Celebrating40Years in the Outdoor Classroom - The Chewonki ...

“There is no single better way to restore habitat quicker
and more effectively than removing a dam.”
—BRIAN GRABER, AMERICAN RIVERS
“Having an organization like Chewonki come in and do the
monitoring and weave that into the education is a tremendous
benefit,” says Catena. “We work with a whole range of organizations
and municipalities, and having one that is here and will
be involved at the site from a monitoring point of view is just
tremendous. We don’t get that a lot.”
Graber is enthusiastic too: “What a fantastic living
classroom out here! There are so many things for students to
look at, from macro-invertebrates that live in the river bed, to
migratory and non-migratory fish and how populations will
change when you convert a pond back to its native river
habitat.” Graber sees great value in involving students and
neighbors in this project. “We were excited to get involved
with this project, and one of the things that appealed to us was
fisheries point of view that helps the species themselves, but the long-term educational possibilities Chewonki is intending
these are also very important forage fish for Atlantic mackerel, to implement here both with educating students at the site, but
Atlantic tuna, stripped bass, blue fish, and any number of fish.” also by having a long-term monitoring plan to help us see the
The dam removal improves habitat for these fish, and it also impacts and benefits we are having.”
helps improve water quality, adds Graber. “As water sits in the At the end of the day, what many of us at Chewonki have
sun during the summer in the impoundment, it warms up, and learned is that dam removals are almost always controversial,
warmer water means lower dissolved oxygen, and that affects but they are also essential. “Not many schools or communities
everything in the pond and downstream.”
can claim to have a real-life restoration and monitoring effort
in their backyard,” said Chewonki president Willard Morgan.
The intangible goals of dam removal projects are “Aside from the environmental gains here, the educational
perhaps more onerous than the removals themselves. value of this project will benefit our programs and our local
“NOAA is helping to restore the environment, but in community for years to come.” ■
so doing we are also trying to bring the community into a given
site, to get stewardship going, and to instill some real under- To learn more about the Montsweag Brook Restoration Project and to
standing about the environment,” says Catena. This is where see videos, go to www.chewonki.org/about/montsweag.
Chewonki’s involvement becomes notable. ALL PHOTOS BY BRIAN PETERS, EXCEPT WHERE NOTED.