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Quality of Place: Contributions of the Kennebec Estuary

How our region benefits from our natural resources

October 9, November 13, December 4 2008

The Lower Kennebec Regional Land Trust, with support from The Nature Conservancy, is pleased to offer its Fall 2008 lecture series. The series will expose the economic and environmental riches of the Kennebec Estuary, and show how these assets reinforce the recommendations of the Governor’s Council on Maine’s Quality of Place.

"Kudos to the Lower Kennebec Regional Land Trust for its fall lecture series, which featured last Thursday a panel discussion linking environmental protection and economic prosperity. The panelists represented diverse backgrounds and perspectives, but they all agreed that it's a false dichotomy to perpetuate the "payroll versus pickerel" arguments attending the debate over clean water 30 to 40 years ago...A clean environment truly is the foundation of a strong Maine economy."
-Times Record Editorial Opinion, 11/17/08

Location: Maine Maritime Museum. Bath, ME. 7pm

December 4– The Kennebec Estuary: Health and Sustainability
From the fresh tidal waters above Merrymeeting Bay to the wave-battered environment at Popham Beach, the Kennebec Estuary is one of the state’s largest conservation focus areas, and yet it has lacked a comprehensive and up to-date source of information on its natural resources – the wait is over.

The State of the Kennebec Estuary: An Ecological Assessment is a 100+ page report that brings together years worth of existing research to identify issues that deserve public notice and in some cases intervention. Ecologists Slade Moore and Jaret Reblin will present and discuss their report. An executive summary is available to the public, and the complete report will be offered early next year.

Speakers: Slade Moore, Director of Biological Conservation and Jaret Reblin, Biologist

Accompanying the lecture will be a display of exceptional photographs by Heather Perry from her book Confluence: Merrymeeting Bay. Heather has photographed underwater subjects in California’s Kelp forest, Micronesia, Galapagos, the Caribbean, and the Gulf of Maine. Her work includes underwater and surface images, aerials, and people in their environment.

November 13- The Kennebec Estuary: How does it contribute?
How do the natural resources of the estuary contribute to our local economy and quality of life? Speaker: Michael LeVert, Economist Maine State Planning Office
Panel: Jim Upham, Bath City Planner; Trevor Hunt, Superintendent Bath Water District; Mike Fear, President Main Street Bath; Dick Lemont, Phippsburg Shellfish Commission Chair; Laura Sewall, Former Executive Director, Kennebec Estuary Collaboration
Moderator: Bruce Kidman, Director of Communications and Government Relations,The Nature Conservancy
Download a copy of Mike's Presentation (PDF format)

October 9 –The Kennebec Estuary: What do we ask of it?
A presentation on the Kennebec Estuary as a Quality Place, followed by a slide show of captivating images illustrating the assets of the estuary.
Speaker: Eleanor Kinney, Governor’s Council on Maine’s Quality of Place

PRESS FOR THE SERIES:

Front page coverage in the 10/8/08 Times Record

Summary of 1st Talk in the 10/13/08 Times Record

Summary of 2nd Talk in 11/14/08 Times Record

Editorial Opinoin in the 11/17/2008 Times Record

Advance for the final lecture 12/3/08 Times Record

Special thanks to Bath Savings Trust Company for support of this series