MARCH 2010 PENOBSCOT RIVER RESTORATION PROJECT UPDATE Greetings from the Penobscot River Restoration Trust! Here's the latest news on our efforts to bring back the health and resilience of the legendary Penobscot River ... we invite you to explore our web site to learn more about the river, sea-run fish and wildlife, the people who live here, and this innovative restoration project.

MESSAGE FROM THE RIVER'S EDGE Hello to all, I recently took a walk on the Ravine Trail at Fields Pond Nature Center, following a small stream that at first glance seemed a still, ice-laden confirmation that winter was going to be with us for quite some time. But, at one crossing, holes in the thick ice revealed an intense and steady movement of water between rocks and fallen tree limbs. It was a welcome sound! It was easy to make the leap to thinking about the things I've been busy with on the Penobscot River Restoration Project. As we await permit approval from federal and state agencies to move the project fully into the implementation phase, there's a lot of activity behind the scenes with grant-writing, scientific monitoring and sharing initial results of that work, updating our web-site and publications, connecting with partners on various aspects of the project, and community outreach planning, including visioning sessions with the Town of Howland to explore possibilities for a revitalized site where the tannery buildings now sit adjacent to the dam and proposed bypass.  There's a near-constant stream of activity on the project that isn't always visible. Here in Old Town, my focus lately has been preparing for upcoming events that provide us with many opportunities to update our supporters and let newcomers to the project learn more about our effort to restore all 11 species of migratory fish to the Penobscot watershed while maintaining energy production. All these events provide a space for this community of people interested in the future of the Penobscot River - and in some way or another connecting with the resources the river provides - to interact, learn from each other, and inspire future activity to restore this watershed to health. Our Events list on our website provides an overview of events where we will either be presenting on the project or have a display table, but I'll offer a quick summary here: Eastern Maine Sportsmen Show, March 12-14th, the University of Maine Fieldhouse, Orono Wild Poetry: Nature Writing Workshop, March 14th at Fields Pond Nature Center in Holden Benefit showing of the film The Good Life: Tall Tails of the East, April 8th, Sea Dog Restaurant in Bangor PaddleSmart Symposium, April 9th, at Husson College in Bangor HOPE Festival, April 24th, University of Maine Campus Recreation Center, Orono We are familiar with the benefits a healthy river system can provide – whether it be recreational, traditional customs, social and/or economic opportunities – but the events mentioned above remind us how the river and fish and wildlife are at the heart of what we love about living in or visiting this particular region of Maine. I hope to see you there! All best, Cheryl Daigle Community Outreach Coordinator The Penobscot River Restoration Trust is the nonprofit organization charged with implementing key aspects of the restoration project, including purchase and removal of the two lowermost dams on the river, and purchase and decommissioning of a third dam with proposed construction of an innovative, nature-like fish passageway around the dam. Members of the Trust include American Rivers, Atlantic Salmon Federation, Maine Audubon, Natural Resources Council of Maine, Penobscot Indian Nation, The Nature Conservancy, and Trout Unlimited, and three additional board members. For more information on our members, please go to the About Us page. RIVER SCIENCE & MONITORING Last summer we hired a river science and monitoring coordinator, Blaine Kopp. Baseline monitoring of the river includes studies of fish populations and migration patterns, water quality, geological characterization of the river channel, monitoring of wetland vegetation, and photographic monitoring of the river channel. We have set up new web pages to keep you informed about the progress of these monitoring activities; you can find links to descriptions of research and video and audio here: River Science and Monitoring.  Funding for this baseline monitoring came through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. RIVER CURRICULUM & VITALVENTURE You may recall that in 2007 and 2008, we joined with Maine Sea Grant, Old Town Elementary School (OTES), and the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research to develop a watershed and river restoration curriculum project. It was a productive and fun year working with 5th graders as they learned from scientists, resource managers, and community members about the river's history and contemporary culture, fisheries and wildlife, and connections between land and the abundant waterways here. What we learned through working with OTES staff and students can now be shared with teachers statewide and beyond. Maine Sea Grant and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute used our collective work as a model for a statewide, place-based watershed curriculum called VitalVenture.  