List of Roundtable Topics 2004-2018

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018
October 26: “The Future of Conservation in Maine,” with guest speakers Warren Whitney, Land Trust Program Director at Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and Karin Tilberg, Executive Director of the Forest Society of Maine.
DOWNLOAD Warren Whitney’s PRESENTATION HERE
DOWNLOAD Karin Tilberg’s PRESENTATION HERE

July 20: “Penobscot Sense of Place,” by James Francis, director of the Penobscot Nation’s Cultural and Historical Preservation Department (at The Center for Moosehead History in Greenville).

April 13: Presentation of the annual “Teddy Roosevelt Maine Conservation Awards” followed by “A Celebration of Youth in the Maine Outdoors” with guest speakers Claire Polfus, coordinator of the Maine Youth Trail Stewardship Coalition, and Leah Titcomb, outreach coordinator of Teens for Trails. They were joined by Alivia Acosta and Scott Geissler, youth representatives of MYTaSC, to speak about their successes and challenges as they as they engage young people in the appreciation of the outdoors. The panel discussion focused on stewardship of Maine’s natural world from the perspective of the next generation, with a glimpse of potential future leaders from Maine.
DOWNLOAD Claire Polfus’ PRESENTATION HERE
DOWNLOAD Leah Titcomb’s PRESENTATION HERE

2017
December 1: “Presentation on North Maine Wood,” by Al Cowperthwaite, Executive Director. North Maine Woods celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2016. This non-profit organization was established by private landowners to manage the recreational uses of their land, roads, and facilities by the public. Al’s presentation covered the history of the interplay among private woodland owners over the past two hundred years: agreements on property lines and log-driving; forest fire dangers; road building and recreational use over different ownerships; and today’s operation of North Maine Woods as a resource for Mainers and others.
DOWNLOAD Al Cowperthwaite’s PRESENTATION HERE

September 22: “Values and Importance of the Maine Appalachian Mountain Corridor,” with speakers Alec Giffen, New England Forestry Foundation; Dr. Peter McKinley, Climate Adaptation Ecologist for The Wilderness Society; Jerry Bley, Creative Conservation, LLC; and Bryan Wentzell, Executive Director of Maine Mountain Collaborative.
DOWNLOAD Bryan Wentzell’s PRESENTATION HERE
DOWNLOAD Alec Giffen’s PRESENTATION HERE
DOWNLOAD Jerry Bley’s PRESENTATION HERE
DOWNLOAD THE McKinley Ecologocal Integrity PRESENTATION HERE

April 7: “Keeping the Trust, Preserving Wilderness on Katahdin,” by Jensen Bissell, Director of Baxter State Park
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION HERE

2016
December 2: “Issues and Impact of Maine Land Trusts Today” a panel discussion moderated by Tom Mullin, Associate Professor at Unity College, and with panelists Alan Hutchinson, Executive Director of the Forest Society of Maine, David Montague, Executive Director of the Downeast Lakes Land Trust, and Jennifer Irving, Project Manager and former Executive Director of the Sebasticook Regional Land Trust.

September 16: “On Creating the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and Future Plans” by Lucas St. Clair, President of the Board of Elliotsville Plantation, Inc.

April 15: “Climate Change and Acadia National Park” by Abe Miller-Rushing, Science Coordinator, Acadia National Park

2015
October 16: “Whose Woods These Are: Current Trends in Land Ownership and Management of the Maine Woods” by Jerry Bley, Creative Conservation

May 29: “Nature and Renewal: Wild River Valley and Beyond” by Dean Bennett, professor emeritus, University of Maine at Farmington

March 6: “The Coming Spruce Budworm Outbreak, Initial Risk Assessment” by Patrick Strauch, Executive Director of the Maine Forest Products Council, and members of the Maine Spruce Budworm Task Force

2014
September 26: Presentation on Teddy Roosevelt in Maine by Andrew Vietze, author of Becoming Teddy Roosevelt. Also a report by Amity Beane of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens on its use of Andrew’s book to engage and inspire middle school students.

March 21: “The Changing Nature of the Maine Woods” by Andrew Barton, Professor of Biology at the University of Maine Farmington
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION HERE

2013
November 1: Presentation on forests as habitat for birds and other wildlife by Bob Duchesne, creator of the Maine Birding Trail
September 27:  “10,000 Years of Sustainable Stewardship, Natural Resources Management on Penobscot Land” by John Banks, Director of Natural Resources for the Penobscot Nation
March. 15:  Overview of Maine’s Sustainable Forestry Initiative  by Patrick Sirois  and overview of findings from the Center for Research on Sustainable Forests at UMaine/Orono by Spencer Meyer

2012
Mar. 9: “America’s Great Outdoors” by Ken Elowe, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s NE Division
May 4: Presentation on Project SHARE (Salmon Habitat and River Enhancement) by Steven Koenig, Executive Director
Nov. 9: Presentation on Penobscot River Restoration Project by Laura Rose Day, Executive Director, Penobscot River Restoration Trust

2011
May 6: Presentation on current state conservation efforts by William H. Beardsley, Commissioner, Department of Conservation
Nov. 4: Report on current status of the LURC Reform Commission by Tom Rumpf, The Nature Conservancy

2010
June 10: Update on continuing conservation efforts in concert with U.S. Departments of the Interior & Agriculture, by Alec Giffin, Director, Maine Forest Service
Dec. 10: Update on Keeping Maine’s Forests initiative by Steering Committee members

2009
June 5: “Converging Opportunities to Protect Maine’s Forests,” by Patrick McGowan
Nov. 20: “How Do We Keep Maine’s Forests As Forests?” by Sherry Huber

2008
Mar. 13: In lieu of winter roundtable, we encouraged attendance at Colby College’s conference, “Protecting Livelihoods and Landscapes in Northern Maine”
May 16: “Spreading Prosperity to All of Maine,” by Bruce Hazard, Mountain Counties Heritage Network
July 26:  Cancelled due to death within the Penobscot Nation
Nov. 7: “Quality of Place and The North Maine Woods,” by Ted Koffman, Maine Audubon

2007
Feb. 27: Presentation on Maine’s conservation plans for next four years by Patrick McGowan, Commissioner, Department of Conservation
May 16: Report on Maine’s current and future land protection goals & new task force, by Karin Tilberg, Senior Policy Advisor on the Environment
July 23: Celebration of the Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail official opening, including a talk on Kineo geology by Walter Anderson (on the “Kate,” Moosehead Lake)
Oct. 26: Report on updated Comprehensive Land Use Plan by LURC staff (at Viles Arboretum, Augusta)

2006
Jan. 31: Presentation on Two Countries, One Forest by James Sullivan & Rob Baldwin
June 9:  Presentation on LURCs current deliberations by Catherine Carroll
Oct. 27: “Economic & Environmental Considerations in Maine Rural Land Use,” by Jonathan Rubin, Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy

2005
Jan. 21: Progress report & ideas on creation of proposed Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail(TWT)
June  8: Presentation on Plum Creek, LURC, and related state issues (at Unity College)
Sept. 9: “The Life of Penobscot Indian Joe Polis,” by Bonnie Newsom & “Kineo Rhyolite and Its Place in pre-European Maine,” by Arthur Spiess (on the “Kate“, Moosehead Lake)

2004
Sept. 17: Wide-ranging discussion on role of newly-formed Maine Woods Forever
Nov. 19:  Further refining of our role & mission with brainstorming by attendee