Reflecting on 30 Years
In recognition of our 30th anniversary, a number of donors and key partners offered their reflections of our work:
Maureen Drouin
As a founding member of the Environmental Priorities Coalition, Friends of Casco Bay brings an important regional voice to the table as we tackle statewide issues together. They are team players concerned about the total ecosystem: the air, the land, and the water.
Zack Anchors
Whenever I read about something in the news that might negatively affect the Bay, I think to myself, Friends of Casco Bay is on it. There are few organizations able to combine advocacy, scientific research, community engagement and active stewardship in such an effective way.
Brigitte Kingsbury
The leadership of Friends of Casco Bay has been terrific. I appreciate the two roles of Executive Director and Baykeeper, being in one organization and working cooperatively.
Friends of Casco Bay has succeeded as an environmental organization because they are so focused on their geographic region and mission. They are targeted in their efforts, selective and careful in the fights they choose to wage, and diligent in their collection of water quality data.
Dan Emery
I like Friends because it gathers significant data relevant to climate issues, works pragmatically to affect policy and enforcement, provides clear and helpful educational materials, and engages members in its activities. Seeing the effects of climate change reinforced to me the value of giving a bequest to Friends of Casco Bay. A bequest is a long-term investment, and climate change is a long-term issue.
Curtis Bohlen
Friends of Casco Bay’s work is of inestimable value. Their 28-year data record on Casco Bay is probably the best in the country. They share their work with others, which has shaped conversations about how to protect water quality in the Bay for a generation.
Jennifer Fox
As the years go by, my husband and I continue to be more and more impressed by the Board and staff of Friends of Casco Bay. They support one another in such genuine ways and they truly live and breathe the organization’s mission. We’re so lucky to have them watching over our Bay.
Nini McManamy
Maine has a long-standing tradition of citizen activism. People were receptive to our message of improving and protecting the environmental health of Casco Bay. Friends of Casco Bay has kept the health of the Bay on the front burner.
Wyman Briggs
Friends of Casco Bay is an honest broker willing to work with both the marine industry and the environmental community. Their work is important because it is science-based, and they raise issues that need to be addressed here in Casco Bay.
Dick Ingalls
Any body of water with a major metropolitan area needs somebody to assure that the water does not become a dump for refuse. Friends of Casco Bay fulfills this service admirably. I have been in the practice of promoting industrial uses of the Bay and appreciate the doggedness of Friends of Casco Bay in working with industry to protect the Bay and work together.
Bill Needelman
Friends of Casco Bay is a willing partner who we can trust to look into problems. Seeing the Baykeeper boat on the water, and seeing their staff and leadership presence in the room when it matters, they are a local reliable presence on issues of water quality. Friends of Casco Bay is a trusted source of information and advocacy.
Rick Frantz
One of the many things I am amazed about Friends of Casco Bay is how such a small staff can accomplish so much for so many. We all depend on this work, and Casco Bay is so special.
Joseph Payne
Casco Bay means life: economic life, recreational life, quality of life, marine life. Friends of Casco Bay “listens” to the water and does the things that are appropriate for our communities. I hope Friends of Casco Bay will be here for decades to come.
Richard Nelson
As a lobsterman and member of the Maine Ocean and Coastal Acidification partnership, one of the things I appreciate about Friends of Casco Bay is that their work is supported by the community and driven by the needs of the Bay, not by distant funding sources that change their priorities year to year.
Michael Herz
The Baykeeper program focuses attention on the science of pollution and raises the consciousness of the citizens. The no-discharge area protection that was instigated by Friends of Casco Bay is worth its weight in gold.
Bill Green
Casco Bay is our lifeblood. Casco Bay is what we are as a region. People live where they live for a reason. We’re all here because of Casco Bay.
Eddie Woodin
Friends of Casco Bay is the canary in the mine. Friends of Casco Bay’s science is the key to understanding Maine’s ocean warming with global implications.
Tom Allen
The grassroots gathering of information that Friends of Casco Bay does is vital to people who are worried about what is going on in Casco Bay. It’s grassroots, locally-driven environmental activism at its best.
Pamela Parker
The value of Friends of Casco Bay is that they provide a consolidated and coordinated holistic perspective on Bay waterfront advocacy. Friends of Casco Bay shows people that their personal actions have an impact.
Anna Marie Thron
Friends of Casco Bay has been a consistent, persistent, but non-controversial voice for the Bay for thirty years.
Tom Snyder
We give to Friends of Casco Bay every year because we belong to the Bay and it to us.
Nancy West
Friends of Casco Bay is collecting scientific data that is vitally important to understanding the changes going on in the Bay. People want to know what is going on in the Bay and Friends of Casco Bay is providing solid scientific data over time — people don’t want squishy answers.
Charles Poole
Friends of Casco Bay is hands on and action-oriented—not just talk. Friends goes out and works, with the right knowledge and equipment, while engaging the community. We only have one Casco Bay, let’s take care of it.
Ellen Goodman
My friendship with Casco Bay begins on my porch on a tidal cove, watching the tide come in and out with a predictable and reassuring regularity. I have spent more contented hours here than probably anywhere on earth. The water is home to the lobsters and mackerel and stripers and seals and birds and shellfish who depend on us to be the stewards, not just the passive observers of our waterway. How lucky we are to have these Friends, these guardians to lead the way.
Ford Reiche
The overwhelming issues of climate change and pollution affect where we all work, live and play, and may end up being the greatest threats the world has faced. Neither individuals nor government can tackle this alone. Friends of Casco Bay does more than its share of the leg work, and brings scientific data to the forefront for the benefit of us all. This is very important work on the front lines of the action.
Don Witherill
Congratulations to Friends of Casco Bay for 30 years of stewardship for one of Maine’s most treasured resources! In addition to your outreach and advocacy work, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection is grateful for the strong partnership we have had with Friends over the years, monitoring the water quality of the Bay. Here’s to the next 30!
Julie Rosenbach
Friends of Casco Bay is distinguished by connecting work on the Bay with community policy, practices and experiences. Friends of Casco Bay provides essential science and data on the health of the Bay AND links the science and data to community practices and policies. It’s not just the science, it is the link to advocacy.
Scott Firmin & Carrie Lewis
Through a collaborative approach with Friends of Casco Bay, we have been able to make a positive difference in the health of Casco Bay. We appreciate that Friends of Casco Bay is willing to take the time to understand our challenges and work together.
