penobscot river restoration trust

2 | BANGOR DAILY NEWS | Monday | June 11, 2012

THE PLANThe Penobscot River Restoration Project was

designed to restore valuable sea-run fisherieswhile resolving long-standing conflicts overriver use and provide certainties about futurehydropower generation at certain dams. Fullcompletion of this project, and the return ofself-sustaining runs of American shad, Atlanticsalmon, river herring, sturgeon, and othermigratory fish will support a thriving ecologi-cal system. It will also revitalize cultural, recre-ation and economic opportunities that willbenefit residents of Maine as well as the thou-sands of visitors to the states.

The non-profit Penobscot River RestorationTrust was formed to implement core aspects ofthe Project Agreement, including the purchaseof three dams. The two lowermost dams, Veazieand Great Works, will be removed. The How-land Dam will be decommissioned and a fishbypass will be constructed around it. Black BearHydro, LLC bought six other dams from PPLCorp. in 2008. Hydropower productionincreases at these dams maintains, and mayeven increase, hydro-generation on the riverand provides stability for the dam owner.

THE GOALS

• RESTORE self-sustaining populations ofnative sea-run fish and the overall ecosystemby improving access to nearly 1,000 miles ofhistoric river habitat.• RENEW opportunities for the PenobscotIndian Nation to exercise sustenance fishingrights.• EXPAND economic, recreational and com-munity opportunities.• RE-ESTABLISH a free flowing river from

Old Town to the Gulf of Maine for the firsttime in hundreds of years.

CURRENT PROJECT STATUS

Since the Lower Penobscot River Agreementwas filed in 2004, the Penobscot Trust hasworked with its Project Partners secure the nec-essary funding, permits, and support needed toimplement the Agreement.

The Penobscot Trust purchased the Veazie,Great Works, and Howland dams in 2010, set-ting the stage to:

• Remove the two dams closest to the sea

(Veazie and Great Works)• Decommission and construct a bypassaround the Howland Dam

Concurrently, Black Bear Hydro purchasedsix dams from PPL Corp. in 2008, assumingtheir energy opportunities and restorationcommitments including:• Improve fish passage at four additionaldams including a fish lift at the Milford Dam• Continue to maintain or increasehydropower currently generated in Maine atBlack Bear Hydro facilities

About the Penobscot River Restoration Trust’s Project

Supplement credits:This advertising supplement

was produced for the

Penobscot RiverRestoration Trust

by the following Bangor Daily News staff:

Cover Design: John Koladish;Advertising: Jeff Orcutt;

Editorial: Debra Bell; PenobscotRiver Restoration Trust

Illustration (pages 6-7): Eric ZelzPhotography: BDN File Photos;

Penobscot River RestorationTrust; other photos as credited

Layout: Debra Bell.

For more information on the Penobscot River

Restoration Project:www.penobscotriver.org

Penobscot River Restoration TrustP.O. Box 5695, Augusta, ME 04332

(207) 430-0175

Today is a great day for the people, fish,wildlife and communities of thePenobscot River. The removal of the GreatWorks Dam, combined with other aspectsof the Penobscot River RestorationProject, mean the largest river in Mainewill get a new lease on life while it continues to maintain its hydro-power production. The Penobscot River hasworked hard for Maine people for hundreds of years. Now it’s time for us totake care of the river. NRCM has workedfor decades to restore the Penobscot, andis proud to be a founding member of thePenobscot River Restoration Project, andto take part in its creative, cooperativeconservation efforts.

Lisa Pohlmann, director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine

This river and its diverse life connect theNorthern Forest to the Gulf of Maine.Whetherour passion is salmon fishing, preservingPenobscot Indian culture, paddling new rapids,bird watching, or economic development,restoration of the Penobscot River enhancesall of our region’s most unique strengths. Asa resident of Bangor, I am thrilled to be a partof this landmark project.

Rick Warren, Atlantic Salmon FederationU.S. board chair and Penobscot

campaign vice-chair

Voices for thePenobscot River

I was raised to appreciate nature andeverything in it; to realize that there’s a balance between taking care of ourselves and the places we live.

