Have you heard about Maine Sea Grant’s radio show Coastal Conversations? It airs on the fourth Friday of each month at 10 AM on WERU Community Radio 89.9 FM, which broadcasts from roughly mid-coast to nearly the Canadian border. You can also access past shows online anytime here:  http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/coastalconversations.

Shad are the largest member of the herring family, which includes Atlantic herring, blueback herring, and alewives.

Ah, summer! So short and so sweet. We go outside, into the long days, and stay outside in the warm nights. We work outside, play outside, sleep outside—and eat outside.

The Maine coast abounds with patios, decks, porches, picnic tables, and other outdoor seating. We search these places out, press ourselves against the edge of the sea, and feast on its bounty. There is no shortage of waterfront seafood restaurants.

May is here, and that means the annual return of many things: flowers and birds; sunshine and garden words; foliage and flowers; fish and more fish.

Signs of the Seasons Phenology Monitoring Training continues this week, with a coastal workshop on methods for monitoring seasonal changes in rockweed on Tuesday, May 3, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. at Kettle Cove State Park, Cape Elizabeth.