Community Showing Up for Casco Bay
This year, Maine’s shoreline got a little cleaner and a lot more loved thanks to 316 volunteers who joined us for 26 cleanups and 3 storm drain stenciling events. Together, they hauled more than 10,000 pounds of trash they logged with Ocean Conservancy’s Clean Swell app (plus plenty more we didn’t stop to record).
Our most common finds were the usual suspects: cigarette butts and plastic. Add in a steady stream of fast-food cups and wrappers—Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s, Burger King, and 7-Eleven were the most frequent flyers—plus chip bags and the occasional syringe, and you’ve got a clear picture of the haul.
Katrina Venhuizan, our 2025 Cleanup Coordinator, loves watching volunteers step back and look at the pile of filled bags after a cleanup. “I like the physical proof of what we’ve done, all these bags of trash,” she says, “and a cleaner shoreline at the end of the day.”
Katrina pulls as many recyclables and returnables from the piles of trash as she can, while the trash goes to Ecomaine, where it’s converted into electricity.
People Powered
But the real heart of the season wasn’t the trash. It was the people. Katrina notes some of the folks who showed up. A woman new to town used a cleanup as a way to learn her way around, and even made a donation afterward. A family at our Back Cove Summer Sweep in August brought three generations. And Katrina’s own daughter joined in at Willard Beach. “She likes to call them ‘trash walks,’” Katrina said. “I’m making the world a more beautiful place for her.”
Many of this season’s cleanups were boosted by companies and community groups who rolled up their sleeves with us: Patagonia, L.L.Bean, Luke’s Lobster, IDEXX, Abbott Labs, Camden National Bank, church groups, high schoolers, and more. While our Summer Cleanup Series for the general public drew in 115 people over 13 events.
Stormdrain Stenciling Program says “Do Not Dump!”
Stormdrain Stenciling is another summer program Katrina runs alongside the cleanups. She coordinates with the City of Portland to find out which storm drains need attention. Volunteers clean the pavement, lay down a stencil, and spray a special white paint to leave behind a clear message and a cute lobster icon: “Do Not Dump—Drains to Casco Bay.” This alerts people to avoid dumping any contaminants down a drain that leads straight to Casco Bay.
Looking Ahead
We are already eyeing new sites, partnerships, and ways to bring people together for the 2026 Cleanup season. Katrina wants people to know one thing above all: cleanups are welcoming. “It’s not stuffy. It’s about helping the community and meeting new people. I had strangers come up to us and say ‘Thank you so much.’ I would tell them about Friends of Casco Bay, how we’re just trying to keep the ocean clean.”
In a world that moves fast, shoreline cleanups offer something simple and grounded: neighbors caring for the place we all share. It is this humble, hands-on work that supports the resilience of Casco Bay.
We invite everyone who cares about the Casco Bay watershed to become a member. You can join us through volunteering or donating a gift that feels right for you. Larger gifts help us amplify and expand our work even more. Your support enables us to continue addressing the most significant threats to the Bay, including stormwater pollution, PFAS, and climate change.
