Midcoast Conservancy welcomes Aidan Manahan to its seasonal staff as the 2019 Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew leader.

A civil engineering student at the University of Maine, Orono, Manahan brings a wealth of outdoor experience to the position. In addition to competing nationally as a ski racer for Carabassett Valley Academy, he crewed for many years on the Camden-based schooner Mary Day and whitewater paddles on the Sheepscot River.

“As the Youth Conservation Corps Leader, I will be able to bring the teamwork and leadership I have learned on the schooner to the job — skills I think are very applicable,” Manahan said. He grew up in Newcastle and spends summers at a family home on Damariscotta Lake. He said, “Working as part of the Midcoast Conservancy is the perfect opportunity to protect the place I call home and give back to my community.”

This summer, the YCC at Midcoast Conservancy will be hard at work addressing one of the major threats to lake and river water quality: run-off after rainfall, which brings soil phosphates and pollutants into waterways. Too much phosphorus affects water quality and increases the risk of algal blooms. By preventing erosion along shorelines, the negative effects of that runoff can be substantially reduced.

Projects will include the installation of rubber razors and water bars that redirect runoff flow, and infiltration stairs—gravel-filled steps which slow and absorb water before it reaches the shore—and the addition of erosion-resistant plants. Using Best Management Practices, the crew works with homeowners to make their properties as environmentally sound as possible. As an added bonus, the crew members will learn real-world skills in landscaping and engineering, as well as hands-on problem solving.

Participating homeowners request evaluations of their property, review the recommendations from the crew leader, then pay only for materials; labor is provided at no cost to the property owner by the YCC crew. Homeowners interested in receiving a no-obligation assessment of their property can arrange for an evaluation visit by contacting Manahan at crewleader@midcoastconservancy.org or by calling 389-6492.