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Articles 1 - 30 of 70
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Wabanaki Experiences And Perspectives On “Our Shared Ocean”: Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission Special Report Sea Run, Anthony W. Sutton, Judson Esty-Kendall, Paul Thibeault
Wabanaki Experiences And Perspectives On “Our Shared Ocean”: Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission Special Report Sea Run, Anthony W. Sutton, Judson Esty-Kendall, Paul Thibeault
Maine Policy Review
The Maine Indian State Tribal Commission (MITSC) recently published a special report titled, Sea Run, documenting the impact of Colonial and Maine policies and activities on the quality and quantity of tribal fisheries spanning the time from first contact between Europeans and the Wabanaki Nations to today.
Before And After The Clean Water Act: How Science, Law, And Public Aspirations Drove Seven Decades Of Progress In Maine Water Quality, David L. Courtemanch, Susan P. Davies, Eileen Sylvan Johnson, Rebecca Schaffner, Douglas Suitor
Before And After The Clean Water Act: How Science, Law, And Public Aspirations Drove Seven Decades Of Progress In Maine Water Quality, David L. Courtemanch, Susan P. Davies, Eileen Sylvan Johnson, Rebecca Schaffner, Douglas Suitor
Maine Policy Review
In the 1950s, Maine established a water quality classification system creating the conceptual scaffolding of a tiered system of management. Passage of the federal Clean Water Act in 1972 drove dramatic advances in science, technology, and policy leading to systematic improvement for the next five decades. Today’s tiered classification system provides a range of management goals from natural to various allowable uses. The state assigns uses and standards for each classification, incorporating physical, chemical, and biological indicators. This system has brought steady improvement in water quality, ecological condition, and overall value for human use. Visible evidence of improvement and adoption …
Including The Human Dimension Into Resilience Planning For Maine’S Lobster Fishery, Katherine Maltby, Katherine E. Mills
Including The Human Dimension Into Resilience Planning For Maine’S Lobster Fishery, Katherine Maltby, Katherine E. Mills
Maine Policy Review
The American lobster fishery is one of the most valuable in the US but is being affected by climate-driven shifts in lobster availability, impacting people’s ability to harvest the resource and sparking broader adaptation challenges. Since the late 1990s, lobster landings in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) have climbed to record levels while those in Southern New England (SNE) have experienced significant declines. The experiences of SNE lobstermen during these declines can offer important lessons for both individual lobstermen and communities in the GOM, where lobster abundance is currently at high levels but facing future uncertainty given continuing climate trends. …
The Surprising Oceanography Of The Gulf Of Maine, Nicholas R. Record, Benjamin Tupper, Johnathan Evanilla, Kyle Oliveira, Camille Ross, Logan Ngai, Karen Stamieszkin
The Surprising Oceanography Of The Gulf Of Maine, Nicholas R. Record, Benjamin Tupper, Johnathan Evanilla, Kyle Oliveira, Camille Ross, Logan Ngai, Karen Stamieszkin
Maine Policy Review
The oceanography of the Gulf of Maine has changed in ways that have not been seen previously but that are likely to be more common in the future–changes like extreme rapid warming and declines in primary productivity. The changing oceanography has underpinned surprising losses in commercial stocks and endangered species. Because of the rapid rate of change, some have viewed the Gulf of Maine as a window into the ocean’s future, with the idea that lessons learned can be applied in places that have yet to experience similar rapid changes. We can examine the dynamics, origin, and implications of surprising …
Forest Policies And Adaptation To Climate Change In Maine: Stakeholder Perceptions And Recommendations, Alyssa R. Soucy, Sandra De Urioste-Stone, Ivan J. Fernandez, Aaron Weiskittel, Parinaz Rahimzadeh-Bajgiran, Tom Doak
Forest Policies And Adaptation To Climate Change In Maine: Stakeholder Perceptions And Recommendations, Alyssa R. Soucy, Sandra De Urioste-Stone, Ivan J. Fernandez, Aaron Weiskittel, Parinaz Rahimzadeh-Bajgiran, Tom Doak
Maine Policy Review
Socioeconomic pressures require forest management to address the impacts of climate change. However, we must ask, Are current forest policies sufficient to deal with the impacts of climate change? Here, we report on two surveys of forest stakeholders in Maine including woodlot owners and forestry professionals and discuss their perceptions of the barriers to climate change adaptation. We conclude with several policy directions including reevaluating existing policies, expanding incentivebased policies, integrating adaptation efforts into mitigation efforts, and increasing communication and outreach.
