Coastal Conversations

Host: Trevor Grandin

Coastal Conversations: Conversations with people who live, work, and play on the Maine coast, hosted by the University of Maine Sea Grant Program.

Guest/s:

Dr. Michael Kaspari
Bik Wheeler
Fiona Young

FMI:
Sea to Trees – Season 3, episode 2 – schoodicinstitute.org/sea-to-trees-season-3-episode-2/

Schoodic Notes – Bird Sounds of Acadia- schoodicnotes.blog/

About the hosts:

Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Host: Galen Koch

Coastal Conversations: Conversations with people who live, work, and play on the Maine coast, hosted by the University of Maine Sea Grant Program.

This month:

This program features an episode of Island Institute’s podcast, From the Sea Up. In the town of Cape Elizabeth, in Southern Maine, there’s one last strip of commercial access on the waterfront. This access, situated within Kettle Cove State Park beside neighboring Crescent Beach, is, at high tide, just wide enough to get a boat trailer into the water and launch a skiff to get to the mooring field. In the summertime, this access and the adjacent parking lot are heavily congested. A recent redevelopment plan by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands has caused a lot of anxiety for commercial fishermen, who fear that the state will redirect recreational boating and public access from a small strip on Crescent Beach to the commercial zone at Kettle Cove State Park.

In this episode we hear from fishermen in the Cape Elizabeth Fishermen’s Alliance, who are self-advocating for their final piece of commercial access in this wealthy Maine town.

Guest/s:
Matthew Sturgis, Cape Elizabeth Town Manager
Dan Harriman, Cape Elizabeth Fisherman
Nate Perry, Cape Elizabeth Fisherman and Sea Farmer

About the hosts:

Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host: Galen Koch

Coastal Conversations: Conversations with people who live, work, and play on the Maine coast, hosted by the University of Maine Sea Grant Program.

This month:

This program features an episode of Island Institute’s podcast, From the Sea Up. Nestled within an archipelago in Penobscot Bay, the towns of Stonington and Deer Isle share an island and a public school system, deep family ties, a culture rooted in commercial fishing and art, and, like much of the nation, a dire housing crisis. In these towns there are simply not enough places for working people to live. Over twenty years ago, a small group of passionate Islanders began brainstorming and researching one solution to the housing problem. In 2020 that group, Island Workforce Housing, broke ground on the construction of five homes, each containing two year-round rentals. This is just one solution to a monumental issue facing this island and other communities in Maine and around the country. 

In this episode, we dig into the domino effect of the housing crisis on a hyper-local level. A lack of housing options played a role in the 2021 closure of the Island Nursing Home, the shrinking population in the public school system, and the struggle for commercial fishermen to find reliable workers. We explore how housing affects not only the fabric of a community but also access to a working waterfront.

Guest/s:

Kathleen Billings, Stonington Town Manager
Linda Nelson, Stonington Economic and Community Development Director
Anna Woolsey, Wife of Ryan Woolsey, grew up in Stonington
Ryan Woolsey, Lobsterman, lives in Penobscot
Maggie Kirsch, Island Workforce Housing
Megan Dewey Wood, Island Workforce Housing
Henry Teverow, Island Workforce Housing

About the hosts:

Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Host: Natalie Springuel

Coastal Conversations: Conversations with people who live, work, and play on the Maine coast, hosted by the University of Maine Sea Grant Program.

This month:
What is a river herring? Why are there kids in the stream? And what does this all have to do with beavers? In this episode, we talk about river herring and the people that help them make it up stream. We are joined by Emily Farr and Sophie Chivers from the Gulf of Maine River Herring Network and Bucket Davis and Rusty Taylor, two fishermen who have dedicated immense amounts of time to taking care of these fish in their communities. We talk about the work that they do, the challenges the fish face, and how people can help.

Guest/s:

Kenneth (Bucket) Davis is from East Machias, Maine. He is a state representative, a town selectman, former commercial harvester, volunteer, and teacher.
Rustin (Rusty) Taylor is from Somesville, Maine. He is a commercial harvester and field assistant with the Somes Meynell Wildlife Sanctuary.
Emily Farr is the Senior Fisheries Program Manager at Manomet and co facilitates the Gulf of Maine River Herring Network.
Sophie Chivers is a recent graduate of College of the Atlantic where she first learned about river herring. She is currently an intern with the GOM RHN working on a project exploring river herring stewardship across the state of Maine.

