ERROL, New Hampshire — The Androscoggin River Watershed Council will host its 23rd annual Source to Sea by paddling the Androscoggin River’s length — nearly 170 miles — from Lake Umbagog in New Hampshire to Merrymeeting Bay in Brunswick.
Beginning Friday, July 6, the event will commence from Umbagog Wildlife Refuge on Route 16 north of Errol. Members of the public may participate on a paddling adventure for one or more days on this educational trip down the river.
Guest speaker for the kick-off paddle will be Christian Kishida, loon biologist at the wildlife refuge. He will guide participants down the Magalloway River to the source of the Androscoggin River through loon nesting areas and answer questions about the river and its home to loons, eagles and osprey and other wildlife.
Each year hundreds of paddlers are welcomed for one or multiple days to paddle the Source to Sea and celebrate the Androscoggin River. The ARWC believes that the best way to understand the river’s unique resource is to experience it firsthand.
Participants will learn about local conservation, fishing, history, ecology, and recreation through daily on-river programs. A beautiful new leg of the river added last year that will be repeated this year due to its popularity is from Boffinger Preserve to Nansen Wayside in New Hampshire.
Pre-registration and the daily schedules are available at www.androscogginwatershed.org. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged for logistical and safety reasons.
Although there is no fee to participate, a $15 to $20 donation is suggested at time of registering. Donations of any amount will also be accepted at the launch site on each event day. Credit cards will be accepted. All donations support the administrative costs to coordinate the Source to Sea and other ARWC projects, all tax deductible.
Paddle dates include:
July 6: Umbagog Wildlife Refuge, New Hampshire, to Streamer Diamond.
July 7: Mollidgewock to 7 Islands Bridge.
July 8: 7 Islands’ Bridge to Pontook Dam.
July 9: Boffinger to Nansen Wayside.
July 12: Nansen Wayside to Berlin.
July 14: Shelborne, New Hampshire to Gilead, Maine.
July 15: Gilead to Bethel.
July 16: Bethel to Moran’s Landing.
July 17: Hanover to Rumford.
July 20: Glass Face hike.
July 21: Mexico to Dixfield.
July 22: Dixfield to Canton Point.
July 23: Livermore Falls to Twin Bridges.
July 24: Twin Bridges to Center Bridge.
July 28: Center Bridge to Cherry Pond and Riverlands State Park Family Day.
July 29: Auburn to Rancourt.
July 30: Durham to Lisbon Falls.
Aug. 2: Auburn Paddle after hours.
Aug. 4. Topsham to Brunswick.
Aug. 5. Brunswick to Merrymeeting Bay.
Put-in and take-out locations, departure times and presenters can be viewed online.
For more information or to become a sponsor, contact Becky Secrest at 207-824-3813 or 207-754-8158; email beckys@oxfordnetworks.net or arwc@androscogginwatershed.org. The ARWC can also be found on Facebook.
Paddlers participate in last year’s Source to Sea canoe and kayak exploration of the Androscoggin River, from it’s source in the Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge in New Hampshire to where it flows into the ocean at Merrymeeting Bay in Brunswick. This year’s events begin July 6.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
