None The Nature Conservancy in Maine Press Releases Search All Press Releases Margaret Pizer The Nature Conservancy (207) 729-5181 mpizer@tnc.org

Annual Saco and Swift River Cleanup

Volunteers will scour 75 river miles in Western Maine and New Hampshire

FRYEBURG, MAINE — August 31, 2007 — The second annual Saco River Cleanup effort is teaming up with the twelfth annual Swift River Cleanup for a full weekend of volunteer trash removal and educational activities. Volunteers are invited to join the effort on the Saco on Saturday, September 8th or Sunday September 9th by contacting one of the canoe liveries listed at the end of this release. Canoes will be provided by the liveries. Volunteers on foot can join the Swift River Cleanup on Sunday September 9th at 10:30 am at Lower Falls on the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire. All volunteers are invited to a cookout on Sunday afternoon where a variety of groups will offer information about the Saco River and surrounding environment.

These annual cleanup efforts come at the end of a summer marked by stark contrasts along the Saco River. The season has seen record numbers of visitors flock to the river—with 5,000 to 7,000 people using the river on the busiest weekends. Those working along the Saco have also noticed alarming trends in the amount and types of garbage left strewn on the river’s banks—most notably large quantities of brand new camping equipment.

“I found a perfectly new tent that someone had left,” says Dan Smith, one of The Nature Conservancy’s Saco River interns. “There was nothing wrong with it, but I guess the people were too lazy to pack out what they packed in. They didn’t just leave the tent, but also a pillow, a floating rubber raft and all of their garbage.”

In contrast to such discouraging discoveries, the season has also brought positive developments: in June the Maine Legislature passed a resolution in support of establishing a recreational management plan for the Upper Saco River Corridor. This year The Nature Conservancy and the Saco River Recreation Council had unprecedented numbers of staff and volunteers on the ground monitoring the use of the river and educating visitors about the Leave No Trace ethic. Michelle Broyer, who organized the first annual Saco River Cleanup last year, was hired this year by the Saco River Recreation Council to do education and outreach work at several landings along the river.

“More and more people are getting involved in finding ways to make recreational use of the river more compatible with protection of its habitats and maintenance of the quality of life of the communities here,” says Stefan Jackson, The Nature Conservancy’s Saco River Program Director. “We think that’s a very hopeful sign.”

To find out how you can help, please visit the Saco and Swift River Cleanup website or contact the canoe outfitter assigned to your area of interest:

Saturday, September 8th
Lovewell's Pond to Brownfield Bridge in Brownfield (3.9 mi.): Woodland Acres, Brownfield, ME - 207-935-2529 River Run, Brownfield, ME - 207-452-2500

Sunday, September 9th
Swift River: Swift volunteers meet at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday at Lower Falls on the Kanc. There is no need to sign up in advance.
Humphrey's Ledge to Davis Park in Conway (8.6 mi.): Northern Extremes, North Conway, NH - 603-356-4718 Saco Canoe Rental, Conway, NH - 603-447-2737
Redstone to Weston's Beach in Fryeburg (6.7 mi.): Saco Valley Canoe, Conway, NH - 603-447-2444
Swan's Falls to Canal Bridge in Fryeburg (3.8 mi.): Saco River Canoe and Kayak, Fryeburg, ME - 207-935-3488.
Canal Bridge to Walker's Bridge in Fryeburg (7.0 mi.): Saco Bound, Center Conway, NH - 603-447-2177. Leaving from the Saco Bound landing on Corn Shop Road.
Walker's Bridge to Lovewell's Pond in Fryeburg (4.7 mi.): Woodland Acres, Brownfield, ME - 207-935-2529

Saco River volunteers will meet at 8 a.m. on Saturday at Woodland Acres and at 8 a.m. on Sunday at Saco Bound. 

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.