December 5, 2007
News from the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research Headlines:
Environmental Solutions Initiative: FY09 Request for Proposals
Research Focus
FY09 Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI) research projects will examine the causes and consequences of landscape change and development, with a particular focus on the Lower Penobscot region. For the purposes of this Request for Proposals (RFP), the delimitation of the Lower Penobscot region is similar to that used by the Lower Penobscot Watershed Coalition, and spans the area from Old Town and Milford down to Camden and Castine (see map). This interdisciplinary research effort is intended to help address key environmental, economic, and social challenges facing Maine , including the types of problems highlighted in three recent reports (The Brookings Institution 2006, Stein et al. 2005, and Manomet’s Forest Landowner Change Study by Hagan et al. 2005). One of ESI’s central principles is to work in close partnerships with stakeholders, thereby increasing the chances that our research is relevant to their needs and that the solutions we develop can be put into action. Although our primary focus is on the Lower Penobscot, we hope these investigations will have broad application to many other regions in and beyond Maine. This strategy is designed to maximize our ability to develop solutions that are transferable to other regions.
Please note that ESI grants are only available to UMaine faculty. Stakeholders with potential research project ideas should contact David Hart or Ruth Hallsworth to discuss appropriate faculty partnerships at UMaine. UMaine researchers can also contact us if help is needed exploring options for potential research projects and stakeholder partnerships.
Proposals must be received no later than January 11, 2008.
Full guidelines and submission information are available on the ESI Website.
Environmental Solutions Initiative Workshop/Discussion:
Learning by Doing: Lessons learned from ESI projects
Friday, December 14 from 10:30am-12:30pm
Room 107, Norman Smith Hall, UMaine, Orono
Facilitator: Terry Porter
Project presenters: Jessica Leahy, Gayle Zydlewski, Chris Cronan & Rob Lilieholm, John Peckenham, Aram Calhoun
Earlier this year, five ESI research projects were initiated. These projects proposed to examine various aspects of the causes and consequences of land use change and development in the Lower Penobscot region working in close collaboration with local stakeholders.
This open workshop/discussion will bring together faculty and stakeholders to discuss their progress in "learning by doing". Workshop goals are two-fold: one is to obtain an update on each project to date; the second is to provide an open forum to discuss how well these projects are working and what can/should be done differently. This workshop will also assist in providing information and prompting discussion for a new round of ESI projects.
All are welcome and participation from stakeholders and partners is encouraged. If you need directions or parking permits, please contact Ruth Hallsworth at 581-3196.
2008 Maine Water Conference: Call for Abstracts
2008 Maine Water Conference
Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 7:30am-4:00pm
Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, Maine
Information on submitting papers for consideration of oral and poster presentations for the 2008 Maine Water Conference is now available.
Oral Abstracts
The submission deadline for oral abstracts is: Friday, December 14, 2007.
Oral abstracts must fit within the guidelines of one of conference session topics. Additional guidelines and submission information for oral abstracts
is available on the Call for Abstracts web page.
Poster Abstracts
The submission deadline for poster abstracts is: Friday, February 22, 2008.
The juried poster competition will include three judging categories: graduate, undergraduate and high-school. Non-student poster presentations based on appropriate research findings are also accepted for display.
Guidelines and submission information for poster abstracts is available on the Poster Session web page.
2008 Water Institute Grants Awarded
The Maine Water Resources Research Institute (Water Institute), a program of the Mitchell Center, constitutes the Maine grants program as authorized by the federal Water Resources Research Act of 1984. Section 104b of the Act authorizes the US Geological Survey to provide funds for research programs in each state to assist the Nation in addressing needs in water resources and technology. These funds are used to support research and information transfer projects in the areas of water resources and related environmental sciences. Approximately $90,000 each year is awarded competitively following external peer review and selection by a panel of Maine environmental specialists and researchers.
Congratulations to the following researchers who were awarded project funding for 2008. Award of final funding is contingent upon Congressional appropriations for 2008.
Aria Amirbahman, Civil & Environmental Engineering, UMaine
Using reactive thin-film membranes and molecular tools to determine mercury mobility and transformation in the Penobscot River estuary sediment, Maine
Kevin Simon, Biology and Ecology, UMaine
Response of a linked lake-stream system to dam removal and restoration of migratory fish.
Rebecca Van Beneden, Marine Sciences, UMaine
Development of a non-lethal biomarker of contaminant exposure for threatened and endangered fish species.
Laura Wilson, UMaine Cooperative Extension
Reducing Pollution to Urban Streams through Business Friends Incentives
Lynne Lewis, Economics, Bates College
Measuring and Incorporating Stakeholder Values into River Restoration Decisions: A Socio-economic Analysis
Gayle Zydlewski, Marine Sciences, UMaine
Effective Knowledge Transfer to Enhance Stakeholder Involvement in Watershed Stewardship
Additional information can be found at the Water Institute Web site.
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