Headwaters

Headwaters started in Maine in 2000. Since then, we have removed over 50 dams and other barriers to fish passage, reconnecting hundreds of miles of river and stream habitat to the sea.

Thanks to the work of ASF and our partners, native sea-run fish populations are experiencing a remarkable recovery. The work that ASF does to restore and re-open these rivers for endangered Atlantic salmon also helps several other species of fish, such as brook trout, American eel, American shad, alewife, blueback herring, and sea lamprey, as well as myriad wildlife species in the freshwater, estuarine, and marine environments.

Before Headwaters began, it was estimated that 90% of the habitat historically used by Atlantic salmon was blocked by dams. Despite our success, there are miles and miles to go before we rest.

Here are some of the most recent Headwaters projects in Maine:

In early 2023, ASF received a $7.5 million USD grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service for several barrier removal and habitat restoration projects in the Piscataquis, Pleasant, Passadumkeag, and Mattawamkeag Rivers of the Penobscot River watershed.

This work will build on the tremendous success of the Penobscot River Restoration Project by removing more than 30 barriers to fish passage on these critically important salmon rivers in the next few years. These projects will reconnect 300-miles of stream and river habitat to the sea, along with 10,000 acres of lakes and ponds. The work will involve local contractors and professional service firms, contributing significantly to employment and the economy of rural communities across Maine.

The construction of a new Alaska steep-pass fish ladder at the Branch Pond Dam is the third and final major project in the Sheepscot River watershed undertaken by ASF over the last decade. Branch Pond and its cold-water feeder streams are the headwaters of the West Branch of the Sheepscot River. The Sheepcot supports the southernmost locally adapted stock of endangered Atlantic salmon in the U.S. At 320 acres, Branch Pond is the fourth largest pond in the entire watershed and the only sizable pond in the entirety of the West Branch, making it a high priority site for fish passage for alewives, American eel, brook trout, and Atlantic salmon. ASF previously removed the Coopers Mills Dam in Whitefield in 2018 and partially removed the Head Tide Dam in Alna in 2019. Altogether, these three projects addressed the most significant barriers in the watershed, significantly improving fish passage to 167 miles of rivers and streams and 1,250 acres of lake and pond habitat, and fully reconnecting the entire West Branch of the Sheepscot to the Gulf of Maine.

Maranda Nemeth is the manager of Maine Headwaters. Maranda grew up in Pittsburgh and graduated from Allegheny College in 2012 with a major in Environmental Science and minor in Spanish. She worked for several years as a scientist in the engineering and construction field and previously coordinated urban restoration stewardship projects prior to moving to Maine in 2018.

Maranda was hired by the Atlantic Salmon Federation to be the manager of the Maine Headwaters Project in 2019. In this role, Maranda leads a team of stakeholders to advance and implement fish passage projects across Maine. Maranda was recognized for this work by National Marine Fisheries Service as the recipient of the 2021 Partner in the Spotlight Award for recovery of endangered Atlantic salmon.