Welcome to the website of the York River Stewardship Committee, which was formed in 2023 and includes appointees from Eliot, Kittery, South Berwick, and York. The committee is tasked with implementing the York River Watershed Stewardship Plan and the national Partnership Wild and Scenic River designation for York River.
Please note: the Stewardship Committee inherited this website from the York River Study Committee, which created and administered the site from 2016 to mid-2023. Expect a redesign of this site in 2024. For now, Stewardship Committee information is contained on this home page, and the Stewardship Committee’s meeting agendas and minutes are posted on the Documents & Notes page of the site. Content on the rest of the site was developed prior to river designation and formation of the Stewardship Committee.
Contact the York River Stewardship Committee: Email Jennifer Hunter (coordinator)
York River Stewardship Committee monthly meeting: Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. Location TBD soon. Contact Jennifer Hunter for more information.
WHAT’S NEW
News Center Maine’s ‘207’ feature on York River
Coordinator hired: The Stewardship Committee selected Jennifer Hunter as its York River Watershed Program Coordinator. She started in mid-October. READ MORE
River Designation celebrated: On June 1, Congresswoman Pingree joined the York River Study Committee, York River watershed community members, National Park Service representatives, Friends of the York River, town officials, and others to celebrate designation of the York River into the national Wild and Scenic Rivers Program. Representatives for Senator King and Senator Collins joined the Congresswoman in making remarks at the celebratory event. READ THE PRESS RELEASE
Information about York River & Partnership Wild and Scenic River designation:
- Learn about climate resiliency and adaptation measures: York River and Climate Change poster
- York River is one of 228 rivers designated into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (and just one of 18 Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers). Learn more about Wild and Scenic rivers on rivers.gov.
- Read more about what makes York River special: Poster on York River’s outstanding resources
- The York River Watershed Stewardship Plan was the culmination of over 30 months of work by the York River Study Committee to gather information about the York River and its watershed. An accompanying “Story Map” – or online tour – provides highlights, maps and data from the Stewardship Plan.
- See the York River Study Committee’s Designation Recommendation Overview. All four watershed communities endorsed river designation and the Stewardship Plan in late 2018.
Towns that are part of the 33 square mile York River watershed |
Dams (or remnants of past dams) in the watershed, including historic dams originally built to harness the river’s power for saw and grist mills |
Species of fish found in tidal habitats during a 2001 study of the York River |
Miles of streams and rivers in the York River watershed |
Acres of salt marsh in the York River estuary that capture and store carbon and provide valuable habitat for many species |
The year the first dam was built in the watershed |