YARMOUTH – The Royal River Youth Conservation Corps kicked off its third season of work in the Royal River Watershed on June 26. The Royal River YCC partners with landowners to install erosion control measures on their properties. Landowners purchase the necessary materials, and the YCC crew provides technical assistance and labor free of charge.

Residents of the Royal River Watershed, Brunswick, Cumberland, Gray, New Gloucester, Pownal, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, Freeport, Durham and Auburn, are eligible to work with the Royal River YCC. The ultimate goal is to protect water quality and habitat in the Royal River and the streams and lakes in its 142-square-mile watershed.

The program is run by the Royal River Conservation Trust, with support and funding from several watershed towns, lake associations, Cumberland County SWCD, Maine DEP and the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership.

Last summer, the Royal River YCC successfully installed 18 erosion and pollution control projects, and kept more than 20 tons of soil out of the water. This season, the YCC crew will be completing a wide range of conservation practices in the Royal River Watershed, including stormdrain stenciling in Freeport; streamside buffer plantings in Gray and North Yarmouth; a variety of lakefront projects on Crystal Lake and Sabbathday Lake; and trail stabilization along the Royal River in New Gloucester and Yarmouth.

A public tour on Aug. 9 will showcase a sampling of completed sites.

For more information about the Royal River YCC, contact Henry Nichols at the Royal River Conservation Trust (847-9399) or Sarah Plummer at the Cumberland County SWCD (856-2777 or [email protected]).