Blue Hill Heritage Trust, in partnership with Maine Coast Heritage Trust, is pleased to help fund the work of the Bagaduce River Monitor. The BRM is an individual who spends time year round studying the health of the Bagaduce River, an estuary of statewide significance, and reporting back to conservation groups, environmental organizations, and the community at large on their findings.
The current Bagaduce River Monitor is Bailey Bowden.
Bailey is a life long resident of the town of Penobscot and chair of the Penobscot Shellfish Committee, among many other hats that he wears. Baily cares deeply for the Bagaduce and is an active educator and steward of this important ecosystem.
The role of the Bagaduce River Monitor is:
- To think about the Bagaduce River and its tributaries as part of the ecological and cultural heritage of the peninsula, and make this part of public consciousness;
- To raise awareness about the river and its tributaries as an interconnected whole, not as simply individual resources, be that for fisheries or recreation values, or other;
- To raise awareness around and be part of a watershed-wide vision of land, water, and people;
- To present the Bagaduce River and its tributaries as an example of fish restoration efforts, fostering of sustainable alewife and other fish populations, local/regional thinking and planning, and an interface between land and water conservation efforts;
- To attend and engage at town and community meetings of all appropriate levels to foster understanding and support, including possible financial support, of fish run conservation activities within the watershed;
- To be a part of public programs and activities each year to build community support for a healthy Bagaduce;
- To work with schools and other children’s groups to engage the next generation of stewards;
- To work with Project Partners to design and implement river-focused data collection efforts within watershed;
- To maintain appropriate relationships, collaboration and communication levels with Project Partners;
- To help build and broaden the collaboration of organizations focusing efforts on the Bagaduce Watershed;
- To assist Project Partners where appropriate on attracting grant and other funding, and advance land conservation within the watershed;
- To represent the positive value of fish run restoration as part of watershed health;
- To represent the positive value of land conservation organizations as part of watershed health;
- To create a Bagaduce Watershed Report once a year in collaboration with the Project Partners, which will be designed to compile data gathered as well as capture happenings around the watershed. This report will serve to educate the public, guide future activity by the Partner Organizations, and attract future donors interested in the Bagaduce.