Ecology and the Saco River
Ten thousand years ago, receding glaciers shaped the complex river systems in the Wabanaki region that is now Maine. As the ice melted and the land rebounded, birch, spruce, and cedar trees took root, providing the materials needed to build birch bark canoes that were perfectly suited to navigating the rivers. This was the most fundamental type of reciprocal forest management—harvesting older trees for canoes while making room for the next generation of trees to grow in the newly bright space where the elders once stood.
The Saco River became a vital link between coastal areas and the interior, facilitating travel in all directions. The river also played a critical role in connecting the land to the ocean, creating unique habitats for wildlife and serving as migration routes for sea-run fish like Atlantic salmon and alewives. These fish brought nutrients inland, providing food for animals such as otters and eagles and for Wabanaki people alike. The Saco river watershed was also the key to traveling west of what is now Maine, (towards Lake Winnipesaukee/the Connecticut river) as well as toward points south. There is a notable story about Penobscot Chief Loron, who traveled during the summer of 1750 by canoe from his home in Penobscot to Boston, then making his way north to Quebec before returning to Penobscot and making his way back once more to Boston.
By 1825, mills began to line the Saco and Biddeford riverbanks, polluting the water and leading to the construction of dams. Today, there are 14 dams on the Saco River and over 1,000 across Maine. Many of these dams no longer serve their original purpose of powering mills, but they continue to block the migration paths of fish, contributing to population declines and disrupting ecosystems and traditional Wabanaki ways of life.
Key species like Atlantic salmon, herring, and alewives found themselves facing polluted waters and walled off from the destinations to which they had traveled for generations. As their numbers declined, the continued demand for their meat led to industrial overfishing. No longer a reciprocal process—benefiting the land, water, and air—this journey is a dead end for most wild fish. Maine’s native fish populations are now unsustainable, and the state's ponds and rivers are artificially stocked. These fish are often contaminated with mercury and other toxins, with state guidelines warning against consuming freshwater catches. While efforts to remove dams are slowly underway, as seen with the successful breaching of the Edwards Dam on the Kennebec, restoring rivers is a slow, delicate process. The Bar Mills Hydro Project on the Saco River is currently studying the impact of decommissioning, but it will be years before decisions are made. Dismantling dams will reshape the landscape, and many homeowners are resistant due to concerns about losing waterfront property.
The Wabanaki people continue to fight for their fishing and water rights. The Penobscots sued the state of Maine when the paper mills polluted the Penobscot River. The Penobscot tribe has had a long-standing legal battle, starting back when Janet Mills was the Attorney General. The Passamaquoddy are fighting for clean water and have to get permission from the state in order to build a well to have clean water. Sipayik is still left with polluted waters and people there cannot drink from the faucet.
This research was compiled as part of The Inclusive Walking Tour, which took place in Biddeford on October 27, 2024. For more information about this walk, click here.
For more research related to this area, click on the tags below. To download a hi-res version of the posters below for educational use, please contact where@atlanticblackbox.com.
This walk was a collaboration between Community Change Inc., Biddeford Saco area Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), Heart of Biddeford, the City of Biddeford, and Atlantic Black Box.