This Thanksgiving we’re thankful for our outstanding community partners. In the spirit of the season, we’ve been reflecting on another wonderful summer on the river. This winter, here on the blog, we’ll highlight the amazing community organizations we’re lucky enough to call our partners.
As we continue to work to raise community awareness about the past, present, and future of the Penobscot River, we couldn’t ask for a better ally than the Penobscot River Keepers. Founded in 1992, volunteers from the Riverkeepers lead canoe trips for students from across the region with the goal of helping them understand the linkage between people and water quality.
This summer, we were lucky enough to tag along for the first trip of the year with students from Baxter High School to learn more about the history of the river and the importance of ongoing efforts, large and small, to keep the river clean for future generations.
The team from the Riverkeepers also collaborates with teachers to develop curricula focused on rivers in Maine – exploring the natural history of Maine’s rivers and the history of logging on Maine’s waterways.
With help from groups like the Riverkeepers, the restoration of the Penobscot River has made enormous strides, but there is still work to do. The Riverkeepers are encouraging the next generation of river stewards by helping them understand how their actions have a direct impact on the environment around them.
With colder weather on the way, we’ll be keeping warm by dreaming of sun soaked summer days on the Penobscot with the Riverkeepers. Stay tuned next month where we’ll be highlighting another great partner – The Friends of Fort Knox.