Gouldsboro and its Gouldsboro Shore program have been in the news lately. We link to an article that Rachel May published in Outrider that looks at the Shellfish Lab and Anne Berleant's article in the Ellsworth American about what Gouldsboro is doing to protect waterfront access.
Shellfish Lab at Fisherman’s Forum
At this year's Maine Fisherman's Forum, Mike Pinkham and I talked about what Gouldsboro has been doing in its Shellfish Resilience Lab. Here is give you a summary of the presentation and a look at our plans for this summer.
A Climate Resiliency Vulnerability Assessment and Action Plan for Gouldsboro
Gouldsboro is vulnerable to flooding hazards related to sea level rise, storm surge, and extreme precipitation events. FB Environmental has prepared a report that assesses these vulnerabilities and recommends actions. Here is a copy of the report.
Community Clam Dig
Readers have emailed us questions about the Community Clam Dig in Prospect Harbor at 3 PM next Sunday, October 9 that we featured in our most recent newsletter. This post answers those questions and extends an invitation to join us and learn more about what clam harvesters do and how you can dig your own clams.
Learn How to Dig Clams!
Gouldsboro Shore and the Gouldsboro Shellfish Committee invite the community clam digging demonstrations and lessons on Sunday, October 9, at 3:00 PM in Prospect Harbor. Whether you've dug your own clams for a while or have never been on the mud, this is an opportunity to learn from commercial diggers about how to spot where clams are and dig them.
Clam Research in Timber Cove
Timber Cove, located just west of Gouldsboro Point, is one of two research sites the Downeast Institute (DEI) is using to study Arctic surfclams. Over the last decade, DEI has been investigating whether Arctic surfclams might be a way to diversify the kinds of shellfish available to commercial and recreational clammers. They grow naturally in Maine's offshore waters, and DEI is developing and testing techniques for raising them on intertidal mudflats.
Governor Mills Pays a Visit
When we talk about the longer-term goals of the Gouldsboro Shore program, we use two taglines. One is "Keeping Gouldsboro's shore at the center of the community." The other is "Keeping ahead of coastal change." Governor Mills' visit yesterday helped us develop a deeper appreciation of what those taglines mean.
Maine Coastal Program Report – Jan-June
Much of the work we do to preserve shore access and prepare for larger storms and sea-level rise is funded by the Maine Coastal Program through a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Our most recent report to the Maine Coastal Program provides a brief (4 pages) but comprehensive overview of progress since January. If you want to know what the Gouldsboro Shore program does, this is a good place to start. There's a link to the report at the end of this post.
An Icon on Our Shore
On the morning of June 27, a fire broke out at Gull Cottage in Prospect Harbor destroying much of the lighthouse keeper’s house. While the lighthouse itself is a beacon, the keeper’s house, Gull Cottage, is a special icon to many of us. Gouldsboro Shore is working to “keep Gouldsboro’s shore at the center of the community.” Gull Cottage has been doing that for 131 years.
Nature on Schoodic Peninsula
As someone who is somewhat new to the area, I've been trying to explore as much as possible to check out the amazing nature here on the Schoodic Peninsula. In the past couple weeks, I've been able to see so many interesting things, some of which I've only ever read or heard about, and not just plants and animals, but I've also witnessed some interesting phenomena. There are so many amazing things happening under our nose, and I encourage everyone to go explore and check them out!