Summer 2024 Newsletter
Message from the Director
What an amazing summer full of outdoor events, learning and career experiences for many, and new opportunities to support coastal communities. We were thrilled to receive NOAA’s announcement that Maine will be one of 19 Regional Resilience Projects to be funded nationwide. Maine Sea Grant will be working in partnership with many to implement Maine Won’t Wait (more below!) for a Resilient Maine.
We would like to congratulate Dr. Amalia Harrington, our former American lobster specialist, and Bobby MacLeod, our former fiscal officer, on their new professional opportunities at UMaine. We are glad they are not going far, and we are looking forward to continuing our collaboration with them in their new roles. Amalia is now Assistant Professor in the School of Marine Sciences, and Bobby MacLeod has joined the Advanced Structures & Composites Center as a Business Analyst. We are grateful for their many contributions to our team and our programming, and we look forward to bringing on new staff members to fill these roles!
—Gayle Zydlewski
Program Updates
We are hiring
Maine Sea Grant is hiring for a Grants Manager and Fiscal Officer! This position involves working with a leadership team to manage federal awards from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Sea Grant Program to and through Maine Sea Grant. The work also includes developing and implementing strategic approaches to programmatic fiscal management, operations, and reporting. Application reviews to start on September 3rd.
Read the complete job description here.
Come hear about our funded research and learn about research funding opportunities
On October 9th, Sea Grant investigators and students will gather to share their research plans and outcomes, receive input from the community, and plan collaborative outreach activities.
Seaweeds of Maine
Maine Sea Grant created “Seaweeds of Maine” to highlight the seaweeds living in the Gulf of Maine. The poster celebrates the connection between science and art, and provides information to help the public identify 12 different seaweed species that are important to Maine’s coast and communities. If you’re interested in receiving a printed version, please email umseagrant@maine.edu.
Research
Opportunity now open!
We are seeking pilot /proof of concept projects aligned with Maine Sea Grant’s strategic goals and objectives. Typical awards range from $1,000-$5,000. Interested applicants are encouraged to share their ideas with Sea Grant staff members prior to submitting a request.
Applicants should submit their final request here.
Coastal Resilience Regional Challenge
Maine Sea Grant is honored that Governor Mills’ Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF) has engaged us in this imperative work being funded by NOAA through the Inflation Reduction Act. We are looking forward to working with GOPIF, state agencies, and many others to support climate action and resilience throughout the coast of Maine, from working waterfronts to estimating coastal inundation for creative nature-based infrastructure solutions
Learn more about the challenge here.
Extension and Community Engagement
Meet the MET – Justin Stevens
On this season’s Meet the MET, we’re highlighting Justin Stevens, our Sea-Run Fish Ecosystem Project Coordinator!
Meet Justin through his video here.
Status and insights for seaweed in the United States
According to NOAA, seaweed farming is the fastest-growing aquaculture sector in the U.S, with interest fueled by seaweed’s high potential to provide environmental, economic, and social benefits. To explore these opportunities and accelerate collaboration in the US seaweed sector, the 2023 National Seaweed Symposium brought together leaders in seaweed production, research, and development. The event’s presentations, discussions, and outcomes are now published in “Status and Insights for Seaweed in the United States: Report from the 2023 National Seaweed Symposium”.
Access the 2023 report here.
Aquaculture Bootcamp 2024
Maine Along with Chris Davis of the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, Maine Sea Grant’s Annie Fagan recently co-directed an aquaculture boot camp that was hosted by the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center as part of the Aquaculture in Shared Waters training program. This five-day intensive training was supported by the Maine Aquaculture Hub and Washington County Community College.
Read Annie’s blog here.
Storm response in working waterfront communities
With funding from the National Sea Grant Office and in partnership with Maine Coastal Program, UMaine MARINE, Island Institute, and local partners, Maine Sea Grant is planning 10 local convenings focused on storm response in working waterfront communities. These gatherings will provide an opportunity for community members from all sectors to reflect on recent storm impacts and community response, identify networks and strategies needed for future storms, and share resources and experiences to bolster our collective resilience. Each gathering will be connected to the trends, topics, and questions that manifest in that geographic area. Stay tuned for more information (follow our social media!) for locations and dates this coming fall, And we hope you will join us for a community conversation near you about storm response in Maine’s working waterfront communities.
