BHHT Event & Program Calendar

The Shaw Institute, Blue Hill's marine research center, in collaboration with the Blue Hill Heritage Trust and the First Congregational Church of Blue Hill, cordially invites you to meet the Institute’s new Senior Research Scientist, Dr. Charles Rolsky. Charlie will speak to Dr. Susan Shaw's impact on the scientific world while also highlighting the critically important work currently being done at the institute. Charlie will also touch on the advancement of new ideas, partners and initiatives for community-based research in 2022 and beyond.  
This event is free and open to the public. No registration required. Please respect thepolicy of the First Congregational Church by wearing a mask, which is required.

The Bagaduce Watershed Association invites the public to an event on Sept. 13 with Dr. Robin Hadlock Seeley, one of Maine’s foremost experts on rockweed, to discuss sustainable harvesting practices and her project to map the marine algae along Maine’s coast.
 
Rockweed thrives in Maine’s intertidal zone. It is the seaweed found clinging to rocks along the Maine coast and forming underwater forests that help sustain marine life. Harvesters are appearing more frequently on the Blue Hill Peninsula due to its commercial value in fertilizers, animal feed, cosmetics, and other products.
 
The Sept. 13 event will include a discussion of a new GIS mapping project developed by Dr. Seeley to identify high- and low-value rockweed beds for conservation or sustainable harvesting; rockweed as blue carbon; the ecological sustainability of current statewide harvesting practices, including its management and recent legal cases; and practical suggestions on how to protect critical rockweed beds.
 
The event is co-sponsored by six local nonprofits, including the Bagaduce Watershed Association, Blue Hill Heritage Trust, Friends of Blue Hill Bay, Island Heritage Trust, the Downeast chapter of Maine Audubon, and Climate Action Net.
 
Dr. Seeley, who served as an expert witness in a rockweed case heard before the Maine Supreme Court, is one of Maine’s leading authorities on the ocean algae. She is a retired faculty member of the Shoals Marine Laboratory operated by Cornell University and the University of New Hampshire. She has served as a faculty fellow of the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future and as a past American Fellow of the American Association of University Women. She also held a position as a Conservation Leadership Fellow with Toyota/National Audubon. 
 
“Rockweed is a critical link and a vital habitat in the marine ecosystem of our intertidal zones,” said Jim Saltonstall, President of the Bagaduce Watershed Association. “It is literally beneath our feet yet often overlooked. But now the pressures on rockweed are mounting as it finds commercial appeal. Having information from an expert like Dr. Seeley is an important place to start grappling with these issues.”

Kids are invited to Wild Sun Catchers on the library lawn on Wednesday, September 14 at 3:30 pm.  Join Landere Naisbitt from Blue Hill Heritage Trust and Claire Malina from the Blue Hill Library for a workshop on oak trees.  Landere will teach about the ecology, history and folklore of oak trees.  Participants will have the opportunity to make acorn dolls.  We will read a poem about oak trees and sing a song together as well!

To register, use the library's interactive calendar or by calling 374-5515.

Wild Sun Catchers is a monthly program for kids and families that celebrates the wild plants of the Blue Hill Peninsula, with focus on a different plant each month. This program is free and is co-sponsored by the Blue Hill Library and Blue Hill Heritage Trust. For more information, email Claire at claire.malina@bhpl.net

Families with babies and young children welcome!
We will play on the shore, explore tide pools, drink sun tea, and just hang out. Wear sun hats, bring sunscreen, water, and snacks!
Walks will be lead by Vanessa Hatch and Landere Naisbitt.
To register email landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org

Join Blue Hill Heritage Trust and Betsy Samuelson for a Caring for the Land Workshop September 17th 10am at the BHHT Farm.
Seed saving invites abundance into our homes and communities. This workshop provides an introduction to saving seed in your backyard garden. Specifically, the workshop will entail a basic overview that applies to most herbs, vegetables, and flowers. A handful of easy favorites will be reviewed in detail, demonstrations will include seed cleaning and saving tomato seeds.
Betsy became fascinated with seed saving in 2010, learning as she integrated growing crops seed to seed while she was working as a Organic Farm Production Manager. With the goal of increasing community resilience and supporting community seed sharing activities, Betsy helped launch Common Soil Seed Library, the Community Seed Network, helped draft and lobbied to amend the Nebraska Seed Law and the Recommended Uniform State Seed Law to allow noncommercial seed sharing. Currently, Betsy and her family reside in Monroe where they own and operate Seed & Soil, which offers cannabis seeds and plants to anyone 21+ over, slowly integrating more herbs, flowers, and vegetables into the nursery and seed offerings.
email landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org to register.

David Porter will once again lead the very popular Mushroom ID Workshop at Peters Brook in Blue Hill.
 
Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot for this great event! email landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org to sign up!

Come join BHHT and Merrie Eley on a beautiful loop hike along Peter’s Brook and learn about ferns and other delights in nature. This is a family friendly event. Wear good walking shoes and bring a snack and water. 

Merrie is a BHHT trail steward and volunteer and Maine Master Naturalist who is eager to share her passion for ferns with you. Space is limited. Please email landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org to register.

Beach Clean Up: The Shaw Institute and Blue Hill Heritage Trust invite you to join us Saturday, September 24th from 2-4 pm for a Beach Cleanup Day at Carter Nature Preserve on the Cross Road in Surry. Be a part of Plastic Oceans International event, Trees and Seas festival by helping to clean this beautiful property which is under conservation with BHHT. Plastics collected at this event will contribute to scientific research done at the Shaw Institute using our new plastics analysis and identification instrument. This data will be shared and combined with other communities around the world participating in Trees and Seas. 
 
Participants should arrive at 2:00 pm. We will provide materials and assign paired volunteers specific areas and duties including data collection. 
 
Prizes will be awarded for fun categories and all participants will receive coupons for Pugnuts Ice Cream Shop as a special reward for a job well done. Family friendly, and please bring water bottles, wear durable work gloves, sunscreen and sturdy shoes. Registration is not required. Rain date, Sunday the 25th from 2-4pm. For further info, contact the BHHT office (207)374-5118 or the Shaw Institute at info@shawinstitute.org