ELLSWORTH — Downeast Trout Unlimited’s online meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 5:30 p.m. will feature a presentation titled “Restoring Fish Passage to the Bagaduce River Watershed: A Success Story of Communities and Partners.”
The speakers will be Mike Thalhauser of the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries (MCCF) and Ciona Ulbrich of Maine Coast Heritage Trust. They will describe the five-year effort that culminated in the first entire watershed in Maine to have fish passage restored. They will talk about how it got done, who was involved, show images of the construction projects and what this means for the future and ongoing research efforts.
Thalhauser has worked on the Bagaduce River since he started at MCCF in 2016. His efforts are focused on catalyzing the Three Town Alewife Committee, coordinating volunteer fish counts and research projects and participating in fisheries policy discussions at state and federal levels. He also works in shellfish collaborative management, where towns and fishermen also play an active role in monitoring and managing a fisheries resource.
Before coming to MCCF, Thalhauser worked in Alaska running the fisheries department for a tribal entity and as a resource manager for the Department of Fish and Game.
Ulbrich has served as the point person for the construction projects to restore fish passage on the Bagaduce. She has worked for Maine Coast Heritage Trust for over 20 years, serving as a resource in this part of the state on conservation projects and opportunities with landowners, towns and organizations as well as state and federal governments. Before working for Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Ulbrich worked in international relations and trade policy.
Downeast Trout Unlimited meetings are free and open to the public. Trout Unlimited is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and conservation of North American cold water fish species. Downeast Trout Unlimited is dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring Maine’s cold water fisheries and their watersheds.
For more information, contact Tammy Packie at tpackie@gmail.com or visit the group’s Facebook page, Downeast TU.
