Every year at this time, thousands of us head down to the water and watch as paddlers slip, flip, flop and flounder in its icy water during our annual rite of spring, the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race.
Then, I’d bet, most of us forget all about Kenduskeag Stream for another year, until the next edition of the race rolls around.
One day a year, this stream is a drawing card. It sits smack dab in the center of Bangor, dividing its east and west sides. It meanders through downtown, passing through a concrete canal for its final few hundred yards before emptying into the mighty Penobscot.
Atlantic salmon sometimes head up the Kenduskeag to spawn, or to find a cool place to rest. Anglers can catch smallmouth bass and stocked brook trout in its waters, and a series of parking lots offer easy access to the water at various spots in town.
Yet the Kenduskeag is often overlooked, save for that one day when all of us flock there to watch the paddlers play.
There are a few reasons for that, of course.
One: As the stream flows toward Bangor, it picks up runoff from pastures and farmland, and when the water is high, it tends to run brown, not clear.
Another: The parking lots along the stream have a seedy reputation, whether deserved or not. And while some take advantage of those spots and sit, watching the stream roll past, others will tell you they don’t feel safe doing so.
Then there’s the footpath — potentially one of Bangor’s most noteworthy natural gifts — that runs from the Penobscot for about two and a half miles, through downtown and out Valley Avenue.
Jog out that path and there are times you’ll find it hard to believe you’re nearly in downtown Bangor. Trees overhang portions, offering shade during the heat of the day. Tromp across a footbridge across the stream, head downstream, and you’ll find a few steep rises built into the side of a ravine.
The downside: Those spots, too, are solitary, and are sometimes frequented by those who aren’t out there to enjoy a walk or watch the stream.
Worst of all, some of the people who visit the stream don’t leave it in the same condition they found it:
You’re apt to find a tire here or there. Or food wrappers. Or worse, hypodermic needles.
Here’s my hope for this year’s Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race: I want to see an army of race fans arriving at stream’s edge. I want each one to have brought a small grocery bag with them.
And while they’re standing there, watching racers flip and flounder, I hope they take time to fill their bags with any garbage they find.
A little bit of work, performed by thousands of hands, would really make a difference.
A warning: Medical waste isn’t safe to handle; we’ll have to work on coming up with a better way to find and dispose of needles and the like.
But the routine trash? We can do something about that. And by doing so, we can help make the Kenduskeag corridor — potentially a fantastic recreation area — more attractive to all of us.
Then, the next week, maybe you’ll decide to take your family back to the stream, and go for a walk. Appreciate the Kenduskeag. Enjoy the footpath. Smile at the people you meet. Nod your head.
Tell someone else where you went. Invite them along.
Let’s pitch in to turn Kenduskeag Stream into something more than a one-day wonder.
John Holyoke can be reached at 990-8214 or jholyoke@bangordailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JohnHolyoke
