Author: Hannah McGhee

When I was 11, my family went camping on Mount Desert Island. That was the first time I ever went on a “real” hike, and I loved it so much my mother bought me a little yellow tee shirt with a mountain goat on it.

That family trip sparked a sense of physical empowerment for me, a feeling that I was strong and capable. To this day I enjoy challenging myself, whether it’s on a hike, hauling firewood, riding a bike, taking a long swim, or going for a run.

Well into adulthood, I took my abilities and able-ness for granted. The longer and more difficult the hiking trail, the better. But recent experiences have shifted my perspective.

On Friday, November 1, staff and volunteers from over a dozen local businesses and organizations took time off from work to pick up trash along the shoreline of the Damariscotta River. Representatives from Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, University of Maine Darling Marine Center, First National Bank, First National Wealth Management, Cheney Insurance, Blackstone Point Oysters, Dodge Cove Marine Farm, Glidden Point Oyster Farms, Heron Island Oysters, Mook Sea Farm, Norumbega Oyster, Pemaquid Oyster Company, and Pleasant Cove Oysters split up in boats belonging to local shellfish farms to cover different areas of the river. Together, participants collected over 1,320 pounds …

Annual River clean-up brings in over 1,320 pounds of trash Read More »

  Years ago, when now Executive Director Steven Hufnagel was still “the stewardship guy” for Damariscotta River Association, he recalls stopping by Whaleback Shell Midden State Historic Site to check the visitors’ log. At the time, there was a 200-foot handicap accessible trail from the parking area to a small overlook above the apple orchard. On that day, as he flipped through the log book, one note in particular caught his eye. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for making a wheel chair accessible trail,” a man had written. “Mary Alice, whose passion was backpacking in the mountains, has had …

Accessible trail makes new connection in Damariscotta Read More »

Keep your noggin warm in style this winter with a Coastal Rivers logo patch beanie! Available in four colors: blaze orange, neon fuchsia, forest green, and heather royal blue. Hats are $25 each. Pick yours up at our office in Damariscotta for free, or let us send you one for a flat $8 fee.

Coastal Rivers is one big step closer to bringing the shared community vision of a fully accessible, mile-long trail connecting Round Top Farm to Salt Bay Farm in Damariscotta to fruition, thanks to the update of a conservation easement owned by Laura and Vanessa Shields-Haas in early November. After more than twenty-five years of dreaming and planning, permanent legal access is now in place along the entire route of the planned trail.

What does it mean to be a “nationally accredited” land trust?

To achieve accreditation, a land trust must complete a rigorous review process by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission to demonstrate it is following the highest standards of fiscal accountability, governance, organizational leadership, and lasting stewardship of the lands they conserve. The commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs. 

Michael Hope’s family bought a plot of land on the East Branch of Johns Bay in Bristol back in 1947. Not long afterward, local shellfish harvesters stopped by to ask permission to drive to the shore of the Hope’s farm to make it easier to haul heavy loads of clams up from the shore. Bristol clammers have been using the field for access to the clam flats ever since.

Their access to the productive clam flats on the East Branch is now permanently protected, thanks to the donation of a 5-acre conservation easement by Margo and Michael Hope to Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust in July. (…)

At a bend in the Damariscotta River just below Glidden Ledge, a cove reaches inland along the Edgecomb shore. On the north side of this cove, the terrain rises steeply up a forested hillside, making it a prominent landmark on the river. This ridge is the site of a new 39-acre conservation easement, donated to Coastal Rivers by Helen Weld and Robert Strachan of Edgecomb in early August. The land includes 1,100 feet of shoreline in and around Salt Marsh Cove – a shallow, sheltered cove rich with wildlife, including clams, tidal waterfowl, and wading birds. The conservation easement will …

Edgecomb couple donates conservation easement on Salt Marsh Cove Read More »

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. (…)