COA Volume 2 I Number 2 SUMMER 2006 The College of the Atlantic Magazine COA MISSION LETTER FROM THE EDITOR College of the Atlantic enriches the liberal arts tradition through a The house I live in was built as a restaurant, distinctive educational philoso- and some say speakeasy, overlooking the phy-human ecology. A human Penobscot River as it opens onto Penobscot ecological perspective integrates Bay. From time to time, earlier residents come knowledge from all academic back to see the river from our porch again, disciplines and from personal maybe pick some blueberries and reveal experience to investigate, and ultimately improve, the relation- our social and natural communi- Photo by Bill Carpenter another story or two. A few weeks ago, the granddaughter of the first owner, now in her ships between human beings and 80s, came to show us some old photographs. She spoke about the food her grandfather ties. The human ecological served, how he could buy all the produce he perspective guides all aspects of needed from local farmers. For milk, he could rely on the COWS that education, research, activism and grazed on the fields leading down to the river. interactions among the college's Today, that pasture has grown into a tall spruce forest, and the sum- students, faculty, staff and mer restaurant has become a year-round home whose pantry, I must trustees. The College of the confess, is no longer supplied by Stockton Springs farms. Economics Atlantic community encourages, and convenience have streamlined our lives. It means that even in win- prepares and expects students to ter, someone like me can buy tomatoes and spinach on my way home gain the expertise, breadth, from work and have a fresh salad for dinner. At what price? values and practical experience The last issue of COA Magazine included an article about Beech Hill necessary to achieve individual Farm with this statement: "despite transportation costs, organic food fulfillment and to help solve from California is cheaper: the scale is larger and wages are lower." In problems that challenge this issue, in an article about the work of Kerri Sands '02 in helping local communities everywhere. farms with their business plans, Loie Hayes '79 writes, "Without work- ing farms, rural communities wither." COVER: Underlying just about everything else in these pages-Elsie Flemings "Afternoon" by JoAnne '07 writing about her climate change work, the menacing happenings in Carpenter, COA faculty member in art and art history. the novel excerpt contributed by Tawanda Chaibkwa '06, certainly the 2006, oil on canvas, 46" X 42" story about the work of Deb Soule '81, growing and preparing medici- nal herbs through Avena Botanicals, and the inspiring letter from our BACK COVER: new president, David Hales- is the question of how we will choose to "Cows in Vermont: Landscape balance the dissonance implied by these two statements. III" by Coltere Savidge '06, oil on canvas, 18" X 24," was first Donna Gold shown in his senior project exhibit, "Portraits of Cows: A Stockton Springs Study in Oils." Savidge, who is September, 2006 currently working in Vermont, says that through his portraits of COWS in the Vermont land- scape, "I am constantly returned to my home in Vermont, and to the people whose lives revolve around such animals. Cows, that support families by providing milk and beef, take on human qualities on the canvas and further connect me to the Vermont landscape." features COA The College of the Atlantic Magazine Volume 2 Number 2 SUMMER 2006 EDITOR Donna Gold Letter from the president ~ p. 2 EDITORIAL BOARD David Hales talks about human ecology John Anderson Sarah Barrett '08 Inquiring Eyes ~ p. 6 Richard J. Borden Noreen Hogan '91 Journal excerpts from the Watson year of Jennifer Hughes Michelle Lawrence '09 Sarah Drummond '05 EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Bill Carpenter Exaltation Moments ~ p. 10 ALUMNI CONSULTANTS A conversation with David Hales Shawn Keeley '00 by Kelly Dickson, MPhil '97 Jill Barlow-Kelley COPY EDITOR One Last Homework Assignment ~ p. 12 Jennifer Hughes Jeffrey Sachs instructs COA's '06 graduates DESIGN Mahan Graphics PRINTING BY An Education for the 21st Century ~ p. 14 JS McCarthy Printers, Augusta, Maine Don Straus' engagement with human ecology Following Her Joy ~ p. 16 COA ADMINISTRATION Deb Soule '81 and Avena Botanicals by Donna Gold David Hales Kelly Dickson, MPhil '97 President Alice Eno David H. Fischer Kenneth Hill Appropriate Scale ~ p. 20 William G. Foulke, Jr. Academic Dean, Timothy Fuller, '03 Kerri Sands '02 helps preserve farmers, farms and Associate Dean for James M. Gower Academic Services their communities by Loie Hayes '79 Life Trustee John Anderson George B. E. Hambleton Associate Dean for Charles E. Hewett Classic Stillness ~ p. 24 Advanced Studies Sherry F. Huber John N. Kelly The paintings of JoAnne Carpenter David Feldman Trustee Emeritus Associate Dean for Philip B. Kunhardt III '77 Academic Affairs Elizabeth & Peter Loring Making decisions in the best interest of the Andrew Griffiths Susan Storey Lyman institution ~ p. 27 Administrative Dean Life Trustee Suzanne Folds A COA oral history interview with Millard Dority Sarah Luke McCullagh Associate Dean for Sarah A. McDaniel '93 Student Life Stephen G. Milliken Karen Waldron Philip S.J. Moriarty departments Associate Dean for Faculty Phyllis Anina Moriarty William V. P. Newlin BOARD OF TRUSTEES Daniel Pierce Samuel M. Hamill, Jr. Helen Porter Chairman Cathy L. Ramsdell 78 COA Beat p. 3 Trustee Emeritus Elizabeth D. Hodder John Reeves Class Notes p. 36 Vice Chair John Rivers Casey Mallinckrodt Hamilton (Tony) Faculty & Community Notes p. 40 Vice Chair Robinson, Jr. Walter Robinson, M.D. Ronald E. Beard Remembering p. 43 Henry D. Sharpe, Jr. Secretary Life Trustee Leslie C. Brewer Clyde E. Shorey, Jr. Treasurer Life Trustee Donald B. Straus TRUSTEES Life Trustee Edward McC. Blair, Sr. Baobabs in Heaven ~ p. 30 Life Trustee Cody van Heerden Eliot Coleman John Wilmerding Novel excerpt by Tawanda Chabikwa '06 COA is published twice each year for Poetry ~ p. 34 the College of the Atlantic community. Please direct correspondence to: by Sarah Mercedes Boucher, MPhil '06 COA Magazine College of the Atlantic 105 Eden Street Graduation Reflection ~ p. 44 Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 by Salahaldin Hussein '06 Phone: (207) 288-5015 email: dgold@coa.edu www.coa.edu This publication is printed on recycled paper. Chlorine free, acid free manufacturing process. LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT College of the Atlantic is a small but essential element of a global network of thought and action focused on the relationships among humans and with the environment. Since these relationships can be sustainable, we have an obliga- tion to ensure that they are. Human ecology studies the interactions of four "worlds" - the natural world, the social or cultural world of humans, the virtual world that permeates our lives, and the world of the imagination. This issue of COA Magazine highlights the coherence and importance of that focus, as does Photo by David Camburn the 2006 meeting of the Society for Human Ecology, which we will host this October. Of these four realms, it is the ultimately the natural world - the land and water and air and the creatures inhabiting them-that determines what it means to be human. We are bound, all of us, to the earth by its gravity. We are warmed by the sun, and we respond to its rays both spiritually and physically. We share delight in the aroma of honeysuckle and stand in awe at the power of a thunderstorm. We develop perspective from experiencing the wild, a sense of time and eternity by observing the surf. We take a deep breath in wonder at the beauty of the sunset, the iridescence of a butterfly's wing, or the majesty of Lake Superior. Other