Ana Rapp, Penobscot Nation memberand Maine Nature Conservancy intern

PHOTO COURTESY DAVID BATES/TNC

BDN FILE PHOTOThe Maine chapter of the Nature Conservancy particpated in the Penobscot River Restoration project. University of

Maine graduate student Stephen Fernandes (pictured holding fish) conducting study on the “abundance, distribution and movements of Atlantic Short-nose Sturgeon in Maine’s Penobscot River.”

For the Penobscot, help camewhen uncommon allies reached anhistoric agreement to help restorethe river’s free-flowing waters andmagnificent sea-run fisherieswhile also maintaining hydropow-er. In 2003, tribal, hydropower,state, federal, private and non-profit organizations set asidedecades of rancorous debate,announcing a new, collaborativevision to achieve both sea-runfisheries restoration and energygeneration on the Penobscot River.

Support has steadily grown, andthe shared commitment to thePenobscot River Restoration Pro-ject remains strong as the nextchapter in this river’s story begins.

On June 11, the Great WorksDam removal will commence,beginning a new era for the Penob-scot River and its people, fish, andwildlife. We will commemorate therole that both the dam and once-abundant fisheries played in ourpast. We will honor that who haveshared their ideas, questions and

hopes to make the project possible,and generously supported thePenobscot’s restoration throughfunding, expertise, and plain hardwork.We will celebrate how, by mar-ginalizing our differences and focus-ing on a healthy, revitalized Penob-

scot River for all, diverse partnersworked together to achieve greatthings for Maine and the nation.

Above all, we look forward towatching a new future unfold for thePenobscot River. Free-flowing, cas-cading, vibrant: this stretch of river,buried for generations, will soon bereleased through the current GreatWorks dam site on its way to the sea.Soon, Black Bear Hydro Partnerswill build a new fish lift at Milfordand also advance energy projects onthe Stillwater. Next year, work willalso begin to remove the only barri-er that will remain on the lower river— Veazie Dam. Plans for the How-land fish bypass will continue along-side community revitalizationefforts. All told, access will be signif-icantly improved to nearly 1,000miles of habitat for sea-run fish.

A revitalized Penobscot Riverholds great potential for our state,region and nation. A restoredPenobscot can diversify andimprove new and existing businessopportunities, support rich culturesand traditions, enhance spiritualand recreational experiences, andprovide healthy ecological functionsneeded to support water quality,commerce and abundant life.Beginning with a free-flowing riverat Great Works, we have no doubtthat the committed and talentedpeople of the region will ensure thatthe fullest potential of the magnifi-cent Penobscot River is realized.

With gratitude,Laura Rose DayExecutive Director,Penobscot River Restoration Trust

Welcoming a new era onthe Penobscot River

By Debra BellCUSTOM PUBLICATIONS WRITER

BANGOR DAILY NEWS

When the Great Works Dam isremoved in Old Town and Bradleyas part of the historic PenobscotRiver Restoration Project, it’s notjust the fish that will enjoy theexpanded habitat. Recreationistsand wildlife will enjoy it as well.

“[The Penobscot River] has beenused and abused, but a lot of peoplecare to see it get cleaned up,” saidBrad Ryder, the owner of EpicSports on Central Street in Bangor.In fact, the Penobscot RiverRestoration Project will enablerecreationalists to enjoy the rivereven more.

Karen Francoeur, owner of Cas-tine Kayaks in Castine, echoes thatobservation.“It’s pretty exciting thatwe’ll be able to paddle all the wayfrom Orono to Castine,” she said.

From quiet waters to wildrapids, the restored Penobscot willopen up opportunities for pad-dlers of all skill levels..

That freedom of access will be aboon to paddlers, fishermen, flyfishers, and anyone interested inenjoying one of Maine’s mostdiverse rivers.

According to Kelly Cotiaux, aBangor resident and fisherwoman,the project isn’t just about openingthe river to sportsmen. It’s about

opening the river to enhancing stockfish and reinvesting in local habitat.

“The Penobscot RestorationProject is not only about protect-

ing Atlantic Salmon,” Cotiaux said.“Many people think these dams

A river, it is said, will always find its course. Sometimes, though,even a mighty river like the Penobscot could use a little help.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS | Monday | June 11, 2012 | 3

Removal of the Great Works Dam offers new opportunities for manyRecreationists, wildlife enthusiasts, economy, and residents will benefit

www.asf.ca

PHOTO COURTESY FELT SOUL MEDIA

BDN FILE PHOTOWhether people enjoy the Penobscot River Restoration Project from land with

their family and pets, or on the water, the project will restore opportunities for theworking river. Kayakers and canoeists will have more open water with varying

degrees of difficulty to traverse, wildlife will flourish in an expanded ecosystem,and the river will continue to generate power for Black Bear Hydro.