Biofuels Development In Maine: Using Trees To Oil The Wheels Of Sustainabilty, Caroline L. Noblet, Mario F. Teisl, Katherine H. Farrow, Jonathan Rubin
Biofuels Development In Maine: Using Trees To Oil The Wheels Of Sustainabilty, Caroline L. Noblet, Mario F. Teisl, Katherine H. Farrow, Jonathan Rubin
Maine Policy Review
As national standards require increased use of renewable transportation fuels by 2022, Maine is positioned to be a leader in wood-based cellulosic ethanol production and use. Caroline Noblet, Mario Teisl, Katherine Farrow, and Jonathan Rubin consider Mainers’ willingness to accept and use biofuels. They document the current level of consumer knowledge and behavior and identify factors (environmental, economic, and energy security) that may assist or constrain drivers from purchasing biofuels.
Interview With Robert Kates, Pathfinder In Sustainability Science, Bridie Mcgreavy, Robert Kates
Interview With Robert Kates, Pathfinder In Sustainability Science, Bridie Mcgreavy, Robert Kates
Maine Policy Review
In this interview, Robert Kates discusses the challenges of sustainability science in moving from what scientists know to actions that can provide solutions to pressing environmental and development problems. Kates notes that sustainability science has the dual mission of addressing core scientific and intellectual questions, while at the same time addressing development in particular places. He suggests that one of the key questions is how to address long-term trends and transition to a “better synthesis between environment and society.”
Introduction, Linda Silka, Bridie Mcgreavy, Brittany Cline, Laura Lindenfeld
Introduction, Linda Silka, Bridie Mcgreavy, Brittany Cline, Laura Lindenfeld
Maine Policy Review
Introduces special issue of Maine Policy Review focused on Maine's "Sustainability Solutions Initiative," an NSF/EPSCoR-funded project that brings together faculty from higher education institutions around the state to work with stakeholders on sustainability issues through the lens of sustainability science.
Sustainability And Workforce Development In Maine, Catherine S. Renault, Linda Silka, James (Jake) S. Ward
Sustainability And Workforce Development In Maine, Catherine S. Renault, Linda Silka, James (Jake) S. Ward
Maine Policy Review
Maine is facing challenges in terms of its workforce: education levels lag behind those in the other New England states; population growth is slow; and the economy is undergoing a change that has shifted from manufacturing to more knowledge-based jobs. Catherine Renault, Linda Silka and Jake Ward discuss these challenges, looking at what employers want in their employees and at the kinds of jobs the state is likely to see in the future. They point out that the Sustainability Solutions Initiative, with its emphasis on a boundary-crossing approach to education, is an example of a way to train today’s students …
Advancing Science And Improving Quality Of Place: Linking Knowledge With Action In Maine’S Sustainability Solutions Initiative, Damon Hall, Linda Silka, Laura Lindenfeld
Advancing Science And Improving Quality Of Place: Linking Knowledge With Action In Maine’S Sustainability Solutions Initiative, Damon Hall, Linda Silka, Laura Lindenfeld
Maine Policy Review
The authors give an overview of how research carried out through Maine’s Sustainabilty Solutions Initiative (SSI) improves traditional models of science by providing a fuller picture of the interaction between social and ecological systems. They provide examples of university-community research partnerships, where there is a continuous communication and feedback process that identifies problems and develops projects with a solutions-oriented focus. SSI projects, they argue, “focus on issues that may make lasting improvements to Maine’s quality of place.”
