Friends of Casco Bay’s 2025 Members Annual Meeting
Join us for a special event as we engage in a thought-provoking discussion with three generations of saltwater stewards: our first employee Casco BAYKEEPER® Emeritus Joe Payne, current Casco BAYKEEPER® Ivy Frignoca, aquaculture apprentice Michael Scannell, and aspiring marine biologist Natalia Mbadu. Together, we will examine how far we’ve come in protecting our beloved Bay and what we must do to safeguard it for the next generations.
Featuring an exhibit of artwork by MECA&D students, community conversations, and delicious hors d’oeuvres, this event is a unique opportunity to hear from passionate advocates and leave with renewed hope and urgency for the future. All are welcome!
Event Details
What: Past, Present, and Future of Casco Bay: Friends of Casco Bay’s 2025 Annual Meeting
Date: Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Time: 5:30 – 8 p.m.
Where: Harraseeket Inn, 162 Main St, Freeport, ME 04032
Advance registration required.
Other details:
- Join us with a sliding scale donation: $0 to $55. From free to pay-it-forward — give what feels right for you.
- Event includes hors d’oeuvres, complimentary oysters from Mere Point Oyster Co., and a cash bar.
- We will present City of Portland’s Waterfront Coordinator, Bill Needelman, with the Casco Bay Award for his work to protect water quality as he championed the city’s working waterfront.
- Our Annual Meeting will feature the election of new members to our Board of Directors.
- Please review our Annual Meeting Documents ahead of the meeting
- Thank you to our Host Committee for underwriting this event.
An Intergenerational Panel
Three generations of saltwater stewards will engage in a discussion about the past, present, and future of Casco Bay.
Joe Payne served as the first Casco BAYKEEPER® for nearly 24 years, from 1991 to 2015. Raised in Portland and on Peaks Island, Joe’s connection to Casco Bay began in childhood, exploring its waters and shores. He was one of the first seven Waterkeepers and a founding member of the worldwide Waterkeeper Alliance. As Casco BAYKEEPER®, Joe led efforts to make Casco Bay Maine’s first No Discharge Area, launched a mobile pumpout service that kept 150,000 gallons of raw sewage out of the Bay, and helped relocate 35,000 lobsters during harbor dredging. He was also an early voice for addressing nitrogen pollution and its effects on coastal acidification. Joe’s legacy continues to shape the protection and stewardship of Casco Bay.
Ivy Frignoca has served as the Casco BAYKEEPER® since 2016, acting as the eyes, ears, and voice of Casco Bay. Her background blends science, law, and advocacy: she designed her own environmental studies degree to translate science into action, earned a law degree to strengthen her advocacy skills, and brings over 30 years of legal experience to her work. At Friends of Casco Bay, Ivy leads efforts to protect the Bay’s health through science-based policy and community engagement. Among her work, she has advocated for reducing nitrogen pollution, coordinates a coast-wide network advancing ocean acidification science and policy, and serves on both the Coastal and Marine Working Group of the Maine Climate Council and the Steering Committee of the state’s Blue Carbon Network. To protect the watershed, Ivy helped secure a four-year moratorium on new discharges into the Presumpscot River—an achievement that earned her the Chief Poulin Award. She also leads initiatives to reduce stormwater pollution and restore impaired waters across the region. As a resident of the Casco Bay watershed for 35 years, Ivy is deeply connected to the Bay and immersed in its communities both professionally and personally.
Michael Scannell is an aquaculture apprentice and farm manager at Madeleine Point Oyster Farms and a recent marine affairs graduate from the University of New England. With experience as a sternman, trawler worker, and kelp farmer, he has gained valuable hands-on skills in Maine’s fisheries. Michael plans to continue working in aquaculture before pursuing law school, where he aims to assist aquafarmers with lease agreements. He is passionate about supporting the health of Casco Bay and promoting sustainability in local waters.
Natalia Mbadu is a junior at Deering High School and an advocate for climate action and marine conservation. Originally from Luanda, Angola, she now calls Portland, Maine, home. She recently published her memoir, Surely the Darkness Will Cover Me, with the Telling Room and is active with Maine Climate Action Now. Natalia fell in love with Maine’s coastal waters as a SailMaine student, inspiring her plans to study marine biology and become a marine veterinarian. She is especially interested in protecting marine life in places like Casco Bay, where environmental changes are already taking a toll.
Student Art Exhibit: Ocean Currents
Friends of Casco Bay partnered with our board member Deb Debiegun, a professor at the Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D), for her Ocean Currents class. These students immersed themselves in learning about the Bay’s dirty history, the progress we’ve made, and the challenges ahead.
Each student chose a topic to research—from PFAS contamination and plastic pollution to eelgrass restoration and the legacy of dry cleaning chemicals—and created an original piece of art inspired by their findings. Their mediums are just as varied as their subjects: from car-scrap sculptures and watercolor paintings to animations and videos exploring wastewater treatment.
We’re thrilled to share 14 of their artworks with you in this exhibit during the Past, Present, and Future of Casco Bay and Friends of Casco Bay Members’ Annual Meeting.
Past, Present, and Future of Casco Bay Host Committee
Thank you to generous supporters who lead the way as part of our Host Committee for this special event. You can join the Host Committee and help underwrite this event. Your support helps Friends of Casco Bay’s mission to improve and protect Casco Bay.
Barney and Caroline Baker
Samantha Bengs
Daniel and Gayle Brazeau
Carrine Burns and Pete Bouman
Margie and Stephen Bushey
Nancy Heselton and Jeffrey Clements
Judith and Andrew Coburn
Nathan Davis and Keyana Sandridge
Deborah and Garreth Debiegun
Will Everitt
Ellen Grant and Kevin Carley
Chris and Anne Heinig
Cheryl and George Higgins
Patricia Ianni and Mark Sundermann
Anthony and Hilary Jessen
David and Barb Kaufman
Brigitte and Hal Kingsbury
Peter and Ann LeBourdais
Andrew Marsters
Althea and Bob McGirr
Seb and Peggy Milardo
Anthony Moffa
Don and Nancy Perkins
Kirsten and Charles Piacentini
Malcolm and Patti Poole
Janna Rearick and Kevin Jensen
Joan and Scott Samuelson
Joan and Barry Saxe
Soren and Randi Schroder
Kristen and Matt Stetson
Lori Thayer
Jonathan and Susan Thomas
Fiona and Rob Wilson
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