The Islesboro Forum

Shey Conover, "The Narrows Flooding Adaptation Project: Planning for a Resilient Future on Islesboro"
2024-07-21 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
The Narrows Flooding Adaptation Project: Planning for a Resilient Future on Islesboro.
In this talk, Shey Conover and members of the Town’s Sea Level Rise Committee will discuss their work to address current and future flooding at the Narrows, including updates from the recent engineering report and early-stage alternative designs. Since 2022, the committee has hired a project manager, onboarded engineers, and engaged the community in robust conversation on how to adapt our island to rising seas and increasing storms due to climate change. Join us in a conversation on the projected effects of sea level rise on Islesboro and what our Town is currently doing to plan for a more resilient future!

Kim Hamilton, "Coastal Forces, Community Responses: An Evening with Island Institute"
2024-07-14 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
The islands and communities along the coast of Maine are facing tremendous changes—more frequent storms, regulatory challenges to our iconic lobstering industry, housing pressures and more. For forty years, Island Institute has worked deeply with Maine’s coastal communities to build community resilience in the face of these tectonic forces. Join Dr. Kimberly Hamilton, president of Island Institute, for a discussion of the forces shaping Maine’s coastline today and Island Institute’s work to elevate community solutions as models of innovation.
Dr. Kimberly Hamilton joined Island Institute as its newest president in April 2023.. Prior to stepping into that role, she served as the Institute’s interim Chief Programs Officer, overseeing the Institute’s Climate, Economic Resilience, and Leadership programs and serving as a member of the senior leadership team.

Ian Toll: “The Economic War Machine Supporting WWII in the Pacific”
2023-08-20 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
How did the US so quickly produce such an enormous war machine during WW II, deploying huge military forces – men, weapons, and supplies efficiently across the expanse of the Pacific, an ocean that covers 30% of the earth’s surface, to win the largest naval battle in history?
We are pleased to welcome, and hope to hear some answers – financial and global – to that remarkable period pre-dating current time from military historian, Ian Toll. Regarded as a great story-teller. Toll has written The Pacific Trilogy, reported to be “military history at its best.” His highly praised three-volume history ot the War narrates combats on the sea, in the air, on beaches, a horrific time at sea, and major challenges to power in Washington and Tokyo. It has captivated readers of history and those of us who are ever-grateful for our American lives and developments of the late 20th Century. TWILIGHT OF THE GODS, War in the Western Pacific, 1944-45, is the final volume of the epic history. It covers the period led by Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines, featuring kamikaze attacks, B-29 bombers, the atomic blasts of that terrible defying, yet successful strategic and diplomatic time. A victory that won our US future for recent years.
Toll is a graduate of St. George’s School, Georgetown University and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

David Michaelis: “The Wyeths, Including Thoughts about Eleanor Roosevelt: A Biographer’s Notebook”
2023-08-13 17:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
David Michaelis, close friend and New York neighbor of Islesboro summer resident Francie Train, is a successful biographer of notable American figures whose interests varied widely. He wrote of the Wyeth family whose members lived and painted on our nearby coast of Maine, of Charles Schulz, creator of PEANUTS cartoons, and of Eleanor Roosevelt. The “stunning” volume on Mrs Roosevelt was reviewed as the “first major volume of biogaphy in half a century” and was nominated for the Los Angeles Book prize for Biography. His volume The Wyeths has been widely sought, and his N.C. Wyeth won an Ambassador Book Award. Beyond biography, Michaelis has written throughout his life: non-fiction, short stories, extensively about friendships with well-known figures of the 70’s & 80’s. During those years he planned a movie (un-produced), edited The Paris Review, wrote for Manhattan, Inc. and volunteered for the New York Police Department. His wisdom, humor, and wide interest in American lives is broadly admired. He will be accompanied by his wife, Nancy Steiner, documentary film producer.

Dr. Amanda Stent: "Being Human in the Age of Generative AI"
2023-08-06 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
Dr. Amanda Stent is inaugural director of the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence at Colby College. She previously held positions at Bloomberg, Yahoo, AT&T Labs – Research and Stony Brook University. She has a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Rochester. Dr. Stent has authored or co-authored over 100 papers on natural language processing and is co-inventor on over 35 patents. She is a fellow of the Association for Computational Linguistics and a senior member of the Association for Computing Machinery, and is board co-chair of the Computing Research Association Committee on Widening Participation in Computing Research.