treasures help to define what it means to be human. There are won- drous works of art, literary masterpieces, musical miracles, stunning architectur- al achievements; there are testimonies to the indomitability of the human spirit like the Magna Carta or the United States Constitution. Beneath all of these there is a common bond, made up of experience common to all humans: together, we share this one planet. The natural world is the crucible in which the meaning of humanity is formed, cherished and preserved. Its common experiences generate in us the differ- ences that make us alike, establishing a bond reaching through time and across generations. In the twenty-first century, human actions have become a force of global proportions. What we endanger with our domination of nature and our unwise consumption is not just natural systems, or future economic productivity. We endanger the basis of our common humanity. That is why the study of human ecology is so critically important. The right to choose the nature of our own lives is the most important of human rights. The children of the future cannot choose the impossible or dream the unimaginable. In this very real sense, the physical reality of nature is linked to the spiritual reali- ty of our humanity. Human ecology seeks to understand the consequences of our actions and choices-and create the capacity for making choices responsibly. Robert Kennedy paraphrased George Bernard Shaw to say, "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" Human ecology, as taught at College of the Atlantic, considers the investiga- tion of both questions to be our quest. ~ David Hales, COA president 2 COA U.S.News & World Report COA BEAT and Princeton Review proclaim COA's Great Value College of the Atlantic soared in the 2007 college rankings. US News & World Report's 2007 Survey of Best Colleges called COA one of the best educational values in the United States and placed COA #2 on their list for both small classes and international pres- ence, since 17 percent of COA students hail from outside the United States. Princeton Review's 2007 Best 361 Colleges also designated College of the Atlantic as one of America's "Best Value" colleges, and has placed College of the Atlantic among the top schools in several essential categories. It is #8 in both the category of "Discussions U.S.News In a class on intertidal biology, faculty member Dr. Encouraged" and "Professors Make Them- AMERICA'S BEST Helen Hess works with student Henry Steinberg '06 selves Accessible." Perhaps most essential, COLLEGES to demonstrate methods of ecological censusing. 2007 Photo by Toby Hollis both popular college guides are recognizing COA for its generous support of student Seventeen percent of COA's financial needs without compromising its out- students hail from outside the standing academics. Princeton Review also United States, making COA ranked COA as #5 in the nation for "Gay #2 in the nation for a global Community Accepted," and in the top twenty for both "Most Beautiful Campus" and presence. "Best Campus Food." College of the Atlantic announces In just a matter of months, COA has a new faculty chair: the Steven K. Steven K. Katona Chair Katona Chair in Marine Studies. Established to honor founding faculty in Marine Science member, founding Allied Whale director and outgoing president Steven Katona, PhD, last February COA trustees voted to raise $1.5 million to cre- ate the chair. As of June 6, the chair has been fully funded thanks to the extraordinary outreach efforts of trustees and staff and the contributions of all trustees as well as staff, faculty, alumni, students and the many others whose lives have been touched by Katona's work as a scientist, teacher and COA leader. "This chair is a great tribute to Steve for all his accomplishments and contributions to the college," says Daniel Pierce, the College of the Atlantic trustee who took charge of the fundraising efforts for the chair. "Steve touched many people and the support for the chair came from all trustees, as well as the many friends of Steve who wanted to participate." This summer, the college announced that Sean Todd, PhD, faculty member in marine mammalogy, biology and oceanography will not only hold the Steven K. Katona Chair in Marine Studies, but will also take over the directorship of Allied Whale. Dr. Sean Todd COA BEAT Reflections from a U.S. Delegate to the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development By Elsie Flemings '07 n early May 2006, I was asked to represent Photo courtesy of COA youth as an official delegate on the United States delegation to the Fourteenth United Elsie Flemings, the U.S. youth delegate for the U.S. delegation Nations Commission on Sustainable Develop- to the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development commission, pins a "windmill of change" on the lapel of the ment. I was chosen in part through my work with head of the U.S. government delegation, Jonathan Margolis. SustainUS, a national youth organization commit- The pin represents a commitment to renewable energy. ted to sustainable development, which has a even our aid programs have been substantially cut Maine chapter housed at College of the Atlantic. in the last six years and the delegation emphasized For a week, I participated in U.S. delegation meet- the difficulties in achieving more, such as more ings, attended commission meetings, reported on alternative energy development. As a delegation, events, and even sat in the "U.S. Chair" during we also shied away from addressing climate negotiations. I worked closely with the U.S. dele- change directly, although this issue was supposed gates, aiming both to share with them the youths' to be a central theme for the negotiations. With work on sustainable development and to repre- our wealth, knowledge and inspiring numbers of sent their policies to the world. My participation committed individuals, the U.S. could be a leader as a youth delegate was an exciting development in promoting sustainable development here and for the youth sustainability movement, as the U.S. abroad. But we are falling far short of what is need- had not accepted a youth representative on their ed in terms of resource allocation and policy-mak- delegation to the CSD since 2002. ing to effectively confront the challenges that we I worked with amazing people-committed, face as a global society today. smart, kind people who work hard on sustainabil- While real sustainable development and cli- ity issues in their various positions in the U.S. mate action may threaten certain industries and Department of Agriculture, the State Department, interests, it will not hurt the economy; in fact, the U.S. Agency for International Development urgent action in sustainability is needed to ensure and other offices. I met government representa- economic stability. We need only look at econom- tives helping to build windmills for farms on the ic challenges facing our communities today to see Great Plains and others working to provide com- the deep interconnections between a sustainable munities in Guatemala with clean, safe, efficient environment and a healthy economy. Climate cookstoves. I was grateful for the experience and change-caused by human-induced greenhouse for the opportunity to represent U.S. youth. gas emissions-is negatively impacting our While I appreciate my time at the CSD, I left economies in a number of ways, from a loss of lob- New York deeply saddened with our country's lim- sters in the Maine oceans to disaster relief needs ited actions in moving towards sustainable devel- in New Orleans and Florida. opment. Frustratingly, the U.S. focused primarily Sustainable development is, in fact, good for on promoting sustainable development through our economy. If we prioritize the research, devel- aid programs to the world's poor. They did not opment and production of alternative energy address either the inequitable global economic sources, energy-efficient technologies and inno- system against which poor countries (and poorer vative transportation, construction and land-use parts of rich countries) are struggling, or the policies, we not only reduce our dependence on responsibility of rich countries to reassess our own polluting fossil fuels, but we can also create new, energy use and development patterns. In addition, local, clean jobs and reduce the price of energy. 