The Nature of Phenology 1/16/21: Snow Flies

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn
Host: Hazel Stark

Snow flies spend most of the year in the dark subterranean world, but on some of our coldest winter days, these adult flies come out to enjoy some sunshine and a brisk walk on the snow’s surface.

Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com.

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Democracy Forum 1/15/21: Searching for Common Ground across the Political Divide

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine

We’ll talk about the political divide in the aftermath of the 2020 general election.
Do we share any common ground?
What happened at “America in One Room” in 2019? And what does it mean for American in 2021.
What lessons can we learn about American democracy and its future?

Guests:
Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution
James Fishkin, Janet M Peck Chair of International Communication at Stanford University, and Director of the Center for Deliberative Democracy.
Steve Wessler, Maine human rights educator, trainer, and advocate specializing in conflict resolution

To learn more about this topic:
These 526 Voters Represent All of America. And They Spent a Weekend Together, New York Times, October, 2019
America in One Room
Our Common Purpose
“Pulling Our Politics Back from the Brink,” The New Yorker, November, 2020
“?You’re Wrong About: Losing Relatives to Fox News” on Apple Podcasts
The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good, Michaels J Sandel, 2020

The mostly volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordinate this series includes: Martha Dickinson, Starr Gilmartin, Maggie Harling, Ann Luther, Judith Lyles, Wendilee O’Brien, Maryann Ogonowski, Pam Person, Leah Taylor, Linda Washburn

About the host:
Ann currently serves as Treasurer of the League of Women Voters of Maine and leads the LWVME Advocacy Team. She served as President of LWVME from 2003 to 2007 and as co-president from 2007-2009. In her work for the League, Ann has worked for greater public understanding of public policy issues and for the League’s priority issues in Clean Elections & Campaign Finance Reform, Voting Rights, Ethics in Government, Ranked Choice Voting, and Repeal of Term Limits. Representing LWVME at Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, she served that coalition as co-president from 2006 to 2011. She remains on the board of MCCE and serves as Treasurer. She is active in the LWV-Downeast and hosts their monthly radio show, The Democracy Forum, on WERU FM Community Radio -which started out in 2004 as an recurring special, and became a regular monthly program in 2012. She was the 2013 recipient of the Baldwin Award from the ACLU of Maine for her work on voting rights and elections. She joined the League in 1998 when she retired as Senior Vice President at SEI Investments. Ann was a founder of the MDI Restorative Justice Program, 1999 – 2000, and served on its Executive Board.

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Common Ground Radio 1/14/21: Campaign to Stop GE Trees – American Chestnut

Producer/Host: C.J. Walke, MOFGA

-History of the American Chestnut tree in our eastern forests
-Genetic engineering of American Chestnut trees
-Social and economic impacts of genetically engineered trees

Guests:
Anne Petermann, Executive Director, Global Justice Ecology Project
Lois Melican, Massachusetts State Park System (retired)
Denis Melican, Massachusetts State Park System (retired)

About the host:
C.J. Walke, host of Common Ground Radio, has been involved in Maine agriculture for over 20 years and has worked in numerous capacities for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) starting in 2006. Since 2012, C.J. has worked as farm manager for College of the Atlantic’s Peggy Rockefeller Farms in Bar Harbor, Maine, where he works with students to grow organic fruits, vegetables and livestock products. He holds degrees in park management/environment education and library science. Common Ground Radio debuted in June of 2010 and C.J. has been the show’s host since 2014.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/14/21: Big Tech & First Amendment

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

In the wake of what many are calling an insurrection in our nation’s Capital (and Capitol), Twitter, Google and other big tech companies removed the accounts of Donald Trump and others for, in the judgement of the tech companies, fomenting violence. Can they do that? Doesn’t that violate the right to free speech under the First Amendment? There is a lot of confusion about that and about what the law is and is not when it comes to free speech on the web. Let’s start at the beginning and sort things out because we are going to be hearing a lot about proposed laws in the next little while that will affect what we all can – and cannot – say online. Here’s chapter 1.

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Talk of the Towns 1/13/21: Celebrating 30 years of the Waldo County Fund & Maine Community Foundation

Producer/Host: Ron Beard

What were the origins of Maine Community Foundation, its mission and areas of focus
What led to creation of County Funds as a strategy to engage local people both as donors and, with county fund support, as community builders.

How does the county committee concept work in your case… your role with encouraging donors and with identifying non-profit organizations whose work you choose to support.

What is the mission of Waterfall Arts, its current range programs… with stories of program participants and instructors

What are the origins, mission and current programs of Restorative Justice Project, with stories when the RJ approach has made a real difference in the lives of those involved

How do donors and potential grantees make connections with the Waldo County Fund and Maine Community Foundation

Guests:
Mary Leaming – chair of the Waldo County Committee, Unity
Betty Schopmeyer – Waldo County Committee advisor, Searsport, artist
Kim Fleming – Executive Director, Waterfall Arts
Sarah Mattox – program staff, Restorative Justice Project
Leslie Goode – Senior Program Officer, MCF, staffs the Waldo County Committee

About the host:
Ron Beard is producer and host of Talk of the Towns, which first aired on WERU in 1993 as part of his community building work as an Extension professor with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant. He took all the journalism courses he could fit in while an undergraduate student in wildlife management and served as an intern with Maine Public Television nightly newscast in the early 1970s. Ron is an adjunct faculty member at College of the Atlantic, teaching courses on community development. Ron served on the Bar Harbor Town Council for six years and is currently board chair for the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, where he has lived since 1975. Look for him on the Allagash River in June, and whenever he can get away, in the highlands of Scotland where he was fortunate to spend two sabbaticals.

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