Ecosystem restoration is a complex process that requires unprecedented levels of coordination and committed actions over time. After more than 16 years, the various pieces envisioned in the Lower Penobscot River Multi-party Settlement Agreement have come together, giving a diverse group of public and private partners in Maine a reason to celebrate. Through one of the nation’s most innovative ecosystem restoration projects, federal and state agencies, hydropower companies, tribal governments, and conservation organizations have come together to rebalance hydropower energy and sustainable sea-run (or migratory) fisheries in the Penobscot watershed.
The Penobscot River is Maine’s largest river, draining an area of 8,570 square miles. With many lakes and multiple tributaries, it offers important habitat for 11 sea-run fish species, including the federally endangered Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), endangered shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum), American shad (Alosa sapidissima), alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus ), sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), striped bass (Morone saxatilis), rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis), and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). Historically, the river boasted bountiful fisheries, but populations have dwindled over the last two centuries—the construction of more than 100 dams and other barriers during this time crippled the river’s course, obstructed migratory paths, and diminished water quality.
Significant progress has been made in restoring the river to a more natural state over the past few years. Partners successfully removed Great Works Dam in 2012 and then Veazie Dam in 2013, reestablishing connectivity between the ocean and the main stem of the river. Improvements to hydropower generation at Stillwater and Orono dams completed in 2013 and 2014 have compensated for the loss of Great Works and Veazie.
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| Howland nature-like bypass within days of being watered. Laury Zicari/USFWS |
While the removal of the two lowermost dams on the Penobscot River reopened miles of important riverine habitat and was an important step toward reestablishing self-sustaining runs of all sea-run fisheries in the watershed, work was far from over. Conservation organizations, university researchers, and resource and regulatory agencies have joined forces to inventory additional barriers to fish migration and secure funding for barrier removal, the construction of viable fishways, and the restoration of high-quality habitat beyond the river’s main stem.
Construction of a new fish lift at Milford Dam in 2014 has further benefited a number of sea-run fish species, including American shad and river herring. The quick response of American shad to the improved facilities at the dam has been gratifying. Preliminary data provided for 2015 by the Maine Department of Marine Resources documented 1,800 shad navigating the lift and processing facility at Milford Dam—a significant increase from recent years. The number of river herring, including alewives, using the lift is even more encouraging. Between 2009 and 2013, fewer than 2,400 herring were counted at Milford Dam. These numbers have increased significantly over the last two years, with 187,438 counted in 2014 and 589,503 in preliminary reports for 2015.
Approximately 30 miles upriver of the Milford Dam, construction of a nature-like bypass at Howland Dam on the Piscataquis River – a high-value habitat tributary of the Penobscot River – is nearing completion. This bypass is the largest in the eastern U.S., and it is the next step in improving access to additional historic habitat for a number of species. Meanwhile, a number of other fish passage projects on tributaries throughout the watershed have further improved habitat conditions for a range of species. Alewives, a species of herring, have benefited from the construction of multiple fishways restoring access to essential spawning habitat in lakes connected to the big river. This includes the new Denil fishway at the outlet for Pushaw Lake, a nature-like fishway at Mattamiscontis Lake outlet, and fishways constructed on Blackman’s Stream at Chemo Pond.
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| An improved stream crossing at Whetstone Creek will allow salmon passage. Laury Zicari/USFWS |
With one last stronghold in Maine, the imperiled Atlantic salmon remains a high priority. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Maine Ecological Services Field Office (Maine ESFO) is working with the Penobscot Indian Nation to address barriers to salmon spawning habitat on tribal lands in the Piscataquis drainage to promote the species’ recovery. The Maine ESFO is also working with the Maine Department of Transportation on improved road stream crossing designs to meet the needs of the fish. An old culvert at the Route 11 crossing of Whetstone Creek, near mouth of the Pleasant River, was recently replaced with a 26-foot-wide bottomless box culvert to allow for unimpeded passage of Atlantic salmon, brook trout, and other aquatic organisms. These waters are near a focus area for salmon restoration on Penobscot tribal land. The species’ fortunes will continue to improve as additional projects throughout the watershed continue to enhance habitat quality and accessibility.
The results of the Penobscot River ecosystem restoration project are inspiring. In less than two decades, partners successfully brought a fractured river back to life while maintaining important hydropower generation. This project represents the future of science-driven conservation, enduring partnerships, and long-lasting benefits to the people and wildlife species that depend on the Penobscot.
Laury Zicari, the Field Supervisor in the Service’s Maine Ecological Services Field Office, can be reached at laury_zicari@fws.gov.
Editor’s note: An excellent source of information on the lengthy history of the project can be found at the Penobscot River Restoration Trust’s website at www.penobscotriver.org.