Androscoggin Land Trust

Boye and Sue Ainslie were born and raised in Augusta, Maine, where they attended Cony High School. Susan worked for many years in Augusta city and regional government before returning to school to become a certified paralegal. She now works as a legal assistant for the Law Offices of Richard A. Goldman in Augusta. Boye worked as a union-certified laborer in a variety of paper and pulp mills, along with helping to build and maintain many of the associated dams along the lower Androscoggin River, for several decades. Susan’s brother, David J. Rancourt, was a deputy sheriff for the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department, where he served as the captain of the dive team and worked with at-risk youth in the Lewiston-Auburn community. A veteran of the Iraq War, Rancourt died in the line of duty on November 4, 2006 while diving to recover criminal evidence disposed in the Androscoggin near the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Lewiston and Auburn. In 2008, the Androscoggin Land Trust dedicated the David Rancourt River Preserve in Lewiston. Sue and Boye currently live in Vassalboro, Maine.

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David Rancourt River Preserve, Lewiston

Interview conducted on January 2, 2012 in Augusta, Maine.

Audio: click title below to begin listening

1. Deputy Sheriff David Rancourt remembered - Interview Excerpt

Jonathan LaBonté was born and raised in Auburn, Maine, the son of a longtime local Franco-American family. After graduating from the University of Maine with a degree in chemical engineering, Jonathan began his career in Boston, and returned to Maine to start graduate studies in public administration. He worked for the Maine Turnpike Authority before becoming the executive director of the Androscoggin Land Trust. As executive director of the ALT, Jonathan has worked to boost the river as a recreational destination and promote land conservation along its banks. In November 2011, Jonathan was elected mayor of Auburn, the youngest in the city’s history. He lives in Auburn.

Interview conducted on March 6, 2012 in Auburn, Maine.

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Audio: click titles below to begin listening

1. Difficulty of finding consensus among river communities for change - Interview Excerpt #1

2. Fishing in downtown working class Lewiston-Auburn - Interview Excerpt #2

3. Memories of the Androscoggin River - Interview Excerpt #3