Join the fun with volunteers and Staff Naturalists from Ferry Beach Ecology School for the 11th Annual Saco River Canoe- & Cleanup! Bring your canoe, kayak or skiff and join the flotilla and collect the trash along the river banks. The event is an annual fundraiser for Ferry Beach Ecology School and kicks off National River Clean Up Week.



Canoe-A-Thon Schedule:

• 8:30 am: Registration & Safety Check: Starbucks Coffee and refreshments, in addition to pre-launch registration at the public boat launch on Front Street, Saco. We'll have a safety check prior to launch.
• 9 am — Noon: River Clean Up: Canoe launch and paddle south to the docks at Bay Avenue, Camp Ellis. Low tide is at noon.
• Noon: Group photo Collected trash weigh-in and group photo with trash heap!
  
• 12:30 to 1:30 pm Barbecue Lunch: Barbecue lunch and awards in the Grove picnic area at Ferry Beach Ecology School.

How To Particpate:
Paddlers (BYOBoat)
Grab your canoe, kayak or skiff and join the clean up effort. We’ll provide pre-paddle coffee and snacks, garbage bags, and post-paddle barbecue lunch. We’ll also provide event day shuttles back to your car at the put-in, or you may opt for one of our event day drivers to shuttle your car down to the take out point at the river mouth.

Sign Up HERE so we know you're coming

A-Thon
This year, we will be asking participants to collect support via pledges for our clean-up crews. When you register for the event and you will receive a pledge sheet. The money you collect will provide scholarship opportunities for children and adults to participate in Ferry Beach Ecology School residential environmental education programs. Prizes will be awarded for the person with the most money collected, and for the person who gets the most number of pledges. Colorful costumes and attire are encouraged, and there will also be a prize for best costume! Click here for a pledge sheet.

Donor (donate as much you can!)
Can’t join us for the big day but want to support our effort? Donate snacks or prizes for the volunteers, or make a Tax-free donation to the Ecology School and help support our 2010 Program Fund which help bring more students to the FBES campus for hands-on learning on the coast of Maine.

The Course
We’ll meet at the Public Boat Launch on Front Street in Saco (just south of Pepperell Square, past the train overpass bridge) and paddle with the tide south to Camp Ellis. Captain Carl C.H. Lagerstrom and others will be cruising the river as our safety boat patrol. All trash collected will be hauled out at the boat launch in Camp Ellis. Shuttle service will be available to bring paddlers back to their cars up river.

Looks like a blast, right? So now it’s time for you to sign up and register!

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Our sincere thanks to everyone who is making this year’s event possible including: Carl Walsh at Biddeford Recreation Department ; Marisa Stam and the Starbucks Coffee staff who provide the caffeine and enthusiastic volunteer effort; Mark Lorello & everyone at Saco Department of Public Works for helping us dispose of the collected debris; Barbara Gulino and Whole Foods Market for a terrifc post-paddle lunch; Captain Carl Lagerstrom of Bare Knee Point Kayak Rentals for his humor, time and dedication to keeping our paddlers safe and the river clean!

If you have an interest in particpating as a volunteer or sponsor, please contact Maureen Duggan at 207-632-5374 or e-mail her at maureen@fbes.org!

Questions about our event? Call Maureen Duggan at 207-283-9951 or e-mail her at maureen@fbes.org

Check out photos from past years

PRESS INFORMATION:

Press Release HERE