Education and Workforce Development
Five Undergraduate Students Gain Experience though Sea-run Fish Internship
This summer, Jaidyn Negley, Audrey Fox, Emily Coulombe, Gretchen Ramblo, and Tory Meringer were welcomed by Maine Sea Grant and NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center to participate in an internship through the Diadromous Ecosystem Research Program. The students worked with mentors from The Maine Department of Marine Resources, NOAA Fisheries Service, and Maine Sea Grant on topics related to research and management of sea-run fish.
Meet the interns here.
Monarchs and Milkweeds Maine
Maine Sea Grant/UMaine Extension’s Signs of the Seasons Program has launched a new participatory science campaign called “Monarchs, Milkweeds, Maine” in partnership with Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. The effort will engage people of all ages in recording the timing of seasonal biological changes (phenology) and interactions between monarchs and milkweed plants in all 16 Maine counties. To learn more about the campaign and about research related to both species, we invite you to join us for a webinar on Friday September 6th from 1:00-2:30 PM EST. We will hear from monarch expert Dr. Karen Oberhauser (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and biologists working with monarchs at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens!
We All Love Maine Waters
In July, Maine Sea Grant’s Keri Kaczor presented Maine Sea Grant’s work on marine debris, engaging inland and rural communities in sea exploration at the National Marine Educators Association’s Conference, Wicked Good Marine Education, in Boston, Massachusetts. She daylighted career opportunities in Maine’s seafood economy, and seaweed/aquaculture literacy in the classroom.
Maine Sea Grant represented at international conference
Maine Sea Grant received NOAA National Sea Grant funding to form a marine debris community action coalition, in partnership with Maine Marine Trades Association, Maine Island Trail Association, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, and others. The goal of the coalition is to educate boaters and the public about what they can do to prevent marine debris from entering our shared oceans. This summer, the coalition launched their educational campaign with signage at public access points, print and social media outreach, and expansion of the Love Maine Waters website to showcase that we all have a role in contributing to and preventing marine debris.
In the News
Maine Sea Grant’s Gayle Zydlewski spoke with UMaine News about funding aimed towards climate action and resilience throughout coastal Maine.
Maine Public explained the work of a 2023 Maine Sea Grant funded research project which revealed widespread low levels of PFAS in Casco Bay.
Mapping Ocean Stories, a long-term, community-engaged science project to grow resilience against climate change along Maine’s working waterfront, has received $200,000 in grant funding from the Maine Community Foundation, as announced by College of the Atlantic.
Maine Sea Grant discussed how the organization works to support Maine’s seaweed sector with Bangor Daily News.
Dana Morse spoke with Bangor Daily News about the revolution of Maine’s aquaculture industry.
Mark Your Calendars
- Tide to Table seafood cooking demos – September 25, 2024
- Monarchs Milkweeds Maine webinar – September 6, 2024
- Maine Sea Grant Biennial Research Symposium – October 9, 2024
Tune in to WERU Community Radio ((89.9 FM in Blue Hill and streaming online at WERU.org) from 4:00 to 4:30 PM the fourth Friday of each month for Coastal Conversations, a public affairs program hosted by Marine Extension Associate Natalie Springuel that explores current issues facing Maine’s coastal communities through conversations with people who live, work, and play on our coast. Coastal Conversations is supported by Maine Sea Grant, in partnership with co-hosts at Schoodic Institute and The First Coast.
Want to Connect?
Maine Sea Grant supports the responsible use and conservation of coastal resources to sustain diverse, thriving coastal communities and ecosystems. Our work requires building partnerships and collaborations with organizations and individuals across the coast and beyond. If you have questions or ideas, or if you’d like to connect, please feel free to reach out to anyone on our team.