Plans are coming together for this weekend's clean-up of the Androscoggin River, an effort spearheaded by Communities Getting Involved, a non-profit organization based in Turner. Yesterday I paddled along one section of the river with CGI head honcho Eric Goodwin for a preview and preliminary survey.

Eric Goodwin of Turner is the head honcho of Communities Getting Involved, the non-profit organization which is spearheading this summer's Androscoggin River clean-up.
Scott Andrews photos

We paddled together for about two hours, and I got a chance to chat with Eric and get to know his plans and goals.

Beyond the obvious and laudable goals of picking up trash and improving the appearance of the waterway itself, Eric also made it clear that getting people out on the river and committed to making it a positive part of their lifestyles was another objective of his three-year-old organization.

That's also the nearly identical mission of the Androscoggin River Watershed Council, which sponsors the annual Source-to-Sea Canoe Trek.

The Androscoggin River Watershed Council and the Communities Getting Involved share the goal of getting people out on the river and making it part of their lifestyles. Above, Pam Weeks and Grace Drown paddling a section near Turner on last month's Source-to-Sea Canoe Trek.

There are several other organizations that are working to improve the Androscoggin, but these two are the most active and have the biggest presence on the water.

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