Whether or not we destroy or preserve the Montgomery Dam and Falls is a momentous and consequential decision for the citizens of Camden.

The Megunticook River Citizen’s Advisory Committee’s (MRCAC) recommendation for the destruction of Montgomery Dam is not reality based, nor is the Select Board’s approval of MRCAC’s recommendation.

What is legally described as “environmental overreach” with this recommendation has been a gut punch to our community. This term refers to a group or a cause concerned about the environment that tries to achieve more than it can manage, both financially and administratively, while also believing that a one-size-fits-all approach to environmental stewardship is the only way forward.

Camden is thriving. The town is not struggling economically nor with its identity. So why would we go out on a precipitous ladder just because there is a chance for a grant to partially fund something that the citizens of Camden don’t really need or want?

Towns need to assess benefits that outweigh costs. Advocates of restoration of supposed alewife populations in Camden Harbor will destroy a currently thriving marine and avian ecosystem at the head of Camden Harbor that do not require extremely costly and unsightly structures for alewives to navigate.

Just because questionable government funding is potentially available for a massive, divisive, town river restructuring, it does not mean the outcome is justified. The public has not received even minimal consistent or concise cost numbers on the Megunticook River restructure gamble.

Camden cannot receive grant money required for river restructuring unless the town builds fish ladders. History has not confirmed that alewife migration ever occurred at this location. Realizing this fact, the town has claimed other falsehoods to justify the removal of Montgomery Dam and Falls such as flood risk and inordinate maintenance costs.

For those of you who live in the Camden community, you understand wholeheartedly that the Montgomery Dam and Falls do not stand in geographic isolation, in a secluded, hard-to-access location. Nor do the Montgomery Dam and Falls stand in emotional isolation, difficult to embrace or share with others.

The Montgomery Dam and Falls are an integral component of our year- round daily lives. Whether we work, shop, eat, meet friends, conduct business, fish off a pier, or attend a town event, this refreshing combination of man-made and natural beauty draws us to it. We can’t imagine walking into town and not having the falls, like a soul mate, be there to greet us.

Having Harbor Park immediately adjacent to the Montgomery Dam and Falls is a masterpiece of design in creating kindred spirits. Visitors and locals alike gravitate to the water’s edge to experience the bounty of our history, human enrichment and healthy marine ecosystem. Do you really think that Mary Louise Curtis Bok would be in agreement to have Camden’s lower Harbor Park devastated and rearranged for a fish story?

Why not consider some reasonably priced ideas to refresh the Megunticook River ecosystem? Don’t Destroy! Reinvigorate!

We would all consider ourselves environmental stewards, but not at any cost.

Jennifer Healy lives in Camden and is a member of the Save the Dam Falls Committee