The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) wrapped up its 2024 stewardship season earlier this fall, completing a diverse array of infrastructure and access projects across New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

This year’s NFCT stewardship program set new benchmarks for the organization, with more staff and volunteers on hand than ever before and a record number of projects completed.

“While the numbers are impressive this year, quantity isn’t everything,” said NFCT Trail Director Noah Pollock. “The work we’re most proud of highlights our unique expertise in tackling challenging projects at the interface of land and water — a changing climate is making waterway stewardship more complex and humbling than ever. We’re so grateful to our staff, interns, volunteers, and community partners for helping us invest in paddling and outdoor infrastructure across the Northeast.”

NFCT staff will present a recap of the season during a virtual session on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. Those interested are asked to register in advance as space is limited; visit bit.ly/stewardshiprecap2024 to sign up for free. The session will be recorded and shared afterwards. The presentation will include a photographic tour of 2024 projects and stories illustrating the entertaining adventures of the NFCT’s interns and volunteers.

The NFCT’s stewardship crew includes Pollock, Assistant Trail Director Alex Delhagen, Allagash Crew Leader Ethan Israel, six paid seasonal interns, and hundreds of volunteers. In-kind and financial support is provided by public agencies, foundation grants, business partners, and landowners.

The NFCT established two separate stewardship crews in 2024. The roving crew was led by Delhagen and included two paid interns — Aviva Elliot and Ethan Campbell — as well as an international volunteer, Lena Gravenhorst. This group worked across all four states that the canoe trail connects. Meanwhile, the Allagash crew was stationed at Churchill Lake in Maine for the entire summer, where they implemented a series of projects along the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. This crew was led by Israel and included four paid interns: Nick Hall, Audrey Michener, Evan Dietter, and Henry Lopez.

In Vermont, projects included overhauling the Guildhall portage and access on the Upper Connecticut River, restoring Lamoille River portage trails, and constructing a new access along the Missisquoi River near Richford. On Lake Champlain, the NFCT continued a multi-year effort to enhance Valcour Island’s recreation infrastructure by repairing the popular Cross Island Trail. In New York, the crew worked with local volunteers to rehabilitate a campsite as well as the Lower Locks Carry between the Second Pond Channel and Oseetah Lake. They also replaced a boardwalk and installed a floating dock at the Five Fahls Campsite in Bloomingdale, and upgraded the Kent Falls carry trail along the Saranac River in Cadyville. In Maine, the roving crew converted two pit privies into composting designs at the Cedar Stump campsite on the Rapid River and established a new campsite on Moosehead Lake.

The Allagash stewardship team completed a suite of improvements to iconic campsites on Churchill Lake. Projects included installing dozens of stone steps, restoring extensive eroded banks, establishing level tent pads, and constructing an accessible campsite.

“A hallmark project was transforming the failing, riprapped bank at the Scofield Cove campsite with an innovative, ecologically sensitive ‘living’ design, incorporating stone, logs, soil, and native plants,” said Pollock. “I’m so proud of the crew’s efforts and dedication this summer, and hope this season’s work sets the stage for future success.”

A total of 85 volunteers joined the NFCT for weekend work trips throughout the summer, with dozens more providing assistance on smaller projects. Additionally, the NFCT worked with local partners in Vermont to restore the Lamoille River following two years of storm damage.

As the only dedicated water trail crew in the Northeast, the NFCT’s stewardship crew specializes in projects at the interface of land and water, including campsites, portage trails, and access points. To learn more about the NFCT’s stewardship work, contact Trail Director Noah Pollock at noah@northernforestcanoetrail.org.

For more information about the NFCT, visit northernforestcanoetrail.org.

About the Northern Forest Canoe Trail

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a nonprofit organization that maintains and promotes the 740-mile water trail that runs from Old Forge, NY, to Fort Kent, Maine, and connects New York, Vermont, Quebec, New Hampshire, and Maine. The trail showcases the mix of landscapes and communities currently lining the traditional routes used by Indigenous peoples, settlers, and guides. It is the longest in-land water trail in the nation and consists of 23 rivers and streams, 59 lakes and ponds, 45 communities, and 65 portages. To learn more, visit northernforestcanoetrail.org.