As part of the Maine Healthy Beaches program, Coastal Rivers volunteers take weekly water samples at Pemaquid Beach, the Bristol Mills swimming hole, and the beach at Biscay Pond during the summer months. This service for the towns of Bristol and Damariscotta helps ensure that beaches are safe for swimming.

The samples are sent off to a state-certified lab, which ensures consistent and reliable data. In recent years, all three beaches have consistently been very clean, with minimal bacterial contamination.

A Healthy Beaches training for new volunteers will take place on Thursday, May 22 from 9 a.m. to noon at Coastal Rivers’ Denny Conservation and Education Center at Round Top Farm in Damariscotta. Participants will get some background about the program and practice taking water samples as well as collecting and recording data.

Participants do not need to commit to sampling every week; they will have the opportunity to sign up for dates and times that work for them.

Volunteers must be 16 or older. Registration for the training is required at coastalrivers.org/events.

Coastal Rivers is a non-profit, member-supported, nationally accredited land trust caring for the lands and waters of the Damariscotta-Pemaquid Region by conserving special places, protecting water quality, creating trails and public access, and deepening connections to nature through education programs. For more information, email info@coastalrivers.org or visit coastalrivers.org.