Dear Friend of the Allagash,
I hope our Annual Appeal letter finds you, family, and friends safe and well. We live in a time of health and economic uncertainty, and if this has struck you or anyone close to you, the board of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation (AWWF) wishes a speedy recovery. As 2020 comes to a close, we look to a brighter future and want to share our ongoing priorities.
First, a few positive reflections on 2020: the Waterway celebrated the 50th anniversary of its designation as a National Wild and Scenic River; this spring, in partnership with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, the AWWF initiated the Allagash Natural Resource Inventory and Monitoring Project; and, in June we published Allagash Explorer – A Take-Along Companion for Maine’s Wilderness Waterway.
Significantly, the Great American Outdoors Act, passed by Congress in July 2020, fully funds the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, the fund that supported land acquisition of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in 1966. We thank Maine’s Congressional Delegation for their support of this landmark legislation.
The place we hold most dear is, of course, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, and in 2021 we will continue to invest in the Waterway and its nearby communities. Our priorities are:
-Natural Resources Inventory and Monitoring Project ($50,000)
–Youth on the Allagash, three 3 day – 2 night middle school student trips on the Waterway ($15,000)
–Canoeing and Water Safety Day Camp, a pilot project for 4–6 grade youth in the St. John River Valley ($5,000)
-Classroom to River, supporting middle school curriculum development in the St. John River Valley school districts ($5,000)
–Allagash Explorer incorporated into a downloadable app map/guide of the Allagash in partnership with the Northern Forest Canoe Trail ($1,000)
-First Light Learning Journey, a bridge between the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet and Micmac Communities and Maine conservation organizations
-Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation’s 10-year anniversary!
Our 2020 Annual Appeal fundraising goal is $20,000. Your gift allows us to leverage additional corporate donations and foundation grants. This year, we are pleased to offer a copy of the Allagash Explorer to every donor who contributes $125 or more.
You may also help advance our work by purchasing as Holiday Gifts copies of Allagash Explorer and Wicked Joe Organic Coffee’s Allagash Blend.
Please help us meet our goal. Your contribution and continued support of the AWWF helps fulfill the promise of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.
Thank you,
Bob McIntosh, President