4 COA Sustainability is also a deep moral imperative. emissions were 15.8 percent higher in 2005 than in Groups from the Appalachian Mountains-whose 1990 and they continue to rise. As climate change family members are sick, whose water is poisoned increasingly threatens our earth and communities and whose land is being destroyed by strip coal worldwide, it is an urgent moral and economic mining practices-came to the CSD to make an imperative that we do better. We have brilliant, urgent request for a change in our energy produc- committed individuals serving in the U.S. govern- tion and consumption. These citizens make a ment who could effectively help to make these strong case for reducing our dependence on the and other changes if we as American citizens extractive, unsustainable fossil fuel industries and demand that our administration make sustainabil- ensuring accountability among those industries ity a national priority. If our current leaders don't producing the coal and oil on which we still rely. make those necessary changes, we must elect Countries throughout the world and communi- leaders who will. ties here at home have taken strong steps towards I have been proud to represent youth working climate action and sustainable development. Our for sustainability and I have been proud to know nation should learn from these successes. As high- many of my government's civil and foreign ser- lighted at the CSD, a full 30 percent of Sweden's vants who are committed to sustainable develop- electricity supply currently comes from renewable ment. I want to be proud of my country and to say energy sources and Sweden has made a commit- to my children that our nation worked effectively ment to 100 percent renewable energy by 2020. with the international community to implement Denmark has already reduced its greenhouse gas forward-looking policies to protect our earth, to emissions by 14 percent since 1990 and plans to enhance our economies and to ensure greater bring that number to 21 percent by 2012. Here in social justice. If we continue to work and organize the U.S., the city of Seattle along with six college at all levels-from the local to the global- am campuses-including College of the Atlantic-are convinced we can make that happen. It's up to us. already using 100 percent renewable energy for their electricity supply. Nearly 300 campuses in Elsie Flemings '07 is focused on policy and political North America have set strong carbon reduction economy at the domestic and international levels. In targets and over 250 cities have made the commit- 2006, she received the John Dreier Award from COA for ment to meet the reduction targets set out in the "leadership in building community spirit both on- Kyoto Protocol, an international climate treaty. campus and in the college's surrounding communities." The U.S. should be making those commitments For more information on the youth sustainability move- ment, see www.itsgettinghotinhere.org. as a nation. Instead, our country's greenhouse gas Fastest Collegiate Toboggan Team in the Nation COA's First Athletic Title At least we think it's our first. Last February, COA fielded five teams in the three-person division of the National Toboggan Championships at the Camden Snow Bowl, challenging Unity College to a head-to-head competition. "Planck's Constant," a COA team, won. Since no other colleges partici- pated, COA holds the title for the fastest colle- giate toboggan team in the nation. In honor of the victory and our outgoing president, the win- ning toboggan was renamed "The Big Katona." Inquiring Journal excerpts from the year Sarah Drummond '05 spent revisiting islands explored by early naturalists on a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. Eyes own artwork on site in the same places. My travels were an eye-opening experience in every way! I went from the comedy and cacophony of a penguin colony in Argentine Patagonia to the verdant volcanic mountains of Tahiti; from the lush fern forests of New Zealand to the aromatic euca- Before the invention of lypt woods of South Australia. I spent time with penguins, photography, artists were kiwis, kangaroos and flying foxes in addition to many essential members of inspiring and welcoming human hosts. Traveling through exploratory expeditions. such different environments and experiencing diverse They recorded new landscapes, documented new cultures for an entire year made me believe that while the species, and provided vicarious glimpses of newly era of vast uncharted spaces on the map may be gone, the "discovered" or colonized areas to the people of human voyage of discovery is far from over. The traveling their home countries. Their work strongly influenced painter is no longer the sole purveyor of images from dis- their viewers' perception and consequent treatment tant continents, but can still urge audiences to open their of the lands they depicted. The goal of my Watson eyes to the beauty of this extraordinary world and the year was to research the work of several such artists importance of understanding it by offering a fresh in island environments and explore the natural perspective. history and culture of these areas by creating my — Sarah Drummond '05 SEPTEMBER 1, 2005 Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina It was a crystalline day without a single cloud tranquila, the boat operator said, and perfect for going on the water. Ushuaia receded into the low hazy light and azure shadows of a breath-taking landscape. Apart from the town, only the occa- sional glimpse of a road and one small estancia gave any hint that the shore was inhabited. Despite the noise of the catamaran, I could sense the space and stillness surrounding us. It was an easier silence than that of the high mountains, where I felt I ought to ask the peaks' permission before breaking the quiet by taking a step. There are moments on this journey when where I am and who came here before are brought home to me forcefully, and this was one of them. It was extraordinary enough to be sailing the Beagle Channel in 2005; what it must have been like 200 years ago when its namesake ship carrying Charles Darwin passed through is astounding to imagine. Sarah Drummond 05 is currently back home in Colorado taking stock of her life, wondering what comes next, and writing about her research and adventures. She hopes 6 | COA eventually to create a book from her Watson experience. April 21, 2006 Rooby and Spring, afternoon nap OCTOBER 20, 2005 Punta Tombo (research station and breeding colony of half a million Magellanic penguins), Argentina These penguins are endowed with an exorbitant amount of personality and charm. When curious or worried, they rapidly turn their heads from left to right like a Hindu dancer, gazing at the passer- by from different angles. Sometimes they are inquisitive to the point of being a nuisance: in the canyon this afternoon Alan and I were tailed by a male nicknamed Dopey who waddled incautious- ly within a few inches of us while we were work- ing with other birds. Dopey is single and evident- ly doesn't have enough to occupy his time, for he repeatedly sidled up behind Alan, who was crouched down checking for eggs with his head practically inside a burrow, and gave Alan's sleeves a few good tugs. Penguins have been known to