Local Growers: “The Challenges & Rewards of Growing Kelp, Vegetables, Oysters, Fruits, Goats and . . More!”
2023-07-30 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
The Forum is particularly proud to present a panel representing many local Islesboro farming gardeners dedicated to keeping their eyes, hands, and hours active for the nurture of fruits, flowers, vegetables, seeds and root-vegetable gluten-free products. Their long daylight work on the land produces verdant
growth and, often leads to the related production of syrups, honey, baked goods, unexpected items processed from individual expertise. All growers participate with island markets, some put out produce on an independent basis as well. When such busy lives can make time, several enjoy sharing their natural wizardry with visitors: a few offer recipes and/or how-to for those of us who tend our own porch plantings. You’ll enjoy hearing how our happy island lives are improved and made tastier with the easily-acquired fresh and healthy produce just picked or prepared down the road.
Participants, at this time, include…
Sandy Oliver – Pretty Good Farm. Sandy, a long-time-island resident who owns, plants and manages Islesboro’s Pretty Good Farm, has a deep interest in sustainable agriculture. A New England food historian she has written books on Colonial, Federal and current DownEast cooking. She writes regular articles on kitchen and garden matters for several regional publications, and speaks broadly on food and sustainability.
Pam Larson and Michael Hutcherson – Growing Things organic market garden. Growing healthy food for the island is central to our mission and we also strive to involve the community in our process. Our approach is informed by no-dig and regenerative practices, and our priority is growing nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. We do not use herbicides, pesticides or man-made chemical fertilizers. This is our fourth year of growing a diverse mix of vegetables, flowers and seedlings for the Islesboro community.
Kim Grindle – Islesboro Oyster Company. Long time Islesboro resident Kim, with the help of and a little shove from her kids, has established a thriving oyster farm in Gilkey Harbor.
Anna Zlotkowski – Anna is a rising Senior at ICS with an interest in agriculture and vet studies and is an avid animal lover. She rents out her small herd of goats on Islesboro, and the
surrounding islands, for land clearing.
Gaby Zlotkowski – on the growing business of kelp farming. Gaby was recently interviewed and featured in a Civil Eats article called, “A Young Oyster Farmer Carrying on the Family Business,” she talks about her kelp farming, how she was one of the forces in the development of an oyster farm, and how
being part of the working waterfront is continuing a family tradition.
Panel will be moderated by island resident John Rex-Waller.

Dr. David Reidmiller: “Climate Risks & Response Options in the Gulf of Maine”
2023-07-23 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
Through a range of physical, chemical, biological, and socioeconomic impacts, climate change poses an existential threat to Maine’s coastal communities as we know them. But it doesn’t have to. Dr. Dave Reidmiller, Director of the Climate Center at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute will provide an overview of observed and projected climate impacts in this region and what the state, municipalities, blue economy businesses, and coastal residents are doing to address climate-related risks—and capitalize upon emergent opportunities afforded by pro-actively responding to climate change.
Dr. Dave Reidmiller is the Director of the Climate Center at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI). In that role, he leads a team of interdisciplinary experts developing and delivering climate services to coastal and marine stakeholders throughout the Gulf of Maine. Prior to joining GMRI, Dave served in a number of senior climate science policy positions with the federal government. Among those roles was serving as the Chief Climate Scientist for the State Department where he led U.S. engagement in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and served as the lead U.S. science & technology negotiator for the Paris Agreement). As part of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, he led the development of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, which serves as the nation’s most authoritative source on how climate change affects the livelihoods and well-beings of Americans in every corner of the country. Dr. Reidmiller holds a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Washington and a BA in chemistry from Colgate University. He grew up in Rochester, NY and fulfilled a lifelong ambition of living in coastal Maine by moving to South Portland with his wife, Katie, and dog, Atticus, in 2020.

Peter Tirschwell: "The World of Ocean Shipping and Maritime Supply Chain Snafus During the Pandemic"
2023-07-16 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
Tirschwell is Vice President for Maritime & Trade at S&P Global Market Intelligence, a leading global provider of maritime data, analysis, consulting and media. With background as a career business journalist, he serves as a shipping and international trade reporter, bureau chief, assistant managing editor and editor in chief of the Journal of Commerce. Peter is a summer resident of Islesboro, raising his young son to be seaworthy with his wife Gretchen and his mother, Peggy Tirschwell.

