Community members and local partners gathered to share insight about the future of the Presumpscot River during a meeting on Feb. 6 in Westbrook.
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| Windham Interim Assistant Town Manager Amanda Lessard jots down ideas and suggestions from participants during the Presumpscot 2040 gathering on Feb. 6 in Westbrook. The public session focused on the health, restoration, and future uses of the Presumpscot River and its watershed. PHOTO BY VICTORIA BOUNDY |
One of the project partners is Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, one of 28 National Estuary Programs nationwide. Their interest in the project is to “bring people together and set the table for good conversation.” says Curtis Bohlen, the Director of Casco Bay Estuary Partnership.
Other key partners include Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, Friends of the Presumpscot River, Friends of Casco Bay, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Sebago Clean Waters, the Town of Windham, and Trout Unlimited.
About a year and half ago, conversations were happening between organizations about the Presumpscot River, but no efforts had been made to connect them.
“There were several of these conversations going on in isolation from one another” says Bohlen. “What we really wanted to do was bring those conversations together and bring those groups together. We’re really trying to envision what is the future we want for the river, and how do those conversations inform each other?”
After forming a steering committee with key players from local partners, the goal was to develop a shared vision. This committee started to explore what exactly that vision looks like.
During these conversations, it was obvious that stakeholders had varying interests such as water quality, dam removal, recreation, and land conversation.
“We wanted to bring other people in and hear from more groups and more opinions about what the future of the river can and should be” says Bohlen.
It is what sparked the idea for broader input opportunities and inviting the community to share their vision about the river.
Two major visioning sessions were held at the Westbrook Community Center to discuss the future of the Presumpscot River. Topics for discussion included water quality; fish and wildlife habitat; community development potentials; current and potential recreational uses; free flows and connectivity.
During these sessions, Craig Freshley of Good Group Decisions provided the facilitation and led the community in conversation. Two sessions were offered, one in the afternoon and one in the evening to accommodate a wider array of schedules.
This opportunity for the public to learn about and offer input for the river brought a total of 110 people to the Westbrook Community Center on Feb. 2.
The information obtained from these facilitated discussions will be used to inform priorities but also to learn what other in person learning opportunities would be interesting to the public. These events will be scheduled later in 2026.
Since not everyone can attend an in-person event, the Friends of the Presumpscot River have put together a “Presumpscot 2040 Public Perspectives Survey.” The goal is capture how people are currently using, experiencing, and appreciating the Presumpscot River, while inviting people to share their view of the future.
“We have a vision for producing a document which would be a brief outline of what the communities coming together through these conversations seem to be supportive of,” Bohlen said
This public facing document would showcase how they brought people together, shared conversations, and built relationships. Then, a shared vision for the next 15 years could begin to come together.
So why 2040?
“A 15-year period really forces us to think concretely,” Bohlen said. “What do we want to do in the near future and also, what’s practical?”
According to Bohlen, thinking beyond 2040 may prompt more dreams rather than realistic and attainable actions.
“We wanted to focus on a timescale that was both practical and also forces us to be a little visionary” says Bohlen. “What I see is a growing interest in the river as an asset to the communities along the river. For years, communities did not pay much attention to the Presumpscot River. You can see that reflected in the layout of our communities today. Houses were built near the river but did not face it. The vision of the river that was true for many, many years as an industrial asset has gradually been replaced been replaced by a vision of the river as a community asset. That gives us a new way to think about what the river can be and what it can mean to all of us who live in the region.”
Today, restaurants and parks are being built with river views top of mind. The river is celebrated as a recreational haven with increasing opportunities for fishing, paddling, swimming, and more.
“There is a moment in time that we are facing right now with a real opportunity for the Presumpscot River. The river is cleaner than it has been in a long time. The communities along the river have started to recognize it as being a critical asset for them.” says Bohlen.
Community members are excited and enthusiastic to share their visions. If you share in this interest, the team behind the project invites you to fill out the “Presumpscot 2040 Public Perspectives Survey.”
This survey will be accepting responses until Feb.17, 2026 and your opinion matters and can help shape the future of the Presumpscot River.
Find the survey online at www.cascobayestuary.org/casco-bay/presumpscot2040. <
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