New Pocket Guide, Allagash Explorer

June 5, 2020

For more information contact: Betta Stothart at: (207) 400-0015

AUGUSTA - Today, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation (AWWF) and the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL) released Allagash Explorer: A Take-Along Companion for Maines Wilderness Waterway. A pocket guide designed to inspire, inform and educate travelers about the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW), copies are available at Shermans Maine Coast Book Stores, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, New England Outdoor Center, Gulf of Maine Books, LL Bean bike, boat & ski, Epic Sports, Bogan Books, and North Maine Woods gates to the Allagash.

"This splendid little book differs from other guides offering paddling and camping tips; its purpose is to enhance and deepen connections between the user and the extraordinary resources of the Allagash," said Richard Barringer, AWWF board member, and project leader. "We are very excited to release Allagash Explorer at the start of the canoeing season in Maine, and as the Waterway celebrates the 50th anniversary of its designation as a National Wild & Scenic River."

Barringer is a former member of the Governor's Working Group on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and chairman of the New England Governor's Conference Blue-ribbon Commission on Land Conservation.

Contributing artists and writers include interpretive writer Julia Gray of Orland, editor Bruce Jacobson of Bar Harbor, copy editor Jane Crosen of Penobscot, graphic designer Karen Zimmerman of Bar Harbor, illustrator Alison Carver of Newcastle, and mapmaker Jon Luoma of Alna, Head Tide. "Their great skill, talent, and devotion to tasks are reflected in the pocket guides outstanding content, quality, and appearance," noted Bob McIntosh, AWWF president.

Praise for Allagash Explorer

"Maine Senator Edmund Muskie called the Allagash 'that most beautiful and wondrous wilderness area, the greatest such remaining in the eastern United States.' Fifty years ago, it was designated a federal Wild & Scenic River; and today, the best way to appreciate its wonders is with Allagash Explorer in your pocket." Senator George Mitchell

"Allagash Explorer is a 'must-have' for every visitor to the Waterway. It provides colorful and compelling information about the cultural history and natural resources of the Allagash from earliest times to the present." AWW Superintendent Matthew LaRoche

"The Allagash's wild landscapes and waterways speak to us while our hearts and minds are open. Allagash Explorer is packed with lore that will help you connect deeply with the heritage of all humans: the wild place within that recognizes home." Master Maine Guide Alexandra Conover Bennett

About the Allagash Wilderness Waterway The Allagash Wilderness Waterway was established by the people of Maine in 1966 and designated in 1970 as the nation's first state-administered unit of the National Wild and Scenic River System. The 92-mile Wilderness Waterway in northern Maine is considered one of the Northeast's most iconic rivers. Learn more at www.maine.gov/allagash.

About the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation The Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation was created in 2012 to build a community of support for this exceptional and remote public resource, and to raise funds to supplement its State funding. Its focus areas of interest include youth access to the Waterway, resource interpretation and education, protection of important adjacent lands, and capital projects to enhance the experience of the Waterway.

A Natural Resource Inventory and Assessment of the Waterway is the next project to be undertaken by the AWWF in collaboration with the BPL. Work on the multi-year project is planned to begin this summer under the general direction of noted ecologist Janet McMahon, and the overall supervision of AWWF board members Paul Johnson and Alec Giffen. Learn more at www.awwf.org or friend us on Facebook.

For further information, contact:

Supporting documents

Book Cover - Links to print quality file - illustration by Alison Carver.