By Phoebe Backler
New Hampshire Outreach Coordinator
With summer in full swing, the Androscoggin River Committee (ARC) River Runner Interns are busy greeting paddlers at popular access points on the northern Androscoggin River. Interns are tasked with sharing ARC’s River Code (guidelines for respectful use of the river) and collecting paddler demographic data.
The data will be compiled along with river user numbers provided by local rafting, fishing and canoe/kayak guides and Northern Forest Canoe Trail sign-in boxes. The resulting picture of river use, when compared with similar longitudinal data, will help ARC work with local land and business owners and town officials to better understand recreational trends and make long term management plans. Those plans will be targeted at increasing recreation-based tourism while protecting the character and ecological integrity of the river.
The Androscoggin River Committee is a network of local land and business owners, government agencies and non-profits dedicated to the promotion and protection of the Androscoggin River in New Hampshire. NFCT has worked as a leading partner in the ARC network since 2010.
