Maine’s Mighty Penobscot River
The mighty Penobscot River runs through the center of Maine, originating near Mt. Katahdin, Maine’s tallest mountain, and entering the Atlantic Ocean amidst the rocky islands southwest of Acadia National Park. During its journey to the sea, the river runs through the towns of Old Town and Bangor, and through the heart of the Penobscot Nation’s ancestral territory. The river is truly abundant with environmental, historical and cultural resources. This year, the ACA White Water Open Canoe Downriver National Championships were
held on the Penobscot River as part of the first annual Penobscot River Whitewater Nationals Regatta. Competitors who paddled the 9.5-mile stretch from Old Town to Bangor, ME encountered four major rapids, the occasional bald eagle, and the remains of the logging industry that was once booming in the area. However, four years ago, paddlers would have also come across two features of the Penobscot River that are non-existent today: the Great Works and Veasie dams. Constructed around the turn of the 20th century, these dams were at one time crucial to central Maine’s industry, but had since become antiquated and non-functional. Additionally, the dams blocked the passage of salmon, shad and other sea-run fish to their historic spawning grounds. In the summer of 2012, the removal process of the Great Works Dam was initiated. A
year later, Veasie Dam was removed. The project was accomplished by the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, a group of organizations that banded together with the goal of returning the Penobscot to its original free-flowing state. The trust managed to realize this goal by simply buying the antiquated dams; once they were the rightful owners of the dams, removal was made simple. This opened over 1,000 miles of the Penobscot River to fish passage and exposed rapids that hadn’t been traversed in almost 150 years. The Penobscot Nation, one of the organizations who spearheaded this project, has a keen
interest in the success of this project. A riverine people, the Penobscot traditionally relied heavily on fish caught in the Penobscot River. When fish were blocked by dams and not able to spawn in the Penobscot, the Penobscot Nation was robbed of this important facet of their culture. Furthermore, the section of river between Old Town and Bangor is historically significant as a travel corridor for the ancestors of the Penobscot Nation; the first Penobscot leader documented by European explorers, Chief Bashabez, paddled these rapids to meet with French explorer Samuel de Champlain. The return of the Penobscot to its pre-industrial state has allowed for the Penobscot Nation to continue to pass on the traditions and history that help to define their heritage. The evening before the first competition, an elder from the Penobscot Nation held a
traditional smudging ceremony, waving an eagle’s wing to spread the smoke from burning sweet grass around a circle of participants. This served as a welcome to the race participants, as well as a celebration of the Penobscot River and the Penobscot Nation. Following the ceremony, speakers held lectures dealing with the Penobscot way of life, the history of the Penobscot River, and other subjects. While the competitors at the Penobscot River Whitewater Nationals Regatta were all competing
to win their respective races, it was clear that the real victory was that they were paddling a section of river that would not have existed in a free-flowing state if it wasn’t for the efforts of the Penobscot River Restoration Trust. The race in many ways was an environmental and cultural triumph, and the ACA is proud to be the sanctioning organization of such an event.
For more information on the Penobscot River Whitewater Nationals Regatta, please visit
www.penobscotriverwhitewaternationalsregatta.com
To learn more about the work that the Penobscot River Restoration Trust has accomplished, please visit
www.penobscotriver.org.
Boating in DC Gives Attention to “The Forgotten River”
WASHINGTON, DC. -The Potomac and Anacostia rivers in the heart of our nation’s capital have traditionally been accessible only by motorboats and private rowing communities. Fortunately, Boating In DC’s Key Bridge, Ballpark and National Harbor boathouses have opened the locals’ eyes to not only the world of recreational paddling, but also to the poor treatment of urban waterways. Though each Boating In DC location provides interactions
with flora, fauna and the great outdoors that are often hard to come by in our bustling city, paddlers often return to shore lamenting about garbage sightings in the river. Do-gooders will often return from paddling with garbage
they have collected, ranging from plastic bottles to two garbage bags full of Styrofoam, plastic and glass. These actions inspired us to begin our river stewardship programs. Our first initiative gives a five-percent discount off rentals
to friends of the river—paddlers who bring back trash. For some, the initiative has morphed into a challenging scavenger hunt. Paddlers have returned to unload their assorted treasures, beaming with satisfaction over their booty. It’s less about the discount and much more about the action taken. Our second initiative is a weekly community cleanup on the
Anacostia River every Sunday morning from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. at Boating In DC’s Ballpark Boathouse location. The Anacostia has a bad reputation. With jokes of mutation
upon contact, it is no wonder it carries the denomination, The Forgotten River. In partnership with the ACA, our no-charge outing equips volunteers with gloves, a grabber and, of course, ACA Paddle Green Bags. Our first session was comprised of five people who in only
60 minutes, managed to collect 145 pounds of garbage. The following week, our volunteer team tripled in size and amassed 264 pounds of trash, including a cooler, a dishwasher door, a three-foot Styrofoam cube and a weather balloon. They say it is addictive. I say, “Tell your friends.”
—Colleen Devlin, Boating In DC
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