The stretch of shoreline along the Presumpscot River at Riverbank Park has a new look thanks to the efforts of a youth group.

There are now steps leading to the water. Soon, there will be grass growing where before there was only hard-packed dirt and exposed tree roots, and eventually bushes and trees will be growing on the water’s edge.

The Presumpscot River Youth Conservation Corps, a group consisting of mostly high school students that was created this year by a $740,000 two-year grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, did the work last week. The grant was awarded to the Presumpscot River Watershed Coalition and the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership-two groups focused on improving water quality in the Presumpscot.

At Riverbank Park, the crew replaced dirt and exposed roots with what they hope will soon be grass, bushes and trees along the shoreline. They put down mulch, soil, grass seed and erosion-control matting to keep all that in place. They also planted swamp maples, willows and chokeberry bushes, all to improve the shoreline for a healthier river.

“I’m really proud of the program and the crew,” said the corps’ director, Lisa Vickers. “The program does have staying power. We’re hoping to grow it into a regional youth conservation corps to work on other water bodies.”

This summer, the group also helped clean up the area of the Smelt Hill Dam to return vegetation and stabilize the shoreline, according to Vickers. They also did work at Babb’s Bridge in Windham, among other sites.

The kids doing the work in Westbrook said they enjoyed pitching in to help clean up the river and improve the surrounding area.

“I would like to try to come back next year,” said corps worker Jess Curlew, 17, of Windham, who said it was satisfying seeing the sites after the group had done its work.

Warren Taylor, 18, of Falmouth agreed. “It’s nice to put what we learn in environmental science to work,” said Taylor. “We’re actually doing something.”

The grant that formed the Presumpscot River Youth Conservation Corps is the latest step in an effort by local organizations to bring the water quality of the Presumpscot River to where it was before it was diminished by industry and development. And according to those directly involved, the effort is paying off.

“In 15 years the river has gone from being considered a lost cause to being a valuable natural resource that people respect, enjoy and appreciate,” said Will Plumley of the Friends of the Presumpscot River. “Today, many organizations are working to continue that progress.”

Members of the Presumpscot River Watershed Coalition include the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Friends of the Presumpscot River and the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, to name a few.

Plumley said several events have contributed to the river’s improvement since the Friends of the Presumpscot River was founded in 1992. Organizations such as Friends of the Presumpscot River, the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership and the Presumpscot River Watershed Coalition have worked to improve water quality on the river and to return native fish species to the Presumpscot. The river stretches 25 miles from its start at Sebago Lake to its mouth at Casco Bay.

The removal of the Smelt Hill Dam in Falmouth about two miles from the river’s mouth in October 2002 has enabled several types of fish that used to migrate upstream to again access farther upriver, said Plumley.

“With Smelt Hill Dam gone and the river being cleaner, it’s no longer a dead area,” said Plumley. “We know alewife, shad, herring, American eel and Atlantic salmon are coming and seeking passage upriver.”

According to Plumley, in the past, the Presumpscot River was alive with several species of fish that have been barred passage upriver since residents began building dams, the first of which was constructed at Presumpscot Falls in 1732. One strain of salmon that hasn’t been seen since the 1930s and is presumed extinct is the Presumpscot jumper.

One of the main focuses of the organizations working to better the river is to remove dams or create fish passages through them. The Friends of the Presumpscot River are seeking the removal of Saccarappa Dam in Westbrook and Mallison and Little Falls dams in Gorham and South Windham. The organization is also seeking fish passage through the Cumberland Mills, Gambo and Dundee dams.

Plumley said the state has reclassified a stretch of the river from Sebago Lake to the confluence of Pleasant River from class B to class A. Class A is the highest quality water with the strictest regulations. The stretch from Pleasant River to the Saccarappa Dam that has been classified as class B now has a restriction that no new discharges will be allowed. The river is currently classified as class C from Cumberland Mills Dam to the Casco Bay.

The Presumpscot River Youth Conservation Corps is the newest of the youth conservation corps created in recent years to help improve water quality on Southern Maine water bodies. This summer, the group worked on a number of projects along the Presumpscot planting trees and bushes along the water, building paths and installing steps, among other tasks to help prevent shoreline erosion and improve water quality.

According to Matt Craig of the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, project manager of the EPA grant, the youth group is just a part of the effort of improving water quality in the river.

He explained that will be done through the youth group’s restoration work along the river to return vegetation and stop erosion caused by foot traffic and development. The grant money will also be used to educate residents and developers about environmentally friendly lawn and garden practices, as well as teach youth about protecting the river through school programs.

As for the Presumpscot River Youth Conservation Corps, Craig hopes to be able to make the group a permanent fixture along the Presumpscot’s banks. “There’s certainly a lot of interest in continuing the work beyond the length of the grant,” he said. “We’ll have to do some creative thinking on how to make it permanent.”

Arty Ledoux of the Westbrook Public Works Department praised the youth for its work at Riverbank Park, saying that they worked hard and really made a difference to the shoreline at the park.

“When it’s all said and done, it should be a very safe and environmentally friendly way for kids and families to access the river’s edge,” he said.

Presumpscot River Youth Conservation Corps members Warren Taylor, 18, of Falmouth, left, and Jeremy Lowell, 17, of Windham, lay crushed rock around steps leading down to the Presumpscot River at Riverbank Park.