On Wed., Sept. 29, Chewonki will host a public discussion and tour at Montsweag Brook in Wiscasset to celebrate the removal of Lower Montsweag Brook Dam. Several speakers will briefly discuss the project at Chewonki, followed by a tour of the dam removal site and long-term restoration monitoring efforts.
This fish passage and habitat restoration project is supported by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) with funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, American Rivers, the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program (MNRCP), and Maine Yankee Atomic Energy Company. Representatives of these organizations will be present and the public is welcome.
Activities begin at 9:30 a.m. with speakers and discussion at the Chewonki Foundation’s Center.
At 10:15, the participants are scheduled to depart for the dam for a tour of the site and a demonstration of on-site monitoring activities.
The return to Chewonki Foundation’s Center is expected around 11:30 a.m. If requested, one van may return to Chewonki as early as 11 a.m.
Directions to Chewonki: From the south: take Maine Turnpike (I-95) north to exit 44 Portland. Follow I-295 to exit 28 Brunswick to Rt. 1. Follow Rt. 1 north to Bath. Approximately 6.5 miles north of Bath, turn right on Rt. 144. After railroad tracks turn right on Chewonki Neck Road. Follow signs to Chewonki.
From the North: Take either Rt. 27 south from Augusta, or Rt. 1 south to Wiscasset. Take Rt. 1 south four miles from Wiscasset, turn left on Rt. 144. After railroad tracks turn right on Chewonki Neck Road. Follow signs to Chewonki.
Attendants will assist with parking at Chewonki’s Center for Environmental Education.
Organizers suggest attendees come prepared for inclement weather. Those who want to fully participate in the field walk are encouraged to wear boots. For more information contact Dan Creek at 207-332-5792 or dncreek@gmail.com.
