Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Attracting, Training, And Retaining A Skilled And Ready Workforce To Support Maine’S Seafood Economy, Keri Kaczor, Anne Langston Noll

Maine Policy Review

Despite the many challenges, the entirety of Maine’s seafood economy—from harvesting, transportation and logistics, marketing, and food service—still offers valuable employment and career opportunities. Understanding training needs and career aspirations, as well as how they align to available training and career opportunities is key to addressing the challenges of recruiting, training and retaining a skilled and ready workforce. Findings from recent projects assessing workforce training needs, preferred training formats, existing workforce barriers, and incentives will be shared as well as input from educators and others who support the industry. Recommendations for investment and new programs to support the industry include: …

Maine, James P. Melcher

New England Journal of Political Science

No abstract provided.

Critical Discourse Analysis: Sexual Violence In Maine Department Of Public Safety (Dps) "Crime In Maine" Reports, Emma V. Grous

Honors College

Sexual violence is incredibly prevalent in the state of Maine. These crimes, which disproportionately affect at-risk communities – women, children, people of color, and impoverished persons – are not accurately represented in legal discourses within Maine. Changes to how victims and survivors of sexual violence are represented and discussed in law enforcement reports and other materials are necessary in order to promote social change and justice for the survivors in our communities.

Critical Discourse Analysis has been used broadly since its conception and has even previously been used in understanding political and social implications of discourse in the United States. …

Evidence-Based Family Strengthening Training In Maine: A Resource Assessment And Proposal To Reduce Barriers And Increase Facilitators, Elaine Thomas

Honors College

The purpose of this research is to conduct a resource assessment of family strengthening training programs in the state of Maine. The primary focus of the resource assessment is to identify the agency and provider-level barriers and facilitators that impact their capacity to provide caregivers with awareness of and access to programs. Prior to presenting the resource assessment, this thesis reviews data about key child and family issues in Maine and examines how family strengthening training is applied as an evidence-based tool to prevent child maltreatment, foster healthy attachments within the family, and nurture positive caregiving skills. The methodologies used …

Identifying The Interconnection Between Maine's Lobster Industry And The North Atlantic Right Whale Population In Order To Guide Federal Action, Devon Lammert

Honors College

North Atlantic Right Whales (NARW) are on the verge of going extinct because of human activity. Entanglements in fixed fishing gear and vessel strikes are killing NARW at such a rate that their extinction is inevitable unless human-caused deaths are significantly reduced. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has subjected Maine’s lobster fishery to regulations aimed at protecting whales since 1997 as part of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. Recently proposed changes to the plan would effectively regulate Maine’s lobster industry out of existence. Lobstering is a cultural and …

Community Science In Support Of Ecosystem-Based Management: A Case Study From The Damariscotta River Estuary, Maine, Usa, Sarah C. Risley, Kara E. Pellowe, Melissa L. Britsch, Meredith M. White, Heather M. Leslie

Maine Policy Review

Coastal marine ecosystems are dynamic social-ecological systems (SESs) that support diverse ecosystem services and human activities. The complexity of SESs means that ecosystem-based approaches are increasingly used to support coastal marine ecosystem stewardship. We report how a community science program in Maine, USA offers a model of organizational innovation to expand capacities for shellfish research and management. Since 2019, we have collaborated with local students, shellfish harvesters, and others in data collection, interpretation, and application, contributing to local shellfish management and ecosystem sustainability. We demonstrate how community-based social and ecological research can build adaptive capacities by centering local knowledge; generating …

Exploring Reusable Takeout Packaging As An Alternative To Disposable Plastics In Maine's Restaurant Industry, Jared Wildwistle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the emergence of plastic over 100 years ago, businesses have increasingly relied on them to protect products. While convenient, the proliferation of plastic packaging is a major contributor to pollutants in the soil, oceans, and bodies of humans and animals alike. Goals in states like Maine seek to reduce the amount of waste and alleviate these issues. However, the deeply embedded popularity of disposable packaging and lack of reliable waste processing capabilities has caused Maine to fall short of its goals. While solutions need to focus on reducing the amount of packaging entering the economy, most businesses rely on …

Assessment Of Historical Climate Variability In Maine With Implications For Future Agricultural Productivity And Adaptation, Carly Frank

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is a wicked problem with global impacts, one of which being the sustainability of the existing global food system. As temperatures and variability in precipitation are projected to increase, the challenges to agriculture are expected to intensify. This thesis examines the Maine historical climate record over the growing season, in combination with future projections, to assess how conditions have changed and will change with agricultural implications. In this analysis, relevant climatic variables are analyzed, and agriculture-significant measures are derived for Maine’s three climate divisions using four decades of daily and monthly gridded datasets. In addition, this thesis explores …