David R. Godine
2022-08-14 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
David R. Godine, fifty-year prominent book publisher and printer of Godine Press, began his unique collecting, printing and promotion of high quality publishing by working first with artist-printer Leonard Baskin and the Gehenna Press. He then converted an abandoned Brookline, Massachusetts cow barn for printing with hot metal. His letterpress of books and pamphlets were American classics of nonfiction, literary fiction, and poetry. An independent book publisher, recently retired, he was adventurous and outspoken about the unexpected quality of the content and production of his books, Reviews of his press reference the fine colors, tasteful art, elegant typography and historic photos on fine papers: a gold standard, and “grace that endures.” Godine books won Nobel Prizes, adaptations for BBC serials, and more. Mr. Godine enjoys speaking about his vital years creating and directing the greatly admired fine art Godine Press

Dr. Sian “Leo” Proctor
2022-08-07 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
Dr. Sian “Leo” Proctor, is an American geology professor, commercial astronaut, space artist, and science educator. She was captain of the historical SpaceX spacecraft, the 2021 first all-civilian mission into space. She will speak of her experiences as astronaut and pilot of Crew Dragon, the craft that orbited the Earth for three days in the world’s singular Inspiration4 private spaceflight.

Ken Hinman
2022-07-31 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
Ken Hinman, President, The National Coalition for Maine Conservation, has been at the center of the fisheries conservation movement over 40 years. He is head of Wild Oceans, an independent non-profit organization. “I am Wild Oceans” he said at the founding in 1973. He notes “it’s indeed a fish-eat-fish world” and has proceeded for decades with his passion to keep the oceans wild to achieve a vibrant future for fishing with ecosystem-based managements for fisheries.
Widely acclaimed for his plan at the center of the fisheries conservation movement with dedication to our coastal ecosystems, Hinman has written extensively on conservation policy and science, served as a conservation editor, and published widely while uniting fishermen and environmentalists for the preservation of our oceans and fishing opportunities to assure a healthy future.

George Stevens, Jr.
2022-07-24 16:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
George Stevens, Jr., a summer resident of Islesboro, Founder of The American Film Institute, and 37-year producer of the Kennedy Center honors, published a new memoir in May this year: My Place in the Sun: Life in the Golden Age of Hollywood and Washington. He will recount some of his times with a most remarkable assembly of accomplished friends and colleagues from the entertainment world, government, politics and journalism. Extraordinary people from the late 20th and early 21st Century animate his many stories throughout unusual shared times.
His book will be for sale. Please come early for the book signing!

Darron A. Collins
2022-07-17 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
Darron A. Collins, President of The College of the Atlantic since 2011 is an American Ecologist and academic administrator and academic administrator specialized in ethnobotany. Among his duties he and U. S. Senator from Maine, Angus King, join in a monthly podcast on climate and change and student action.
See Darron’s slideshow: From Maine to Mongolia and Back Again

Darron Collins would like Islesboro residents to know about an upcoming program at the College of the Atlantic that is part of the COA’s SUMMER INSTITUTE 2022: Entitled “Our One and Only Ocean,” it takes place July 25-29; free and open to the public; in person or virtual!
https://collegeoftheatlantic.regfox.com/coa-summer-institute

William G. Rosenberg, Phd.
2022-07-10 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
William G. Rosenberg, Phd. is Professor of Russian History Emeritus at the University of Michigan and, Vice Chair, Board of Trustees at the European University at St. Petersburg. His first trip to Russia was in 1967, and has been the author of several books on Russia and China. Rather than the usual Forum lecture, he prefers to make a few remarks, Rosenberg will respond in discussion to questions or particular issues raised from the participating Forum audience. Bill Rosenberg and his wife Elie now live in Brunswick, and are long-term summer residents of Islesboro.