untie our shoelaces, and once another Australian Magpies under-employed male pulled a pencil and piece of Kleenex out of Kara's pocket! She drew the line when he started to make off with the data note- Two ravens are book, however. courting, bowing JANUARY 25, 2006 their heads to each and presenting Gump Marine Research Station other for mutual preening Moorea, French Polynesia I originally came to town to buy a few food items but forgot that stores in Moorea observe the French couple allowed us to approach within a few feet with custom of closing from noon to 2 pm and so had to our cameras and one even seemed inclined to show wait. It was still raining when the doors to the market off, flying back and forth between two perches on a reopened, but by the time I finished inside the storm dead log as if to be sure we got the full benefit of its had moved on or poured itself out. The oceanographic crimson underwings. In Maori legend, the kaka stole research vessel, a white schooner, returned to Cook's these bright feathers from the parakeet and hides them Bay yesterday and was anchored just east of Gump under its wings to hide the evidence of its crime. Station. The humid mist blurred its outline and almost obscured it altogether, until it looked like a ghostly APRIL 11, 2006 echo of the ships that once used this harbor, before Kangaroo Island, South Australia the lorikeets disappeared and the bulbuls arrived Most people outside Australia have seen pictures of when the only way to avoid mosquitos was to stay over kangaroos but hear nothing about their behavior. And salt water and pray they weren't carrying anything too it's absolutely fascinating! Kangaroos are unique in nasty-and when someone who could translate the every way-there is nothing to compare them to even evidence of their eyes onto paper held a singular place remotely in the northern hemisphere. The early Dutch in the world and a great responsibility. explorers and even the aboriginal people thousands of years earlier must have doubted their senses when MARCH 3, 2006 they got their first look at Australia's flora and fauna. Tokoeka Kiwi Sanctuary, South Island, New Zealand Even now I have to rub my eyes! These western gray Keas and kakas, intelligent forest parrots with a devilish kangaroos are highly social, and members of the sense of humor, rattled around in the trees outside and "mob" spend a lot of time grooming each other with woke me in the early morning with their loud, persist- their delicate front hands. The mothers grab their year- ent voices. A group of them remained when we got up, ling joeys by the shoulders to clean their faces, remi- sounding as though they were guffawing and exchang- niscent of a human parent collaring a recalcitrant child. ing rude comments on the humans below. "Little I can almost hear the dialog: "But I don't want my ears s&*%s tried to pull my tent down" grumbled Joe. But a washed, Mom!" COA 7 COA BEAT GRANT LAUNCHES KATHRYN W. DAVIS RESIDENCE VILLAGE Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation begins sustainable housing project fundraising drive with $2.5 million challenge grant ince 2001, College of the Atlantic has had a S dream of creating a student residence vil- lage on Frenchman Bay. Thanks to a chal- lenge pledge from the Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation, honoring Kathryn W. Davis, that dream is becoming a plan. This $2.5 million gift will cover nearly half the cost of constructing the Kathryn W. Davis Student Residence Village. It also takes a distinctly human ecological approach to architecture, combining sustainable materials and innovations with a genuine commu- nity approach to dorm life. Created as three indi- Photo by Donna Gold vidual structures, each with two adjoining units, the houses will include kitchens and common Kathryn W. Davis at her home in Northeast Harbor. living, recreation and study areas. Once the vil- Davis Residence Village, there will be many oppor- lage is complete, it will raise the percentage of tunities for deepened connections as students students living on campus to nearly 50 percent. make meals together and discuss everything from The village is being designed by noted environ- their favorite music to the fate of the world." mental architects Bruce Coldham and Tom Hart- Equally compelling is the unusual environmen- man of Coldham Architects, and will include inno- tal sophistication of these buildings, among the vative social, cultural and environmental elements. most ecologically sensitive of any college dormi- The Davis Residence Village will mingle students tory-even producing a portion of their own from Maine to Montenegro. "We all know that energy. To have an environmentally advanced cross-cultural understanding begins with friend- building be part of an academic institution means ship," said Shelby M.C. Davis when he announced that each innovation will become part of the COA the gift in his mother's honor. "At the Kathryn W. education. COA COA Mahan Graphics: David Perry, Linda Delorme and Michael Mahan, and to the many COA helpers The College of the Atlantic Magazine who contribute to the wins award magazine. These include Laura Johnson, interim development The College ust three issues into its life, COA Magazine director, for her con- Atlantic Magazine received a Circle of Excellence Award from tinued support, our editorial CASE, the Council for Advancement and board for its wisdom, and especially our Support of Education. In the 2006 judging, COA valiant proofreaders, Jennifer Hughes, Carla received the Silver Award in Magazine Publishing Ganiel and Sarah Baker. But most especially, Improvement. This follows upon an Award of thanks go to Bill Carpenter, the magazine's Distinction from The Communicator Awards, unheralded in-house advisor, cheerleader and received in 2005. Thanks go to the team at proofreader. — Donna Gold COA hosts its largest international conference: Reconciling Humans and Nature hen William Ginn '74 offers the first There are four other keynote speakers. Ginn is W keynote address for the Society for a businessman-turned-conservationist who has Human Ecology (SHE) on the evening helped The Nature Conservancy protect more of October 18, 2006, he will be welcoming the than 1.5 million forested acres through dozens of largest international conference ever to come to innovative deals. He currently directs the Global College of the Atlantic, so large that there will be Forest Partnership. Trained as a geographer, six simultaneous sessions ongoing at all times. Robert Kates has participated in interdisciplinary "Interdisciplinary Integration and Practice: programs addressing environment and develop- Reconciling Humans and Nature," the XIV Inter- ment around the world, including the World national Conference of the Society for Human Hunger Program at Brown University. He is a Ecology, is a four-day conference bringing 200 Distinguished Scientist at Clark University and a individual presenters from five continents to COA faculty associate at COA. Among other honors and to explore concepts of human ecology. duties, Kates, a MacArthur Fellow, is also executive Rich Borden and John Anderson, COA faculty editor of Environment magazine. His current re- members in psychology and zoology, are co-chairs search is on long-term trends and values, attitudes of the conference. The most important aspect of and beliefs affecting a sustainability transition. the gathering, says Borden, "is that people are coming from around the world to explore and "People are coming from around the share their ideas of human ecology." Borden is the world to explore and share their executive director of SHE; Anderson currently ideas of human ecology." ~ Borden serves as its president. Covering issues from phi- losophy and education to the interrelation of Arts advocate, scholar and curator