HOULTON, Maine — Another stretch of the Meduxnekeag River will soon be restored to its more natural state thanks to an instream restoration project.
A joint project between the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, with funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under their Tribal Wildlife Grant program, the purpose is to enhance the aquatic habitat.
As a way to educate the public about the in-stream restoration work, the public is invited to a short on-site visit at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12 with John Field, a fluvial-geomorphologist who specializes in studying how rivers move and change over time, especially in relation to land use.
Field will discuss why the river restoration work is important to the river and its ecosystem as well as the changes Dunbar Construction made to their equipment to have the least negative impact on the river and aquatic life during construction.
This is a great opportunity to see the work in action and learn from an expert. Anyone interested may attend, but is asked to observe social distancing and use of masks. The field trip will begin at the parking lot of the football field behind Maliseet Riverside Village on Foxcroft Road with a short walk along the river to the construction site. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required.
For questions or more information, contact the Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District at 254-4126 or angela.wotton@me.nacdnet.net. The in-stream restoration project is the fifth of HBMI’s ongoing Aquatic Habitat Restoration Program in the Meduxnekeag Watershed.
