Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper

05/19/2026

Waterkeepers are fighting rollbacks to the Clean Water Act!

Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper is focused on grassroots efforts to protect and improve water quality in our local communities, but we are so fortunate to be able to call upon the strength and wisdom of the Waterkeeper Alliance and all 300 Waterkeepers across the globe to tackle national and international issues.

As the Clean Water Act is mercilessly gutted at the federal level, we look forward to implementing strategies here in Maine to fill in gaps and stand up for clean waters at the state level. Read more here: https://waterkeeper.org/protecting-clean-water/

05/08/2026

***Be a Voice for the Bay! Become a Member Today and Help Us Earn a $5,000 MATCHING GIFT.***

Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper is launching our Annual Membership Campaign. Our goal is to add a total of 100 new or renewing members by the Summer Solstice AND to add at least 10 members to our inaugural Sturgeon Circle. (The Sturgeon Circle are members who chose to support our clean water work with an annual membership gift of $1,000 or more.)

If there ever was a time to join Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper it is NOW! Maine is under assault from a variety of threats to our waterways and it is up to all of US stand up for what we love: clean fishable, drinkable, and swimmable waters, healthy forests, and vibrant and engaged communities. Every membership-donation helps us enact our essential and urgent mission to boldly advocate for the health of the Penobscot Bay watershed through science, public action, and community engagement.

Read more and support Penobscot Bay today!
https://www.penbaywaterkeeper.org/news/2026-membership-campaign

05/07/2026

Our friends from Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition stopped by to sample for microplastics in the Little River today. The analysis takes some time but we will share results when available.

Why should you care about microplastics? They enter the food chain, causing potential cellular damage, inflammation, and toxic chemical exposure to humans and other animals.

Read more about microplastics here: https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2025/01/microplastics-in-body-polluted-tiny-plastic-fragments.html

03/06/2026

What does it mean to be a Waterkeeper? Mark Mattson, board member of Waterkeeper Alliance, writes beautifully about the benefits of connection, especially in times of crisis...and if YOU want to join the movement and be the next Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper, visit our website at www.penbaywaterkeeper.org.

"We often say we became Waterkeepers because of the magnetic pull of water—the way light catches a Great Lake at sunset, or the steady pulse of a mountain stream. Because of the sudden flash of a fish, the call of a bird, or the raw honesty of wind, waves, and weather. At its core, this work is a spiritual connection to place, to people, and to life itself.

But there is another truth we do not say often enough: Waterkeepers would not be Waterkeepers without one another."

Read Mark's full essay here: https://waterkeepermark.substack.com/p/waterkeepers-would-not-be-waterkeepers

02/17/2026

Dream Job Alert! Are you passionate about protecting local waters? Do you like connecting with community members and helping to build a positive movement and implement change? Are you a solutions-oriented person with the courage to stand up to polluters? Are you equally at home out on the water and speaking to a crowd? Do you want to be part of a dynamic and supportive team? Will you be the strong voice that helps us answer to the water?

Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper (PBWK) seeks a full-time Waterkeeper to help us implement the pillars of our clean water goals - advocate, investigate, inspire, and thrive - as defined in our board-approved and recently published 5-year strategic plan.

Details and application instructions here: https://www.penbaywaterkeeper.org/employment

01/28/2026

THANK YOU to everyone who generously supported our year end appeal AND we have a quick update on our planning for the Little River Property (which is currently looking a bit wintery!)

Read the full message from Executive Director Pete Nichols here: https://www.penbaywaterkeeper.org/news/thank-you-and-update-1-28-26

01/12/2026

Great opportunity TOMORROW, January 13, to hear from our board member Jonathan Fulford about his recent adventures venturing up the Atlantic coast. At Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper, our experiences in and around our waters are what motivate us.

Reminder.....Next Tuesday Jan 13th at 6:30. Grab a cup of tea or something stronger and join us in person or on Zoom. Enjoy!

12/19/2025

***JOIN US FOR A WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION!***

The weather forecast for Sunday thankfully looks much different than today's rainy bluster...we're expecting mostly sunny skies and a warm 40 or so degrees as we gather for a Winter Solstice Celebration and Open House!

Join us from 2 - 5 PM on Sunday, December 21 around the fire pit on the banks of the Little River (285 Northport Ave. in Belfast) to celebrate the Penobscot Bay and the year ahead. Enjoy mulled cider and cookies, tours of the new facility, and an opportunity to mingle with other community members who care about clean water.

Details and registration here: https://www.penbaywaterkeeper.org/events/winter-solstice-celebration

12/04/2025

With the tremendous support of our community, it has been a busy and successful year - We recently completed the purchase and permanent protection of the former Nordic Aquafarms property along the Little river and we have big plans this coming year to protect local waters in and around Penobscot Bay!

Check out our annual appeal below, and please consider including Penobscot Bay in your year end giving. ***Thank you***

https://www.penbaywaterkeeper.org/year-end-appeal

11/05/2025

***BREAKING NEWS*** Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper completed the purchase of the former Nordic Aquafarms parcel, and will permanently conserve the iconic landscape for the community. Full press release is linked below.

Donations are still needed to cover financing and stewardship of the property.

THANK YOU to all of the community members who helped protect the Little River and Penobscot Bay!

https://www.penbaywaterkeeper.org/news/penobscot-bay-waterkeeper-purchases-formernbspnordic-aquafarms-parcel-in-belfast