June music and nature, "the discussions will fully reflect LaCombe will focus on environmental art and per- COA's mission and concerns," adds Borden. With ception of place. Finally, Richard Levins is an many sessions organized as roundtable discus- internationally-renowned ecologist and bio-math- sions, "the conference will give plenty of time to ematician working as the John Rock Professor of actual dialog," says Anderson, who is also COA's Population Sciences at the Harvard School of associate dean for advanced studies. Public Health, where he has started a collaborative Among the keynote presenters will be renown- relationship with Cuban institutions. He is one of ed architect and designer William McDonough, the most prominent authors of mathematical pat- recognized by Time magazine as a "Hero for the terns in biological processes, making the obscure Planet" in 1999, and coauthor, with German chem- obvious by finding appropriate ways to visualize ist Dr. Michael Braungart, of Cradle to Cradle: complex phenomena. Remaking the Way We Make Things. McDonough The point of the conference, says Borden, is to will be joined by Elizabeth Grossman, author of support the growth of human ecology. "It's about High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, creating interactions between people." While the and Human Health, among other books. In a conference is only open to students and formally- recent review of her latest book, the Chicago registered attendees, Borden hopes that each one Tribune wrote that we depend on writers like Eliza- of the participants will go home knowing ten peo- beth Grossman, "to shake us awake, dispel the ple they wouldn't have otherwise met. "It's got to fever dream of consumerism and reveal the true be personal, the best parts of conferences are the cost of our love for technology and our obsession connections. The formal sessions are what allow with machines and disposable goods." people to come; the informal discussions are what they take with them." COA 9 Exaltation Moments A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID HALES By Kelly S. Dickson, MPhil '97 azing out over the deep blue water and sky of Frenchman Bay, G College of the Atlantic President David Hales observes, "It's hard to complain about working here." His first day on the job was July 1. Though it was a Saturday, he had an academic affairs discussion with some faculty and trustees-the first of many. "I'm continuing to get immersed in the budget and programs, and I'm delving as far as I can below the surface so I can have a better idea of how things work here," he says as we make our way through the beautiful new flower garden behind Turrets. In jeans, I worry about soil marring his dark trousers and shiny shoes as we sit on some rough, granite steps in the July sun, but he doesn't think twice about it. Hales moved from Washington, D.C. to Mount Desert Island with his wife Barbara McLeod and son Daniel on June 19. Some boxes still await unpacking in their new home on the Indian Point Road. Daniel, 14, will attend Mount Desert Island High School in the fall. Hales is sure his other children, Lisa, 45, Nate, 26, and Joshua, 24, will enjoy visiting MDI. "I don't really miss anything from Washington," he says. "We solved the Internet access issue. The cell phone doesn't work well, which I love." The Hales family has felt very welcomed on MDI. "The warmth and spirit of the people we've met has been the best thing," he says. "Certainly it is physically beautiful. Barbara and I have had plenty of what we call 'exaltation moments'-Ed Kaelber called them 'giggle moments." I laugh, telling him my husband and I call them "We live here!" moments. McLeod gave up a job working on environmental and trade issues with the Enviromental Protection Agency to move to MDI. Despite that, Hales says she is equally ecstatic about the change. "We saw the sunrise on Cadillac on our first morning here. We've spent a lot of time in the park and have done a bit of canoeing and swimming." And yet, the seemingly supremely happy Hales wasn't originally sold on coming to COA. When the college's search firm contacted him, he had not even heard of the school, despite the fact that he had spent much of his career working on environmental issues. In an initial interview with the presidential search committee-com- Photos by Donna Gold prised of trustees, faculty, and a staff member, student and alumna- Hales was asked why he wanted to become COA's president. "I'm not sure I do yet," he responded, shocking committee members with his forthrightness. 10 COA "The quandary was in some ways kind of like concerns into development decisions. Hales has falling in love," Hales muses, looking out at the served as chair of the Smithsonian Institution's sailboats moored near the college's pier. "You Sustainable Development Institute since 2002. always have questions that go along with the "The international and multicultural dimen- attraction. The added complication here was that I sions are critical to understanding relationships was more committed all along to COA making the between humans and the environment," says right choice versus making myself the choice, until Hales, who is devising strategies to bring the COA I was satisfied it was a good fit." educational model and human ecological perspec- Hales was one of three candidates invited to tive to developing countries, "where we can have visit campus. While here, he was grilled by stu- positive and lasting impact." dents, staff, faculty, trustees, alumni and friends of "I'd like to see COA have more of a thoughtful, the college. Because the orientation process was written presence in international forums-op-eds, so intense, Hales says he had a clear understand- opinion articles, peer-reviewed scientific jour- ing of what he was getting into. nals," he says. "I'd love to see our ideas extended in "I have learned a lot in the last two months-the that way." The contributions the Davis scholars learning curve has been very consistent. But there have made to the school are "almost immeasura- haven't really been any surprises. Except that ble," he adds, noting the need to continue making Millard paints his toenails. You'd COA an attractive option to stu- better not print that or we'll both INAUGURATION dents in other countries. be in trouble." The inauguration of David F. Hales, While Hales has many big-pic- Hales admits he once sported fifth president of College of the ture goals, he is not a workaholic. blue painted toenails, so I am com- Atlantic, will be held Sunday, His "to do" list has some rather pelled to show him the stylish October 8 at 2 p.m. Updated quirky goals. turquoise on the tips of my own information is posted on the "High on my list is exploring the toes. COA website: secret passageways in Turrets," he On a more serious note, Hales www.coa.edu/inauguration says. "And I am committed to mak- says he is committed to resolving ing COA a national snakeball the college's core challenge- power." securing a strong financial future. "We have to Snakeball? "We invented it, so we have a leg assure people they are investing in the future in a up," he says. "We already have some students meaningful way and make sure when they do give interested." us $1 that they get $1.25 in return." Hales looks forward to the return of students to Another challenge is coming up with a valid campus this fall. The exposure he's had with them generalization about COA, he says. "This is an so far has made him eager for more interactions. incredibly diverse small system built around a As our conversation comes to a close, Hales gigantic idea." says he wants to make it clear that the presidency Hales has a strong background in both environ- at College of the Atlantic is a collective endeavor. mental issues and international relations. Most "In a direct sense, every