Follow The Water: A Source-to-Sea Adventure

Photos by Andy Gagne

On May 5th, 2024, in honor of National Drinking Water Week, photographer Andy Gagne and writer Jenny O’Connell embarked on a paddling expedition from Bethel, Maine, to Casco Bay; kayaking 100 miles with a small team of local adventurers and environmentalists. Their mission was to transport their audience into the watershed, demonstrating how the rivers, forests and wildlife are all so connected to the faucet, and to highlight the unique and creative ways people are working together to protect this water source for future generations.

This adventure takes place on the unceded ancestral lands of the Wabanaki people. It begins in the mountains, on Songo Pond in Bethel. Following the Crooked River, they wound their way to Sebago Lake and continued down the Presumpscot River, finishing the journey in Casco Bay. The story that emerged paints

We are honored to provide a permanent home for their story here on our site, in the hopes that it will inspire others to seek out the connections that exist between our natural world and things that we might take for granted, like the water that flows from our faucets every day.

Below you will find the film by Maine Mountain Media, who followed the expedition over the course of a week, capturing their journey as well as interviews with people who live near, work with, and care deeply about the waters. Jenny’s essay, featured on her blog Wild Story, is linked in the box below as well. To further bring the journey to life, visit Andy’s Crooked River Project page, featuring more photos, maps, and info about the expedition.