From left: Pemaquid Watershed Association President Sandi Day, attorney Rob Levin, and Damariscotta River Association President Joel Russ celebrate the moment of unification. The name of the new organization is Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust.
On March 27, the board of the Damariscotta River Association-Pemaquid Watershed Association, now a unified organization, adopted the name of Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust.
“We wanted our name to be reflective of who we are and what we do, yet memorable and easy to communicate,” Executive Director Steven Hufnagel said. “‘Coastal Rivers’ takes in the short-run rivers that characterize our unique area of Midcoast Maine: the Damariscotta River estuary and the Marsh River to the west, Johns River and the Pemaquid River in the middle, and the Medomak River to the east.”
“We also wanted to avoid using terms that might lead to confusion with other similar organizations,” Hufnagel said. “‘Conservation Trust’ speaks to the fact that our work is grounded in both land and water conservation and is backed by a commitment to lasting stewardship.”
Prior to unification, both DRA and PWA focused on land and water conservation and education, and had a history of working closely together in the Damariscotta-Pemaquid region dating back to 1991, when the two organizations pooled resources to share office space in downtown Damariscotta. This past September, their respective memberships voted overwhelmingly in favor of unification with a start date of February 2019.
The unified board of trustees combines members of the two parent boards, under the leadership of an executive committee with strong representation from both. Joel Russ, of DRA, and Michael Kane, of PWA, are serving, respectively, as board president and vice president.
The organization is working on the creation of a new logo and website, to be completed in the coming months. In a few weeks, Coastal Rivers will move its headquarters into the newly renovated and rebuilt 1890 farmhouse at Round Top Farm.
Coastal Rivers remains a nonprofit, membership-supported, and nationally accredited land trust and conservation organization, dedicated to preserving and promoting the natural, cultural, and historical heritage of the greater Pemaquid peninsula and Damariscotta River region.
Coastal Rivers has active programs in the areas of land conservation, stewardship, community education, water quality monitoring, marine conservation, and cultural preservation.
Visitors are welcome at the Great Salt Bay Heritage Center in Damariscotta as well as the many other Coastal Rivers properties throughout the region. For more information, call 563-1393, email info@coastalrivers.org, or visit coastalrivers.org.