time something good recently, he has been Counsel for Sustainability happens it is strongly connected to Ed Kaelber, Policy to Worldwatch Institute, an independent Judith Swazey, Lou Rabineau and Steve Katona and research organization focused on energy, the process they built around the concept of sus- resource and environmental issues. Prior to that, tainability," he says. "Everything we do stands very he started a sustainable development and environ- firmly on top of the efforts they've made." mental consulting firm called DFH Global. His past experience also includes serving as the senior Kelly S. Dickson is the assistant editor of the Mount environmental officer of the Global Environment Desert Islander and lives in Bar Harbor with her husband Center of the United States Agency for Inter- George. She earned a master's degree in human ecology national Development under the Clinton adminis- at COA in 1997 and serves on the college's board of tration, charged with integrating environmental trustees. COA 11 One Last Homework Assignment from Jeffrey Sachs Jeffrey Sachs, Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, received an honorary master's degree in human ecology on June 3, 2006. We thought his "homework assignment" ought to go out to the entire community. I am thrilled to be here. I am not only feeling the excitement of the College of the Atlantic, but feeling a tremendous sense of hope. College of the Atlantic is amazing. It is unique. I like to say that the institute that Photo courtesy of COA I direct, Columbia University's Earth Institute, is unique because we place sustainable development at graduates. If you look at these problems carefully, in the core of an interdisciplinary effort. But here is the the way that you are trained to look at them, they are College of the Atlantic, the first institution-and I solvable. The most urgent one is helping our fellow believe still the only institution in this country, per- brothers and sisters to stay alive in all parts of the haps in the world-that has taken human ecology as world: those who are struggling with extreme pover- its centerpiece. That concept will be ever more impor- ty and don't have enough to eat, those who don't tant in the years ahead. You are privileged, and we have security of clean water or access to emergency need you. You have a unique set of skills. health care. The world took on some of these goals in I did not come naturally to this subject. I started as the year 2000, before we got distracted by this horri- a pretty straightforward international finance econo- ble war that we are trapped in right now. If you look mist, not as an ecologist. But over the last quarter carefully, we have within our means-with the century, as I tried to look at problems from an eco- knowledge that you have-the ability to end extreme nomic perspective, it became increasingly clear to poverty by the year 2025. We have the ability to reach, me that the problems could never be solved with a by the year 2015, the Millennium Development Goal narrow perspective alone, especially not an econom- to halve extreme poverty, hunger and disease. ic perspective. A broader human ecological perspec- Your assignment, as leaders of your generation, is tive, one that understood society and its interaction to end extreme poverty on the planet. You can work with the physical environment, was essential and in groups, it is open book and 2015-the target year to paramount. achieve the Millennium Development Goals-i your A few days ago, I was in the torrid heat of central midterm exam. But with everything that I've seen- tropical Africa in the midst of a drought. People are with your eloquence, with your charm, with your wit, dying in large numbers there because their crops especially with the commitments that you so clearly have failed, because malaria is endemic, because the have and that have been imbued in you here-you relationship of the society and physical environment have the means to do it. I want you to know your gen- to depleted soils and a depleting ecosystem-where eration is up to this task; we are going to be watching forests are being denuded as people desperately you as our leaders to help bring it about. struggle to stay alive just by getting and collecting fuel Thank you so much for welcoming me into your wood-has put their lives at risk and put our lives on midst. And congratulations. the planet at risk through the interconnectedness of instability in all parts of the world. It will require the Jeffrey Sachs' most recent book is The End of Poverty: talents, the science, the international spirit and the Economic Possibilities for Our Time. Sachs was distin- guished by Time magazine in 2004 and 2005, as one of commitments that you've taken on to address and to the one hundred most influential people in the world. solve these problems. He directs the United Nations Millennium Project and I hope it is not out of place, Mr. President, for me is special advisor to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to add one last homework assignment for all of you on the Millennium Development Goals. 12 COA Cutting a Bond with the Long Trail A posthumous journal CUTTING by Ned Green '97 A BOND with the connections of mind and nature; he T here is a long, memorable LONG lived them out and recorded them in tradition of COA students TRAIL devoted fidelity to the nuances of who have been driven both place and the wholeness of experi- to plunge themselves into the experi- ence. "Attack the steep parts with zeal ence of wilderness and to record it in and desire," he said of the Long Trail. language. The late Ned Green '97 was "You enter the trail, the trail enters one of those adventure poets who Ned Green's Long Trail Journals you." It's clear these were not just sought out and reveled in mountain as compiled by his "ole ma" mountains to him, but life itself. places as far from humanity as he Clare Green Ned was a charismatic figure in his could get, then "brought it back," generation of COA students, creating Zarathustra-like, in poems whose a circle of friends who corresponded and traveled lines are as well-chiseled as a series of ice steps. with him after he left Bar Harbor. Now his book When I heard of his 2001 climbing accident, I was allows the whole community a glimpse of his ener- chilled to think that the mountains he loved could gy, humor and peak-oriented vision. "I worship have allowed the silencing of one of their own most Mountains!" was his yearbook statement, which eloquent and understanding voices. seems to me as good a religion as any, and his I hadn't thought of Ned for a while, then sudden- whole journey was a testament to it. Throughout ly last week his wide smile and magnificent frost- the book Ned is looking down on the New England laden beard showed up at our reading table, on the landscape from one summit after another, and the cover of Cutting a Bond with the Long Trail, a compi- reader feels, after turning the last page, that he con- lation of Ned's wanderings and work intuitively and tinues to do so now. ~ Bill Carpenter lovingly compiled by his mother, Clare Green. Whitman says, "who touches this book, touches a Cutting a Bond with the Long Trail can be purchased man." This goes for Cutting a Bond. Ned Green was online from the Green Mountain Club. Look under books in the Green Mountain Store section of a human ecologist who didn't just observe the cross- www.greenmountainclub.org Finding new adventures, and possibly white whales Steve Katona and Susan Lerner complete round of farewells This spring, COA trustees, novelist-turned-playwright Bill Carpenter, with a faculty, staff and alumni cast of Ahab, a.k.a. life trustee Henry Sharpe, sent the former presidential Queequeg, played by Steve Savage '77 complete couple, Steve Katona and with tattoos and harpoon, and the be-fezed