Appalachian Mountain Club – Maine Chapter

Attentional all Maine high school sophomore and juniors! The Friends of Baxter State Park is currently seeking applications to the first Maine Youth Wilderness Leadership Program. This ALL EXPENSE paid week is scheduled for August 9-16, 2009 is designed to introduce participants to the importance of wilderness preservation. This will include activities such as introduction to backcountry camping, safety, map reading, hiking, and paddling- all in the beauty of Baxter State Park! In addition, students will become familiar with outdoor resource occupations and work directly with a geologist, naturalist, wildlife biologist, photographer, journalist, and painter. To learn more and download an application, visit the Friends of Baxter State Park web site!

Be sure to join us for two special presentations at one potluck event on Tuesday, December 2, 2008.

Steve Taylor, of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, will lead a discussion on the risks of BPA (a.k.a. Bisphenol A) in plastic drinking bottles and Julie and Cam Weaver will present on their recent trip to New Zealand. A potluck dinner will be held at 6 pm and the presentations being at 7 pm. Come join us for an evening of knowledge and fun!

For more information, please check out the AMC Maine Chapter Calendar or click here.

You may also download apdf flyer with more information on this event by clicking on this link:

Dec 08 Event: BPA & New Zealand

The AMC Maine Chapter’s monthly potluck presentation will be a Two-Fer event in December with a great mix of education and entertainment! Please join us on Tuesday, December 2, 2008 for two presentations in one evening.

Steve Taylor, of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, will give a presentation on the potential health issues associated with BPA (a.k.a. Bisphenol A) which is commonly contained in many plastic drinking bottles, including Nalgene products popular with hikers. TheGreenGuide.com has some useful information on this topic in this article. This article explains that the risk from #7 plastic is the possibility that it will leach BPA with exposure to very hot temperatures over a long period of time. These risks have not been fully identified and to complicate matters, not all Nalgene bottles are made from #7 plastic. Confused yet? Come join us for Steve’s presentation for the most current information on this issue which should be of interest to all outdoor enthusiasts.

Finish up the evening with a great presentation by AMC members Cam and Julie Weaver on their recent trip to New Zealand. If you enjoyed the Lords of the Rings movies, then you’ve also had a taste of the land the indigenous Māori called Aotearoa, commonly translated into English as The Land of the Long White Cloud. Julie and Cam will share their experiences exploring the diverse climates and ecology of this isolated part of the world.

The location is at the Morrell Room, Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant Street, Brunswick, ME: parking is available on the street and off Union Street. Dinner at 6 pm, presentation at 7 pm. Attendees are encouraged to bring a potluck item and their own dinnerware (plate, utensils etc.). Drinks will be provided and plastic-ware will be available.

Please click on the link below for a pdf flyer with more information on this event:

Dec 08 Event: BPA & New Zealand

A reminder that November’s potluck presentation topic is a discussion on land use issues concerning Maine’s Northern Forest. Bryan Wentzell, AMC’s Maine Policy Manager, will give a presentation and lead a discussion on recent developments in this region and possible implications for the future. This event will be on Thursday, November 6, 2008 at the South Portland Library in South Portland, ME.

Please check out the Calendar link above or click here for more information.

Or click on the link below to download a pdf flyer for this event:

Nov 08 Event: NorthernMaineForest

Many have heard about large development proposals in northern Maine, but what is going on in Maine’s Northern Forest that led to this? And, what’s so special about this region, anyway?

Come join us for November’s potluck and presentation event to learn more about these land use issues and participate in a discussion about the future. On Thursday, November 6, 2008, AMC’s Maine Policy Manager Bryan Wentzell will present a slide show and discussion on land ownership changes in Maine’s Northern Forest over the last decade, and what this may mean for the its future. Bryan will share information on the potential impacts of these recent events, the effects of land conservation tools in recent years, and how these tools may work in the future. This event is open to the public.

The location is at the South Portland Library, 482 Broadway, South Portland, ME: parking is available off Highland Avenue. Dinner at 6 pm, presentation at 7 pm. Attendees are encouraged to bring a potluck item and their own dinnerware (plate, utensils etc.). Drinks will be provided and plastic-ware will be available. Come join us!

If you’ve every had the pleasure of hiking the Appalachian Trail over Pleasant Pond Mountain in Caratunk, you’ve enjoyed the result of the efforts of veteran trail maintainer Brad Viles. Trail maintainers are an essential part of the AT experience; the trail is a living feature and requires periodic maintenance to keep hiking it a healthy, safe, and pleasant experience.

Here’s a Day in the Life of a Trail Maintainer, in Brad’s own words, published in the Bangor Daily News.

All of the trail maintainers in Maine are volunteers and it’s only through their hard work and dedication that the Maine AT section and other trails continue to be an outstanding outdoor experience. Would you like the opportunity to help out? Contact the Trail Committee Co-Chairs, Peter Roderick at rode...@fairpoint.net or Keith Chapman at ppro...@maine.rr.com.

The Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research has announced the next offering in its lecture series on the environment. On Thursday, September 18, 2008, Mary Evelyn Tucker will give a presentation on The Environmental Crisis as a Moral and Spiritual Challenge to discuss the link between religion and the environmental issues we face today. Her presentation will focus on establishing spiritual values intended to generate a sense of environmental ownership by governments and citizens. An author, Ms. Tucker is presently a Senior Lecturer at Yale University and a Research Associate at Harvard University.

The presentation will begin at 1 pm in Hauck Auditorium at the University of Maine in Orono. The event is free and open to the public; tickets are required, however, and will be distributed on a first come basis. Please call (207) 581-3244 to reserve tickets.

For more information, please click here.

The Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) Board has recently approved funding for land conservation projects supported by Maine voters last November 2007. Based on the approval of the Land Bond associated with Question 4, $17 million was earmarked by the State of Maine for the Land for Maine’s Future program.

The LMF Board has decided to approve a total of 46 individual land conservation projects across Maine to protect approximately 36,000 acres of public recreation and wildlife areas including including forest, farmlands, and coastal areas.

April 22 is Earth Day 2008 for many countries in the Northern Hemisphere. According to the Earth Day Network, the threat of global warming is this year’s theme and events will be held around the world. In celebration, the Green Apple Festival will be held in several cities (with the largest event in Washington D.C.) and use music and other entertainment to celebrate the Earth.

The United Nations celebrates Earth Day on the March equinox, while many countries, including the United States, celebrate Earth Day on April 22. The first Earth Day was held in 1969 at the suggestion of John McConnell and this environmental concern became a significant event as proposed by Senator Gaylord Nelson. On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans across the U.S. demonstrated for a healthier sustainable environment and represents the arrival of ecological awareness in American society. Earth Day has continued and expanded into a global event, including the use of the Ecology Flag as its symbol:

Be sure to join us on Monday, March 17, 2008 for Wayne Newton’s presentation on Flowers of the AT.> Come see and hear of Wayne’s observations of the flowers along the AT in a slideshow presentation.

The location is in the Community Room at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 15 Pleasant Street, Brunswick, ME 04011. Please note that this is a change of location as of January 29, 2008: the Unitarian Universalist Church is next door to the Curtis Memorial Library at 23 Pleasant Street.

For more information, please see the AMC Maine calendar.