Help monitor the health of the Damariscotta River Estuary

Coastal Rivers welcomes volunteers interested in being a part of this important water quality initiative. Water quality monitors collect baseline data with the purpose of enhancing our understanding of changing estuary water quality and habitat conditions. Volunteers test for transparency, dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature and total nitrogen.

Monitoring takes place twice a month from May through October, at seven different locations between Great Salt Bay and Walpole. The monitoring schedule is tide dependent and is about a two to three hour time commitment each session. There are rotating teams of volunteers so that volunteers need not commit to every excursion. Sampling is done from Coastal Rivers’ launch Wendy J (volunteer captains provided). All are welcome; children under 15 must be accompanied by an adult.

The training will take place at the Darling Marine Center in Walpole. At the training, volunteers will have the opportunity to sign-up for monitoring dates based on their own availability throughout the spring, summer and fall.

This class is taught collaboratively by Coastal Rivers’ Director of Citizen Science Sarah Gladu, Dr. Larry Mayer and Kathleen Thornton.

Health & Safety

Participants who are eligible must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. You’ll be asked to confirm your vaccination status during registration.

How to register (required)

To register, use the button below.

REGISTER