KENNEBEC JOURNAL • July 3, 2024
Swan Island, a state-owned wildlife management area, is about 350 feet off the coast of Richmond in the Kennebec River. People, including Jeremy and Amanda McDaniel, were devastated when the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the island’s ferry service in 2022 following a failed inspection that led to the service’s halt in 2020. The island is free, and people can swim, paddle, or take their own boats to it, but the ease of getting there diminished with the removal of the ferry service. Thanks to the efforts of the McDaniels, their friends, and the Friends of Swan Island, a nonprofit dedicated to the island, a ferry service will run on the weekends from July 27 through the end of the summer. To sign up for a ride to Swan Island go to the island’s website.