Friends of the Presumpscot River

Board of Directors

Sandy Cort - Sandra Cort is a founding board member and treasurer of the Friends of the Presumpscot River. She served as an active member of the Friends team working on the 25 year Federal Energy Regulatory Commission dam relicensing process. Sandra served on the Advisory Board of the Environmental Health Strategy Center and was an active volunteer in the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine. She served  on board of the Learning Disabilities Association of Maine and a past president of LDAME.  She served on the board of the Learning Disabilities Association of America as treasurer and second Vice President.

Fiona Hopper - Fiona has worked in public education since 2005. Currently, she is the Social Studies Teacher Leader and Wabanaki Studies Coordinator for the Portland Public Schools. She is working in collaboration with advisors from all Indigneous communities in what is now called Maine to develop a prek-12 Wabanaki Studies curriculum that will allow Portland to fulfill the 2001 law requiring Wabanaki Studies to be taught in all Maine schools. Fiona fell in love with Presumpscot when she and her colleagues were developing a unit that focuses on protecting the Presumpscot River watershed. After many long walks along the river and many talks, Fiona was hooked. She lives near Back Cove in Portland with her son who loves the Presumpscot, too!

Nancy Litrocapes - Nancy became a board member of FOPR after serving in the capacity of Outreach Coordinator in 2019.  Though originally from the Chicago area, Nancy has lived in downtown Westbrook along the river for over a decade and takes every opportunity to swim, paddleboard, kayak and fly fish in the Presumpscot.  Formerly, Nancy was a department chair of World Languages and taught French Language and Culture.  Presently, she is employed by MaineHealth in the domain of workforce development for equity and inclusion.  Nancy is routinely engaged in entrepreneurial endeavors on the side.  

Nancy is a loving mom, an appointee to the City of Westbrook Planning Board, a member of the Design Committee for Discover Downtown Westbrook, and serves as treasurer of the condo association where she lives.  Nancy has a BA in Anthropology/Sociology and a post-baccalaureate in 3-dimensional art from Knox College, and an MSEd from University of Southern Maine.  Nancy has lived in both France and China and is a francophone.

Will Plumley - Will Plumley is co-founder and past president of Friends of the Presumpscot River, co-founder and former chair of the Presumpscot River Watershed Coalition for 11 years, current Advisory Council member and past vice president of Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, and a former board member of Northern Forest Canoe Trail. In his home town of Windham, Will has served as vice-chair of the Comprehensive Planning Committee, chair of the Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee, and has been elected Town Moderator four times. All of the preceding as a volunteer, supporter and constructive team member. 

Will is a marketing professional who is currently an employee-owner and member of the Board of Directors of Ethos, a marketing agency along the Presumpscot in downtown Westbrook. His role is Digital Marketing Strategist for Ethos’ digital agency, VONT, where he now works exclusively with universities and colleges. Will has spent over 45 years in marketing and general management for manufacturing, nonprofit, publishing and service businesses in New York, Ohio and Maine - the past 19 years at Ethos|VONT. He has also facilitated strategic planning for fifteen businesses and non-profits, some of them twice. Since 1985, he and his wife, Rebecca, have lived along the Presumpscot River in an area rich in natural beauty and history. 

Doug Roncarati - Doug has a background in open space, conservation and environmental planning. He has a Master’s degree in Community Planning & Development, with a focus on land use and the environment, from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine. He has been a care & rehab volunteer with Massachusetts Audubon, served as Chairmen of the South Portland Conservation Commission and was Director of the South Portland Land Trust for a time.  He began his career with the City of Portland, Maine in 2003 as an intern with the Parks & Recreation Department, conducting a variety of parks-related inventories and providing technical support to the Portland Land Bank Commission.  In 2004 he was hired by the Department of Public Services as an Associate Engineer, where he participated in several mapping efforts including an island E911 address project and a stormwater outfall, storm drain and sewer mapping project.  Doug has been serving as Portland’s Stormwater Program Coordinator since 2009, which includes administration of the MS4 Permit program, watershed planning and water resources protection.  He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Presumpscot River, serving as Secretary.  Doug is also the Vice-Chair of the Long Creek Watershed Management District, a quasi-governmental body working with the communities and regulated landowners within the watershed to try to restore water quality in this heavily impacted stream. 

In his free time Doug enjoys birding, gardening, nature photography, paddling local waters, snow sculpting, games of all kinds, fantasy/science fiction and routing for his favorite sports teams.  His latest adventure is beekeeping, a hobby that is sure to challenge him for years to come.

Michael Shaughnessy - Michael is from Kansas City Missouri. He is married to Malory Shaughnessy together have four sons and four grandchildren. He moved to Maine in 1987 and has lived in multiple communities along the Presumpscot River. He is a faculty in Art at the University of Southern Maine. He is an artist known for  installations and sculptures primarily made of hay.  Michael is an entrepreneur with a small food business he runs with his son Theo. He has served on the Windham Town Council and and now serves as an at-large City Councilor of Westbrook.He is a founding member of the Friends of the Presumpscot River and currently serves as the President of the Board. He resides in the historic Conant Homestead. Here they support a small farm, and host many concerts and gatherings. It sits along the banks of the Presumpscot River within a short walk to Saccarappa Falls and downtown Westbrook.

William Douglas Smith

Peter Stuckey

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Zack Anchors - Zack Anchors is a licensed Maine Guide who has led wilderness trips throughout Maine and in many other parts of the world. He is co-founder and owner of Portland Paddle, a sea kayaking outfitter that offers guided trips, instruction and rentals. Zack also works as a teacher and freelance writer and serves on the Portland Parks Commission.

