Mapping Port Clyde

herringgut.org
Herring Gut News
SPRING 2015
AN UPDATE TO OUR SUPPORTERS
Mapping Port Clyde
Fisheries Then and Now
T
AKE A DRIVE DOWN THE ST. GEORGE PENINSULA and
you’ll see no shortage of fishing gear- lobster boats in the harbors, traps in backyards, nets, drags, and other tools of the trade.
All are evidence of the strong ties that this area has to the sea, and its
importance to our local economies. But how has it changed? Did the
harbors and docks always look the way they do now? What other historical fisheries have had an economic impact on this area, and why did
they decline?
Herring Gut Learning Center is embarking on a new journey, along
with the 7th grade team at the St. George School to answer some of these
questions. Students and teachers will work together to create a map
documenting both sites that are currently here and those that are no
longer in existence: the sardine factory, whose presence remains only
in the memories of some of the town elders and a few scattered bricks
and cans on a beach. The once prolific groundfishing fleet reduced to
less than a handful of vessels among a sea of lobster boats. Research
into the past will help begin a conversation among students, teachers,
and our community about how our coastline can adapt to be a vibrant
and productive place in the future.
Inspiration for this project comes from
the Downeast Fisheries Trail, which
consists of 45 locations in Hancock
and Washington counties that
showcase active and historic
fisheries sites to raise awareness
of the importance of the region’s maritime heritage and
the role of marine resources to
the area’s economy. Through
generous funding from Maine
Vintage pictures of Marshall Point Lighthouse and Port Clyde.
SeaGrant and Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust, the 7th grade at the St.
George School and HGLC will be creating a localized version of this in
Port Clyde.
During a project kick-off this month, students were introduced to
current and historic fisheries products including lobsters, groundfish,
herring, and aquacultured seaweed and oysters. Throughout the rest of
the school year, they will work to identify sites in Port Clyde to put on
the map, take pictures, research them, and conduct oral histories with
people who have historical fishing knowledge. The project will culminate at the Herring Gut Open House on June 10 with an unveiling of
the final version of the map.
If you have historical fisheries knowledge of Port Clyde, old pictures, or fond memories and would like to participate in the project,
please contact Ann or Alex at (207) 372-8677.
Students study different commercial fish species and fisheries artifacts.
Board News
A
Herring Gut Learning Center welcomes Peter Harris as a new trustee
NATIVE OF NEW YORK CITY,
Peter attended the University of
New Hampshire, then served as Director of a statewide low-income community organizing project in New
Hampshire. He moved to Washington
D.C. to join the staff of Senator Claiborne Pell, later working for eight years
as Chief of Staff for Senator Howard
Metzenbaum. In Washington he became immersed in the worlds of public
policy, electoral politics, and media.
After leaving work in the Senate
he was a strategy and media consultant
in successful U.S. Senate, Gubernatorial, and Mayoral election campaigns
in Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Hawaii,
Virginia and New York City. He later
started and was President of two consulting companies specializing in issue
advocacy and reputation management. His clients included elected ofwww.herringgut.org
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ficials, corporations, not-for-profit institutions, trade associations and individuals prominent in public life.
In retirement Harris resides with
his partner Peggy Taylor in Tenants
Harbor, Maine, where he is on the
Board of Directors of the Jackson Memorial Library and is Co-Chair of the
Youth Programs Committee. He also
resides part of the year in Kula,
Hawaii.
P.O. Box 286, Port Clyde, ME 04855
|
Peter Harris
(207)372-8677
Herring Gut
SUMMER EVENTS
Herring Gut Open House Wednesday, June 10, 5-7 p.m.
See what we’re all about! Tour the fish hatchery, meet our students and teachers, view student projects and enjoy food, family, and friends! Also, be a part
of the unveiling of our newest project with the St. George School 7th gradeThe Port Clyde Fisheries Trail!
Herring Gut Silent Art Auction Wednesday, July 29 at 6 p.m.
Highlands Coffee House, 189 Main Street, Thomaston
Throughout July, support HGLC during our silent auction of paintings by
Maine artists. The auction culminates the evening of July 29 with live music,
a cash bar, and light refreshments. A beautiful painting of Herring Gut’s campus by artist Jill Valliere will also be raffled off.
Hollywood Comes to Herring Gut at the Strand Theatre
Thursday August 6
Come support Herring Gut and enjoy a conversation with Oscar Andrew
Hammerstein. After a showing of the most recent Herring Gut short film,
Hammerstein will share family histories and stories of beloved grandfather
Oscar Hammerstein. Through film clips, Hammerstein will provide behind
the scenes, up close stories about the making of some of America's best loved
musical movies and plays.
