Doctor-to-be Sarae Sager scuba dives to help heal the Saco River

Sarae Sager (D.O., ’21) is part of a group currently diving to the bottom of the Saco River to help remove waste left behind by partying river goers.

Sarae Sager (D.O., ’21) is part of a group of scuba divers helping to remediate a portion of the Saco River in Buxton, which has been littered with bottles and other debris by inconsiderate partiers in recent weeks.

Read more in the Portland Press Herald

Some hobbies have great rewards. Knitting yields cozy sweaters, and reading informs the mind. But Sarae Sager (D.O., ’21) has taken her hobby to new depths — 45 feet, to be exact. A certified scuba diver, Sager and a group of friends have spent recent weeks intermittently ridding the Saco River of debris left by pandemic partiers.

Their efforts are focused near Buxton’s Pleasant Point Park. The local swimming hot spot was shut down by town officials in July because of litter left behind by rope swingers and river floaters. During a particularly rowdy weekend that month, more than 300 beer bottles and 90 soda cans were recovered before the park was closed.

So far, Sager and her squad — who were dubbed “The Saco River’s good Samaritans” in an Aug. 24 article in the Portland Press Herald — have surfaced additional beer bottles, plus antique cans, a couple of cell phones and Apple Watches (which they were able to return to their owners), a few bicycles, and expensive fishing lures all hidden from view on the river floor.

The environmental cleanup did not start as such. The group of four originally planned to dive in the river for sport, but when they found the park inaccessible, they took the opportunity to help restore the area to its former glory.

“Part of what is taught when you take scuba classes is to respect your environment and to clean up after yourself and that, if you find anything else, to make it right,” Sager said.

That lesson is not unfamiliar to Sager. Growing up in Caribou, where trees tower taller than buildings, a respect for the land and waters was instilled in her from a young age.

“We spent a lot of time outside when I was growing up,” she said. “It was always something I valued very highly.”

She took that ethos with her hundreds of miles south to UNE, where the Saco River meets the sea.

“UNE is my second home,” Sager said. “In living by the Saco River for my ninth year, I feel like I am part of this community now. It’s important for me to do whatever helps keep our whole environment clean.”