Advisory Council & Working Groups
Restoring the Kennebec Together
The Trust and its partners are committed to working collaboratively with municipalities, businesses, Tribal Nations, agencies, riverside property owners, nonprofits, and communities throughout the restoration and development process. This will include consideration of a range of important issues, from flood risk reduction and energy infrastructure to outdoor recreation and property redevelopment opportunities.
To accomplish this, the Trust and its partners have established an Advisory Council and Working Groups, which will help ensure a diverse suite of perspectives, knowledge, and interests are incorporated into the Trust’s approach and decisions.
Purpose of the Advisory Council & Working Groups
The Advisory Council and Working Groups will provide a transparent mechanism for local communities and interested groups to build shared understanding around the Trust’s proposed actions and help guide its decisions. They will achieve this purpose in two primary ways:
Engage
Creating opportunities for public engagement with key audiences to understand the issues, concerns, and opportunities arising from river restoration and redevelopment.
Advise
Synthesizing community feedback and crafting recommendations to help guide the Kennebec River Restoration Trust board and leadership decision-making process.
Advisory Council and Working Group members are not asked to build public support or advocate on the Trust’s behalf, nor to promote or defend Trust decisions, but rather to help support the authentic and honest exchange of information with communities about the project and its potential impacts and options.
Advisory Council Members
Working Groups
Much of the substantive work will occur in technical Working Groups, which will be focused on detailed topics relating to decommissioning, redevelopment and restoration plans, along with other Trust activities to restore the river’s ecological health and strengthen the region’s economic vitality.
Working Groups will have clear objectives and work plans, with products tailored to the unique needs of their topics. Recommendations from the Working Groups will be brought to the Trust for potential integration into the decommissioning, redevelopment, and restoration planning process. An initial set of Working Groups will include:
- Municipal Revenue
- Riverside Property Impacts
- Redevelopment Opportunities
- Energy Generation and Storage
- Public Access and Recreation
- Sense of Place
Other potential topics may include: Forest Products, Invasive Species Management, Long-term Land Stewardship, Flood Risk Reduction, and others.
Information about Working Group activities and engagement opportunities will be shared here as it becomes available.