Chase Reynolds Ewald, "Bison: An American Comeback Story"
2021-08-22 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | ME
Chase Reynolds Ewald will tell the story of the bison, from their near annihilation in the 19th century to their stunningly revived status today. She will describe a new approach to bison ranching, trace the return of bison to tribal lands and provide an inside view of the ambitious goals of the American Prairie Reserve in Montana to conserve more than 3 million acres of mixed grass prairie habitat, re-establish bison populations and improve the environment through the process of self-regeneration.
Chase Reynolds Ewald is the author of fourteen books on architecture, interior design, traditional craftsmanship, natural history and cuisine. Her most recent works are Bison: Portrait of an Icon, with photographer Audrey Hall, Modern Americana, written with designer Max Humphrey, and At Home in the Wine Country, written with co-author Heather Sandy Hebert. A graduate of Yale and Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, Chase is a frequent contributor to Mountain Living and Cowgirl magazines, Senior Editor of Western Art & Architecture, and Design Columnist for Big Sky Journal. She also edits, writes, and does social media management for private clients. A former resident of Maine, she has worked for Down East Magazine and Hurricane Island Outward Bound. When not wandering the West or visiting islands in Penobscot Bay, she lives in Marin County, California, with her husband, Charles, and their four daughters.
https://www.chasereynoldsewald.com

David Greene, "American Higher Education in the Eye of the Storm"
2021-08-15 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
The global pandemic didn’t create a crisis for colleges and universities as much as it exposed existing and growing fault lines. Outdated financial and pricing models, weakening public support, the promise (and failure) of online learning, and industry-wide inertia are leading to a major shakeout. But the news is not all bad, with innovative approaches and a long overdue focus on students and learning charting a way forward.

As Colby College’s 20th president, David A. Greene has been executing an ambitious program for ensuring Colby’s place among the world’s finest liberal arts colleges. Most recently, Greene led the creation of the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence at Colby, which will be the first interdisciplinary AI program at a liberal arts college when it formally launches in the fall of 2021. Construction is underway on the largest academic building project in Colby’s history, the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts, and in 2020 Colby opened the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center, the finest facility in Division 3 athletics.
A major priority in his administration has been to advance the College’s efforts around diversity and inclusion and investment in programs to increase its global focus. Through expanded outreach and distinctive financial aid programs, Colby’s applicant pool has risen from 5,000 to 16,000 and the enrolled classes at historic highs for academic preparation and diversity. Greene led the creation of DavisConnects, an innovative program that guarantees funded global experiences for Colby students and supports internships and research opportunities through partnerships with corporations and nonprofit and civic organizations. Partnerships also support the Colby Labs, such as the Buck Lab for the Environment and Climate Change and the Linde Packman Lab for Biosciences Innovation, an initiative Greene spearheaded to create multidisciplinary connections around major global challenges and to facilitate funded internships, research, and global experiences for students. Through a partnership with the Wyeth family, Colby students and faculty have unique opportunities to engage in research on Allen Island off the Maine coast, and in 2017 Colby launched the Lunder Institute for American Art, a collaborative initiative with the Colby College Museum of Art that inspires innovative research and production to expand the boundaries of American art.

Recognizing that a vibrant downtown Waterville is critical to both the region and to Colby, Greene has worked with city leaders to make downtown revitalization a priority. The College’s action, including the redevelopment of key properties downtown, spurred additional investment in real estate and economic activity on and around Main Street, with a total of $180 million invested to date. Colby’s downtown projects include two facilities that will make Waterville a destination for the arts and culture, a boutique hotel and restaurant, a student residential complex, new retail spaces, and a tech center in a former bank building that had been vacant for decades. Colby’s efforts are being supported through the largest fundraising campaign in liberal arts history.
Before arriving at Colby, Greene was executive vice president of the University of Chicago and, prior to that, served in leadership roles at Brown University and Smith College. At the University of Chicago he led high-priority initiatives including revitalization of community and commercial areas in Hyde Park, near the university’s campus; a master plan to support $3 billion in infrastructure improvements and expansion including residence halls, research buildings, clinical care facilities, and art centers; an affiliation with the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole and establishment of the Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics; and development of new research and teaching centers in Chicago, New Delhi, and Beijing.

Greene received a bachelor’s degree in history from Hamilton College and a master’s degree in human development and psychology from Harvard University before earning a master’s and a doctoral degree in education and social policy at Harvard. In addition to the economics of education, his research interests include social and political movements and their influence on individuals and institutions.

