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Community Engagement

Get Involved: Volunteering, Action, and Education

Our volunteers are an integral part of our community. They help us collect observational data, lend their voices in support of our advocacy, and help rally the region around Casco Bay. In addition to working with volunteers, we host a variety of events throughout the year to engage and educate the public about the Bay.

Water Reporter

Volunteer Water Reporters help us act as the eyes and ears of Casco Bay. Water Reporters use their smartphones to photograph algal blooms, sea level rise, pollution, eelgrass, wildlife sightings, and other notable observations from on and around the Bay. Their photos are shared with our staff through the Water Reporter app, creating an archive of observational data on how the Bay may be changing over time.

 

Volunteer

In addition to Water Reporter, there are many ways to volunteer with Friends of Casco Bay. Coastal cleanups, storm drain stenciling, and helping out at events are all great ways to make a difference. We can also organize volunteer events for larger groups. Head to our volunteer page to sign up and learn more.

 

Advocacy and Action Alerts

When we need help showing public support for advocacy actions that will improve and protect the health of Casco Bay, we ask you to lend your voice. By signing up for our emails, you will receive periodic action alerts that ask you to write testimony, contact your elected officials, and more in support of the health of Casco Bay.

 

Events

Our events are a great way to get involved in our work and learn about Casco Bay. We host a range of events throughout the year, like presentations about our water quality data, discussions about marine policies and advocacy, and community science events. Recordings of our events are available for those who could not attend or want to revisit a discussion.

 

Read about our community engagement work:

Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper: PFAS

March 20, 2024

Join Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca and Community Organizer Sara Freshley for an early morning conversation about the work Friends of Casco Bay has been doing in partnership with Bigelow Laboratory on detecting per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Casco Bay. On Thursday, March 21, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. grab… Read more

PFAS Sampling Results in Casco Bay

March 15, 2024

From the deck of our Casco Baykeeper boat R/V Joseph E. Payne, science staff from our organization and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences collected more than 100 PFAS samples at 18 sites across Casco Bay in 2023. This is the most complete dataset yet of the concentrations of PFAS pollutants, so-called… Read more

Film Fest for Casco Bay

January 15, 2024

Announcing this year’s date for Film Fest for Casco Bay: Saturday, November 2, 2024, 2-6 p.m.  University of Southern Maine’s Abromson Auditorium, Portland We hope to see you at our Film Fest for Casco Bay, an afternoon of movies curated by Maine Outdoor Film Festival. The event will feature an array… Read more

Our Top 10 Moments of 2023

December 21, 2023

As this year comes to an end, let’s reflect and celebrate the many ways that we worked together to protect the health of Casco Bay in 2023. Here are our top ten stories of the year: 1) We won a four-year moratorium on new sources of pollution into the lower Presumpscot River. The… Read more

Water Reporters Deepen Their Knowledge of Casco Bay

December 19, 2023

What are some techniques for observing the natural world around me more mindfully? How can you tell if a saltwater marsh is healthy or if it is eroding at an unnatural pace? What are some commonly overlooked invasive species that are affecting Casco Bay? How is nitrogen pollution linked to the growth of… Read more

Taking Action on Stormwater

December 11, 2023

Stormwater delivers some of the largest loads of pollution into Casco Bay. As stormwater flows over our roads, driveways, parking lots, and buildings, it collects a toxic slurry. Instead of filtering into the soil, water sheets off these impervious surfaces, picking up pesticides and fertilizers from lawns, exhaust and salt… Read more