See RECREATION, Page 11

“The whole thing is a win-win. A free-flowing riveroffers nothing but good things.”

CAPTAIN PETE DOUVARJO, EGGEMOGGIN GUIDE SERVICE


By the Penobscot River Restoration Trust

Rivers are the lifeblood of Maine and nonemore so than the Penobscot. The PenobscotRiver system is Maine’s largest, draining morethan a fourth of the state — 8,570 square milesof Maine’s wildest country, as well as cities andtowns that have grown up within its bounds.

Once flowing freely from Katahdin to the sea,the river provided a migratory route for both peo-ple and fish. When adult Atlantic salmon, riverherring, American shad and other sea-run fish ranupstream, native people of the Penobscot regiongathered in villages alongside the river to draw sus-tenance from the abundant fisheries. Throughoutthe year, the river and tributaries were used as trav-el routes to other villages and to the sea, for gath-ering of plants, hunting, and trade.

European colonists also benefited from theriver’s bounty as these communities grew bytaking advantage of Maine’s natural resources.Industrialization of the Penobscot River, andmany other rivers in the Northeast, changed theeconomy and society of communities here.

Early sawmills were the first to dam streamsand rivers throughout the watershed. Then, thelogging of vast forests in the North Woods ledto log drives that stretched from bank to bankfor miles. Increasingly, pollution was dumpeddirectly into the river from paper and pulpmills and riverside communities. In the early1900s, many of these dams were converted togenerate hydropower and populations of sea-run fish plummeted.

While industrial activities drove economies,this progress came with a price. The river wentfrom being a source of abundant fish, wildlife,and great beauty, to primarily become aresource of power and transportation and aplace to deposit municipal and industrial waste.Human communities were diminished, too–the Penobscot people, already devastated bywars that left surviving tribal members as asmall fraction of their original population, hadlost major sources of food and water due todecimated fisheries and water pollution. River-side towns turned away from the river, furtherevidence of the cost of pollution.

The decline in all species of sea-run fish wasdramatic, and did not go unnoticed; yet peti-tions and letters to state governing agencieswent unheeded, for a time. In the mid-1900’s,society’s attitudes toward the river and naturebegan to change, and voices concerned aboutthe loss of Maine’s native fish and wildliferesources began to be heard.

The Clean Water Act of 1972 addressed issuesof pollution, and state and federal laws tightenedregulations on fishing. In the 1980s and mid-90s,attempts to rebuild a dam in Bangor and to builda new dam just below the confluence of the Still-water Branch and the Penobscot River at Basin

Mills in Orono, led to fierce opposition. It wasthen that Friends of the Penobscot Riveremerged. The group worked alongside manyothers to defeat efforts to continue using theriver as primarily an industrial resource.

Salmon club members, the Penobscot IndianNation, state and federal fisheries agencies,national and regional conservation groups, andother local citizens began to focus on fish pas-sage and obstructions caused by dams as adefining issue of conservation on the river. The1999 purchase of eight dams by PPL Corpora-tion, based in Pennsylvania, marked a turningpoint in the river’s history.

After decades of dam licensing with resultsthat best served neither hydropower nor fish-eries, representatives of the hydropower indus-try, the Penobscot Indian Nation, six conserva-tion groups, and state and federal fisheries

agencies united. Their goal was to find a newapproach to re-balancing hydropower, fisheries,culture, recreation and more provided by thePenobscot River. Hydropower, still a valuedindustrial use of the river, could be managed insuch a way that would also help restore andimprove the river’s other natural functions andassets. After three years of reviewing a history ofpublic input, finding common ground, anddeveloping a detailed implementation plan, alarge-scale concept to restore sea-run fisherieswhile also maintaining hydropower emergedthat would provide lessons for the world.