Miles O’Brien, "Flying Cars, Electric Planes and Cheap Rockets: how some breakthroughs in transportation may save the planet."
2021-08-08 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | ME
Miles O’Brien is a veteran, independent journalist who focuses on science, technology and aerospace.
He is the science correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, a producer, director, writer and correspondent for the PBS documentary programs NOVA and FRONTLINE and an aviation analyst for CNN. He owns MOBIAS Media, Inc., a production company that creates award winning documentary films primarily for PBS as well as several educational and corporate clients.
For nearly seventeen of his thirty-nine years in the news business, he was a staff correspondent and anchor with CNN, based in Atlanta and New York. He served as the science, environment and aerospace correspondent and the anchor of various programs, including American Morning.
While at CNN, O’Brien secured a deal with NASA to become the first journalist to fly on the space shuttle. The project ended with the loss of Columbia and her crew in 2003 – a story he told to the world in a critically acclaimed sixteen-hour marathon of live coverage. He later served for ten years as a member of the NASA Advisory Council, offering strategic advice to the NASA administrator.
Prior to joining CNN, he worked as a reporter at television stations in St. Joseph, MO, Albany, NY, Tampa, FL and Boston. He began his television career as a desk assistant at WRC-TV in Washington, DC.
O’Brien is an accomplished pilot and is frequently called upon to explain the world of aviation to a mass audience.
He has won numerous awards over the years, including six Emmys, a Peabody and a DuPont.
He has produced, written and directed nine films for PBS NOVA: Mind of a Rampage Killer (2013), Manhunt Boston Bombers (2013), Megastorm Aftermath (2013), Why Planes Vanish (2014), Nuclear Meltdown Disaster (2015), Fifteen Years of Terror (2016), The Nuclear Option (2017), Inside the Megafire (2019) and The Great Electric Airplane Race (2021).
He also produced, wrote and directed FRONTLINE Coronavirus Pandemic (2020) and was a writer and correspondent for four FRONTLINES: Flying Cheap (2010), Flying Cheaper (2011), Nuclear Aftershocks (2012) and Dollars and Dentists (2012).
In February of 2014, a heavy equipment case fell on his forearm while he was on assignment. He developed Acute Compartment Syndrome, which necessitated the emergency amputation of his left arm above the elbow. Despite the loss of his arm, he has completed two marathons, several ultra-distance bike rides, a half Ironman, and has returned to flying airplanes.
Born in Detroit and raised in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, he is based in Vero Beach, Florida. He was a history major at Georgetown University. Miles has two grown children. His son is a US Navy Lieutenant stationed in Yokosuka, Japan and his daughter is a social work in New York City.

Roger Heinen, "Islesboro Economic Sustainability"
2021-08-01 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Islesboro Community Center, 103 Pendleton Point Road, Islesboro, ME, United States
IESC is a quasi-municipal, non-profit entity transforming private non-taxable donation dollars into a catalyst for the essential island services and businesses which underpin a vital, full time island community. The IESC supports local entrepreneurs creating on-island jobs and attracting new families by providing information, business expansion loans and direct investments in infrastructure projects. Roger’s talk will briefly describe the IESC mission and accomplishments in its first 18 months of operation. Following that Roger will review the recent IESC island survey seeking to understand what the most essential services and businesses are. Then he’ll engage the audience in a discussion on their ideas for promoting Islesboro sustainability.
Roger and Marny Heinen have been residents of Islesboro since 1996. Roger spent his career in the computer industry including senior executive roles at Apple and Microsoft, mentoring and financing early-stage startups, and directorships for public, private and non-profit organizations. Roger holds degrees from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Myron S. Cohen M.D., “COVID-19: Past, Present and Future”
2021-07-25 17:30 (America/New_York) | ME

