Community Programs & Partnerships

River Bend Farm is a year-round home for growing partnership, offering community collaborators a destination to convene for meetings, year-round research, and programming. Current partners and new relationships build a wide base of support, teach innovative solutions to environmental problems along with an appreciation of Maine’s natural beauty.

ELLMS (Environmental Living and Learning for Maine Students) - A collaborative initiative between five residential environmental education organizations (The Ecology School, Chewonki, Bryant Pond 4-H Camp, Tanglewood 4-H Center, and Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park) with a shared goal to provide every Maine child with a residential environmental learning center experience.

Ecology of Architecture Collaborative - Consists of four leading Maine sustainable architecture firms (Kaplan Thompson, Scott Simons, Briburn, and Richardson & Associates), who collaborate to share costs and innovating on our Living Building Challenge residential dormitory and dining commons.

Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) - Financed the purchase of River Bend Farm and has served as an important business plan advisor and provided project support through its Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems program.

Biodiversity, Ecology, and Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Group - Landscape ecologist Tom Wessels, The Ecology School Educator Alumni Andy Wood, Forest Management Consultant Harold Burrnett, UNE Professors, and Local & Organic Farmers help to oversee the design and implementation of our agroecology farm.

University of New England - Ongoing field ecology research, aided by student participation and done was on-site course work, includes planting 100 American Chestnut trees, tagging monarch butterflies, planting a native tree nursery, and more.

Maine Farmland Trust - Maine Farmland Trust holds the conservation easement on 96 acres of the River Bend Farm property.

Maine Old Cemetery Association - A small family cemetery is located on the property and will be maintained, restored, and researched with help from this partner.