AUBURN — With national attention focused on either end of the Androscoggin River — at its Lake Umbagog source and its endpoint at the freshwater Merrymeeting Bay — the author of a new federal report hopes money may flow into projects aimed at boosting amenities all along the river.

“I am guardedly optimistic,” said Richard Barringer, principal investigator on the 48-page report commissioned by the National Park Service and highlighting seven natural corridors in New England. “My guess is that at least the Connecticut River, the Blackstone River in Rhode Island and likely, I think, the Androscoggin River will be the beneficiaries of that effort.”

Along the Androscoggin, the report suggests that money be spent to link existing trails and resources.

In Lewiston, that could mean linking downtown pathways with already designed trails that head north to the new Riverlands State Park. Another link could expand trails south on Lincoln Street as far as the Lewiston-Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority plant. In Auburn, the pathways at Barker Arms could cross the Little Androscoggin River and connect with Bonney Park, the southern end of the city’s Riverwalk project.

“A lot of this is to connect pieces to create a system,” Jonathan LaBonte, executive director of the Androscoggin Land Trust, said. It would serve both local people and visitors.

LaBonte imagines a network of trails and river amenities that are all connected and commonly marked with signs that lead people to local destinations and explain the importance of area resources.

For instance, he could see West Pitch Park outfitted with signs that inform people about the landmarks visible from its perch overlooking the Great Falls in downtown Auburn.

The aim is to draw people outside, to the river and back into the community, he said.

That, too, is the aim of Barringer’s report, which cites President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative on its second page. The Obama initiative is meant to encourage people to get up, out and moving.

“I don’t think the general public is taking nearly as much advantage of the river as they might,” Barringer, a research professor at Portland’s Muskie School of Public Service, said. “And I think that’s because of lack of knowledge, lack of access and lack of facilities.”

The more people know about the river, the more they will use it, he said.

“I think the Androscoggin’s reputation has been a hindrance,” Barringer said. His report notes the river’s place in the 1960s as a symbol of polluted resources, nationwide. “The improvements have been remarkable.”

Lake Umbagog is now a National Wildlife Refuge and Merrymeeting Bay is a rare freshwater bay with an extraordinary variety of wildlife. The river that connects them has become a national destination for people who wish to paddle and fish.

LaBonte said he is hopeful that money for changes — which might also link walking trails in Livermore and Jay — could be appropriated this year.

The immediate job of his group is to create a set of priorities for development along the river.

A public meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5. The meeting will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, overlooking the river in downtown Auburn.

If there is enough desire, things will happen, he said.

“The door’s open now,” said LaBonte, who also serves as the mayor of Auburn. “Do we want to walk through the door? Do we want to run through the door? Or do we want to stand there doubting?”

Barringer said he plans to use the report as the basis for talks with the federal government and Maine’s congressional delegation. The fact that 2012 is an election year ought to help the cause, he said.

“I have a feeling that there is a sort of serendipity here in terms of timing,” he said.

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