Dr. David Van Essen, “Your Brain, My Brain, and a Chimpanzee’s Brain: What’s the Difference, and Why Should We Care?”
2021-07-18 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | ME
The quest to understand the human brain in health and disease is a grand challenge for the 21st century and beyond. This talk will focus on the cerebral cortex, which is the dominant structure of our brains and largely responsible for what makes us unique as a species and unique as individuals—each with our distinctive personalities, intellectual capabilities, and personal foibles. Recent progress using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has provided intriguing answers to some questions but leaves many others as truly daunting.
David Van Essen is the Alumni Endowed Professor of Neurobiology at Washington University in St Louis. For nearly 50 years he has studied the structure, function, connectivity, development, and evolution of cerebral cortex in humans and nonhuman primates. He recently led the Human Connectome Project (HCP), a large-scale effort that acquired, analyzed, and freely shared high-quality neuroimaging data from 1200 healthy adults. Dr. Van Essen received his undergraduate degree from Caltech and his Ph.D. from Harvard University. He joined the Caltech faculty in 1976 and moved to Washington University in 1992 to chair the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology for 20 years. He has served in many other leadership positions, including President of the Society of Neuroscience and founding chair of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping. He has received numerous awards and honors, notably including the Glass Brain Award from the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, the George A. Miller Prize from the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, and the Carl and Gerti Cori Faculty Achievement Award from Washington University. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Abe Miller-Rushing, “Managing for Climate Change in Our National Parks”
2021-07-11 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | ME
National parks were originally established with the goal of preserving resources as they were in the past. That goal is no longer feasible. Dr. Miller-Rushing will describe how national park managers are adjusting their approach to manage for change and the science they are using to inform their decisions. He will specifically talk about work going on in Acadia National Park, which serves as a model for how national park managers can adjust to a changing climate.
Dr. Miller-Rushing is the Science Coordinator for Acadia National Park, where he has worked since 2010. He oversees research in the park and leads the science strategy to meet the park’s priority needs. Dr. Miller-Rushing’s own research focuses on protected area management, forest responses to climate change, and citizen science. He helped to establish the Citizen Science Association and the USA National Phenology Network, a national network to monitor the impacts of climate change plants and animals. He received his bachelors in Biology from Grinnelll College in Iowa and his Ph.D. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from Boston University.

Dr. Jim Basker, "Black Lives Have Always Mattered: American History and the Gilder Lehrman Institute in 2020"
2020-08-16 17:30 - 18:30 (Asia/Karachi) | ME
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In this talk, which will be dedicated to the memory of Richard Gilder, Dr. Jim Basker will present 6 or 7 moments in American history that were shaped by the African American presence, often in unexpected or forgotten ways. The focus will be on key documents, from a rare printing of the Declaration of Independence and a unique letter that Frederick Douglass wrote to his former master, to a 1926 NAACP poster and a civil rights placard from 1968. While progress is never smooth, it is always made possible by education and perseverance.
Basker is president of the Gilder Lehrman Institute and Richard Gilder Professor of Literary History at Barnard College, Columbia University. As president of the Gilder Lehrman Institute since 1997, Basker has overseen the development of history education initiatives nationwide, including history high schools, teacher seminars, traveling exhibitions, digital archives, and the National History Teacher of the Year Award program.
Basker has also served as project director for several history exhibitions at the New York Historical Society, including Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America (2004–2005), Lincoln in His Own Words: An Intimate View of Our Greatest President (2009), and John Brown: The Abolitionist and His Legacy (2009–2010). He is an elected member of the Society of American Historians and former fellow of the American Antiquarian Society. He serves on Mount Vernon’s Scholarly Advisory Board, the boards of the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize and the Frederick Douglass Book Prize, and as a trustee of the New-York Historical Society.
Basker was educated at Harvard, Cambridge, and Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He taught for seven years at Harvard University before coming to New York, and he has been a visiting professor at NYU, Cambridge University, and Rogue Community College in Oregon. He is also founder and president of OxBridge Academic Programs, which has sponsored summer programs and teacher seminars in Oxford, Cambridge, Paris, and Barcelona for more than twenty years.
His publications include Amazing Grace: Poems about Slavery 1660–1810 (2002), Early American Abolitionists (2005), and American Antislavery Writing: Colonial Beginnings to Emancipation (2012) as well as scores of essays and educational booklets on various topics in English and American history and literature.
Thanks to Richard Gilder, Dr. Basker has a long and recurring connection to Islesboro. Gilder invited Basker and his family to Islesboro often over the years, so he now counts many people on Islesboro as friends.
He will be introduced by Islesboro resident and Oxford classmate, John Rex Waller.

Beth Orcutt, "Deep Sea Frontiers: What Happens as Humanity Seizes the Seafloor?"
2020-08-09 17:30 - 18:30 (Asia/Karachi) | ME
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Will your next cell phone or solar panel contain heavy metals from the seafloor? Could strange life in the deep sea contain the genetic blueprint for a new blockbuster drug or industrial enzyme? Join Dr. Beth Orcutt for an introduction to the vast and diverse underbelly of life on Earth found deep in our oceans. Learn how this life benefits humanity, and how the deep sea connects to recommendations of the Maine Climate Council to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.
Dr. Orcutt has been a Senior Research Scientist at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences since 2012, where she leads a team to study the weird microscopic life that lives at the bottom of the ocean. For her research, Dr. Orcutt has traveled far and wide: to the bottom of the ocean, exploring underwater hydrothermal vents in remote oceans and oil seeps in the Gulf of Mexico; to remote lakes of the Canadian Arctic reachable only by helicopter; and to research labs around the world, including a recent sabbatical in Germany. She was recently awarded the Asahiko Taira Prize for Scientific Research from the American Geophysical Union, the largest international scientific society for Earth science. She received her Ph.D. degree in Marine Sciences from the University of Georgia Athens.