“It was a new way of doing business, comingtogether with the Penobscot Indian Nation andgroups interested in improving fisheries so thatwe could find long-term solutions to managingriver resources,” said Scott Hall, vice president,

A new chapter for the Penobscot RiverCollaboration frees river, bringing new opportunities to communities

See PROJECT, Page 5

It’s truly inspiring to see the Penobscotcoming back to life, and not just becauseof what it means for wildlife and people.This internationally recognized projectrepresents the future of science-drivenconservation, forging an enduring partnershipamong local communities, businesses andgovernment at all levels. By reconnecting athousand miles of river, we will take a criticalstep forward in wild Atlantic salmon recovery,while providing enduring benefits tomany other wildlife species and millionsof people who depend on the Penobscotfor clean water and jobs.

Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Once Maine reopens its largest river and reestablishes its sea-run stocks,sportsmen throughout the country willflock to the area. Sustainable runs ofAtlantic salmon, shad and stripers in thePenobscot would spin off benefits toevery town bordering the river ... But thekey to this opportunity lies in the fact thatriver towns and cities would not be the only ones to benefit from a revitalized river. Reopening the PenobscotRiver will restore three different types offisheries, each with accompanying economic benefits. The first, of course, isrestoring the river fisheries; the other twoare in the marine world, and would helprevitalize the state’s fabled coastal fisheries.

Ted Ames, Penobscot East Resource Centerand Stonington Fishermen’s Alliance

PHOTO COURTESY USFWS


PHOTO OF GREAT WORKS DAM BY ED HUGHES


There are going to be enormousbenefits both upstream in fresh water anddownstream out in the bay. With thechanges coming in and around thePenobscot watershed, my charter businessstands to directly benefit. More fish tocatch equals more anglers on my boat,not to mention the associated itemsanglers will need to buy when they arehere on a fishing trip. Things like lodging,bait, tackle, food, and gas can only helplocal businesses.

Captain Pete Douvarjo,Eggemoggin Guide Service and

Maine Charter Boats Association

Environmental and Business Services, for BlackBear Hydro Partners, LLC, formerly of PPL,Corp. “This collaboration gave our companythe opportunity to develop new hydropower inthe Penobscot watershed as part of the Penob-scot Project’s balance between energy produc-tion and fisheries. We appreciate the efforts ofall the partners to work together to realize bothenergy and fisheries benefits for Maine.”

In 2004, the Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission approved the Lower PenobscotRiver Multi-Party Settlement Agreement, andstate, federal, tribal and non-profit signatoriescommitted to a detailed plan to work togetherto rebuild the Penobscot’s once abundant fish-eries, while continuing hydropower production(see bullet points and logos on page 10).

“The negotiations laid out a frameworkdesigned to restore self-sustaining runs of all11 species of sea-run fish in the Penobscot,”said Andrew Goode of the Atlantic SalmonFederation. “To restore Atlantic salmon weneed to give salmon access to their historicriver habitat and recognize the importance ofthe river herrings and other fish that salmondepend on. The Penobscot Project does thatand thus gives this river a real chance to thrive,with bountiful fish populations for the firsttime in almost 200 years.”

The project benefits communities up anddown the river. But realizing these benefitstakes time. The Penobscot Trust and Projectpartners have been working together since 2004to navigate a complex permitting process, gath-er important data on the current river condi-tions and document what we know about thepast, and share information and gather inputfrom people throughout the watershed.

After buying the three dams in December2010, and with federal and state permits inhand, the Penobscot Trust and its partnersintensified preparations for the removal of thetwo dams closest to the sea and the construc-tion of a bypass around the third dam.

First, the Penobscot Trust will remove theGreat Works Dam in Old Town and Bradley, anobstruction to fish passage for nearly two cen-turies. The Veazie Dam will remain in place forAtlantic salmon management, but removal isexpected to begin in 2013. On June 11, 2012 con-tractors begin to dismantle the dam at GreatWorks, a major leap forward to revitalize theriver. R. F. Jordan & Sons of Ellsworth was select-ed as the contractor for dam removal, bringinggenerations of experience in construction andan innovative approach to removing the dam,which should be completed by November 2012.

“We are pleased to join the Great Works DamRemoval team,” said Patrick C. Jordan, the

owner of R. F. Jordan & Sons Construction, Inc.“It’s an exciting job for us, and we are lookingforward to working on a project with such awide range of support that benefits our regionin many different ways.”