Covid-19 Affects Coping Strategies And Food Access For Maine Adults, Tara Whiton, Kathryn Yerxa, Rachel E. Schattman

Food Science and Human Nutrition Faculty Scholarship

Food-coping strategies (FCS) are often measured as direct indicators of food insecurity, as they allow for an assessment of the vulnerability and sustainability of attempts to maintain a sufficient food supply by limited-resource individuals. They are often easier to assess than other household indicators of sufficiency, including income and food consumption. Because vulnerability is considered, food-security policies and programs that account for FCS can broaden their efforts from addressing current constraints to food consumption, to include actions that also address future threats to food security. Households may employ any one or a combination of the four types of coping strategies, …

Shopping, Eating, And Dietary Behaviors Of Maine Adults As A Result Of Covid-19: A Focus On Older Adults, Rachel E. Schattman, Kathryn Yerxa

Food Science and Human Nutrition Faculty Scholarship

Through a survey conducted in 2020, we investigated changes in eating, shopping, and dietary behaviors of Maine adults by age group before COVID-19 (prior to March 2020) and during COVID-19 (August/September 2020). This investigation was part of a larger investigation to assess food security, access, and food systems during COVID-19.6 The survey was conducted in Maine between August and September 2020 and illustrates responses from a sample of 618 Maine adults aged 18 years and older. Findings include:

• Respondents who were 55 years and older were less likely to reduce fruit, vegetable and seafood consumption during COVID-19.

• Respondents in all …

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Food Insecurity And Use Of Food-Assistance Programs And Food Pantries Of Maine Adults As A Result Of Covid-19, Rachel E. Schattman, Kathryn Yerxa

Food Science and Human Nutrition Faculty Scholarship

We investigated the food-security status and use of food assistance programs and food pantries of Maine adults before COVID-19 (prior to March 2020) and during COVID-19 (August to September 2020). Data were collected through an online survey administered to 618 Maine adults aged 18 years and older between August and September 2020. The survey was part of a larger study to assess food security, access, and food systems during COVID-19. We found that COVID-19 has increased the incidence of food security for survey respondents of all ages, but younger respondents (18 to 34 years) were the most likely age group …

Marine Aquaculture In Maine: Understanding Diverse Perspectives And Interactions At Multiple Scales, Melissa L. Britsch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal oceans are changing and experiencing increased use. The social and ecological benefits of healthy coastal oceans are well documented and include habitats for marine species, storm protection, and recreational opportunities (MEA, 2005). As the impacts of human activities are recognized, questions about how ocean spaces should be used are becoming more common. These questions are complex and involve many tradeoffs. Understanding the values people hold about uses, and how activities and ecosystems overlap, is critical for weighing tradeoffs and improving future management. I use the northeastern U.S. state of Maine to study human interactions with coastal oceans. Maine is …

Domestic And Foreign Policy Priorities Of Maine Voters, Caitlyn Rooms

Honors College

Understanding the political priorities of a population is key to unravelling the ways that people engage in local, state, and national politics. National polling organizations do studies in every election cycle on the domestic priorities of national voters, and every few years on the foreign policy priorities of the American public. These polls help academics and policymakers understand the motivations of the American populace and help to guide the public narrative surrounding contentious issues. Polls like this are, however, rare at the state level. This study aims to fill that gap for the state of Maine, providing state-level data on …

Looking Forward While Being Pushed Back: How Accurate Were Economic Forecasts For Maine During The Pandemic?, Andrew Crawley, Angela Hallowell

Maine Policy Review

Economic forecasting is always a challenging process and how we understand the future often relies on what we have seen in the past. As COVID-19 case numbers began to increase, economies were forced to shutter and stay at home orders were implemented. In this paper, we compare our initial forecasts for output, employment, and tax revenue to actual values for 2020. Overall Maine’s economy was more resilient than our forecasts first predicted, with tax revenues far exceeding the initial projections. However, when the numbers are explored further it becomes clear that federal funds were a critical lifeline during turbulent times, …

Use Of Gis To Find Optimum Locations For Anaerobic Digestion Or Composting Facilities In Maine, Usha Humagain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As per US EPA, in 2017, 41 million tons of food waste was generated, but only 6.3% was diverted from landfills (US EPA, 2020). When landfilled or incinerated, organic waste (food waste, sludge, manure, agricultural waste) causes environmental pollution through greenhouse gas emissions, land, water, and air pollution. In contrast, if we compost or digest organic waste, we can generate soil additives and a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide gas to produce electricity or energy. Both digestion and composting reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve the land through additives, and boost the economy. Many countries are adopting anaerobic digestion and …

The Archaeology Of Merryspring Nature Center: The Asa Hosmer Farm (Me 073.014) And The Lt. Benjamin Burton Militia Encampment (Me 073.015), Part 4, Harbour Mitchell Iii

Maine History Documents

In light of the overall amount of information gathered in two years of testing, and in an effort to make it as reader-friendly as possible, this report is comprised of five parts, Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, each being a separate volume. Each part represents a stand-alone section of the whole, with its own Table of Contents, Table of Figures, and Introduction.