Bruce Blankenfeld, Master Navigator, "Rediscovery of Ocean Heritage"
2020-08-02 17:30 - 18:30 (Asia/Karachi) | ME
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Master Maritime Navigator and Hōkūle‘a Captain, Bruce Blankenfeld will discuss ancient Polynesian navigation techniques, the perpetuation of these, and the Hōkūle‘a’s “Mālama Honua” (the recent worldwide voyage in traditional voyaging sailing canoes).

Captain Blankenfeld serves as PWO Navigator and crew training coordinator for the World Wide Voyage. He is employed as a foreman by McCabe Hamilton and Renny (stevedoring contractor) and is a long distance paddler and coach for Hui Nalu Canoe Club. His most recent voyage as captain and navigator was the 2009 training sail from Hawai‘i to Palmyra and back in preparation for Hōkūle‘a’s Worldwide Voyage. Bruce serves as a director of crew training for the voyage.
Bruce began his association with Polynesian Voyaging Society in 1977 by volunteering for the maintenance of Hōkūle’a while training for crew on day and night sails.
In 1990, he began formal navigation training with Nainoa Thompson and Mau Plailug, which included a nine-day sail on Hokule’a out of sight of land in 1991. On the 1992 voyage to Rarotonga, he served as an apprentice navigator on Hokule’a from Rarotonga, Cook Islands to Tahiti (800 miles, 8 day) and then as co-navigator, with Kimo Lyman, from the Tahiti to Hawai’i.
After many decades of sailing and navigating, in 2007, on Ku Holo Mau, the voyage to Satawal, Bruce was captain and navigator of Hōkūle‘a from Hawa’i to Pohnpei. He rejoined the crew for the sail from Chuuk to Satawal, where he was one of five Hawaiians inducted into PWO by Mau Piailug.

Bruce will be introduced by Emily and Sophie Kelley-Lau. Emily and Sophie were born in Hawaiʻi and lived there until they were 10 and 8, after which they moved to Islesboro. Although they were welcomed into the loving community of Islesboro, they missed their native, vibrant culture. When the Hōkūleʻa sailed into Mount Desert Island, it was like a breath of warm Hawaiian air. Since first seeing and learning about the ancient traditions of Polynesian voyaging, the sisters have hoped to become a greater part of the Mālama Honua mission that Bruce introduced to them in Southwest Harbor.

To understand how the ancient Polynesian marine navigation described by Forum speaker Bruce Blankenfeld is different from, and persuasively challenges the theory of “Pacific float” asserted by Thor Heyerdahl in his book Kon Tiki, please read this Smithsonian Magazine article addressing the competing theories.

Francesca Zambello and Tim O’Leary, “Spotlight on the Opera Blue”
2020-07-26 17:30 - 18:30 (Asia/Karachi) | ME
Blue, a new opera by Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson that had its premiere at The Glimmerglass Festival last summer, centers on the hopes and fears of a young Black couple as they raise a son in 21st-century America. Reflective of a tragically familiar headline, the story follows the father — a police officer — and the mother, as they navigate the killing of their son by law enforcement with support from their community. The opera was set for subsequent performances at Washington National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, before cancellations were announced due to the ongoing pandemic.
Glimmerglass Festival Artistic Director Francesca Zambello speaks with Washington National Opera General Director Timothy O’Leary about the process of bringing Blue from commission, to its world premiere, to ultimately receiving the Music Critics Association of North America’s award for Best New Opera. They will be joined by renowned baritone and featured Blue performer, Gordon Hawkins, and introduced by Betsy Cohen, Islesboro summer resident, opera lover and financial sponsor of Blue.

