Talk of the Towns | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: John Greenman Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Working Towards Food Security for Maine Key Discussion Points: What are some of the practical ways we are addressing food insecurity in this part of the state? How do local food pantries work with the statewide Good Shepherd Food Bank? Hunger Pains is...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Acadia Fire Soccer Academy—Developing Skills and People What led to the creation of Acadia Fire Football Club (AFFC)? Explain the importance of the mission “to offer the highest level of skill development to the greatest number of players.” W...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Making Age Friendly Communities in Maine Key Discussion Points: As people the world over grow older, there is more attention paid to making their communities “age friendly”… what might be a good working definition of “age friendly community”? How did the...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Higher quality of life for all Maine people – Maine Community Foundation’s plans and programs Key Discussion Points: What is the concept of a community foundation and how does it fit in the overall framework of philanthropy in the US? How did MCF start a...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Program Topic: Addiction—Emerging Research and Best Practices in treatment Key Discussion Points: What is the most recent research, leading to an understanding of addiction as a chronic health issue “addiction falls along the spectrum of behavioral disorders with clear genetic neurobiological and environmental i...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Land Trusts Working With Communities Key Discussion Points: Land Trusts have always built public use into its mission, including hunting and trapping… how did you arrive at this policy and how have area residents received it? Great Pond Mountain Conserva...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Understanding Dementia and Supporting those affected Key Discussion Points: What are the range of conditions called dementia, and how do they show up? Where does Alzheimer’s Disease fit into this range? How should we (family members, friends) remember wh...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Program Topic: Statesman: George Mitchell and the Art of the Possible, new biography Key Discussion Points: What qualities led George Mitchell to be successful over the course of his career in the Senate and as a negotiator? What intrigued you most about how Mitchell practiced “the art of the possible” in his Se...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: John Greenman Program Topic: Maine Farmland Trust and Maine’s Food System Key Discussion Points: Brief overview of MFT mission and history, starting with its land trust model How has MFT evolved to a more comprehensive approach you now embrace (land conservation, land access, farm viability, food access, outreach, arts) Wh...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Going to Market: The Science and Safety of developing new food product in Maine Key Discussion Points: How do entrepreneurs make use of the services of University of Maine Cooperative Extension to develop and test new, value-added food products? Using th...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Joel Mann Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Creating Acadia National Park – the new biography of George B. Dorr Key Discussion Points: 1. Mount Desert Island and the Rusticators 2. How the story of Acadia derives from the relationship between three men, of different generations — Charles W. E...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Preview of April 9 Penobscot Watershed Conference Key Discussion Points: 1. What is the focus of this conference? Who is the audience / sponsors? 2. What led organizers to plan this conference, and why now? What is the connection to a number of conferenc...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: The future of the Millinocket Baxter region, including a possible National Park Key Discussion Points: What changes have you seen in the Millinocket-Baxter region in your lifetime… are there trends in the economy and in forest practices, land ownership o...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Affordable Housing at the Heart of a Community Key Discussion Points: 1. What do we know, generally, about the issue of housing affordability on the coast of Maine and, by example, on Mount Desert Island? 2. What factors gave rise to Island Housing Trust...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Celebrating Acadia in 2016—Centennial Year Key Discussion Points: A. What are we celebrating? Centennials of Acadia National Park and US National Park Service B. What is the brief history of Acadia Highlights and tensions? Parallels to history of Mount D...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Celebrating how our buildings contribute to sense of place Key Discussion Points: What do we know about the blending of European techniques with what early settlers and builders found in Native American structures… how had Native Americans solved some of...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Program Topic: Healthy Food Options for Maine General Stores Key Discussion Points: o Where do we in Maine stand in terms of healthy eating? o How easy or hard is it for people to make healthy choices as they plan meals for themselves and their families? o Do some groups have a more difficult time getting access...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Joel Mann Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: The Union River, Fish and Dams Key Discussion Points: 1. The Watershed What is the watershed of the Union River, and how does it serve/impact the region? What do we know about fish in the Union River—historical and present? First dams for sawmills and oth...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Program Topic: A Conversation and readings from young writers in Sumner High School’s Alternative Pathways Program Key Discussion Points: Background on Alternative Pathways Program and Sumner’s approach to education, idea for writing workshop Each young writer introduces briefly and reads a piece from work in pr...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Joel Mann Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Community Energy: Bringing the lessons from Samso to Maine Islands Key Discussion Points: o Where in the world is Samso Island, and why is it important to the islands of Maine? What is the “energy profile” for Maine islands? o What led to the visit to Sam...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Support for success in high school and the transition to college and work Key Discussion Points: Kim shares her own profile and describes her own high school and college path, comparing and contrasting some of the challenges she sees current high school...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Governor LePage’s Tax Reform Plan and its impacts on Maine towns and Non-Profit Organizations Key Discussion Points: • Michelle describes Ellsworth… its economy and tax base, with reference to the number/relative size of non-profits, role of city m...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: The Abundance Cycle—A new lens for developing sustainable businesses Key Discussion Points: Jay Friedlander: • A college economics text book from the 1970s was called “Scarcity Challenged”… we have scarce resources and our various economic systems...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: The Abbe Museum—Bridging Wabanaki and White People and Cultures Key Discussion Points: • What were the origins of the Abbe and what is it’s current mission? • Big step to create its downtown location… what is the relationship between the museum in...

Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Community concerns and opportunities Program Topic: Looking Back, Looking Ahead—the work of Maine Community Foundation Key Discussion Points: 1. What is a community foundation, what is the brief history of community foundations and of Maine Community Foundation (MCF) in particular? 2. What is the array of...