We’re Safe Here . . . or Aren’t We?

Ryan Martin, Leila Pike, TL Tutor.

The island is waking up and taking action to anticipate dramatic changes ahead.

Islesboro’s new generation of expertise, represented by TL Tutor, Leila Pike, and Ryan Martin will present how our island community is positioned, or not, to deal with the threats and challenges of climate change, discussing sea level rise, renewable energy, local food production, and steps we can take to get ready for the future.

With both a BA and MA in Engineering from McGill University, Leila Pike is now a project engineer specializing in coastal modeling, water resources, and hydraulics for a firm in Portland.  She has been involved in evaluating Maine’s coastal resiliency, and modeling 100-year coastal storm surge flood levels for Maine and Louisiana, a part of FEMA’s flood remapping appeals process.

TL Tutor, one in the sixth generation of an Islesboro family, received his BS in Economics, then back-packed through South America learning about sustainable habitats, artists, permaculture, and skilled stone-working projects.  Returning to our island he created his own project, building a solar-powered workshop for the family business, Hatch & Sons.  He then moved to Portland to get involved in renewable energy.  TL now works with ReVision Energy as a solar and heat pump design specialist, concerned with reducing energy bills and carbon footprints, the practical investments in home heating and energy efficiency.

Ryan Martin is known by many as the Horticulture teacher at Islesboro Central School, for a program that brings thousands of pounds of organic produce to the island to engage student learning at the school’s on–campus farm. He has completed his MA in Sustainable Food Systems, and teaches, though more occasionally, at a local community college.