Herring Gut Farmstand Thursdays, July 2 - August 20, 9 a.m. -2 p.m.
Oceanview Grange, Martinsville
First Work students will once again be managing a farmstand at the Oceanview
Grange Farmer’s Market. Stop by and purchase some of the best aquaponically
and garden-grown veggies around! Many other local vendors will also be selling products including baked goods, gifts, and goat cheese products.
Herring Gut Student Tours Tuesdays, July 7 – August 18, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Have you always wanted to see what we do firsthand? Please join us for a tour
with the best guides around- our students! Visit our fish hatchery and greenhouse and learn about the unique way we grow things aquaponically!
SALTWATER SERIES
Programs are free and open to children (and adults!) of all ages (children
must be accompanied by an adult). No registration necessary to participate
in these fun events!
Moth Night! Wednesday July 22, 9-11 p.m.
Join moth enthusiast, Ann Boover, on a nighttime adventure to identify and
document different species of moths. In conjunction with National Moth
Week, we’ll dig out the black lights and white sheets and set up a field station
at Herring Gut to enjoy the magic of moths!
Walk the Port Clyde Fisheries Trail Wednesday July 29, 9-10:30 a.m.
Today Port Clyde is a picturesque coastal community that attracts visitors with
its quaint village lifestyle. But there was a time when this village was home to
a bustling fishing industry, and its shores were lined with the frames of ships
being built. Join us as we travel back in time to visit sites of Port Clyde’s past.
Nighttime Beach Walk Wednesday August 5, 8:30-9:30 p.m.
Bring your flashlights! Learn what sea creatures do at the beach when the sun
goes down. A family nighttime walk-and-talk to Drift Inn Beach in Port Clyde.
Family Tide Pooling Wednesday August 12, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Join Herring Gut staff on an afternoon adventure at Drift Inn beach! We’ll
show you the best spots to look for common tide pool animals and identify
the animals and algae we find. Watch out for lobsters hiding under rocks!
Alex teaches students about lobster anatomy
Herring Gut Collaborates
with Globally Recognized
Center for Teaching
and Learning
T
HIS MONTH, NEARLY 30 STUDENTS from the Center for
Teaching and Learning (CTL) in Edgecomb, Maine arrived at
Herring Gut in a frenzy of excitement and enthusiasm. They were
eager to launch into a “Lobster Investigations” course and tell us
about their classroom lobster, set up the previous week by Herring
Gut teacher Alex Brasili. Contributing to their excitement was also
the announcement the previous weekend that the founder of their
school, Nancie Atwell, had won a $1 million Global Teacher Prize, considered the
“Nobel Prize of Teaching.” In her acceptance speech, Atwell explains “The goal is
excellence always. Engagement in the
task—whether it's teaching or learning—
is the means to achieve excellence."
At Herring Gut, we strive to engage
students in critical thinking about the
marine environment that surrounds us.
Throughout the “Lobster Investigations”
course, students from CTL will be immersed in the study of one of Maine’s Looking at lobster eggs
under the microscope
most important economic resources. We
will challenge them to think about how human impacts, climate
change, and ocean acidification may affect lobster populations in the
future and how this may change the culture of Maine’s coastlineecologically and economically. Herring Gut, like CTL, believes that
a rigorous and authentic approach to teaching produces passion and
engagement in our students. We are excited to be collaborating with
a school that shares our philosophy of education and has been globally recognized for it.
Science teacher at CTL, Glenn Powers, states “The students from
Edgecomb's Center for Teaching and Learning had an amazing visit
to Herring Gut Learning Center's salt water labs and indoor classroom. We enjoyed examining live lobsters, lobster eggs under a microscope, and "dissected" a cooked lobster with a guided tour of
lobster anatomy. It was an amazing hands-on experience that we are
looking forward to building off of in the coming weeks.”
Third Grade Class to Present
at STEM Innovation Forum
Meet our
New Director!
T
HIS FALL, Jaime MacCaffray’s third-grade class at Lura Libby participated in an “Aquaponics Investigations” course with HGLC. Through
generous funding from the Georges River Educational Foundation and
the Fast Track program, students took part in a month-long project focusing on water quality, fish biology, and plant growth using a classroom
aquaponics system. Throughout the year, MacCaffray has continued to
utilize the aquaponics system in her classroom to teach students science,
mathematics, and other integrated topics. HGLC teacher Ann Boover has
remained in contact with the class to consult on issues that have come up
throughout the school year, including the early arrival of some spring pests
in the classroom. “It was wonderful to watch the students take what we
learned throughout the aquaponics class and continue the project
throughout the year, sharing their knowledge with other kids in their
school,” says Boover.
