Friends of Casco Bay Home

Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival Comes to Maine

The largest environmental film festival in the U.S. is coming to Maine! Click here for more info about this event.

Watch that Bus!
As you are strolling the streets of Portland, keep an eye out for Friends of Casco Bay’s newly-launched ad campaign, “What a difference a Bay makes." This ad, designed for us pro-bono by Swardlick Marketing Group of Portland, appears on the rear of two natural gas METRO buses. The goal of the campaign is to remind Portlanders that Casco Bay is what makes this place so special – and to let them know that Friends of Casco Bay is working hard to protect the Bay for us all.

Spot the bus in town? Let us know where you saw it and what you thought!

YardScaping Demonstration

A new landscaping project has taken over a section of Portland's Back Cove trail. This low-impact landscaping method is modeled after Friends of Casco Bay's BayScaping program. Learn more about this project and watch a video here.

Track Your Water Usage and Save Big Bucks
Are you trying to cut back on water use around the house this summer? These tips can help both the environment and your bottom line during the hot months.

Help Friends of Casco Bay Win $4,000!
We are excited to announce that Friends of Casco Bay has been selected as one of five local nonprofits to participate in Patagonia’s “Voice Your Choice” competition. We were chosen for our outstanding work to protect our local environment - and YOU can help Friends of Casco Bay win a $4,000 grant from Patagonia!

Visit the Patagonia Outlet in Freeport (9 Bow Street) between June 10 and July 19 to:
- Learn about the five nonprofit nominees and the work we’re doing to protect our local environment
- Find out how you can get involved in issues you care about
- Vote for Friends of Casco Bay!

We will host a booth at the Patagonia store on Saturday, July 12, to meet people and describe our work. Drop by and say hello! Click here to learn more about Voice Your Choice and to get store directions and hours.

Donate to Friends of Casco Bay

You can help protect Casco Bay by making a secure online donation.

Donate Your Boat

Friends of Casco Bay has launched a boat donation program to support our marine stewardship work. Should you ever contemplating selling your boat, we invite you to consider donating it to Friends of Casco Bay.

Donating your boat gives you several advantages over selling it, including giving you considerable tax savings, eliminating costs of boat ownership like storage and maintenance, and affording you the satisfaction that your donation will help protect the waters we all enjoy.

To learn more about how our boat donation program could work for you, please click here or contact Will Everitt at 207-799-8574.

Casco Bay Tide Charts
Click here to access tide charts for the Bay.

Our Mission

Friends of Casco Bay is the leading environmental organization working to improve and protect the environmental health of Casco Bay. Our work involves education, advocacy, water quality monitoring programs, and collaborative partnerships. Learn more about our work here.

Advocacy Update: what we've been working on
Sewage Disposal for a New Development on Harbor Island
Casco BAYKEEPER® Joe Payne recently commented on a proposal to develop a 34-unit residential hotel condominium on Great Diamond Island, where developers propose to use the existing overboard discharge system for sewage treatment. He told the Portland Planning Board that we would prefer that the entire Great Diamond Island community find a more effective method of sewage treatment, than the existing, antiquated sand filter system, which is more than 20 years old. The installation of Overboard Discharge System has been banned by regulators since 1987. Read Joe's letter to the Portland Planning Department here.

EPA End Run
Joe Payne contacted Senator Olympia Snowe about the EPA’s uncharacteristically fast-tracked rulemaking to control stormwater runoff from construction projects, a significant pollution source. Basically, the agency has been drafting rules to put into place by the end of this year that would exempt any regulation of rainwater runoff from a site after construction is finished. The truncated schedule, moved up from three years to two years, also reduces the opportunity for scientific and public input. Read Joe's letter to Senator Snow here.