Coastal Conversations | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Maine clams: what is causing their decline and how do we bring them back? Why are clams declining? Rising sea temperatures, green crabs, milky ribbon worms. What does the research show us? Over 99% of settled clams are being eaten (mostly by green crabs) before they reach 1 years old What can we do about the decline? Options for changing...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Maine coastal and ocean issues: Hancock County’s Conserved Lands -What are some important conservation projects in the region right now? -How does a land trust work? What is a conservation easement? -How do conservation areas benefit the local community? -What is a working forest, and working farm? Guests: Aaron Dority, Executive D...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Maine coastal and ocean issues: Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum Part 2 Hosted by fishermen for fishermen, the annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum is THE place to learn about current issues facing the fishing industry and the coast of Maine. At the 2018 Forum this past Winter, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast and College of the Atlantic recorded dozens of sto...

Producer/Host: Catherine Schmitt Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Coastal communities and environments: Maine bird populations Key Discussion Points: a) status of Maine bird populations and Bird Atlas initiative b) conservation of birds and bird habitat c) citizen science opportunities Guests: Doug Hitchcox, Maine Audubon Chris Bartlett, Maine Sea Grant Jeff Wells, Boreal Songbird Initiative The post C...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Coastal and ocean issues: Co-managing MAINE’S soft shell clams Key Discussion Points: a) how does clam management work b) what are the threats to the clam population (predation, water quality etc) c) local efforts at conservation of clam flats Guests: Michael Pinkham, Gouldsboro and Steuben shellfish warden Ronnie Parrott, Clammer...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Coastal and ocean issues: Co-managing MAINE’S soft shell clams Key Discussion Points: a) how does clam management work b) what are the threats to the clam population (predation, water quality etc) c) local efforts at conservation of clam flats Guests: Michael Pinkham, Gouldsboro and Steuben shellfish warden Ronnie Parrott, slammer...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Sears Island: Past, Present, and Future What is the history of Sears Island, starting from the Wabanaki, into the colonial era and intop the recent past? Sears Island’s history of multiple industrial development proposals and its eventual conservation. What is Friends of Sears Island, the legal management entity, doing to engage th...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Coastal and Ocean Issues: Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum and The First Coast Key Discussion Points: a) Storytelling and clips from audio interviews collected at the 2018 Maine Fishermen’s Forum b)Fishermen, law-makers, and students talk about changes they are seeing on the coast and concerns for the future. c) One cent...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Seaweed ecology: what makes a healthy intertidal zone -What is the intertidal zone -What are the seaweed species in Maine and what ecological role to they play (habitat, food webs etc) -Changes in the timing of species’ life cycles and how temperature and other parameters can trigger phenological mismatches and other food web chall...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Maine coastal and ocean issues: Biotoxins and Red Tide, From Marine Ecology to Public Health Toxic algal blooms and red tides: what are they, why do they happen, and what species do they impact? Recent blooms in Maine, including new species and species that have been here for a long time. Given that humans can get sick from consuming she...