MacCaffray’s work with her students has caught the eye of the STEM
Innovation Forum, where she has been invited to present her work with Herring Gut and in her classroom. At the Forum in May, MacCaffray will join
other innovative educators in Maine in sharing their approaches to handson, project-based learning and other cutting edge curriculum techniques in
the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
David Lamon
"On behalf of the board of trustees,
we are thrilled to welcome our new
executive director, David Lamon.
With a long career and academic
training in education and environmental science, David is uniquely
qualified to serve as our director.
Under his leadership and in partnership with our new Director of Community Affairs, Erin Meyer, Herring
Gut is well positioned to build on its
reputation as the anchor of innovative education on the St. George
peninsula. Please join me in welcoming David to our community.
Better yet, come down to visit the
campus and meet him!"
—Nancy Baker, board chair
D
Students gather around a giant swiss chard to learn about plant anatomy
AVID COMES TO HERRING GUT after many years of
doing environmental conservation, restoration, research and
education work on Mount Desert Island. He graduated from College of the Atlantic in 1991 with a degree in Human Ecology and
a Maine teaching certificate. In 2004 he received an MS from Lesley University with a focus on environmental science and ecological teaching and learning. David has taught at every level, from
early childhood through elementary, middle and high school, and
with college and adult learners. “The coast of Maine has been my
home for the past 27 years and I value the close-knit communities
that make up its landscape. I’m excited to be part of the innovative
environmental education work that Herring Gut Learning Center
is doing in the mid-coast region,” says David. “Herring Gut is an
extraordinary resource in the community, with a fantastic team of
staff, volunteers, and community partners!”
SIGN UP NOW FOR A MARINE SCIENCE ADVENTURE!
Herring Gut Summer Camp
Come spend a week with us this summer discovering the
different coastal habitats of Maine! Roll up your sleeves
and explore the rocky shore, salt marshes, mudflats, and
more. Experience a different habitat every day by visiting
incredible field sites for hands-on ocean exploration
guided by our experienced and talented interns.
On Thursday we hop on a boat and travel a few miles
offshore to visit Allen Island! This beautiful private island
has many of the marine habitats discussed throughout the
week and is just waiting to be explored.
Camp runs Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 3:30
p.m. at Herring Gut Learning Center's beautiful campus
in Port Clyde Maine. A shuttle from Thomaston will be
available to transport campers down the peninsula before
and after camp. With a waterfront view, acres of gardens
and fields, state of the art classrooms and labs, Herring
Gut has all you need for an amazing summer experience.
CAMP DATES / Register today!
Only 12 students per session!
Discover, explore, create, and learn at Herring Gut summer camp!
www.herringgut.org
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P.O. Box 286, Port Clyde, ME 04855
Session 1: July 20-24
for students entering grades 3 and 4
Session 2: July 27-31
for students entering grades 5, 6, and 7
Session 3: August 3-7
for students entering grades 3 and 4
Session 4: August 10-14
for students entering grades 5, 6, and 7
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(207)372-8677
YOUR SPRING CONTRIBUTION SUPPORTS STUDENT SUCCESS
“Herring Gut helped me tremendously not only in school but in life. I
don't think I would have made it through high school without my
experience there; it really opened my eyes. It’s an amazing thing you
do and I hope it continues for many more years to come. Herring Gut
has given me more than I could ask for. Keep up the good work.”
-Logan, Herring Gut Class of 2010, self-employed lobsterman
At Herring Gut, we are committed to providing students with opportunities to
explore their interests and to develop skills that will serve them throughout
their lives. Generous donations from our community allowed us to take
students to a SeaPerch underwater ROV competition to compete against
neighboring schools. We didn’t win top prize, but developed confidence,
teamwork, and engineering skills along the way!
Carl and Kevin stand in front of
the pool at the SeaPerch
underwater ROV competition in Bath
Thank you for
supporting our
students!
Herring Gut
Pledge Your Support!
P.O. Box 286, Port Clyde, ME 04855
We are grateful to our many donors and friends.
Please join us today in support of our hands-on education programs.
Kindly make your gift online or in the enclosed envelope. Thank you!
www.herringgut.org
Find us on
Board of Trustees
Nancy Baker, Chair
Philip Conkling, Vice-Chair
Nancy Steiner, Secretary
Ken Crane, Treasurer
Phyllis Wyeth, Founder
Ellen Bates
Dusty Batley
Peter Harris
Suzanne Luzius
Wendy Makins
Executive Director
David Lamon
Director of Community Affairs
Erin Meyer
Teaching Staff
Ann Boover
Alexandria Brasili