FMI: Gulf of Maine River Herring Network Website: www.gomriverherringnetwork.org

About the hosts:

Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Host: Natalie Springuel
Other Credits: Keri Kaczor

Coastal Conversations: Conversations with people who live, work, and play on the Maine coast, hosted by the University of Maine Sea Grant Program.

This month:
Everyone can make a difference to address the issue of marine debris (or trash) that enters our oceans! Keri Kaczor of Maine Sea Grant hosts a conversation with members of a Community Action Coalition who’ve come together to help tackle marine debris pollution in the Gulf of Maine. Coalition members from Maine Marine Trades Association, Maine Island Trail Association, and Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association will share some impacts of marine debris on communities, wildlife and ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine, and simple steps we all can take to help prevent trash from entering our shared waterways. The work of this Marine Debris Community Action Coalition is funded by NOAA Sea Grant through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. Join us, and tune in on Friday, September 27th at 4PM for this month’s Coastal Conversation – only on WERU community radio at 89.9 FM and streaming online at WERU.org. Coastal Conversations is supported by Maine Sea Grant in partnership with Schoodic Institute and The First Coast.

Guest/s:

Keri Kaczor, Maine Sea Grant
Stacey Keefer, Maine Marine Trades Association
Brian Marcaurelle, Maine Island Trail Association
Monique Coombs, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association

FMI: Lovemainewaters.org 

About the hosts:

Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Host: Annie Fagan

Coastal Conversations: Conversations with people who live, work, and play on the Maine coast, hosted by the University of Maine Sea Grant Program.

This month:
What does it mean to be a woman on the working waterfront? This summer, we’re diving into sea farming with a two-part series in July and August. In our second installment, we go deeper with three women making their way in Maine’s oyster industry: Phoebe Wagner, a farmhand at Deer Isle Oyster Company, Molly Bangs, hatchery manager at Muscongus Bay Aquaculture, and Toni Small, co-owner of Ice House Oysters. Phoebe, Molly and Toni explore their roots in fishing families, share their experiences as women in the aquaculture industry, and reflect on the evolution of Maine’s working waterfront communities.

Guest/s:
Phoebe Wagner, farmhand, Deer Isle Oyster Company.
Molly Bangs, hatchery manager, Muscongus Bay Aquaculture.
Toni Small, co-owner, Ice House Oysters.

About the hosts:

Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host: Annie Fagan

Coastal Conversations: Conversations with people who live, work, and play on the Maine coast, hosted by the University of Maine Sea Grant Program.

This month:
What does aquaculture look like in your community? This summer, we’re diving into aquaculture with a two-part series in July and August. This month, we’ll hear from Morgan Fogg of Nautical Farms and Kim Grindle of Islesboro Oyster Company about running a small business and navigating the joys and challenges of ocean farming. We’ll also hear from Lisa White, aquaculture program and outreach manager for the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Lisa will share about the process farmers go through to apply for their farm sites, and how you, as a member of the public, can weigh in.

Guest/s:
Morgan Fogg, co-founder and co-owner of Nautical Farms
Kim Grindle, founder and owner-operator of Islesboro Oyster Company
Lisa White, aquaculture program and outreach manager at the Maine Department of Marine Resources

Additional resources from the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

• Public participation in leasing page
• Aquaculture map

About the hosts:

Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Producer/Host: Tiegan Paulson, production assistant
Additional credits: Thank you to Olivia Jolley, for finding interviewees and providing archival materials from the Swan’s Island Historical Society. Thank you to Galen Koch for editing and production assistance. Thanks to Natalie Springuel for production assistance.

Coastal Conversations: Conversations with people who live, work, and play on the Maine coast, hosted by the University of Maine Sea Grant Program.

This month:

At the turn of the century Mainers up and down the coast were caught up in a rush for green gold. The green sea urchin fishery had grown incredibly lucrative. Communities like Swan’s Island saw people from all over the world showing up to dive, cull, and tend. These are the recollections of three of those people.

Guest/s:
Howard Dentremont – Urchin diver
Jason Matthews – Urchin diver
Jerry Smith – Captain of an urchin boat

About the hosts:

Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download