- checking in with the canoe livery to make sure we're set for the summer;
- moving files from the old computer to the new one;
- reworking stewardship fliers with new maps and information;
- updating the new computer's software (CCleaner! Open Office! Gimp!);
- monitoring water quality for the Corridor Commission;
- facilitating Leave No Trace education with groups of 5th-graders at Swan's Falls;
- taking office recycling to the recycling center;
- preparing resources and partners for a stewarship PSA video (EXCITING);
- not playing hooky to see the new Star Trek movie.
The Swan's Falls activities were pretty interesting. Poland Spring, which has bottling operations in Fryeburg (politically loaded topic; I won't go into it), offered to sponsor a trout release and day of educational activities at Swan's Falls, an AMC campground and Saco canoe launch now operated by the Rec Council. Michelle Broyer, who's been organizing the annual river cleanup since its inception, as well as championing anti-milfoil activities at Lovewell Pond, is now working for SRRC as the caretaker and coordinator at Swan's, and she has visions of creating a permanent education center there. She was naturally pretty excited about the funding opportunity, and so she worked with Poland Spring to put together the day's activities, including the trout release, water monitoring, macroinvertebrate identification, and a talk about Leave No Trace and taking care of the river. There was a barbecue as well, which kind of gave me pause - they're trying to combat childhood obesity and get kids outside and actively involved in their environment, but lunch is burgers, hot dogs, M&M cookies, and potato chips? There wasn't a vegetable in sight, unless you count ketchup and/or chips, which I do not. Anyway.
The actual events were very successful, and each student got to take home a white pine seedling, provided they promised to actually plant it. The leftover plants will become a new riparian buffer down at the canoe landing.
Several press representatives were supposed to be present, and I believe a journalist from the Bridgton newspaper did show up, but I haven't seen any published articles yet, so perhaps they didn't make it into the paper. In response to a separate press release on this year's renewed efforts to steward the Saco, a reporter from the Boston Globe came up the next day, and was planning on paddling out to look at the river itself, but plans changed. I was prepared to talk about stewardship on the river while serving as a guide, which would have been excellent, but the reporter did a few interviews instead of a full tour and photo op. It was good to get into the river for monitoring this past Tuesday, although the 45-degree water was pretty painful on my submerged hands. It appears that I will be paddling out for a preliminary trip down the river sometime next week, along with Michelle, so that should make up for the missed opportunity to get in some kayaking with the Globe journalist.
(Star Trek was really good, by the way. I finally saw it last night.)