Beth Bisson of Maine Sea Grant, wrote up the human ecology component of our pilot Penobscot River curriculum, and included it on the VitalVenture website as a Watershed Experience called Community Connections to a Maine Watershed. We hope this effort will inspire more teachers to include watershed education into their curriculum, and enhance the great place-based work already underway in our schools. We are also working on an Educator Resources page to our web site that will be posted this spring. This web page will provide links to information on the OTES project along with suggestions for ways educators can use information available on our web site. Please visit our web site in late March to check on our progress! RIVER OF LIFE POSTER A new poster celebrating the abundant life in the Penobscot River will soon be available – it's at the printer now! Last year, we commissioned wildlife artist Mark McCollough to create a painting depicting life in the future restored Penobscot River. From eagles to sturgeon to caddisfly larva and mussels, this beautiful painting features many of the fish and wildlife that will benefit from the project, and has been made into a poster and poster guide. These posters will be available at events beginning in March. Please email Cheryl Daigle if you would like more information on how to obtain a copy for your school, office walls, or home!  ABBE MUSEUM CELEBRATES PENOBSCOT RESTORATION A new exhibit at the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor highlights the Penobscot River Restoration Project as part of celebrating the Wabanaki tribes of Maine and their rich cultural heritage and contemporary issues. It's a beautiful exhibit, and I hope you will have time to visit the museum and learn more about the importance of a restored river to the Penobscot Nation. We are also working with a variety of partners to create an educational center in Bar Harbor that emphasizes connections between land and sea and the communities that have grown from the natural resources this watershed provides. I will send more on that as we get closer to the summer. VIDEO CLIP: The Penobscot River on the Move! March 2010 You can now receive project updates by following us on Twitter! VOICES OF THE WATERSHED Please visit our Voices of the Watershed page to hear from community members about the many benefits the Penobscot River provides us, and learn why the Penobscot River Restoration Project is important to them! Salmon fisherman and conservationist Bob Milardo and paddling enthusiast/distributor and Penobscot Nation member Scott Phillips lead the way, with more videos to come! MAINE COUNCIL - ATLANTIC SALMON FEDERATION ONLINE AUCTION From March 3 to March 27, 2010, the Maine Council of the Atlantic Salmon Federation will be conducting a live auction as part of its $150,000 campaign for the Penobscot River Restoration Project. The auction will be taking place on the Maine Council website. Included in the auction is a one-of-a-kind bamboo rod crafted specifically for the project by the preeminent rodmaker David Van Burgel, a Hardy Marquis Reel, an Orvis rod and reel outfit, a framed Tom Hennessey print, and a Jonathan Larrabee custom Vom Hofe salmon reel! Save the Date! See The Good Life ... Special showing of the new film The Good Life: Tall Tails of the East will benefit the Penobscot River Restoration Project. Join us at the Sea Dog Restaurant on April 8th! E-NEWSLETTER FORMAT We've opted to offer this update online to save on printing costs, and hope you will find our project news easily accessible. We also send out periodic updates via email with links to our web site. Print copies of this update will be available at events that house our display. If you are not on our email list to receive updates, but would like to be, please visit our Action Page to join our supporter list. If you prefer print mailings, please contact Cheryl Daigle at cheryl@penobscotriver.org or by phone at 207-232-9969 . As always, thank you for your support and please contact us if you need additional information or would like us to share project news with a friend! Penobscot Trust Staff Laura Rose Day Executive Director George Aponte Clarke Deputy Director Jennifer Curtis Project Associate Cheryl Daigle Community Liaison/Outreach Coordinator Cheryl Gerrior Director of Finance Blaine Kopp River Science and Monitoring Coordinator Board of Directors Fred Ayer - President Tom Rumpf - Vice President Elizabeth Maclin - Secretary Andy Goode - Treasurer John Banks Nick Bennett Sandra Blake Leonard Don Hudson Stephanie Lindloff Sally Stockwell