Zach Bennett – Zach Bennett is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Norwich University in Vermont. He earned his PhD from Rutgers University in Early American History. Originally from Falmouth, Maine, he has published essays on the role rivers played in the development of early America. Zach grew up on Highland Lake and learning about the history of conflicts over fish passage on the Presumpscot inspired him in his research journey. His writing, research, and teaching are firmly grounded in a belief that understanding the past is of crucial social and economic importance for individuals and communities.

Libby Bischof  - Libby Bischof is Professor of History and Executive Director, Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education at the University of Southern Maine.  She received her PhD in American History from Boston College (2005), and has been at USM since 2008, where she teaches courses on American History, Research Methods, Popular Culture, Maine History, and the History of Photography.  She is passionate about teaching and advising, enjoys working with local K-12 teachers and students, and frequently collaborates with the Maine Humanities Council and the Maine Historical Society. Professor Bischof was appointed by the Governor to the Maine State Museum Commission, and also serves on the board of the local preservation group Spirits Alive.  She is an avid reader, photographer, and letter writer and loves exploring Maine.  She resides in Gorham with her husband Steve and her son Gus.

Rachel Bouvier - Dr. Bouvier earned her PhD in Economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she focused on the relationship between economic development and environmental quality. She also holds a Master’s degree in Resource Economics and Community Development from the University of New Hampshire. In addition, Dr. Bouvier is founder and principal consultant at Rbouvier Consulting, an economic and sustainability consulting firm, and is Treasurer of the Board of Directors at GrowSmart Maine. Her research interests include economic resilience, sustainability, and community economic development. Dr. Bouvier was Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Southern Maine from 2005-2014 and has returned after a brief hiatus. She lives in Portland with her husband (Joel), daughter (Sylvia), and dog (Willie).Rachel is an Environmental Economist and faculty at the University of Southern Maine. She is chair of the USM Economics Department and a past FOPR Board member.

David Butler - David lives along the river in Windham and is a registered Master Maine Recreational Guide and owns and operates Maine Path & Paddle Guides. He has been a supporter for many years and has paddled the river many times. He has taken many groups down the length of the Presumpscot and on rivers across Maine.

Wynter Giddings - Wynter lives on the river in Westbrook on the Brown Street side. She is a librarian in Brunswick and is currently serving as President of the Maine Library Association. Since moving to Westbrook in 2018, she has spent a lot of time getting to know the river and the surrounding area on foot and from her kayak, and has become interested in learning about the history of the river and helping to protect its future.

Claudia King - Claudia has lived in Falmouth for 23 years and is an advocate for her town's open spaces and the river. When the tides are right, she enjoys floating down the last stretch of the Presumpscot River in her inner tube. Claudia led an effort to create and implement a Climate Action Plan for her town and is a past Falmouth Town Councilor. She is a long-time volunteer leader for the Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club and a long-time environmental activist.

Tracy Michaud - Tracy has lived most of her life in Maine.  She earned  her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh in 2002 and since then has been involved in community economic development in rural Maine and the North Atlantic focusing on  sustainable tourism. Tracy is an Assistant Professor and Chair of the Tourism and Hospitality Program at the University of Southern Maine. She is very interested in the symbiosis of tourism with other aspects of rural life such as river restoration. She lives in Scarborough with her husband and 3 daughters and regularly recreates on Maine's rivers.

Mihku Paul - Mihku is a first nations poet, visual artist, storyteller, and activist. She was born into the Maliseet Nation and she is a member of Kingsclear First Nation in New Brunswick, Canada. Mihku Paul currently resides in Portland Maine] where she teaches creative writing at the Maine Women Writers Collection at the University of New England.

Ciarán Shaughnessy – Ciaran grew up within walking distance to and spent much of his youth swimming, paddling, and fishing on the Presumpscot River. Although he no longer lives in Maine, Ciaran is still very much connected to the Presumpscot River, the fishes which inhabit it, and the mission and ongoings of the Friends. Ciaran is a biologist studying migratory fishes like lamprey, sturgeon, eel, shad, herring, trout, and salmon, and earned his Ph.D. from UMass Amherst, and has won postdoctoral fellowships from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. Currently, Ciaran is an Assistant Professor of Integrative Physiology at Oklahoma State University and serves on the governing boards of the Physiology Section of the American Fisheries Society and the International Society for Fish Endocrinology. Ciaran has contributed a chapter on the biology of the fishes of the Presumpscot River in the book “River Voices: Perspectives on the Presumpscot”, and occasionally gives public lectures for the Friends’ “River Talks” series.

Laura Wildman – Laura Wildman is a fisheries and water resources engineer with a passion for restoring rivers and reestablishing natural function and aquatic connectivity. She is a leading and internationally recognized expert in barrier removal and alternative fish passage techniques, and she has applied her expertise to hundreds of river restoration, fish passage, and dam removal projects. In addition to having 23 years of experience in the private sector, Laura spent eight years serving as Chief engineer for American Rivers, where she led dam removal efforts in the Northeast and lectured throughout the country on river restoration, dam removal, risk management for dams, and sustainable flood management. She is currently both a practice lead and Northeastern Highlands and Coastal Bioregion Leader for Biohabitats.

Staff

Whitney Rollins Conway – Outreach & Education Coordinator: foproutreachanded@gmail.com