Part 4 includes: Executive Summary; Table of Contents; Table of Figures; Introduction; Cultural Material Spatial Distribution; Conclusions; and References Cited.

The Archaeology Of Merryspring Nature Center: The Asa Hosmer Farm (Me 073.014) And The Lt. Benjamin Burton Militia Encampment (Me 073.015), Part 5, Harbour Mitchell Iii

Maine History Documents

In light of the overall amount of information gathered in two years of testing, and in an effort to make it as reader-friendly as possible, this report is comprised of five parts, Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, each being a separate volume. Each part represents a stand-alone section of the whole, with its own Table of Contents, Table of Figures, and Introduction.

Part 5 includes: Executive Summary; Table of Contents; Table of Figures; and Appendices A-D.

The Archaeology Of Merryspring Nature Center: The Asa Hosmer Farm (Me 073.014) And The Lt. Benjamin Burton Militia Encampment (Me 073.015), Part 3, Harbour Mitchell Iii

Maine History Documents

In light of the overall amount of information gathered in two years of testing, and in an effort to make it as reader-friendly as possible, this report is comprised of five parts, Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, each being a separate volume. Each part represents a stand-alone section of the whole, with its own Table of Contents, Table of Figures, and Introduction.

Part 3 includes: Executive Summary; Table of Contents; Table of Figures; Introduction; Soil Stratigraphy; Archaeological Stratigraphy; Features; Cultural Materials.

The Archaeology Of Merryspring Nature Center: The Asa Hosmer Farm (Me 073.014) And The Lt. Benjamin Burton Militia Encampment (Me 073.015), Part 1, Harbour Mitchell Iii

Maine History Documents

In light of the overall amount of information gathered in two years of testing, and in an effort to make it as reader-friendly as possible, this report is comprised of five parts, Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, each being a separate volume. Each part represents a stand-alone section of the whole, with its own Table of Contents, Table of Figures, and Introduction.

Part 1 includes: Executive Summary; Acknowledgements; Table of Contents; Table of Figures; Introduction; Geographical and Geological Context; Historic Background; Historic Ownership of Lot 71; and Regional Archaeological Context.

The Archaeology Of Merryspring Nature Center: The Asa Hosmer Farm (Me 073.014) And The Lt. Benjamin Burton Militia Encampment (Me 073.015), Part 2, Harbour Mitchell Iii

Maine History Documents

In light of the overall amount of information gathered in two years of testing, and in an effort to make it as reader-friendly as possible, this report is comprised of five parts, Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, each being a separate volume. Each part represents a stand-alone section of the whole, with its own Table of Contents, Table of Figures, and Introduction.

Part 2 includes: Executive Summary; Table of Contents; Table of Figures; Introduction; Archaeological Rationale, Context, and Protocol.

Examining The Northern Shrimp Fishery In A Changing Gulf Of Maine, Ashley N. Charleson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) once supported a key commercial fishery in the State of Maine. Since its closure in 2013, the stock has remained in a particularly vulnerable state following recruitment failure, overfishing, and rising water temperatures. Furthermore, without this source of supplemental income, local fishermen have also experienced financial stress following unstable fishing conditions in other fisheries. The collective goal of this research project was to assess factors impacting the feasibility of reopening and maintaining this vulnerable winter fishery. These goals are addressed over 4 chapters. Chapter two offers insight regarding what is most often omitted from the regulatory …

The Impact Of Climate Change: An In-Depth Analysis Of Warming Ocean Water Temperatures And The Effects On Maine’S Lobstering Industry And Subsequent Effect On The State Economy, Bryce Nitchman

Honors College

The effects of climate change are often not visible to the human eye and can, therefore, be hard to detect. As society has progressed since the industrial revolution, the effects of climate change are omnipresent in global, regional, and local air and water temperatures. This research aims to highlight the correlation between the effects of climate change on potentially rising ocean water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine, and the possible resulting adverse impacts on Maine’s lobster industry and state economy. I will be using data compiled over the last several decades from the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute …

The Economic Contribution Of Logging And Trucking In Maine, Megan R. Bailey, Mindy S. Crandall, Anil Raj Kizha, Sheldon Green

Economic Development

Maine's forest products industry has long been hailed as a backbone of the state's economy. Multiple reports have been commissioned detailing the economic role of the sector (e.g. Bailey, 2019; Anderson III and Crandall, 2016; Gabe, 2013). It was recently estimated that the forest products industry contributed $7.7 billion in output to the state's economy in 2016 (Bailey, 2019)

An essential component of the industry is logging—which directly effects the availability and cost of delivered wood. In 2014, researchers set out to specifically highlight the logging industry's economic role in Maine (Crandall, McCullock, Nick, Kizha, 2016). The work presented here …

Maine's Climate Future: 2020 Update, Ivan J. Fernandez, Sean Birkel, Catherine V. Schmitt, Julia Simonson, Bradford Lyon, Andrew Pershing, Esperanza Stancioff, George L. Jacobson, Paul Andrew Mayewski Dr.

