Friends Of Lower Kenduskeag Stream (FOLKS) is working with a local forester and invasive plant specialist to address the increasingly problematic invasive plants that are degrading our community's natural resources along the Kenduskeag Stream.

Invasive plants are a severe threat to our natural environment because of their ability to displace the diversity found in our native species that collectively support the entire ecosystem that has evolved here over thousands of year. Invasive plants when introducted to a new area have no evolved predators and so this advantage allows them to aggressively dominate a habitat and crowd out native species, resulting in a monoculture that contributes significantly less to the ecosystem, resulting in a degraded natural environment with fewer species and less resiliance to disease, pests, and extreme weather. 

We began with an Invasive Plant Control Practice Plan that documents the type of habitat that exists along the Kenduskeag, the type and distribution of invasive species, and lays out a plan to begin to control the invasives and replace them with native plants. This was completed in early 2025.

The second step will be to begin control the invasives with the help of our dedicated crew of volunteers and with targeted treatements by a state licensed professional. This will be an ongoing process, but intitial treatment will begin in Spring 2025, targeting area located directly behind Harlow Street by the footbridge and the temporary Bangor City Hall.

The third step will be to plant a variety of native plants when invasives have been removed to create new habitat and an edible food forest. Planting will occur in late spring 2025.

The final step will be to help educate people about this project by installing signage in the areas of the trail where users can best engage with the project and learn about the importance of land stewardship. 

The Kenduskeag Stream is at the very heart of our community and is an incredible habitat for plants and animals and recreational resource for humans. Thousands of people use the Kenduskeag Stream Trail each year to relax, exercise, reconnect with nature, watch the Annual Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race, and to find refuge. It is a vital resource that deserves our respect and stewardship. This project will help to protect the Kenduskeag Stream restoring critical habitat for plants and animals in the heart of Bangor. It will also make the Kenduskeag Stream Trail more vibrant and ecologically diverse for the many users of the trail to enjoy. The edible native plants will provide a unique chance for urban food foraging. Signage will help to educate people about principles of land stewardship.

Bangor Greendrinks is a small environment nonprofit in Bangor that hosts monthly gatherings of like-minded folks to celebration sustainability in the community. 

Through these events, they raise money to award Green Grants to projects to make Bangor more sustainabl

 
In 2024, Bangor Greendrinks awarded FOLKS $2,500 for this project.

Learn more about Bangor Greendrinks here!