found- Susie Lerner, off to new ing trustee Les Brewer as Fedallah. adventures with a series of Lost in a decades-old fog, searching for a white farewell parties that began whale, the mariners instead find Falco, Istar and in April with a weekend other denizens of the Allied Whale Catalog. "You tribute and massive reunion can't hunt whales with a committee," complains complete with a whale con- Ahab-and promptly crashes into a rock in sight of ference, party and Sunday an oblate seminary. Presided over by founding afternoon tea. After a tearful farewell in June, the trustee Father Jim Gower, this seminary is peopled community was ready for some hilarity at the July by nuns-in-training-trustees Sarah McDaniel '93 7 party hosted by Ev and Joan Shorey with a bevy and Elizabeth Hodder. "Times have changed, of friends and trustees at the Asticou Inn. Captain," declares Father Gower. "It's two-thirds Enter COA drama teacher Lucy Bell Sellers women now"-causing a distinct change in the directing a send-up of COA history by our own mariners' plans. COA 13 DONOR PROFILE AN EDUCATION FOR THE Photo by Donna Gold 21ST CENTURY ongtime trustee Don Straus came to College of the Don Straus L Atlantic's integrative education knowing the cost of con- flict. As president of the American Arbitration Association, his work has been focused on helping to mediate adversaries at a point when anger is just about all there is. In the early 1970s, Straus was living in New York but visiting Maine. Hearing about COA, he got quite excited. "This was edu- Don and Beth Straus at the ceremonies cation for the twenty-first century," he said recently, sitting in his dedicating Turrets Il as the Donald B. Straus Seminar Room. At the same time, The Turrets home at the edge of Somes Sound. "College of the Atlantic was Great Hall became the Leslie C. Brewer Great putting forward the concept of non-adversarial discussion. Hall, in honor of founding trustee Les Brewer, and the Educational Studies Room became the Rather than trying to say, 'we have a theory and we're going to Father James Gower Seminar Room in honor show you how it works' COA was bringing together people from of founding trustee Father Gower. all sides and all arenas" - science, society and the arts. "It's a very different way of discussion," Straus continued, speaking of his pleasure in finding an academic institution working so close to his life's focus-and just down the road from the Somesville home he and his wife Beth eventually 14 COA retired to. "I didn't see that there were many other breadth and depth of Straus' "engagement with colleges even talking about interdisciplinary edu- big, complex issues upon which humanity's future cation at that time. Now it's different, now colleges depends." are trying to do a bit of what COA has done all Straus also co-taught classes with psychology along." professor Rich Borden. "Coming out of the tradi- By 1974, Straus was on COA's board of trustees. tional way of thinking of education, it was an inspi- Except for founding trustees Father Jim Gower and ration working with Rich," said Straus -much dif- Leslie Brewer, Straus is COA's longest serving ferent from Straus' own education, first at Milton board member. Academy, then at Harvard for a B.A. and M.B.A. That Straus would get involved at the beginning "I've thought about that difference a lot," he said, of the college is no surprise. He has a history of "COA treats students as people that you could starting things. Arbitration was not well under- learn from as well as teach." stood in the 1940s, when, as a young man, Straus But COA's focus is more than that, he added. became interested in how to manage conflicts The interdisciplinary nature of COA's education, without aggression. In business, Straus said, "win- its concentration on human ecology as a unifying ning was what you did." While that may be indis- question, offers an attempt to bring together all pensable for corporations, Straus began to won- the disciplines. There's too much information in der whether that attitude was necessary to all the world today; students can never hope to know areas of life. What would life look like if people everything. "But at COA, the focus is on getting to tried to find solutions together, without always try- a basic understanding of how the knowledge ing to win? came about-looking into how all the parts fit in, An avid sailor and fearless small plane pilot, more than at Harvard or Yale or Princeton, at least Straus inevitably pushed things to the edge. As a at that time." For Borden, working with Don went young man, when his parents gave him a new, well beyond just teaching together: "He has been dashing sports car upon receiving his MBA, Straus a wonderful mentor and friend. His insights about drove the car to the nearest airport and traded it in computer-assisted collaboration and decision for a small Luscombe plane, which he promptly making were introduced into COA's curriculum flew across the nation, a ten-gallon can of gas in long before anyone else was thinking that way." the seat next to him, to visit the young woman with The classes Straus taught were often held in the whom he had been corresponding, his soon-to-be Turrets second floor seminar room, once the bed- bride, Beth Allen. room of Lela Emery, with its sleeping porch over- At COA, it wasn't enough for this driven man- looking Frenchman Bay. In gratitude for Straus' also a trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for extensive commitment to the college, the room International Peace, Princeton Institute for has been renamed the Donald B. Straus Seminar Advanced Study and chairman of Planned Room. The honor surprised and delighted Straus. Parenthood Federation of America-to serve on The porch, long barred from use because of safety the board, not even enough for him to chair the issues, will soon be opened to classes and meet- Academic Policy committee for thirteen years, ings, even parties. Thanks to donations from pushing the college toward ever-increasing intel- Straus' friends, the room has been outfitted with a lectual rigor. Straus also got involved with the stu- large, hand-built table-circular, of course. dents, teaching five different courses. Classes like At 90, a life trustee since 2001, Straus still attends "World Population from a Human Ecological board meetings. Sitting in the academic policy dis- Perspective," "The Future of Democracy and cussions this July, Straus said, "these were the best Economics" and "Community Planning and meetings I have ever been to-so much energy, so Decision Making," brought Straus' extensive glob- much commitment." He added, "College of the al experience to COA students. Former COA pres- Atlantic is better than I thought, but I always ident Steve Katona remembers those classes well. thought it was pretty good." Marked by "boldness, vision, curiosity and insight," Katona said, they demonstrated the ~ Donna Gold COA 15 Photo by Lynn Karlin FOLLOWING HER JOY Deb Soule '81 and Avena Botanicals Photo by Donna Gold Story by Donna Gold or years, Deb Soule '81 kept our family healthy. The pink labels of her F Avena Botanicals tinctures were fixtures in both our medicine cabinet and our refrigerator. Scraped knee? We'd dig out calendula or hypericum oil to ease the sting and bring on healing. Cold coming on? Extra Echinacea, made with cherry syrup for spoon-licking pleasure, had its place right on the refrigerator door. Perhaps most used though, was Avena's arnica oil for bangs and bruises, twisted ankles, dislocated fingers and sore bones of young and old. In our first aid kit, Avena's pink labels definitely overcame the light blue of Johnson & Johnson. 