemaquid Beach Park.
Monitoring water quality in our lakes and ponds involves collecting four sets of data: water temperature, dissolved oxygen, water clarity, and phosphorus. (…)
An aerial view of the crescent-shaped pond for which the Half Moon Pond Conservation Area is named, with Lower Pond visible beyond. Photo by Brian Goding This story was featured in the spring 2024 edition of our River Currents (printed) newsletter. See a pdf version of the newsletter here. In April of 2022, Coastal Rivers made its biggest single-day purchase in the organization’s history: a total of 487 acres along Poor Farm Road in Bristol. Named for the pristine, crescent-shaped pond at its center, the Half Moon Pond Conservation Area occupies an undeveloped habitat block of nearly 4,000 acres – …
Piece by piece, a connected landscape takes shape at Half Moon Pond Read More »
Learning with bodies and minds Nobleboro Central School (NCS) 6th graders had the opportunity to spend a week at Nature School at Coastal Rivers’ Salt Bay Farm Preserve in Damariscotta in early February. As part of a unit on ancient civilizations, the students learned about Wabanaki culture and made their own birch bark etchings. The natural setting also lent itself to a focus on Fibonacci numbers and spirals and discussions on nutrient cycles in nature. During Nature School, Salt Bay Farm becomes the student’s classroom for a week, and active, hands-on programming is integrated into their studies. The historic farm …
Nobleboro students attend Nature School at Salt Bay Farm Read More »
According to Steve and Karen O’Bryan, they had four main goals when they first approached Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust about conserving their land. “We wanted to protect the wetland and stream, provide a sustainable source of firewood for home heating, preserve the old snowmobile trail, and to continue to allow the hunting tradition in this area.” (…)
For the second year running, Coastal Rivers staff and volunteers are working with groups of students at both Great Salt Bay Community School (GSB) and Nobleboro Central School (NCS) to improve and expand the school trail systems.
Once a week, Coastal River educators meet with students in Nobleboro’s Center for Alternative Learning program to spend time outside learning and working on the school trail. They are often joined by stewardship staff for bigger projects, such as building bog bridges, spreading mulch on the trail, or removing downed trees. (…)
Coastal Rivers recently completed two land conservation projects in Bristol, adding a total of 60 acres to the existing Half Moon Pond Conservation Area that now stretches 979 acres from Route 130 to Benner Road.
In August, Chris and Natalie Coombs donated a 56-acre conservation easement on their property, which includes part of a large wetland area known as Yates Meadow and about 500 feet of shoreline on the west side of Half Moon Pond. They have called it the Kenneth and Geraldine Coombs Conservation Area, in memory of Chris’ aunt and uncle, who left the land and associated house and barn to Chris and Natalie.
The Maine Coastal Observing Alliance (MCOA), a network of nine conservation groups monitoring water quality in midcoast Maine estuaries, is pleased to announce it has received a grant for $142,000 from a fund at the Maine Community Foundation. The grant will be used to grow MCOA’s monitoring network and collect meaningful data for Maine’s coastal communities. (…)
We are thrilled to welcome Land Conservation Manager Katie Beaver to the team! Along with Director of Land Conservation Joan Ray and Executive Director Steven Hufnagel, Katie will work directly with landowners to help them meet their conservation goals.
Katie’s position, fully funded by an anonymous funder for three years, is a reflection of our commitment to conserving an additional 5,000 acres in the Damariscotta-Pemaquid region in five years, from 2021 to 2026. We prioritize properties that connect to existing conserved areas, dovetail with community development plans, and are of particular benefit to wildlife, water quality, cultural heritage, or public access. (…)
Throughout the month of October, groups from local schools have been taking part in the full-day Wabanaki Living Skills and Culture program hosted by Coastal Rivers at Salt Bay Farm in Damariscotta.
The program teaches students about different aspects of Wabanaki culture – both traditional and current – through authentic, hands-on experiences. Activities are always taught in collaboration with Native American educators. For the past two years, Passamaquoddy educator Sandra Bassett has partnered with Coastal Rivers Education Director Sarah Gladu to teach the program. (…)
