Talk of the Towns 6/10/20: Conservation of the Narraguagus River watershed

Producer/Host: Ron Beard Program Topic: Conservation of the Narraguagus River watershed and improving passage for salmon and other fish Background on the river and the watershed… what is significant, including salmon habitat and human uses of the river (economic and recreational) and its related resources Jacob describes how MCHT’s Whole Place initiative relates Background on Cherryfield (a bit of history, its past and present economy, relationship to the Narraguagus, salmon fishing legacy) What are the various interests of the organizations in conserving the Narraguagus River and its habitat Among the issues to be addressed is improving aquatic habitat and connectivity… why is this important to both the fish and people? How do the fresh water and saltwater connect and why is that important? Which fish use the watershed? A major concern is fish passage at the Cherryfield Ice Dam… what is the history of this dam… what is its present status and how are you working towards improved fish passage? What are some of the other threats and how are you and your organizations working on them (water quality–oxygen, temperature, etc., impact of road crossings, loss of mature forests along the river, agriculture and other uses of riparian areas, tidal restrictions in lower portion of river) What is the likely future for the Narragaugus River watershed Guests: Jacob van de Sande, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Land Protection Project Manager Chris Federico, Habitat Restoration Project Manager, SHARE Dwayne Shaw, Executive Director, Downeast Salmon Federation Paul Anderson, Executive Director, Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries Art Tatangelo, Selectman, Town of Cherryfield About the host: Ron Beard is producer and host of Talk of the Towns, which first aired on WERU in 1993 as part of his community building work as an Extension professor with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant. He took all the journalism courses he could fit in while an undergraduate student in wildlife management and served as an intern with Maine Public Television nightly newscast in the early 1970s. Ron is an adjunct faculty member at College of the Atlantic, teaching courses on community development. Ron served on the Bar Harbor Town Council for six years and is currently board chair for the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, where he has lived since 1975. Look for him on the Allagash River in June, and whenever he can get away, in the highlands of Scotland where he was fortunate to spend two sabbaticals.