Producer/Host: Catherine Schmitt Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Coastal Aquaculture: Maine oysters Key Discussion Points: a) how oysters are grown b) the market for Maine oysters c) how to serve and eat oysters Guests: Joanna and Jesse Fogg, Bar Harbor Oyster Company Dana Morse, Maine Sea Grant Aliya Uteuova, University of Maine The post Coastal Conversations 12/22/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM B...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Maine coastal and ocean issues: Whale mortalities in the Northwest Atlantic Key Discussion Points: 1. Why did 16 right whales die in the Gulf of Maine and Gulf of Saint Lawrence in 2017? 2. What is the role of climate change in these mortalities? 3. How does the movement of prey affect whale movements? 4. How does Canada differ from the US in how it manages ocean u...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Engineer: Amy Browne Maine coastal and ocean issues: Congestion and Transportation Planning in Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island Communities 1. What are the visitation trends and why are they on the rise? 2. What is the impact of increasing numbers on the Island, both positive (such as economic), and challenging (such as closures of parking areas). 3. Wh...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Engineer: Amy Browne Salts and Water: Stories from the Maine coast Storytelling about the Maine coast and how it connects to place-based tourism Story: the women lobstermen of Stonington Story: The Eastport tides Guest: Crystal Hitchings, Washington County Council of Governments The post Coastal Conversations 9/22/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Maine coastal and ocean issues: Fisheries History at Penobscot Marine Museum -Penobscot Marine Museum’s fisheries exhibit and events and the role of museums in helping people understand about complex fishing industry issues -National Fishermen’s photo archives from the Post World War Two era, donated and on display at Penobscot Marine Museum, illustrate...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Maine Beaches Conference The show covers speakers at the recent Maine Beaches Conference, held July 14, 2017 in Wells, Maine -Maine coastal and beach pollution issues -Coastal erosion and loss of cultural resources -Volunteer monitoring programs for beach erosion and pollution -Coastal access legal issues Guests: Chris Feurt of the Wells National Estuarine Research...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Maine coastal and ocean issues: Alewife restoration and monitoring Key Discussion Points: 1. Ecology of diadromous fish (fish that spend part of their life cycle at sea, and part in freshwater) 2. Volunteer initiatives in Downeast Maine that are helping restore alewives 3. How alewife harvesters contribute to the protection and restoration of alewives Guests: Brett...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Maine coastal and ocean issues Program Topic: Downeast Fisheries Partnership Key Discussion Points: 1. What is the Downeast Fisheries Partnership and what is its vision for a future where Maine’s fishing communities keep fishing forever? 2. What are the changes related to fisheries ecology, economy, and policy that suggest a...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Cold water safety for sea kayaking Program Topic: Cold water safety for sea kayaking Key Discussion Points: Survival times in cold water life jackets and other gear what to do to be safe on the water in the cold Guests Karen Francoeur, Castine Kayak Adventures Petty Offer Miller, US Coast Guard Maria Jenness, Maine Association of...

Producer/Host: Paul Anderson Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Maine coastal and ocean issues Program Topic: Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network Key Discussion Points: National Science Foundation grant to the University of Maine to establish the Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network (SEANET). Aquaculture is an important part of the food system and is being integrated into Maine’s mult...

Producer/Host: Catherine Schmitt Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Maine coastal and ocean issues Program Topic: Salt Marshes Key Discussion Points: Salt marshes are valuable habitat People are working to preserve marshes threatened by sea level rise Salt marsh sparrows live only in high marsh habitat Guests Misha Mytar, Maine Coast Heritage Trust Jeremy Gabrielson, Maine Coast Heritage Trust Jos...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Maine coastal and ocean issues Program Topic: Waterfront Communities Prepare for Climate Change Key Discussion Points: What are some of the impacts of climate change that waterfront communities in Maine are already seeing? How do these changes, such as sea level rise and increased storm frequency and strength, impact waterfront in...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue COASTAL ISSUES Program Topic: LAND conservation in Downeast Maine Key Discussion Points: a) what are land trusts and how to they conserve lands b) what is the scope of conserved lands in the Downeast region and what is the role of your organization’s and the Downeast education and research network? c) what is the impact of co...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Program Topic: the next generation of leaders in the fishing industry Key Discussion Points: a) what are the skills neccesary to be a fisherman today, such as management, marketing, policy and so on b) the Eastern Maine Skippers program c) stories from youth learning, and young fishermen Guests: Christina Fifield, Penobscot East Resource...

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel Program Topic: Young mariners go to college and graduate school Key Discussion Points: 1. Cutting edge research conducted by College and graduate students in the Gulf of Maine 2. Research topics covered: Seabirds, clams, scallops, fisheries, aquaculture, water quality, communications. 3. The role of students in helping address important coastal and marine issues. G...