The Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed (Friends) was established in 2001 to “Protect & Improve the 28 Lakes & Streams of the Cobbossee Watershed”, a 217-mile drainage basin located in the Kennebec Valley of central Maine.

In 2002 the Friends began operations by launching the “OTTER”, a 20’ pontoon boat that sold ice cream while providing education and outreach to hundreds of lake residents.  Today, the “OTTER II” plies the waters of 11 lakes during the summer while making numerous appearances at community fairs, parades and festivals.  The annual “Friends on the 4th” 5K, started in 2003, attracted 436 entries in 2007, making it the largest road race held in central Maine.

Innovative approaches like this have resulted in phenomenal growth of our programs.  Our year-round environmental education offerings annually teach over 600 elementary and middle school students “why” we must protect our precious watershed by getting kids out of the classroom and into the natural world for a real life experience to complement the science base they acquire in class.

Utilizing the OTTER II as a “floating classroom”, summer programs like “Tadpole Patrol” and “Slow-the-Flow PlayDays” provide an additional 600+ area youth with an interactive, hands-on experience on water quality issues.  During the summer, the Friends also employ 25-30 area high school students who are achieving some real results against the major threats facing our watershed: non-point source (NPS) pollution and invasive aquatic plants (IAP).

• Our “Lake-Smart-Start!” and “Slow-the-Flow” programs are staffed by 12 Youth Conservation Corps members who combat the sources of NPS pollution.  Since 2003, YCC members have completed 113 projects on 14 different water bodies of the Cobbossee Watershed, protecting over 3 miles of fragile shoreline.

• Our “MilFoiler” program employs another dozen or more Courtesy Boat Inspectors who inspect boats and educate the public on the dangers of IAP’s at area boat launches.  Started in 2003 with 400 inspections at four area launches, Friends CBI’s inspected over 7,000 boats at eight public launch sites in 2007.

With an engaged membership of 5,500+, support from the local businesses community and grants from established foundations like the Unity Foundation, L.L. Bean and the Davis Conservation Foundation, the Friends are galvanizing community support for the protection of this vital natural resource.

For more information, please visit our website, www.watershedfriends.com.