Our Purpose
"To Conserve and Protect Atlantic Salmon habitat in the Dennys, Machias, East Machias, Pleasant, and Narraguagus Rivers".
Formed in 1994, SHARE's roots lie amongst a wide variety of individuals, including landowners, anglers, businesses and various state/federal agencies, all of whom agreed that something needed to be done to restore Atlantic Salmon habitat in Downeast Maine.
What We Do
The biggest threat to Atlantic Salmon in the DPS Rivers, especially those in the Downeast, stems from Habitat Degredation and Connectivity issues associated with the network of logging roads that was created in the 70's as an alternative to driving the rivers.
Specifically, what this means for Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration is a vast number of culverts that impede fish passage into habitat that previously may have been important to the species. Furthermore, these culverts often affect the natural flow regime, increasing temperatures and altering nutrient deposition in the streams.
As such, SHARE's primary objective at this point is to remove these affected culverts and replace them with a structure that mimics the natural stream.
Who We Are
Steve Koenig
Steven Koenig has been acting as SHARE’s Executive Director since 2001 and also as general contractor for its restoration program since 2005. Over the past 8 years, he has worked with diverse partners to develop a nationally-recognized habitat restoration program involving over 70 restoration projects to date as of 2009. In 2009, the National Fish Habitat Action Plan recognized Mr. Koenig with its first national award "for Extraordinary Action in Supporting Fish Habitat Conservation." In addition to being DEP-certified in Erosion and Sediment Control Practices and trained by the US Forest Service in Natural Stream Channel Design, Steven has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in cellular biology from the University of Michigan and has studied oceanography and limnology at the University of Wisconsin and fish physiology at West Virginia University. Mr. Koenig was previously Department Head of Lending in a financial institution managing a $38,000,000 loan portfolio. Steven enjoys getting his hands dirty and feet wet during work and likes canoeing, kayaking, hiking, cross country skiing and being outdoors in his free time.
Katrina Mueller
Katrina Mueller has been acting as SHARE’s outreach coordinator and grant writer since July of 2008 as she completes her dissertation research. Katrina grew up in northern Virginia and received a Bachelor’s of Science in biology and minor in psychology from Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Virginia Tech) in 2002. The summer prior to moving to Michigan to pursue a Masters of Science degree, she worked as a Notre Dame Stream Ecology Lab field assistant in a SW Michigan study. As a Great Lake Fishery Trust Fellow, her M.S. work explored the relationship between communication, social capital and fish-catching success of charter fishing captains operating out of a southeast Lake Michigan port. After completing her M.S. in 2004, she began pursuing her PhD under the co-direction of Drs. Taylor (Michigan State) and Kocik (NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center). Her dissertation integrates human geographic systems and sense of place to determine relevant ways to engage the public in recovery of endangered Atlantic salmon and other native fishes. Katrina enjoys mucking around outside generally, as well as fishing hunting, tending her chickens and going for walks with her dog.
Jacques Tardie
Jacques Tardie has been working with SHARE since July 2009 as the official 'data' man. Spends most, if not all of his time either collecting, inputting, or analyzing data pertaining to the restoration efforts. Local to the area, Jacques graduated from Nazareth College of Rochester with a B.S. in Biology in May 2009. Finding new ways to present the data to the public is Jacques' current focus. Look forward to seeing those products here in the future!
Aside from that, Jacques spends the rest of his time swimming with the Maine Masters, playing Soccer, and trying to construct a robot that will do all his surveying for him!
Ben Naumann
Ben Naumann is a fisheries habitat biologist for SHARE. He has been interested in fish ecology since attending Unity College and obtaining a Bachelor's of Science in 2002. He has worked in fisheries-related jobs from Maine to Alaska and in 2008 completed his Masters of Science in fisheries ecology from the University of Guelph where he determined critical habitat for Lake Huron shortjaw cisco (Coregonus zenithicus). Since 2008, he has been the lead field biologist for a large wood addition project that evaluates the geomorphologic and juvenile Atlantic salmon response to large wood additions. Ben plans to use his schooling and fisheries experience to further gain scientifically-defensible information that can be used to enhance stream habitat for juvenile Atlantic salmon at the population level.
Wesley Ashe
Wes Ashe is currently working as a Graduate Assistant in the Wildlife Ecology Department at the University of Maine on a project focusing on the growth and survival of juvenile Atlantic Salmon in frst and second order streams throughout the Machias River watershed. Headwater streams have been shown to provide more ideal habitat for juvenile salmonids compared to the larger tributaries and main stream portions that are the current focus. Illustrating the importance of these small streams will ensure that SHARE will be able to more effectively spread the focus area approach to Habitat Restoration that we've been working on. Not too surprisingly, when Wes isn't working, he spends most of his time Fly Fishing!
Jackie Vashon
Jackie is another local to the area. She recieved her B.S. in Environmental Science, with a concentration in Environmental Education from the University of Southern Maine in 2008. She's worked previously with the Maine Audobon Society, the Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District, and The Marine Environmental Research Institute. Commited to teaching future generations the importance of our land, Jackie will be working as SHARE's camp life coordinator, helping to educate the many High School students that volunteer with SHARE every year.
Besides all that, Jackie enjoys exploring new places, hiking, canoeing, showshoeing, cooking, reading, and writing. In general, being outside!
Partners
SHARE was created as a voluntary collective of groups and individuals. Politically neutral, our focus is getting the things done that need to be done in order to ensure that Atlantic Salmon in Downeast Maine have the best chance of recovery they can. That open 'structure' has not changed.
As such, there are a whole slew of organizations that either are a part of, or considerably help SHARE. We'd like to point them out here, and thank them.
Without them, we wouldn't be where we are today.