Fall 2009

John Burrows and Jacob Amon studing sampling sites on the Mousam River

Dear Friend of Maine Rivers,

As a New Englander and life-long resident of Maine, I am not alone in having a great appreciation for the passage of the seasons.  As autumn comes the apples ripen, we search around again for socks after weeks of sandals or bare feet, and we see yellow school buses out on the roads again, full of kids with oversized backpacks.

Like the joys of fresh blueberries and local apples, many of us count hearing the cry of osprey and experiencing the drama of watching raptors dive for fish as some of the joys of summer. You can’t help but feel awe for the agility, timing and power of these creatures, as well as a raw understanding of the cycle of life as they fly away with a fish held tight in their talons; we all have the potential to be someone or something else’s lunch.  By now we expect that osprey and other raptors have left Maine for warmer climates. The splash of a paddle or a dunk into a brook will bring a real chill.

I am an avid angler, there are few experiences I love more than the thrill of catching and releasing stripers or brook trout.  In our busy modern lives it’s sometimes hard to find time for these simple pursuits, but I never regret time spent on the water.  It’s always exciting to catch, hold and experience a connection with some of these wild riverine creatures that share our state.  I always feel like there’s something to learn from their pursuit, even on days when I never felt more than a nibble on the line.

However, much as I love fishing and value protecting our waterways for myself and other anglers, it’s even more gratifying for me to know that our river protection efforts are not just about preserving fish populations.  Eagles, osprey, loons, otter, mink, seals and heron love fish as much or more than I do.    These are only some of the creature that rely of clean rivers and healthy fish populations.   Villages, towns and cities all over Maine benefit directly and indirectly from having clean and healthy waterways, it’s part of what draws people to our state to visit and it’s part of what keeps us here.

I was lucky to have gotten out on our waterways a lot this summer, canoeing on the Penobscot River and kayaking on the Mousam River, and luckier still to have been out on these rivers with friends and associates who are working with me to restore and protect our waterways.  In the autumn issue of Making Waves we’ll share some of the stories about our river protection efforts with you, from the long saga of Maine Rivers’ advocacy efforts to restore native fish population of the St. Croix River to our more recent efforts in York County, and with efforts to improve fish passage in the many waterways between and beyond.  We’ve been busy and we look forward to keeping up the good work we are doing.

Please join me in supporting our efforts to protect and restore the rivers of our state.  Our work benefits the wild creatures and human residents of Maine, the children riding home from school this afternoon and the raptors heading south for the winter.

The fish, the raptors and our children all rely on our efforts to restore and protect our waterways, we rely on you to help support our work.

Sincerely,

John R. J. Burrows

President