Upstream is making changes and revisions in how things will be done this spring. Following the CDC guidelines, instead of hosting organized gatherings and events, it is encouraging folks to get outside and discover spring using safe physical distancing.

Cobbossee Stream Photo courtesy of Upstream

50th Anniversary of Earth Day
• Upstream is encouraging the community to clean up the earth wherever you may be, either inside or out, along the stream, out for a quiet stroll, in your backyard or in your bedroom to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22. Pick up, declutter, make the earth sparkle. Upstream will follow CDC guidelines and will not have an organized shout out and stream clean up this year to ensure Earth lovers are safe and healthy. Please send Upstream a picture of your efforts at upstreamcobbossee@gmail.com. Photos  will be posted on Upstream’s Facebook page.

Still Happening
• Wishes for Fishes Outdoor Community Art Show will be held May 2 through May 31. Celebrate World Fish Migration Day at Gardiner Waterfront Park along Steamboat Lane. Welcome home returning sea-run fish to the Kennebec River and Cobbossee Stream and explore the beautiful park and trail as you view the art and wishes for the little fishes from children from area Kennebec Valley communities.

These 20 art prints tell the story of a river, its people and how sea-run fish play a vital role in the ecological health of the Gulf of Maine and the Kennebec Watershed from a child’s perspective. Enjoy the exhibit, respecting 6-feet physical distancing to ensure one another’s good health.

• The peaceful, restorative beauty of the stream is always available to us with a simple stroll down Harrison Avenue Nature Trail in downtown Gardiner. Sitting stream side or picnicking under the grand old red oaks gives a whole new quieting perspective, as you watch the ebbs and swirls moving back upon themselves flowing ever onward to the sea. Watch this short clip of the cascading stream and remember on youtube https://youtube/s8sgJdqRygQ.
Pick up Upstream’s natural history brochure, Life along Cobbossee Stream at Cobbossee Community Kiosk at the Harrison Avenue Nature Trailhead to learn more about the stream and its wild inhabitants.

Migration Exploration
• An astounding 56 species of birds (19 different warblers) and thousands of alewives were seen last year from the Harrison Avenue Nature Trail in Gardiner to become a 2019 Kennebec birding hotspot and the go-to place to observe river herring on Cobbossee Stream. Park at the New Mills Dam parking lot on Cobbossee Avenue in Gardiner for this 1-mile hike. Bring a pair of binoculars and a phone to connect to the QR code signposts along the trail to learn about the history and wildlife on the stream. At this time the migration walks are self guiding. Please practice safe physical distancing.

• Cobbossee Stream Fish Passage Restoration meetings continue with a videoconference in April with Acadia Civil Works to review fish passage designs for Gardiner Paperboard Dam and New Mills Dam. Joe McLean will gather input from the stakeholders to better refine the analysis for successful passage for the fish and our communities.

For more information, email Tina Wood at UpstreamCobbossee@gmail.com.