Fish Happenings
Where are the fish?
May 17--The sun is shining, the fish ladder is black with thousands upon thousands of alewives, and the lilacs are in bloom. It is surely spring in Damariscotta Mills!Today there will be great viewing at both the bottom and top of the fish ladder. (Scroll down for directions to the fish ladder).
See Events calendar for information about the 5th Annual Fish Ladder Restoration Festival!ReVision Energy chooses the Fish Ladder Restoration for “Check in for Charity”
Please help the fish ladder raise $500! Visit ReVision Energy’s website – www.revisionenergy.com – and vote for the fish ladder in the "Check in for Charity" section. Each vote provides $1 for the restoration. There is nothing to buy – just vote!
ReVision Energy, with locations in Liberty and Portland, Maine and Exeter New Hampshire, is one of the state’s largest and most innovative installers of solar hot water and solar electricity systems.
Directions to the Fish Ladder
From Route 1 heading north, take the Damariscotta exit to Business Route 1. Go straight at the stop sign just past the Congregational Church. Take Route 215 north for approximately 1.6 miles. Look for a parking area just past the Austin Road on the left. Or, take the next left into the Fish House parking lot. Follow the path behind the fish house and you are there. Coming south on Route 1, take the Damariscotta exit and take a right on Rt 215 across from the Louis Doe Home Center. The parking lots decribed above are about 1.3 miles on the left.
Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder Group helps local catsFifteen cats were abandoned in the Mills last winter and, sadly, they had to be trapped and brought to the Humane Society early this spring. Congratulations to the fish ladder group, who raised $120 for the Shelter to help defray costs!
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant - help us meet our match!
We were awarded a $92,500 matching grant in November, 2011 to continue our restoration work. We must raise $116,000 in matching funds to qualify for this grant. As of May, 2012, we are close to raising the required amount. Please help us complete the matching requirements!
Help us "meet our match" and continue the restoration efforts by donating online (Support Us section of this website) or send a check! Please send your tax deductible gifts to: Nobleboro Historical Society P.O. Box 122 Nobleboro, Maine 04555
We can now accept gifts of appreciated stock - please contact us for the details.
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Welcome to historic Damariscotta Mills, Maine – home of the state's oldest and most productive Alewife fishery. Help support the restoration efforts and sponsor a stone, boulder, wall, weir or pool. Restoration of the fish ladder is critical to the health of the Damariscotta River alewife stocks. Alewives are an important part of the food chain and they contribute to the health of the marine environment and to the lakes and streams where the fish spawn. In the spring, alewives are a critical source of fresh bait for local lobstermen who are setting out gear after a winter ashore. The Towns of Newcastle & Nobleboro have harvested alewives since the 1700s and, by balancing conservation and economic goals, they have carefully tended the Damariscotta River alewife stocks. Today, all funds received for harvested alewives are spent to maintain and restore the fish ladder and harvesting area.
