Talk of the Towns 7/9/25: A River Story: Cherryfield and fish passage on the Narraguagus River

Producer/Hosts: Ron Beard and Liz Graves Production support from Joel Mann and from College of the Atlantic Theme music for Talk of the Towns Theme is a medley from Coronach, on a Balnain House Highland Music recording. Talk of the Towns: Local Community concerns and opportunities This month: What is Cherryfield’s historical and current relationship to the Narraguagus River? What was the 1961 Corps of Army Engineers Ice Dam and how did reduce flooding and reduce fish passage? What led to a recent study that resulted in a redesign of the engineering that provides flood control due to ice jams as well as passage of Atlantic Salmon, shad, alewives and other fish up stream on the Narragagus River? What benefits will Cherryfield and the river ecosystem see as a result of the new design and waterfront park? What can other communities learn from the process that Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Downeast Salmon Federation, the Town of Cherryfield followed to secure fish passage on the Narragaugus River? Guest/s: Jacob van de Sande, Assoc. Director, Land Protection, Maine Coast Heritage Trust Mary Knapp, Selectboard Member, Town of Cherryfield Ellie Mason, Project Manager, Downeast Salmon Federation FMI: www.mcht.org www.mainesalmonrivers.org www.cherryfieldmaine.us About the hosts: 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. Liz Graves joined Talk of the Towns as co-producer and co-host in July 2022, having long admired public affairs programming on WERU and dreamed of getting involved in community radio. She works as the Town Clerk for the Town of Bar Harbor, and is a former editor of the Mount Desert Islander weekly newspaper. Liz grew up in California and came to Maine as a schooner sailor.