Coastal Rivers’ Estuary Water Quality Monitoring Program offers volunteers the chance to get out on the water and be part of an ongoing community science project to inform the broader community about the health of the Damariscotta River.  

A volunteer training session for this program is scheduled for Thursday, May 9 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center in Walpole, in collaboration with Kathleen Thornton and Dr. Larry Mayer. Participants will learn about water monitoring protocols and logistics, and do some hands-on practice.  

Twice a month during high tide, from mid-May through the middle of October, volunteers take water samples from seven locations between the University of Maine Darling Center in Walpole and the town landing in Damariscotta. Most of the sampling is done from Coastal Rivers’ boat. 

Each monitoring trip takes approximately three hours, and scheduling is based on tide and weather conditions. In addition to a boat operator, two additional volunteers collect the samples and take measurements, recording results on a data collection form. Volunteers may sign up for monitoring dates based on their own schedules. 

Registration for the Estuary Water Quality Monitoring is required and can be done online at coastalrivers.org/events. 

Coastal Rivers is a non-profit, member-supported, nationally accredited land trust caring for the lands and waters of the Damariscotta-Pemaquid Region by conserving special places, protecting water quality, creating trails and public access, and deepening connections to nature through education programs. For more information, email info@coastalrivers.org or visit coastalrivers.org.