2022 Programs
Programs are co-sponsored by the Belfast Free Library, are presented virtually over Zoom and free and open to the public.
To view recordings of past programs, please go to the Belfast Library's Youtube channel.
February 1, 2022
Tom Schmeelk
Title of Talk: Brown Tail Moths
Synopsis: In this presentation, Tom Schmeelk, an entomologist with the Maine Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, will present photos and tell us about the scourge of Brown Tail moth, as well as other invasive species in the Maine forest.
TO REGISTER FOR THIS PROGRAM, CLICK HERE
February 17, 2022
Stephanie Watson
Title of Talk: The Maine Offshore Wind Initiative--How Maine is Chartering Our Own Course
Synopsis: In this presentation, Watson will provide an overview of the Maine Offshore Wind Initiative established by Governor Mills in 2019, with a focus on the Maine Offshore Wind Roadmap. The Roadmap is an economic development plan currently underway with broad stakeholder engagement. The goal of the Roadmap is to identify the best course for Maine to maximize benefits of the rapidly growing offshore wind sector to meet clean energy and economic goals, while sustaining existing ocean users and the environment.
TO REGISTER FOR THIS PROGRAM, CLICK HERE
Born on Mount Desert Island, Maine, Stephanie Watson has dedicated her career to protecting the ocean, as well as the communities and economies that depend upon it. Watson has worked at the interface of the ocean and economy along the U.S. Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico coasts for the last 25 years in roles with both the public and private sector. She currently serves as Maine Offshore Wind Program Manager in the Governor’s Energy Office. Watson has M.S. degrees in Ecology and Environmental Science (marine focus) and in Spatial Information Science & Engineering from the University of Maine. She lives in the Casco Bay area with her husband and two children.
March 17, 2022
Cyrene Slegona
Title of Talk: Monarchs
Synopsis: Over the past several years, scientists have discovered new information about Monarch Butterflies, that challenge long held views, with consequences for the survival of the species. Cyrene will share those findings and report on the current status of habitats in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Additionally, there is a growing need to grow milkweed on the east coast as well as the mid-continent flyway.
TO REGISTER FOR THIS PROGRAM, CLICK HERE
Cyrene Slegona, a retired educator, continues to involve others in appreciating and protecting the natural world through her involvement in the Penobscot Bay Stewards Program, both senior colleges (Belfast & Augusta), and by giving lectures and presentations throughout the state of Maine.
April 21, 2022
David Wessels and Students at Troy Howard Middle School
Title of Talk: THMS Seed Program
Synopsis: David Wessels is the garden coordinator at Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast where he and his students manage a 1/3 acre garden and year-round greenhouse. The garden provides fresh veggies to the cafeteria and serves as a living laboratory for ecological inquiry. Each year, students take on the responsibility of stewarding an extensive seed collection, growing out beloved heirlooms, forgotten food crops, bumblebee curated gene pools and other wonders. These seeds are carefully cleaned and packed by students and offered to the public each year through the Troy Howard Seed Co. In recent years, David and his students have been exploring the possibilities of classical plant breeding, crossing vegetable, flower and herb varieties with paintbrushes, hummingbird moths and wind and watching new possibilities emerge from ancient stories.
TO REGISTER FOR THIS PROGRAM, CLICK HERE
David Wessels is the garden coordinator at Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast where he and his students manage a 1/3 acre garden and year-round greenhouse.
May 19, 2022
Dr. Bonnie Newsom and Dr. Alice Kelley
Title of Talk: Once They're Gone, They're Gone for Good. Indigenous Shell Heaps, Climate Change and Confronting Heritage Loss through Citizen Science
Synopsis: Maine is home to roughly 2000 coastal Indigenous archaeological sites known as shell heaps or middens. These sites are rich heritage spaces that preserve a long record of past Indigenous lifeways and environments. In this presentation, Dr. Bonnie Newsom and Dr. Alice Kelley of the University of Maine will discuss these important places highlighting their cultural and research value. They will also discuss the University of Maine’s Midden Minder’s program—a citizen science initiative designed to monitor and record shell heaps threatened by climate change impacts.
TO REGISTER FOR THIS PROGRAM, CLICK HERE
Dr. Bonnie Newsom is a member of the Penobscot Nation and an archaeologist interested in the pre-contact lifeways of Maine’s Native peoples. She is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Associate Faculty in the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine. Dr. Newsom’s professional history includes serving as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Penobscot Indian Nation and as Assistant Director for UMaine’s Wabanaki Center. She and her husband Les are military veterans and they live in Eddington, Maine.
Dr. Alice Kelley is a geoarchaeologist and an Associate Research Professor in UM's Climate Change Institute. She has worked in a variety of international locations, and is one of the organizers of the Midden Minders project here in Maine. She lives in Orono Maine with her husband Joe, and enjoys birdwatching, outdoor sports, and family.