Climate Change Institute Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Maine Energy Overview, Mariya Pominova, Jonathan Rubin

Economic Development

The state of Maine is a regional leader in renewable energy production and highly ranked nationally in proportion of renewable energy consumed. Maine is 3^rd in the nation for highest percentage of renewable energy consumption as a share of state total (Maine State Energy Profile 2019). However, 61% of all primary energy consumed in Maine in 2017 was from non-renewable sources, about half of which were petroleum products. Because Maine does not have oil and natural gas reserves, it is reliant on oil and natural gas imports. This causes Maine to be subject to the volatility of national and …

Mf029 "Our Life, Our Work:" Lewiston Western Older Citizens Council / Marcella Sorg And Stefan Duplessis, Special Collections, Raymond H. Fogler Library, University Of Maine

Northeast Archives of Folklore and Oral History Finding Aids

The project "Notre Vie, Notre Travail-Our Life, Our Work" was initiated by the Lewiston Western Older Citizens Council by Diane Brown who worked there. Funded by the Maine Humanities Council, this project involved a series of bilingual interviews utilizing family albums to stimulate discussion about Franco-American culture, particularly as it pertained to work. That is, it concerned the following: how work reflected cultural values; work ethic; work/occupation patterns; how work was integrated with family life (or interfered with it); the history of work patterns in the Lewiston area, and about Franco-American culture and family life in general.

Mya Arenaria And Oxygen Isotopes: An Analysis To Suggest Season Of Occupation At Holmes Point East (62-6), Holmes Point West (62-8), And Joves Cove (44-13), Maine, Emily Blackwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ratio of oxygen isotopes (ẟ18O) derived from archaeological bivalves can be used to suggest whether a site was occupied seasonally or year-round. To address the question of seasonality at three archaeological shell midden sites along the coast of Maine, modern samples of the soft-shelled clam, Mya arenaria, were collected from tidal mudflats associated with each site once a month for one year. An average of six modern shells per month were analyzed with their resulting ẟ18O values used to establish monthly ranges to which the archaeological samples of Mya arenaria were assigned; association of the archaeological shells to a …

Battle Over Black Bears: Investigating Perceptions Of The Black Bear Hunting Referendums In Maine, Francesca A. Gundrum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human dimensions of wildlife is an emerging discipline that seeks to understand the complex relationships between people, wildlife, and their conflicts and/or interactions (Decker, Riley, & Siemer, 2012). Human dimensions utilizes several tested theoretical frameworks to investigate these complexities, such as cognitive hierarchy theory and wildlife value orientations (WVOs). Both of these theoretical frameworks were examined in this study, which investigated the content of news media during controversial American black bear (Ursus americanus) hunting referenda in Maine, and key stakeholder perceptions of black bear management. Maine is the only state that allows hunters to take a black bear over bait, …

A New Materialist Rhetoric: Theorizing Movement From A Rhetorical Ethnography Of Hiking, Bryan Picciotto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the field of rhetoric, conventional concepts of movement depend on dialectical theories of materiality that posit matter is not rhetorical until acted upon by human sign or symbol systems. New materialist philosophy, which considers the dynamism of matter without situating materiality in dialectical relationship to language, provides a theoretical context for reconceptualizing the rhetoricity of movement. Working from a nondialectical approach to materiality, this dissertation theorizes how movement functions rhetorically, specifically within cultural practices of hiking. For this project, I participated in 15+ hikes at state and national parks in Maine, and generated a multimodal archive of 1,000+ audio, …

Blacklegged Tick (Ixodes Scapularis) Distribution In Maine, Usa, As Related To Climate Change, White-Tailed Deer, And The Landscape, Susan P. Elias

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterial spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted through the bite of an infected blacklegged (deer) tick (Ixodes scapularis). Geographic invasion of I. scapularis in North America has been attributed to causes including 20th century reforestation and suburbanization, burgeoning populations of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) which is the primary reproductive host of I. scapularis, tick-associated non-native plant invasions, and climate change. Maine, USA, is a high Lyme disease incidence state, with a history of increasing I. scapularis abundance and northward range expansion. This thesis addresses the question: “To …