Updates and Recommendations from the Maine Climate Council with Ivan Fernandez
2024-10-29 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Abbott Room
Updates from the Maine Climate Council about Maine Won’t Wait
with Ivan Fernandez, Distinguished Professor at the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute and co-chair of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of
the Maine Climate Council.

Register for the Zoom link here

The Center for Ecological Teaching and Learning with Coleen O'Connell
2024-11-12 18:30 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
The Center for Ecological Teaching and Learning
Coleen O’Connell, board vice president, will share what this research field station on Cobscoock Bay is doing to help our understanding of the effects of Climate Change in our region.
Click here to register for the Zoom option.
The Center for Ecological Teaching and Learning (CETL) is the metamorphosis of the former Friedman Field Station of Suffolk University. For 47 years this rustic marine field
laboratory operated on Cobscook Bay in Downeast Maine. People of all ages came to do research, learn about ecology, teaching, and living in harmony with nature and each
other. Then that field station went up for sale. A small group of folks, who are passionate about Cobscook Bay, put in a bid to buy it and reopen it as an educational field station once again.
It now offers programs to diverse groups: families, local school children, and high school and college students from around the country. Some come seeking inspiration for their artwork, others to
collect data for research, others to unplug and connect with family and friends, and some for silent retreat. For all, the unique beauty of this special place is unforgettable.
Since the founding of the field station, visual and performing arts have been an important feature of participant experiences. Visitors may engage in scientific field journaling, academics, nature printing, theater arts, music and so much more.
Coleen O’Connell founded and taught the Lesley University Masters of Ecological Teaching and Learning, a division of Audubon Expedition Institute, on this location at what is now the next generation CETL, Center for Ecological and Learning. Coleen had many years of experience teaching and learning as faculty on the Audubon Expedition Institute bus, facilitating transformative experiential education with college students traveling all over the US, and supervised master’s candidates throughout their degree.
Come learn about the rejuvenation and new life of this lovely natural spot on Cobscook Bay.

This program is part of the “Finding Hope In Our Climate Crisis : A lecture series on Climate Change Solutions” brought to you in cooperation with the members of the Waldo County Climate Action Coalition. More at waldoclimateaction.org

Public Meeting: Harbor Vulnerability Assessment
2025-01-13 18:00 - 19:30 | Abbott Room

Efficiency Maine Presentation
2025-02-11 18:30 - 20:00
Save Money Heating Your Home or Business
Do you know that Efficiency Maine has programs to subsidize installation of : heat pumps in your home or trailer, hot water heat pumps in your home or trailer, and heat pumps for your business, multi family home or commercial space????
Satchel Toole, Program Manager at Efficiency Maine will share about how Efficiency Maine Programs can help.
In person in the Abbott Room and on Zoom. Register for the Zoom link here.
Co-sponsored by the Waldo County Climate Action Coalition and the Belfast Free Library.

Come Boating! Winter Adventure Series : Scallop Farming in Penobscot Bay
2025-03-18 18:30 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
Andrew and Samantha Peters founded Vertical Bay in 2018 as a model for scallop farming in Maine. Andrew will discuss how their scallops are grown in the nutrient-rich waters of the Penobscot Bay, the “ear-hanging” method of farming he uses, how he has benefitted from the work of research institutions in Maine and the challenges and opportunities scallop farming presents.
This program is jointly sponsored by Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition, the Belfast Free Library and Come Boating.
It will be held in the Abbott Room with a ZOOM option. Register for the Zoom here.

Our Maine Fibershed a presentation with Pat Harpell
2025-04-01 18:30 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
Our Maine Fibershed: Change your Fiber, Help the Climate- a presentation with Pat Harpell
Pat Harpell, co-founder of the Maine Fibershed, will talk about easy ways that individuals can make a sea change of difference with their fiber choices. She will discuss how to differentiate fresh carbon from fossil carbon fibers, and how a Soil-to-Soil system works, the importance of local fiber to our economy, and how raw wool is being used to replenish soil.
Pat will take us on a “tour” of Maine’s rich fiber farms via a garland of local fiber swatches that range from alpaca to yak, and learn what is needed to go from shorn sheep to a locally-made garment. Come learn how the Maine Fibershed plays a role in carbon sequestration, diminished greenhouse gas emissions, erosion control, flood and drought mitigation and income equity throughout our local fiber supply chain.
The program will be held in the Abbott Room with Zoom Option. Register for the Zoom link here.

This program is presented by the member organizations of the Waldo County Climate Action Coalition and the Belfast Free Library.

Film: "A Fierce Green Fire; The Battle for a Living Planet"
2025-04-08 18:30 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
An Earth Day Event presented by Sierra Club of Maine and the Waldo County Climate Action Coalition
A FIERCE GREEN FIRE: The Battle For a Living Planet is the first big-picture exploration of the environmental movement – grassroots and global activism spanning fifty years from conservation to climate change. From halting dams in the Grand Canyon to battling 20,000 tons of toxic waste at Love Canal; from Greenpeace saving the whales to Chico Mendes and the rubber tappers saving the Amazon; from climate change to the promise of transforming our civilization… the film tells vivid stories about people fighting – and succeeding – against enormous odds.
Written, directed and produced by Academy Award-nominee Mark Kitchell (Berkeley in the Sixties), this one hour documentary spans 50 years of grassroots and global activism from the 1960s-2009 and connects the major causes of environmentalism, from conservation to climate change. Narrated by Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Ashley Judd, Van Jones and Isabel Allende, the film premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and has won acclaim worldwide.
Free and open to all. Discussion to follow.