Letter From The Editor, Ann Acheson
Sustainability: The Challenges And The Promise, George J. Mitchell
Sustainability: The Challenges And The Promise, George J. Mitchell
Maine Policy Review
Senator George J. Mitchell’s Margaret Chase Essay reflects on sustainable development. He discusses how teams of Maine faculty and students are working in partnerships across business, government and non-governmental organizations to seek solutions for a wide range of ecological and economic challenges.
Place-Based Approaches To Alternative Energy: The Potential For Forest And Grass Biomass For Aroostook County, Jason Johnston, Soraya Cardenas
Place-Based Approaches To Alternative Energy: The Potential For Forest And Grass Biomass For Aroostook County, Jason Johnston, Soraya Cardenas
Maine Policy Review
Teams at the University of Maine Presque Isle and the University of Maine at Forth Kent are engaged in evaluating the potential for forest and grass biomass energy in Aroostook County, funded through Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative. The article discusses how this potential is being evaluated and the possible ways in which expanding grass and wood biomass might benefit farmers and residents of The County. It suggests that using some of Maine’s farmland for fuel might be sustainable with appropriate management and with consideration for potential environmental and socioeconomic drawbacks
Healthy Lakes And Vibrant Economies: Linking History, Sense Of Place, And Watershed Protection In The Belgrade Lakes Region, James Rodger Fleming, Erin A. Love
Healthy Lakes And Vibrant Economies: Linking History, Sense Of Place, And Watershed Protection In The Belgrade Lakes Region, James Rodger Fleming, Erin A. Love
Maine Policy Review
Using interviews, targeted questionnaires, and historical documents, James Fleming and Erin Love show how history and “sense of place” can help encourage individuals to support environmental protection. The project they describe focuses on watershed protection in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine, and is part of a larger Sustainability Solutions Initiative project in that region. They argue that “connection to place leads to caring about it.”
Reaching Into The Past For Future Resilience: Recovery Efforts In Maine Rivers And Coastal Waters, John Lichter, Ted Ames
Reaching Into The Past For Future Resilience: Recovery Efforts In Maine Rivers And Coastal Waters, John Lichter, Ted Ames
Maine Policy Review
John Lichter and Ted Ames discuss how analysis of environmental histories of human activities affecting Maine’s estuary, river, and coastal marine ecosystems can shed light on the role key fish species may play. Through Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative, a group of researchers from Bowdoin, Bates, University of Southern Maine, and Penobscot East Resource Center have teamed up to examine ecological recovery in the state’s waterways and coastal fisheries. Several river restoration efforts were already underway, and others are being planned as a direct result of this interdisciplinary project.
Economic Development And Maine’S Sustainability Solutions Initiative, Caroline L. Noblet, Kathleen P. Bell, Charles Colgan, Mario Teisl
Economic Development And Maine’S Sustainability Solutions Initiative, Caroline L. Noblet, Kathleen P. Bell, Charles Colgan, Mario Teisl
Maine Policy Review
The authors discuss how Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI) can contribute to economic development in the state. SSI research is covering five of the seven targeted technology areas identified in recent reports as being important for economic development in the state (forestry and agriculture, environmental, information, composites, marine and aquaculture). The authors note how the broad scope of research carried out through SSI provides opportunities to catalyze new commercial opportunities. As important, SSI is providing many students with a unique learning environment that will prepare them for the new knowledge-based economy.
