This spring, the Portland Water District welcomed back a familiar face in a new role. Sarah Plummer, a former PWD environmental educator and summer intern, rejoined the district as the environmental education coordinator. In her new role, she oversees two temporary school educators and administers various outreach activities.

Not only is Plummer familiar with water resources, the Portland Water District, and the Sebago Lake region, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise from similar roles. Most recently, she held the position of education coordinator at the Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District where she developed and implemented stormwater education programs in schools in the Greater Portland region. Plummer hasn’t wasted any time getting to know area residents. She said she enjoyed talking to several local folks at the Standish Summer Spectacular held in late June. There she gave away free water bottles and maps of the Sebago Lake Land Reserve. And now she is gearing up for her busy season – the school year. In the coming weeks she will reach out to teachers and hire two new temporary educators to help deliver PWD’s flagship education program – HydroLogics. This program typically reaches more than 2,000 students a year at various schools within the watershed and service area. Educators visit fourth- through sixth-grade classes once a month from October through April to teach lessons about the water cycle, stormwater, watersheds, brook trout, and vernal pools. All lessons are environmentally themed and aim to raise awareness and promote stewardship.

In addition to keeping cornerstone programs running smoothly, Plummer is branching out to explore new ways to connect with the community. On Sept. 21, the Portland Water District will host its first ever Trail Day on the Sebago Lake Land Reserve. Trail enthusiasts will be able to participate in one of four events: a trail run, mountain bike ride, adult nature trek, or family nature trek. Designed to celebrate new trail signs and a trail map of the 500-acre Otter Ponds section of the Land Reserve, Trail Day effectively connects two of Plummer’s loves: outdoor recreational pursuits and learning about local environments. And if you enjoy connecting with your community and keeping informed through Facebook, you can find Plummer’s regular posts on the Portland Water District’s Facebook page, MyPortlandWater.

Plummer can be reached at [email protected].

This spring, Sarah Plummer, left, conducts macroinvertebrate sampling in the Pleasant River with Julia Rand, right, and Emily Algeo, students in Jeff Riddle’s Honors Earth Science class at Windham High School.