Black Bear Hydro is working in consultationwith fisheries agencies to design and constructa new fish lift for Milford Dam, which will bethe first dam on the river when the Penobscotproject is complete. When the lower two damsare gone, Milford will be the only dam on themainstem Penobscot between the ocean andabout 65 miles inland at Howland. Black Bear isalso completing energy enhancements at otherdams, supported by the Penobscot Project part-ners. When all is said and done, energy produc-tion will remain at least the same, and mayincrease, while Atlantic salmon and other sea-run fish gain improved access to 1,000 miles ofancestral river habitat.

The return of river herring, Atlantic salmon,American shad and other migratory fish isexpected to have cascading benefits for otherfish and wildlife. Once again commerciallyimportant fish such as cod and other ground-fish will be drawn to historic feeding groundsin Penobscot Bay, providing a welcome boost tocoastal fishing communities. Abundant runs ofnative migratory fish will provide dependablefood for fish-eating birds and mammals such askingfishers, river otters, osprey, and bald eagles.

The river has supported the livelihood andtradition of riverside communities and their res-idents for generations. With realization of thePenobscot River Restoration Project, the inlandwoods and waterways of the Penobscot water-shed will be reconnected to the sea. Past tradi-tions may resume; new traditions will be created.

“The Penobscot River watershed has allowedthe tribe to prosper for ten thousand years, pro-viding all the means necessary to sustain itselfover that period,” said John Banks, Director ofNatural Resources for the Penobscot IndianNation. “This project restores the opportunityfor the Penobscot Nation to, once again, prac-tice an important traditional aspect of our cul-ture that has been dormant since the industrialrevolution. The diverse collaboration of inter-ests that has come together to accomplish thisamazing project gives me a tremendousamount of hope for the future of our planet.”

People will once again experience the vision ofmillions of sea-run fish returning to the river andits many tributaries to spawn, and observe whatit means to see life restored along this greatwaterway as eagles, otters, and other wildlife ben-efit from rebounding fisheries. A restored riverwill offer new and more diverse economic, cul-tural and recreational opportunities to Penobscotcommunities, complementing efforts to developand improve trails and public access that encour-age people to get out and enjoy the river.

“The Great Works Dam played a significantrole in the Penobscot region’s history, and itsremoval to help restore the river will play anequally crucial role in fueling the fisheries,wildlife, and communities of our future,” saidLaura Rose Day, executive director of thePenobscot River Restoration Trust.

ProjectContinued from Page 4


PHOTO COURTESY KRISTA SCHLYER

This is one of the biggest and mostsignificant river restoration projects ourcountry has ever seen. The Penobscotis proof that environmental health andeconomic benefits go hand in hand. Wedon’t have to choose between healthyrivers and energy production. AmericanRivers is proud to have played a lead rolein the Penobscot River restoration effort,and we hope this success inspires othersto dream big about what is possible fortheir rivers and communities.

Bob Irvin, president of American Rivers

Today is a day that will be remembered asa most significant event in reuniting ourlong-lost fisheries resources with theirhistoric homeland. Bringing back theselost relatives continues the restoration ofancient natural cycles of creation in a riverwe have been connected to for thousands ofyears, and makes us who we are as a people.

Chief Kirk Francis, Penobscot Indian Nation

PHOTO COURTESY PENOBSCOT RIVER RESTORATION TRUSTThe Great Works Dam has blocked fish passage for nearly two centuries on the Penobscot River. Even with an existing fish ladder, passage for Atlantic salmon is very poor at

this site, and salmon caught at the Veazie fish trap often need to be trucked around the dam to upstream spawning habitat. During its nearly 200-year history, the Great WorksDam helped power sawmills and paper mills, and provided power to the various hydropower companies that owned it. The original Great Works Dam was constructed in the

1830s as a “wing dam” built parallel to the shore for sawmills. It was partially demolished in approximately 1887 when the current Great Works Dam was constructed acrossthe river by the Penobscot Chemical Fibre Company, the first pulp mill on the river. Diamond International Corporation acquired the mill and dam in 1968. The dam and power-house facilities were sold several times over the next few decades, and purchased by PPL Corp. in 2000. The dam was sold to the Penobscot Trust in 2010 as part of the land-mark river restoration agreement.Today, June 11, 2012, dismantling of the dam begins, marking a new era for the Penobscot River as we move one step closer to completingthe Penobscot River Restoration Project and restoring access to nearly 1000 miles of habitat for salmon, American shad, river herring, and other sea-run fish, and revitalizing

cultural and economic traditions in the watershed.

