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Danforth, ME – On August 10, local residents along with federal and state project partners will gather in downtown Danforth, Maine, to commemorate the completion of the fishway and park along Baskahegan Stream and celebrate the revitalization of the downtown, including a new open-air pavilion.
The three-phase project was approved by the Town Select Board in 2019. Since then, the designs for the fishway and riverside park were finalized in partnership with the landowner, Baskahegan Dam Company, the Town Manager, and a 5-person citizen committee. The new fishway was constructed in 2023 alongside the dam and has a custom façade resembling stacked stones.
Earlier this summer, the riverside park was completed and has walking trails, viewing decks, and extensive landscaping. A few blocks away, the new open-air pavilion is now the permanent home of the Danforth Farmers’ Market, the Danforth Concert Series, a winter ice rink, a Maine Artisan show, and a new business incubator program — ‘Start Up Saturdays’.
“The fishway is a part of the downtown revitalization project that was multi-phased and began with the construction of an open-air pavilion.” explained Ardis Brown, Town Manager of Danforth. “As the fishway and riverside park are close to completion, a dedication is planned to highlight the concerted effort between federal, state, and local governments with non-profit organizations to make the project a reality — a true stepping stone of revitalization for this often-overlooked rural town!”
Partners worked together on the fishway design with an engineering team led by Acadia Civil Works and park design with David Maynes Studio. Local, state, and federal permits were secured for the construction. Sargent Corporation won a competitive bid to construct the job with assistance from N.S. Giles for the concrete and fishway façade. N.S. Giles won a ‘2024 Build Maine Award’ from the Association of General Contractors of Maine, recognizing their craftsmanship and the positive impact on the local community and environment.
“This is a great example of a collaborative work to improve sea-run fish passage and river health while also enhancing the open space and leveraging projects to achieve local community needs across the downtown’ said Maranda Nemeth, Maine Headwaters Project Manager with the Atlantic Salmon Federation.
The Danforth Fishway and Park project, costing $2.5 million, was made possible through partnerships with the Town of Danforth, Baskahegan Dam Company, Atlantic Salmon Federation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA Restoration Center, Maine Department of Marine Resources (Maine DMR), Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy in Maine, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership, Sewall Foundation, and the Cascade Foundation. Funding for the project was also supported by President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Senator Angus King’s FY23 Congressional Directed Spending.
The open-air pavilion was designed by local, semi-retired architect Roger Rossignol and the construction bid was won by Matt McEwen Construction of Linneus. The construction of the open-air pavilion project, totaling $437,000, was funded through a Northern Borders Regional Commission grant, Senator Susan Collins’ FY22 Congressional Directed Spending, and generous support from local businesses and organizations including Ware-Butler, Louisiana-Pacific, Machias Savings Bank, Maine Community Foundation, Forest Society of Maine, and AARP.
In 2017, Maine DMR confirmed alewives in Danforth, a remarkable event as these fish returned naturally after over 200 years without any stocking efforts nearby. Alewives are sea-run fish that migrate from the ocean to freshwater ponds and back again to complete their life cycle. The alewives returning to Danforth are the farthest inland known to recolonize naturally on the East Coast. This resurgence is part of a broader recovery in the Penobscot Watershed, with the river herring population growing from nearly zero to more than 6 million returning this year to date. The population will continue to grow with the completion of the Danforth Fishway. The Danforth Fishway enhances this recovery, restoring access to 135 miles of river habitat and nearly 9,000 acres of pond habitat in the Penobscot River headwaters.
Join us for the dedication at the new park off of Depot Street in downtown Danforth, Saturday, August 10, at 11:00 AM. Remarks will be given by the Town of Danforth and project partners. All are welcome. The event will be followed by the 1st Annual Danforth Artisan Show at the new open-air pavilion and open houses at Union (Town) Hall and Danforth Library including a Sidewalk Art Show. The dedication will proceed rain or shine. Parking is limited at the site, with Central Street closed; parking is available along Depot Street, and the downtown area is walkable.
For more information, please contact:
Maranda Nemeth, Atlantic Salmon Federation,
(412) 527-7903, mnemeth@asfmaine.org
Ardis Brown, Town Manager of Danforth
(207) 448-2321, townofdanforth@gmail.com