2012

S1.E1 ∙ Return of a River

Wed, Dec 31, 1969

The Saco River Estuary has become a laboratory where scientists, students, and community members are working together to learn how to sustain a very special place. This Maine EPSCoR SSI research project at the University of New England benefits from the ideal location of the school situated right at the mouth of the Saco River. While the river is much cleaner than it was 50 years ago, it courses through the shadow of massive mills that not only fueled the economy but also left a legacy tainted by pollution. To help planners and managers understand that impact, SSI researchers at UNE are combining their research with stakeholder concerns and developing a grading system to help assess the health of the estuary.

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S1.E2 ∙ The Triple Bottom Line

Wed, Dec 31, 1969

Maine's Sustainability Solutions Initiative researchers are working to tackle urgent economic, social and environmental challenges. SSI researchers collaborate with fishermen and others so tidal power in Cobscook Bay is developed sustainably. Then head to Central Maine, where researchers are working with family forest owners struggling to steward their land in the face of growing pressures.

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S1.E3 ∙ Culvert Operations

Wed, Dec 31, 1969

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S1.E4 ∙ Desperate Alewives

Wed, Dec 31, 1969

Once migrating by the millions up Maine's rivers to spawn, alewife populations have dramatically decreased. Researchers and scientists with Maine's Sustainability Solutions Initiative team up with local stakeholders to investigate the effects of human activities on the Kennebec and Androscoggin River watershed, with a special focus on native alewife runs.

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S1.E5 ∙ Preserving Paradise

Wed, Dec 31, 1969

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S1.E6 ∙ Saving Our Lakes

Wed, Dec 31, 1969

Maine's 5,700-plus lakes pump an estimated $2.5 billion into the state's economy every year. But human activity is reducing water quality in many of our lakes, which affects everything from property values to tourism dollars to fish. The Belgrade Lakes region is a crucible for these pressures- and an ideal place to learn how to contend with them. Researchers from Maine's Sustainability Solutions Initiative are doing exactly that by studying how development affects lake water quality and local economics.

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S1.E7 ∙ Basket Trees, Saving a Tradition

Wed, Dec 31, 1969

For centuries, Wabanaki artisans have woven exquisite baskets from brown ash. Now, an invasive beetle threatens this ancient art form and the basketmakers' livelihoods. The emerald ash borer already has killed tens of millions of ash trees in the mid-west and Canada-and it's heading toward Maine.

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S1.E8 ∙ Pools, Policies and People - Maine's Vernal Pools

Wed, Dec 31, 1969

Many towns in Maine are contending with a common dilemma: how to grow in ways that don't diminish the very things that people cherish about their community, like open space, wildlife, and special landscapes. A research team at Maine's Sustainable Solutions Initiative is using local vernal pool conservation as a model to examine how towns can plan future development in ways that benefit people and wildlife alike.

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