By Kate Williams
I am pleased in this post to share with you an invitation from our friends at the Androscoggin River Watershed Council:
Hello from the Androscoggin River Watershed Council! As everyone is gearing up for the Fourth, we’re busy planning for July 9th and beyond. It’s the fifteenth anniversary of the Androscoggin Source to the Sea Trek, during which we paddle nearly the entire 170+ miles of the beautiful Androscoggin in northern New Hampshire and western Maine. Like many rivers in the Northern Forest, the Andro in past generations served mainly as transportation, a power source, and a dumping ground for industrial operations. However, it was likely the Androscoggin that inspired Maine Senator Edmund Muskie of Rumford to introduce the Clean Water Act in 1971. Since then, the river has been undergoing a revitalization, and now it is known for its excellent fisheries and scenic beauty. We hope some NFCT enthusiasts will join us in celebrating this incredible natural resource this year!
We begin our Trek at the Androscoggin’s intersection with the NFCT, Lake Umbagog on the border of New Hampshire and Maine. We’ll kick off with an evening round-trip paddle on Friday, July 9, which will feature a talk on loons by expert Mike Chickering. On July 10, we’ll paddle from Errol to 7 Islands Bridge. On July 11, we’ll set off from 7 Islands Bridge and land at the Bofinger Conservation in Milan, NH. That’s about where the convergence with the NFCT will end, but we’ll continue down the Androscoggin River four days a week until we reach Brunswick, Maine on August 8, and you’re welcome to come along!
The Trek is free for participants, but the ARWC requests a tax-deductible donation of $10 to help cover costs of organization. Bring your own paddle-powered boat, appropriate gear, and lunch, and we’ll organize shuttles and a lifetime of memories! Many days also include educational discussions. Details about locations and special events and a super-easy sign-up form can be found at the ARWC’s website: http://androscogginwatershed.org/
Hope to see some of you on the Trek!
Jessie Seymour
Trek Coordinator
