Casco Bay Matters

What is Casco Bay Matters?

We host periodic presentations and panel discussions on issues of current concern though our Casco Bay Matters series, which are open to the public.

The purpose of our Casco Bay Matters series is to provide an opportunity for concerned citizens and local decision makers to learn about and discuss issues affecting the health of our coastal waters.

We have found that leading such community discussions can launch efforts that change pollution laws or practices. A forum we held in 2002 on Pollution Solutions to Cruise Ship Discharges led to state legislators enacting a law to prohibit the discharge of gray water (from large passenger vessels’ sinks and galleys) in Maine marine waters and to the EPA designating Casco Bay as a No Discharge Area, which prevents large ships from releasing vessel sewage within three miles of shore. Even as Portland has become one the most popular cruise ship destinations, with about 100 ship visits each year, we are the most protected harbor in the nation from cruise ship pollution. We hosted Casco Bay Is at Risk in 2014. There, a panel discussed threats to Casco Bay’s ecosystem from acidifying coastlines, invading green crabs, dwindling clam populations, and disappearing nurseries of the sea, all issues that scientists and legislators are working to address.

Here is a summary of our most recent Casco Bay Matters Event:

Ocean Acidification, Climate Change, and You: A Casco Bay Matters Event

February 8, 2019

Climate change is affecting the health of Casco Bay faster than anyone could have predicted. Warming temperatures and increasing acidity threaten the ocean and the livelihoods of those who depend on the sea. Research is showing that changes in our coastal waters from climate change are putting lobstering, clamming, and… Read more

Cover photo: Photograph by Kevin Morris

Let us know you plan to celebrate Mary Cerullo with us!

January 17, 2020

window.bboxInit = function () { bbox.showForm(‘6f9a74e6-61b9-43a4-8e92-bc7c07a42ba3’); }; (function () { var e = document.createElement(‘script’); e.async = true; e.src = ‘https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/bbox-min.js’; document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0].appendChild(e); } ()); Mary Cerullo will soon begin a new chapter in her life. At the end of March, Mary will be retiring from Friends of Casco Bay. Over the… Read more

30 Years of Friends of Casco Bay

January 8, 2020

Pearls are gemstones that mark a 30th anniversary. Pearls are symbolic of wisdom gained through experience. We have learned a lot in 30 years! A pearl is created by an oyster in response to an irritant. A pearl can form over time as an oyster secretes layer upon layer of… Read more

Three decades of success – the impact of Friends of Casco Bay

December 31, 2019

Friends of Casco Bay has a long history of success. Since our founding in 1989, our work-with, science-based approach has moved the needle toward a healthier, more protected Bay. We championed a halt to cruise ship pollution and won a No Discharge Area designation for Casco Bay, the first in… Read more

A special Season’s Greetings to you

December 27, 2019

Amid the delights and demands of the Holidays, we pause here to thank you and all our volunteers, donors, and supporters. You play a crucial role in our ability to monitor the environmental health of Casco Bay, engage community members to be good stewards, and protect our coastal waters… Read more

Community Engagement: Many eyes are watching Casco Bay

December 23, 2019

Water Reporter is a simple-to-use app that enables observers to photograph, comment on, and share what they are seeing around the Bay, both good and bad. A year after Friends of Casco Bay launched our Water Reporter volunteer monitoring project, more than 193 volunteers have made more than 814 posts.… Read more