Free Flowing Waters

Part of MOFF’s Community Currents Series, this panel discussion followed by an evening of short films will explore how science, experience and migratory fish are helping to inform our understanding of how to care for rivers.

Free Flowing Waters: What Migratory Fish Can Teach Us About River Health

Date: Friday, September 11, 2026
Rain date: Sunday, September 13, 2026
Venue Name: Outside at Riverbank Park
Parking: Parking spaces are available throughout the park itself, and public parking lots are located on either side of the park. Please adhere to any posted “no parking” signs.
Street Address: Main St, Westbrook, ME
Time: Panel discussion: 6:00PM, Film program: 7:00PM, Wrap 8:30PM.
Tickets: $10 suggested donation
Presented by: Discover Downtown Westbrook, Sebago Clean Waters and Friends of the Presumpscot River
Program notes:
– This is an outdoor screening so don’t forget warm clothes, bug dope, a blanket and/or a camp chair.

– There are plenty of great restaurant options if you’d like to grab takeout on your way to the screening:

Veranda Kitchen + Bar (Thai) 672 Main St
Casa Novello (Italian) 694 Main St
Angelone’s West (Pizza) 768 Main St
Stockhouse Restaurant & Sports Pub (American) 506 Main St

Event Schedule:

PANEL DISCUSSION – 6:00PM to 7:00PM*

Explore how science, experience and migratory fish are helping to inform our understanding of how to care for rivers.

• Moderator: Will Elting – Sebago Clean Waters. Will Elting is the Community Engagement manager for Sebago Clean Waters, an 11 member nonprofit collaborative focused on forest conservation in the Sebago Lake watershed. Will works to connect people in greater Portland to the landscapes and waterways that they rely on for clean drinking water, and builds partnerships with organizations and businesses around a shared passion for continued clean water access in our communities.
• Samantha Bengs – The Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Sam joined GMRI as a Research Associate in May of 2024 working in the Fisheries Ecology Lab. She received her BS in Biology from the University of Southern Maine in 2022, and is currently a Master’s student at USM. Her thesis is centered on using environmental DNA (eDNA) technology to assess the phenology and habit use of anadromous alewife and their zooplankton prey. At GMRI, Sam is involved with various ecosystem monitoring projects. With the addition of eDNA surveys into the Fisheries Ecology lab work, Sam also processes eDNA samples in the newly built molecular lab at GMRI.
• Colin Holme – Lakes Environmental Association. Colin graduated from the University of Maine after studying environmental science and oceanography. In 2018, Colin was promoted to executive director after years of working with the previous director on local and statewide lake issues. Before taking on this new role, Colin ran LEA’s water testing, mapping, and mitigation programs. He has been a lead coordinator for numerous watershed surveys and regularly works with municipal planning boards and staff to review large and small projects. He has coordinated and led GPS photo inventories, stream restoration projects, and created the official shoreland zoning maps for six surrounding towns. Colin has served on several state-appointed study and advisory groups and plays an active role in his hometown’s local government.
• Clara Franzoni– Presumpscot Regional Land Trust. Clara is serving an 11-month fellowship as a member of Greater Portland Council of Government’s Resilience Corps, an Americorps partnership. She recently earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire in both Environmental Conservation & Sustainability and International Affairs. Throughout her college career, she held environmental public outreach and naturalist roles with Connecticut State Parks and New Hampshire Sea Grant, as well as worked as an undergraduate research assistant at UNH’s Coastal Restoration and Resiliency Lab. She also studied abroad in New Zealand through the EcoQuest Centre, conducting field research on benthic invertebrates in local wetlands affected by flooding.
• Michael Shaughnessy – Friends of the Presumpscot River. Michael is from Kansas City Missouri. He is married to Malory Shaughnessy together have four sons and four grandchildren. He moved to Maine in 1987 and has lived in multiple communities along the Presumpscot River. He is a faculty in Art at the University of Southern Maine. He is an artist known for  installations and sculptures primarily made of hay.  Michael is an entrepreneur with a small food business he runs with his son Theo. He has served on the Windham Town Council and and now serves as an at-large City Councilor of Westbrook.He is a founding member of the Friends of the Presumpscot River and currently serves as the President of the Board. He resides in the historic Conant Homestead. Here they support a small farm, and host many concerts and gatherings. It sits along the banks of the Presumpscot River within a short walk to Saccarappa Falls and downtown Westbrook.

Panel subject to change*

FILM PROGRAM – 7:00PM to 8:15PM

• LOVE LETTER TO A WILD MAINE RIVER | 3 minutes | by Mihku Paul | from: Maine | Short synopsis: A poem written and read aloud by Mihku Paul, a multidisciplinary Indigenous artist and writer who grew up on a wild Maine river.
• NATIVE TO THE KLAMATH | 13.5 minutes | by Michael E Wier, Ben Galland | from: United States | Short synopsis: “Native to the Klamath” is a story told through the voices of the salmon people. The Klamath River is currently going through one of the largest transformations in history. Native to the Klamath intertwines environmental restoration, reconciliation ecology, social justice, and traditional ecological knowledge. Hear the story of this river renewal through the words of the Klamath River peoples who live by the sacred obligation of stewardship.
• THE ALEWIFE JOURNEY: A CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY | 16.2 minutes | by Frame Media | from: Maine | Short synopsis: Follow the incredible migration of alewives as they journey from Casco Bay up the Presumpscot River, navigating through Mill Brook to reach Highland Lake, offering a fascinating look at one of Maine’s most important seasonal wildlife events.
• KENNEBEC RISING | 24.25 minutes | by Derek Dodge | from: United States | Short synopsis: “Kennebec Rising” traces the historic transformation of a vital Maine river and the powerful restoration efforts shaping its free flowing future.
• STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: THE CROOKED RIVER SALMON STRONGHOLD | 17.05 minutes | by Erik Heumiller | from: Maine | Short synopsis: This is the story of the Edes Falls Dam removal on the Crooked River — and the plans, hopes, challenges, and partners that helped ensure miles of river remained accessible for wild landlocked salmon in Maine. The film explores the dam removal from multiple perspectives along the river, to foster a better understanding of these restoration efforts, as conservationists look upstream to what’s next.
• OLD LADIES AGAINST UNDERWATER GARBAGE | 15 minutes | by Liz McGregor | from: Maine | Short synopsis: Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage follows Susan Baur, the 85-year-old leader, and her crew of fearless women as they defy limits, protect the environment, and rediscover wonder and joy through water and community. A reminder that adventure and activism know no age.