“The Great Works Dam played a significantrole in the Penobscot region’s history, andits removal to help restore the river will

play an equally crucial role in fuelingthe fisheries, wildlife, and communities

of our future.”

LAURA ROSE DAY,EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR


By Butch PhillipsTRIBAL ELDER

PENOBSCOT INDIAN NATION

As a Penobscot Indian, I have adeep personal feeling for this river.During my many hunting and fish-ing or canoe trips on the river, I wasalways aware that I was traveling onthe same water and hunting andgathering in the same places that myancestors have for thousands ofyears. I often visualize the birch barkcanoes slowly making their wayupriver to some ancient destination.I am reminded that the bones of myancestors are buried here and theirspirits are still here all around us. Itcreates a very special feeling, a feel-ing of spiritual connectedness withmy ancestors and the river. The Peo-ple of the Penobscot have alwaysbelieved that this river was ourlifeblood. In honor of our Ances-tors, and for the protection of thefuture generations, we must contin-ue the efforts to restore the sacred-ness to the river.

Back then, the river was freeflowing according to the incline ofthe land, forming rapids, gravelbars, and islands on its way to theocean. Its flow was altered only bythe rains and the occasionalbeaver dam on the tributaries. Itwas clear and pure, clouded onlyby the spring freshet and the occa-sional autumn rain. Fish ascendedthe river from the ocean in great

numbers and were an importantpart of The People’s diet. The Peo-ple lived according to the seasons,and moved several times using theriver as their highway to the fami-ly hunting and fishing grounds.The river was treated as a sacred,living being, to be respected,because it was the life blood ofThe People.

They offered prayers and medi-cines to appease the spirits for their

protection, guidance and sustenance.The Penobscot Nation is very

grateful for the cooperation of ourdedicated partners and others whomade this project possible. We areall dedicated to continue theseefforts in order to have a safer andhealthier river for the future gener-ations of all Maine people. ThePenobscot Nation is committed tocontinue our efforts until the fish,wildlife and plants are safe to eat,

and the sacredness is restored tothe river. Only then, will our cul-ture be whole again. Only then,will harmony be restored withinthe Sacred Circle of Life.

The full essay is available online atwww.penobscotriver.org. You canalso view a video of Butch Phillipsspeaking about the PenobscotRiver Restoration Project on theVoices of the Watershed page.

NOAA has long hoped to see the PenobscotRiver’s Atlantic salmon, herring, sturgeonand shad swim freely to their spawninggrounds upstream. This will help spur thegrowth of these fish populations that arevital to the health of the larger Gulf of Maineecosystem as well as the commercial andrecreational fishing it supports.

Eric Schwaab, acting assistant secretary for Conservation and

Management of NOAA

Tens of thousands of fish will be able to trav-el upstream, following in a river that hasn’trun free for more than a century, and pad-dlers and fishermen will be able to return toone of New England’s great rivers; allbecause Mainers came together to tackle thechallenge of meeting the needs of both theriver and the people who live along its banks.

Mike Tetreault, executive director ofThe Nature Conservancy in Maine

After the dams are removed I envision comingdown with my family and celebrating thereturn of the river, the return of the fish, andthe recreational potential. In a short period of time, this river is going to change tremendously and we'll be here to see it. Inabout five years, we'll see phenomenalchanges and it will continue to change over thenext 20-40 years.The Penobscot is the core, ifyou will, of the state … to have this river in themost natural state that we can have it is one ofthe most wonderful things we could leave as alegacy for the people of the state of Maine.

Bucky Owen, prof. emeritus, Dept. ofWildlife Ecology, UMaine and past

commissioner, Maine Dept. of InlandFisheries and Wildlife

“A River Runs Through Us”

PHOTO COURTESY NOAA

PHOTO COURTESY SEAN FITZPATRICK/TNC

PHOTO BY BRIDGIT BESAW

Butch, Scott and Sage Phillips paddling in a birch bark canoe.