Student Perspective: Margaret Chase Smith Library 2011 Essay Contest:, Zoe Anderson, Ali Clift, Allaina Murphy
Student Perspective: Margaret Chase Smith Library 2011 Essay Contest:, Zoe Anderson, Ali Clift, Allaina Murphy
Maine Policy Review
Each year, the Margaret Chase Smith Library sponsors an essay contest for Maine high school seniors. The focus of the 2011 contest was environmental protection. The essay prompt quoted a 1972 statement from Sen. Smith: “We must recognize that we’re not going to eliminate pollution overnight. It’s going to be a hard, long fight. It’s going to take a long time and a lot of sacrifice on the part of each one of us.” By happy coincidence, the essay contest topic fits perfectly with the subject matter of this special issue of Maine Policy Review on sustainability. We feature here …
Attitudes Toward Offshore Wind Power In The Midcoast Region Of Maine, James Acheson
Attitudes Toward Offshore Wind Power In The Midcoast Region Of Maine, James Acheson
Maine Policy Review
Given the likelihood of the development of offshore wind farms in Maine and the increasingly politicized nature of discussions about wind power in general, there is a need for more systematic information on Mainers’ opinions about offshore wind power. In this article, James Acheson provides information on the range of public opinion about offshore wind power based on a survey of fishermen, tourism-related business owners and coastal property owners in Midcoast Maine. He assesses the accuracy of some public concerns and discusses the broader policy issues raised about offshore wind development.
The Path To Sustainable Water Resources Solutions, John Peckenham, David Hart, Sean Smith, Shaleen Jain, Whitney King
The Path To Sustainable Water Resources Solutions, John Peckenham, David Hart, Sean Smith, Shaleen Jain, Whitney King
Maine Policy Review
Water is essential both to human survival and to the ecosystems on which people depend. Although Maine is blessed with abundant water sources, managing them is crucial for both short and long-term uses. The authors describe the varying time and spatial scales involved in managing water resources, pointing out that policy decisions made at one time can have far-reaching consequences. They provide illustrations of water-resource projects from Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative, ranging in size from Sebago Laketo vernal pools on individual properties.
Wicked Tools: The Value Of Scientific Models For Solving Maine’S Wicked Problems, Tim Waring
Wicked Tools: The Value Of Scientific Models For Solving Maine’S Wicked Problems, Tim Waring
Maine Policy Review
“Wicked problems” are urgent, high-stake socioeconomic-environmental challenges that often involve ideological conflict and have no “best solutions.” Using examples from Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative projects, Tim Waring describes how scientific models can be used to address these kinds of problems. When well-constructed and tested models are used to address policy-relevant issues, include input from stakeholders, and integrate social, economic and environmental dynamics, they can become “wicked tools” to address some of society’s biggest challenges.
It’S Growing Season For Maine’S Food System, Deborah Felder
It’S Growing Season For Maine’S Food System, Deborah Felder
Maine Policy Review
In the introduction to this special issue, guest editor Deb Felder lays out the elements of a sustainable food system. She notes that the increased interest in more ecologically sustainable, safe, humane, and economical community-supported food systems has “put Maine in the forefront of the food movement.”
Building A Sustainable Seafood System For Maine, Robin Alden
Building A Sustainable Seafood System For Maine, Robin Alden
Maine Policy Review
In this article, Robin Alden notes that Maine could have one of the premier marine food systems in the world. However, that means adequate stewardship of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and diversifying the fishing industry beyond lobster by creating innovative public policy and a food system that supports community fishing.
Adrift In A Sea Of Information About Sustainable Seafood: The Maine Consumer Perspective, Catherine V. Schmitt
Adrift In A Sea Of Information About Sustainable Seafood: The Maine Consumer Perspective, Catherine V. Schmitt
Maine Policy Review
The desire for a sustainable seafood industry that protects the environment and the future of fishing is certainly of interest to consumers, but even here there are conflicting standards, as Catherine Schmitt explores in this article.
