Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation

08/28/2026

Norm L'Italien, owner of Pelletier's Campground in St. Francis, has outfitted and shuttled countless paddlers seeking adventure and solitude on one of Maine's most iconic rivers.

08/27/2026

Thank you to Norm for a long career serving the Allagash! 🛶

Norm L'Italien, owner of Pelletier's Campground in St. Francis, has outfitted and shuttled countless paddlers seeking adventure and solitude on one of Maine's most iconic rivers.

08/24/2026

50 Students. 10 Years on the Water. 🛶🌲

That’s a wrap on a historic 10th season of Youth on the Allagash! This spring and summer, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation put 50 students on the river across our High School Advanced Leadership Trip and our new 8th-Grade Program Expansion in the St. John Valley.

From mastering J-strokes to learning "Leave No Trace" wilderness ethics, these young paddlers stepped out of their comfort zones and connected with the pristine nature right in their backyards.

We are so proud of every single student who answered the call of the wild this season.

08/21/2026

We are thrilled to celebrate AWWF advisor Darren Ranco, who has been honored with the 2026 Presidential Public Engagement Achievement Award by the University of Maine! 🏆👏

As Professor of Anthropology, Chair of Native American Programs, and a Penobscot Nation citizen, Darren has dedicated his career to applying academic expertise toward meaningful public good. His vital work alongside Wabanaki Tribal Nations — focusing on environmental stewardship, cultural preservation, climate resilience, and land return — continues to make a profound impact across Maine and beyond.

Please join us in congratulating Darren on this well-deserved recognition! 🌲✨
Read more about the award and his impact here:

The University of Maine will honor five faculty members with its 2026 Presidential Awards, recognizing excellence in research, teaching, innovation, public engagement and extraordinary impact. This year’s recipients are: Mehdi Tajvidi, Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award. Darren R...

08/07/2026

Protecting the Heart of the North Maine Woods 🌲🐛

Our vast northern forests — and iconic regions like the Allagash, right at the heart of the North Maine Woods — face an ongoing threat from the destructive spruce budworm.

But there is real hope on the horizon: Maine’s forest managers and researchers are deploying a smarter, targeted early-intervention strategy, and early results are showing a 95% reduction of the pest in treated areas. Unlike the broad pesticide spraying of past decades, this new approach uses targeted biological insecticides strictly in high-density pockets during the insects’ most vulnerable stage.

Protecting these balsam fir and white spruce forests is critical to preserving both Maine's natural heritage and its forest economy.

📖 Read the full story by Lori Valigra in the Bangor Daily News: https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/08/04/mainefocus/mainefocus-environment/maine-new-strategy-stop-spruce-budworm-joam40zk0w/

After a 26-year outbreak devastated Maine's forests, the state is testing a targeted attack on spruce budworms invading from Quebec.

08/06/2026

Celebrating big conservation vision in the Western Maine Mountains! 🏞️✨

A massive round of applause to our friends and colleagues at Northeast Wilderness Trust, Forest Society of Maine, Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, and The Nature Conservancy on reaching a major milestone with the Magalloway Lands & Waters Project!

By securing critical funding for this vast, unfragmented landscape, these teams are protecting essential cold-water habitats, connected wildlife corridors, and vital carbon sinks in Western Maine.

This project is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when diverse conservation partners come together around a shared vision for large-landscape protection. Thank you to everyone involved for keeping Maine’s wild heart beating strong! 🌲🐟🦅

The completed effort connects more than 500,000 acres of contiguous conserved land across western Maine and New Hampshire.

08/05/2026

📖🌲 Have you picked up your copy of "This Extraordinary Place" yet? Written to celebrate the waters, forests, and wildlife that make the Allagash unique, this guide is a powerful reminder of why this wild land is so vital. Every copy purchased helps support our mission. Grab yours today! 🦆🌿📚

Explore the 1.1 million-acre Allagash Wilderness Waterway through This Extraordinary Place, a new guidebook showcasing its intact river ecosystems, significant wildlife (including wild trout and rare plants), and rich cultural history. Featuring contributions from leading Maine ecologists and guides...

06/27/2026

100 miles. Total solitude. Film 1 of the Allagash documentary is now available.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/A6UZduGE4eY?si=LX0dJFTFDF-mJk2u

Chapter 2 will be released in two weeks

06/12/2026

02/23/2026

Ever dreamed of trading your studio for the rugged beauty of the Allagash? The deadline for the 2026 Artist-in-Residence program is Monday, March 2!

This is a rare chance for a visual artist to spend two weeks this August at the historic Lock Dam Cabin — the same rustic, one-room home where Dorothy Boone Kidney wrote "Away From It All."

The Details:
📍 Where: Lock Dam Cabin, Allagash Wilderness Waterway
🗓️ When: Two weeks in August 2026
💰 Stipend: $1,000 (generously provided by AWWF)
⏳ Deadline: Monday, March 2, 2026

Apply here: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/discover_history_explore_nature/activities/aww-artist-residency.shtml

Need some inspiration? Check out this interview with our inaugural artist, Michael Vermette, who captured 51 paintings in just 14 days! From bull moose encounters to painting the "Race" on Chamberlain Lake, his experience shows just how transformative this residency can be.

Read the interview here: https://www.nrcm.org/blog/michael-vermette-allagash-visiting-artist/