Speaking of the Allagash

By Kate Williams

I promise I’ll give lots of attention to our other very worthy trail states and our Canadian province in short order – and even to the rest of Maine – but the Allagash gets the ol’ one-two for now.  To whit, not only did the Allagash Wilderness Waterway make it into a select cadre of Adventures (yep, capital A) in the hallowed pages of Outside Magazine this month, but it also got itself a new superintendent.

Matt Laroche, a 32-year veteran of Maine’s Bureau of Parks and Lands, was last week appointed as the new AWW Superintendent.  This is the first superintendent position in the Maine state parks system, and was created upon recommendation from the Governor’s Task Force on the AWW.  The position has more responsibility than a parks manager, and will report directly to the State Parks operations director.

Matt most recently served as Penobscot River Corridor park manager and interim AWW manager.  In a recent press release, Matt had this to say:  “I consider it a privilege to be able to manage one of the most scenic rivers in the country and one of the most pristine, and I find it somewhat nostalgic to go back to the place where I started my career in the Department of Conservation.”

NFCT staff have been fortunate to work with Matt in recent years, and we’re looking forward to working with him in the years ahead.  He’s even-keeled, experienced, and positive.

Congrats to you, Matt, and to the AWW as well.  It can be hard work sometimes, managing a state-administered Wild and Scenic River.  But it’s always important and good work.  We wish you smooth currents and gentle winds.

Matt Laroche, AWW Superintendent:

matt_laroche

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