Historical Perspectives On Resource Use In Food Systems, John Jemison, Amanda Beal
Historical Perspectives On Resource Use In Food Systems, John Jemison, Amanda Beal
Maine Policy Review
No one would deny that industrial agriculture and fishing have been highly productive—but at what cost? This article explores the historical development and contemporary impact of food production on the environment, availability of water and other resources, energy, food safety, and even our waistlines
Resource, Environment And Energy Considerations For Maine Food Security In 2050 And Beyond, Amanda Beal, John Jemison
Resource, Environment And Energy Considerations For Maine Food Security In 2050 And Beyond, Amanda Beal, John Jemison
Maine Policy Review
This article discusses some of the expensive “externalities” produced by industrial agriculture and fishing. These include impaired watershed quality, soil degradation, pollution, reduction in biodiversity, and impacts on human health. The article also includes a discussion of transgenic crops and how these relate to sustainable agriculture
Farms And The Working Landscape, John Piotti
Farms And The Working Landscape, John Piotti
Maine Policy Review
After years of losing farms and farmers, Maine is seeing an increase in the number of acres being farmed, due partly to a resurgence of interest in farming and new tools that help preserve working landscapes. These tools include agricultural easements such as those offered by the Land for Maine’s Future, the Buy/Protect/Sell program at Maine Farmland Trust, local ordinances, and several federal programs
Development In The Gulf Of Maine: Avoiding Geohazards And Embracing Opportunities, Laura L. Brothers, Joseph T. Kelley, Melissa Landon Maynard, Daniel F. Belknap, Stephen M. Dickson
Development In The Gulf Of Maine: Avoiding Geohazards And Embracing Opportunities, Laura L. Brothers, Joseph T. Kelley, Melissa Landon Maynard, Daniel F. Belknap, Stephen M. Dickson
Maine Policy Review
Mapping for marine-spatial planning is crucial if Maine is to safely develop its offshore resources, especially wind and tidal energy. The authors focus on shallow natural gas (methane) deposits, an important and widespread geohazard in Maine’s seafloor. They describe the origin, occurrence, and identification of natural gas in Maine’s seafloor; explain the hazards associated with these deposits and how to map them; and discuss what Maine can learn from European nations that have already developed their offshore wind resources. Because the U.S. gives states a central role in coastal management, Maine has the chance to be proactive in delineating coastal …
Land Use Planning On A Grand Scale: A Decision Maker’S Perspective, E. Bart Harvey Iii
Land Use Planning On A Grand Scale: A Decision Maker’S Perspective, E. Bart Harvey Iii
Maine Policy Review
The author of this commentary, who served as a commissioner on the Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LURC) discusses the ground-breaking 400,000-acre concept plan by Plum Creek Corporation for development of the Moosehead Lake region in Maine. The highly-contested plan approved by LURC involves rezoning for hundreds of acres to allow for single family homes and resorts, and sets aside significant acreage in conservation.
Confronting Global Warming: Maine’S Multi-Sector Initiatives, 2003–2008, David P. Littell, Gary S. Westerman, Malcolm C. Burson
Confronting Global Warming: Maine’S Multi-Sector Initiatives, 2003–2008, David P. Littell, Gary S. Westerman, Malcolm C. Burson
Maine Policy Review
David Littell, Gary Westerman and Malcolm Burson describe Maine’s pioneering efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting energy efficiency, and developing less carbon-intensive and more sustainable energy sources. They discuss in particular the goals and accomplishments of the state’s Climate Action Plan and Maine’s participation in several multi-state and regional efforts, including the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
The Effects Of Climate Change On Economic Activity In Maine: Coastal York County Case Study, Charles S. Colgan, Samuel B. Merrill
The Effects Of Climate Change On Economic Activity In Maine: Coastal York County Case Study, Charles S. Colgan, Samuel B. Merrill
Maine Policy Review
Climate change can have significant ramifications for Maine’s economy. If short-term projections for the next century are accurate, at minimum sea level rise will become increasingly noticeable in association with more severe and destructive coastal storms. Charles Colgan and Samuel Merrill evaluate risk estimates by presenting a case study of the projected consequences of sea level rise and coastal storm damage on the economy of the state’s most vulnerable area, York County’s coastal communities.