PHOTO BY BRIDGIT BESAW


On the opening morning offishing season, an icy April 1, 1912,Karl Anderson caught a 12-poundsalmon and took it to a Bangormarket where the fish was packedin a crate with straw and ice. Fromthere he took it to Union Stationand placed in the express car of themidday train headed to PresidentWilliam Howard Taft in Washing-ton, D.C. to “show [Bangor’s]honor and respect for the presi-dent.”

Thus began a yearly tradition ofsending to the president the firstsalmon caught each year. This tra-dition strengthened Bangor’s rep-utation as the premier destinationfor Atlantic salmon angling in theUnited States.

The Presidential Salmon tradi-tion continued uninterrupteduntil 1954 when the cumulativeimpacts of dams, habitat degrada-tion, pollution, and over-fishingreally began to take their toll onthe Penobscot’s famed salmon run.A rejuvenation in the salmon pop-ulation began again in the late1970s and the Presidential SalmonTradition came back for a shortperiod of time. Unfortunately, thismodern heyday for salmonangling in the Penobscot, withruns of 3-5 thousand salmon, onlylasted until the early 1990s whenthe salmon population declined tohistoric low numbers. In 1992,President George H. W. Bush wasthe last president to receive a Pres-idential Salmon, and, by late 1999,the State of Maine closed thePenobscot to all forms of salmonangling in an effort to protect thelast of these magnificent fish.

Ordained as “the King of fresh-

water fish” by Izaak Walton andnicknamed “The Leaper” by manyan angler, the sleek, silvery Atlanticsalmon has amazed and awed peo-ple for millennia, both for its won-drous life history and its purebeauty and grandeur.

Historically, the Penobscot Riverheld one of the nation’s largestpopulations of Atlantic salmon,with annual salmon runs estimat-ed at upwards of 100,000 adultsprior to the construction of thefirst dams on the river in the1830’s. The annual salmon runssupported a lucrative commercialfishery in the river until its closingin the late 1940’s. The recreationalfishery for Atlantic salmon thatemerged in the latter decades ofthe 19th century persisted for wellover a century.

For decades, the angling com-munity has fought to clean up thePenobscot and restore its nativefisheries. They helped defeat therebuilding of the Bangor Dam inthe early eighties and then led thefight to defeat the proposed BasinMills Dam in the nineties. Todaythere is great hope among thePenobscot, Eddington, and VeazieSalmon Clubs and anglers acrossthe nation that the PenobscotRiver Restoration Project willallow salmon numbers torebound and there will once againbe a catch-and-release salmonfishery.

The Atlantic Salmon Federa-tion, founded by anglers such asLee Wulff 70 years ago, calls thePenobscot Project the last, bestchance we have to restore a major,self-sustaining run of wild Atlanticsalmon in the United States.

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The removal of the Great Works dammarks the beginning of an unprecedentedrecovery for wild Atlantic salmon byimproving access to 1,000 miles in thePenobscot River. Years of collaborationbetween the state and federal government,organizations and volunteers havebrought us to this historic moment whichwill yield progress for fish, wildlife and theMaine economy.

Chris Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited

The region’s fish and wildlife, diverseboating opportunities and scenic beautyare not only worth pre-serving in and ofthemselves, but are clearly an asset toeconomic development here and throughoutMaine. What’s so exciting about thePenobscot River Restoration Project isthat we have found a way to have both:we can revitalize economic and culturaltraditions in communities along the riverthrough restoration of the fisheries withinthe Penobscot River watershed, whileretaining the economic benefits ofhydropower generation on the river.

Sandra Blake Leonard, Penobscot RiverRestoration Trust board member and

Bangor resident

PHOTO COURTESY BANGOR MUSEUMSalmon fishermen on the Penobscot River

Wild Penobscot River salmon: A Maine legacy and traditionVoices of thePenobscot River

Maine Audubon congratulates the PenobscotRiver Restoration Trust on this momentousachievement. We are thrilled to be part of a project with such far reaching benefitsfor Maine’s wildlife and we applaud thedevelopment of this significant new modelfor river and habitat restoration.