Shey Conover, Entrepreneur, Marshall Cove Aquaculture, “Commercial Aquaculture Off Islesboro’s Coast”
2020-07-19 17:30 - 18:30 (Asia/Karachi) | ME
A look at a local sea farm’s effort to diversify the marine economy in a changing world.
Shey lives on Islesboro with her husband, Josh, and two children. Together they own and operate Islesboro Marine, a full-service boatyard that diversified into aquaculture in 2016 growing Marshall Cove Mussels. Shey came to Islesboro in 2002 as an Island Fellow, and continued her career at the Island Institute, leaving in 2017 as VP of Programs. Shey is now focused on their local family business and its growth into aquaculture and serves on a number of community boards.

Dr. Troy Brennan, Chief Medical Officer at CVS Health, “How the COVID Pandemic Might Change the Future Delivery of Healthcare”
2020-07-12 17:30 - 18:30 UTC | ME
With his vast experience in the health care sector, as a senior officer at one of the country’s largest providers of pharmaceutical and basic health care services and as a professor at both Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, Dr. Brennan will address how the COVID-19 pandemic might change the future delivery of healthcare in the US.
Troyen A. Brennan provides oversight for the development of CVS Health’s clinical and medical affairs and health care strategy, as well as the company’s CVS MinuteClinic and Accordant Health Care businesses. In his academic work, he was Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Law and Public Health at Harvard School of Public Health.
Brennan received his medical degree and his Master’s in Public Health from Yale Medical School and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Yale Law School. He also has a Master’s degree from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Methodist University. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

David Wenner
2018-08-04 17:30 - 18:30 UTC | ME
Biology Lab

Penobscot Bay: Exploitation, Collapse & Now, Recovery
2016-08-28 17:30 - 18:30 UTC | ME
Karen Alexander, Bill Leavenworth, James Wilson.

Penobscot Bay lies at the midpoint of the coast, creating the confluence of northern and southern waters, with the river, a watershed. Chellie Pingree, Maine’s 1st District representative to Congress notes, “Our lives are so affected by so much of the watershed, up and down the river…this is a critically important region to the rest of the state. People care deeply about the health of the Bay because our economies are built on tourism and fishing.” The Penobscot Watershed Conference in which she took part in May had 300 conferees considering the region’s environment, industries, and climate, the Penobscot’s history and future impact upon us. Bill Leavenworth, was a participant, looking into the history of fisheries, possible reasons for their declines and the likelihood of fisheries restoration. He is one of the principal historians for the Fresh and Salt Water Fishery research team, under the leadership of Professor Emeritus James Wilson. Wilson is a prominent marine biologist particularly concerned with policy and fisheries governance systems. Both experts work with Karen Alexander, also a member of the team. A research fellow at UMA Amherst, she is an author, has worked on three or more movies about the Marine ecosystem and is completing her PhD at the University of New Hampshire. The three university experts will present visuals for us, and a panel discussion on their findings and expectations for the Penobscot, a prime element in the current life and future of the State of Maine, its people and chief industries. Prepare your questions!

A Creative Life: Exploring Film, Television, and the Performing Arts in America
2016-08-21 17:30 - 18:30 UTC | ME
George Stevens, Jr.
George is among the third generation of Stevens who summer on Islesboro, a well-known and admired good friend and neighbor, he preserves and continues the family influence on American taste and history through its enormous output for culture and the arts.
George grew up in Hollywood, son of director George Stevens (Alice Adams, Swing Time, A Place in the Sun, Shane, Giant) and went to Washington in 1962 to serve under Edward R. Morrow at the United States Information Agency, as head of USIA’s Motion Picture Service in the Kennedy administration. His legacy is a 50-year career dedicated to motion pictures and the performing arts. It includes establishing two enduring institutions: Founding Director for the America Film Institute, 37 year co-creator and writer-producer of the Kennedy Center Honors. Presented an Oscar in 2012 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement”, he also has been awarded 17 Emmys, 2 Peabody Awards, and the Humanitas Prize for his television shows. He has received eight awards from the Writers Guild of America for outstanding writing, and the Paul Selvin Award for writing that embodies civil rights and liberties.
Mr. Stevens has published two books: Conversations with the Great Movie Makers of Hollywood’s Golden Age (2006), prompted by a Seminar Series Stevens initiated in 1969, and Conversations with the Great Moviemakers – The Next Generation (2012).
He has served as Co-Chairman of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities since his appointment by President Obama.
