On February 27, 2015 Casco Baykeeper emeritus Joe Payne told a group of environmentalists at Belfast's Unitarian Universalist Church that a Penobscot Baykeeper program is long overdue, and offered tips on organizing a Keeper program for Maine's biggest bay.

Listen to the hour long event at these links: tinyurl.com/joepayne.  (Apologies for the sound of several attendees scribbling notes. It was THAT interesting!)

Joe Payne spent more than two decades as Casco Baykeeper before retiring earlier this year, He was one of the first members of the Waterkeeper Alliance a network for more than 200 "keepers" around the US and the world.

He said a Penobscot Baykeeper is long overdue, and gave his strong support to organizing a Penobscot Baykeeper program. At the same time, he warned that because Maine's biggest bay (more than 300 square miles), has different economics, environments and cultures in its different reaches, multiple regional Penobscot Baykeepers may be the best way to start off.

Compare West Penobscot Bay, with busy Route One feeding and expanding the urban centers of Rockland Camden and Belfast, and Searsport's important Mack Point energy and dry cargo port, with slower-paced East Penobscot Bay, where a web of small roads decentralizes travel and growth among the area's rural, fishing, tourism and retiree economy, along with one of the nation's top maritime academies.

Then there are the island communities of Islesboro, North Haven, Vinalhaven inside Penobscot Bay, and Isle au Haut, Matinicus and Monhegan gracing the bay's mouth. Each has its own unique societies but like east Penobscot Bay, fishing tourism and retirees are their chief economic engines.

Payne said that instead of searching for a single person to speak for all of Penobscot Bay, the Friends of Penobscot Bay try organizing a unique affiliates-styles program for Maine's biggest bay.

Under that system, regional Penobscot Baykeepers would be hired, each hooked into that local community, and aware of the local environmental issues and fishing grounds.

This could be whichever regions make most sense: East Penobscot Bay, West Penobscot Bay and the inner and outer islands? Or upper bay/outer bay? Or even harbor by harbor: a Belfast Baykeeper, Rockland Baykeeper, a Castine Waterkeeper etc?

However it is done, all agreed, a Penobscot Baykeeper is LONG overdue!

Be creative, Payne said. But each region needs to have a full time, paid person on the job.

And, he said, while most of a baykeeper's time is spent in meetings and public hearings and investigating sites on dry land, a bayworthy boat is necessary. This could be a large workboat, or a trailerable boat along with prearranged ready access to a larger one as needed.

The Friends of Penobscot Bay will be holding regional baykeeper meetings around the bay this spring and summer. Stay tuned!

Friends of Penobscot Bay. People who care about Maine's biggest Bay.