Ted Koffman, executive director forMaine Audubon


Great things happen when we all work together.We collaborated and found common ground. As a coalition, we are now doing something that no single organization could accomplish alone. The Nature Conservancy would like to congratulate all of our partners in the Penobscot River Restoration Trust on the commencement of the removal of Great Works Dam.

nature.org/maine

Primary funding for the Great Works Dam removal and relatedactivities was made possible by the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration Restoration Center through theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Additionalsupport was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceNational Fish Passage Program among other funders. As thePenobscot River Restoration Project moves forward, we arereceiving broad and generous support from public, private,and individual contributors. For this we are deeply grateful.

This project will create local jobs over the next three yearswhile maintaining important hydropower generation on thePenobscot for decades while taking the steps needed torestore our native sea-run fisheries. A future of continuedeconomic use along with healthy fisheries in rivers such asthe Penobscot are both high priorities for the State of Maine.

Pat Keliher, commissioner, Department of Marine Resources


are being removed only for thatreason. It is about reintroducingthe River to anyone that lives andplays around it as well as attractingothers to love it.”

That attraction comes fromsportsmen as well as from peoplewho enjoy watching wildlife.According to Captain Pete Dou-varjo, a charter boat captain inSedgewick and Registered MaineGuide, the project has the capacityto boost populations of fishspecies currently threatened byoverfishing.

Douvarjo says he’s a big sup-porter of the project and hashelped by guiding science teamsalong the Penobscot.

“This whole thing is a win-win,”Douvarjo said. “A free-flowingriver offers nothing but goodthings. Within four to five years,nearly 1,000 miles of river will beopened to spawning habitat.

Before the dams, the river wasteeming with life. What we mustdo is restore the rivers to what they

were. Plus, there will be no net lossof electricity generated by theremoval of the dams.”

From an economic standpoint,the retention of hydro power afterthe dams are removed is a boon.

“I’ve always thought of thePenobscot as a working river andit always has been since the daysof native tribes, transportationindustries like shipping and log-ging, fisheries, and then makingpower,” said RepresentativeRobert S. Duchesne (D) who rep-resents District 13. “Then weclosed it off . This working riverneeds to get back to doing what itneeds to do.”

Duchesne is an avid birder andleads birdwatching expeditionsaround the Penobscot River. He isconfident that the removal of thedams will bolster a wildlife resur-gence.

“The project will restore feederfish, open up a lot of recreationalopportunities and residentialdevelopment,” Duchesne said.“The rest of the wildlife will comeback. That means there will bemore opportunities to do morenature-based recreation.”


Our complex project management experience is a key to returning sea-run fish to historic habitat in the Penobscot River. The Penobscot River Restoration Project is one of the largest in our country’s history. We collaborated with the Penobscot Indian Nation, dam owners, seven conservationgroups and federal, state and tribal agencies to remove two dams, bypass a third, and regenerate the environment while maintaining energy production. We’re doing it for our home state of Maine. We’re doing it because it is the right thing to do. We’re also doing it to make some fish very happy.

Learn more about the Penobscot River Restoration Trust at verrilldana.com/penobscot.

I’d like to thank my attorneys.

RecreationContinued from Page 3

I am thrilled to see the Great Works Damremoved as the first big step in opening upthe river. We need to do everything possibleto promote business and economicopportunities when they arise. Thepaddling, fishing, and other recreationalopportunities that will come from a freer-flowing river will be a boon for paddle-sport outfitters, river guides, and manylocal businesses, and benefit the entirestate of Maine. I can’t wait to be one ofthe first people to paddle an unobstructedriver from Old Town to the sea again.

Scott Phillips, owner of Northeast OutdoorsSports and resident of Old Town


PHOTO BY CHERYL DAIGLEBiologists collect information on Atlantic salmon caught at the Veazie salmon trap.Approximately 500 salmon each year are sent to the Craig Brook Fish Hatchery forbroodstock. Any salmon above that number are returned to the Penobscot River to

continue their journey, typically trucked upstream past the Great Works Dam becausefish passage is so poor at that site. With removal of the dam, salmon and other fish

able to pass the Veazie Dam will move quickly through the free flowing section ofriver to tributaries or to the fish ladder at Milford, which will become the first dam on

the river when the project is complete. The Veazie Dam is scheduled for removal in2013 and 2014. Black Bear Hydro LLC is designing and planning construction of a

fish elevator at the Milford Dam.

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