POSTPONED Climate Resilience Fair POSTPONED
2025-06-07 10:00 - 15:00 | Steamboat Landing, Belfast, Maine
Due to the forecast of rain, wind and thunderstorms on Saturday the Climate Resilience Fair has been postponed. We will reschedule for a date in the fall. Stay tuned…
Please join the Belfast Free Library and Waldo County Climate Action Coalition on Saturday, June 7 at Steamboat Landing in Belfast for the Climate Resilience Fair, from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
There will be 40+ local businesses and non-profits with resources and examples of ways to prepare for a changing climate. A full list of participants can be found at Waldo County Climate Action Coalition website.
Come check out our powerhouse lineup of speakers in the Boathouse!
10:15 – 10:45- David Gibson, Director of Energy, College of the Atlantic
11:00 – 11:30 – Jack Shapiro, Climate and Clean Energy Director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine
11:45 – 12:15- Sean Birkel, Maine State Climatologist
12:30 – 1:00- Parker Gassett, Community Climate Resilience Coordinator, Maine Sea Grant
1:15 – 1:45 -Steve Ouillette, En-ROADS Global Climate Simulation
2:00 – 2:30- Nick Janzen, Policy & Partnerships Director, Maine Conservation Alliance
2:30 – 3:00- Alan Gibson, Principal, GO Logic
This FREE event includes family activities, music and food trucks! Portable Pie Place and Stone Fox Farm Creamery.
Music starts at 12:00 with local favorites Sea Strings, at 1:00 pm The Driveway Band , and at 2:00 pm Pinwheel Coalition.
Event information is being updated; more info can be found here at the Waldo County Climate Action Coalition website. If you’d like to volunteer to help with the event please email waldoclimateaction@gmail.com.

Speaker Series: Climate Resilience: What's Going On in our Communities
2025-09-16 18:30 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
“What’s Going on with Solar Policy”
Emily Rochford, Community Engagement Manager at Maine Community Power Cooperative and John Luft, Residential Sale Manage at Revision Energy will present about what the current energy policies mean for solar options going forward.
This series is presented by member organizations of the Waldo County Climate Action Coalition (WCCAC). Programs will take place in the Abbott Room with a Zoom Option.
Register for the Zoom option here.

Speaker Series: Climate Resilience: What's Going on in our Communities
2025-10-21 18:30 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
The second talk in the series:
What’s Going on in our Fishing Communities
Clea Harrelson, UMaine Anthropology PhD student will discuss her research on how communities connected to the lobster fishery are navigating social & environmental changes and potential paths forward for resilience.
This speaker series is presented by member organizations of the Waldo County Climate Action Coalition (WCCAC). Programs will take place in the Abbott Room with a Zoom Option.
Register for the Zoom link here
About the speaker:
Clea Harrelson is a PhD student in Anthropology and Environmental Policy at the University of Maine. She is from Tennessee and received her Bachelor’s degree from Colby College and her Master’s degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island. Clea has broad experience in social science and science policy through work as a contractor for NOAA’s Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and her time as a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow and Science Assistant at the National Science Foundation. Her research focuses on social resilience in the American lobster fishery across Maine and Canada and the ways in which resilience is defined in the context of the Anthropocene.

Speaker Series: What's Going on with Maine's Climate Action Plan
2025-11-18 18:30 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
Hilary Landfried, Climate Policy Advisor and Maine Climate Council Coordinator with the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, will give updates and discuss the will discuss the new guide to Maine’s Climate Action Plan and talk about the current implementation strategies.
This series is presented by member organizations of the Waldo County Climate Action Coalition (WCCAC). Programs will take place in the Abbott Room with a Zoom Option
Register for the Zoom link here

ZOOM ONLY: Speaker Series: Climate Resilience:What's Going on in our Communities
2025-12-02 18:30 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
What’s Going on with Maine’s Climate: Historical Trends & Future Projections for Resiliency Planning
Sean Birkel, Maine State Climatologist oversees the Maine Climate Office, and provides climate and weather information to Maine stakeholders to facilitate decision-making, policy, and planning. He will present about his findings.
This Program will take place on ZOOM only.
Register for the Zoom link here.
This series is presented by member organizations of the Waldo County Climate (WCCAC).
More info:
Maine’s Climate: Historical Trends & Future Projections for Resilience Planning
In this presentation, we will explore key aspects of Maine’s past and future-projected climate to inform resiliency efforts. Overall, Maine’s climate was warmed by about 3 degrees Fahrenheit, while annual precipitation has increased by about 6 inches. Warming winters affect snow duration, lake ice, and early spring hydrology, all of which have significant ecological and economic impacts. Warming worldwide has intensified the hydrologic cycle, which drives more extremes such as heavy rainfall that can cause impacts from runoff and localized flooding. Sea level along Maine’s coast has meanwhile risen by about 8 inches. Risks from flooding and erosion are increasing, especially during coastal storm events. The talk will conclude with highlighting a new statewide weather-monitoring network that will help improve local forecasts, while also providing high-quality data that will become climate records over time.