16 I COA At about the same time we were switching said Soule. Her other grandmother was a from cherry-flavored echinacea to the stronger Christian Scientist, so Soule grew up in a house- variety tinctured in alcohol, our son, Daniel hold that almost never used drugs. At age 15, Carpenter-Gold, started to dig up our comfrey for when a friend gave her Francis Moore Lappé's arthritis and burdock for colds, hanging the Diet for a Small Planet, Soule began to consider chopped roots across his bedroom like strands of the content of the food she was eating and began unlit chili pepper lights. Prowling our fields, he'd growing her own. A year later, she received the search for a particular kind of goldenrod, then herbal, Common Herbs for Natural Health by ask me detailed questions about the mint that Juliette de Bairacli Levy, now known as the grand- inevitably overtakes one portion of our garden. mother of herbal medicine. "I started to read I gave him the first herbal I ever owned, and about dandelion, chickweed, valerian, yarrow. It invited him along to visit Deb Soule at Avena was like I fell in love with these plants." That sum- Botanicals, to find out how she came to be such a mer, at age 16, with the encouragement of a fine herbal provisioner. neighbor, Soule began gardening. What a glorious day! In September, the purple Soule first went off to Vermont for college, but fields of echinacea were countered by calendula's found herself longing for a more hands-on educa- yellow-orange. Following her garden path, we tion. Hearing about College of the Atlantic, she meandered beside plots of thyme, hyssop and decided to transfer. "It was creative, progressive, pulsatilla, circling a pool beyond which exotic and environmentally-oriented and it seemed to me, common plants were ending their summer's from what I read, that there was a lot more room bloom. As we came closer to Soule's homey for designing what I wanted to study." As part of apothecary and office, trimmed in purple and her work, Soule spent a term in Nepal at the orange, Tibetan prayer flags fluttered in early fall's School for International Training where she began aromatic breeze. exploring Tibetan medical systems, along with The three of us sat on her porch, talking about ayurvedic medicine, which is focused on using her childhood and how she came to COA already food and nourishing herbs to maintain the health fascinated by ways of healing. As we talked, of the body. Both systems have been ongoing for hummingbirds and monarch butterflies hovered more than 3,000 years. Soule recalled visiting an around the nasturtiums, fuchsia and marigolds 86-year-old man, a twenty-second-generation that grew in pots and window boxes. Like a ayurvedic doctor, who had begun his training at matchmaker, Soule would punctuate her talk to age 12. She began to ask herself the questions alert us to a bird or butterfly her flowers had that she continues to ask today. What do we mean lured in. "I'm completely obsessed by healing? What do we mean by with pollinators," she exclaimed. medicine? When Soule was growing up in Her senior project was an explo- the central Maine town of South ration of three healing modalities: Paris, she would watch her grand- reflexology, astrology and dance. mother, her father's mother, walk in What emerged for Soule was how the fields and woods, gathering wild essential herbs and food were to greens. This woman, said Soule, ayurvedic medicine, using diet to "had lost her hearing at a young age nourish the body and prevent ill- and had created a remarkable rela- nesses. She also realized that gar- tionship with the natural world. As a dening was her greatest joy. After young mother, she used to gather graduation, she came to a decision: edible wild foods." While Soule's "I really want to make my way in the grandmother didn't know about world doing what I love to do, which using plants for medicine, she did is growing medicinal plants and have an incredible respect for making medicine for people, being nature. "That was instilled in me," of service in some way." But back Photo by Lynn Karlin COA 17 ago, Avena Botanicals was born, originally as a mail-order business to serve people in rural areas. "I have such a strong belief in the healing power of plants that I did not feel good sending somebody off to buy some old dried herb, that we had no idea where it came from or what its quality was," she said. "It's amazing to me now, people say, 'Oh yeah, I was in WalMart and I was in this drugstore- herbs are everywhere, and the problem, the same as with food, is that people don't fully understand that quality herbs, like quality food are essential." For example, she added, if some herbs are dried at temperatures above 120 degrees they lose much of their medic- inal value. Moreover, each plant has a specific time of day and specific time in its life cycle when it is most potent. Herbs like lemon verbena, basil and calendula are best picked in mid to late morning, as the sun brings the plants' volatile oils Photo by Donna Gold to the surface. So the herbalist wants to harvest these leaves at around 10 am rather than 4 pm. These ideas are based on information handed down through the generations. Herbalists also Deb Soule shows Daniel Carpenter-Gold the leaf of the herb make other connections. The intensely rooted boneset growing in the gardens of Avena Botanicals. burdock plant inspires groundedness, said Soule, so she will often add burdock root into a medicine then, not only were there were almost no organic for a person who needs strength or grounding. "In herbs on the market; there were also few herbal- Western life, we don't have language like that. ists with whom to study. Soule did find work on Ayurvedic healers have an incredibly sophisticated two different herbal farms, but one grew orna- language about the energetics of plants, whether mental herbs, the other culinary. warming or cooling, moistening or drying." She kept looking. Eventually, Soule found a few mentors, among them the Vermont herbalist Adele Dawson, author of Herbs, Partners in Life: A Guide to Cooking, Gardening and Healing with Wild and Cultivated Plants. "She inspired me to grow medicinal herbs," says Soule. Finally, she headed out to Herb Pharm, one of the first organic herbal businesses in the nation, run by Ed Smith and Sara Katz. She stayed there until, recalled Soule, "Ed said to me, 'You have enough knowledge to help your community." Returning to Maine, Soule lived with a friend on some land in Rockport and started growing her own herbs, conducting her own experiments, and showing others how to make simple healing salves and tinctures. Then Soule saw that her stu- dents were having trouble finding good quality Photo by MaryLou Crowley herbs to use for their tinctures. Twenty-one years 18 COA She's also interested in medicinal foods, such included. I have used some herbs for twenty-five as nettle tea. She'll often make a nettle potato years. I know when they are useful." But Soule soup, or a nettle, leek and onion soup. "You just hopes to look deeper into the science of her life's feel good," since nettles are rich in iron and other work, and has begun to study with COA botanist minerals, helping to rebuild energy and strength. Nishanta Rajakaruna '94. She's even considering In spring, Soule will sauté burdock, digging it graduate school, hoping to study pollination biol- before it sends up its flower stalk. "I'll eat a ton of ogy, clinical herbalism and medicinal plant con- parsley, because it's filled with iron. And I could servation. Her first choice? COA. live on kale," Soule added. Beyond offering tinctures, teas and salves, Avena Botanicals' one-acre garden and apothecary beyond giving numerous workshops and lec- are open to the public in West Rockport year- tures, Soule is sought out as a healer. Some of her round. People can order herbs on-line at clients are very ill. Currently, she's caring for a www.avenabotanicals.com or call Avena directly at man suffering from lymphoma. It's not uncom- 207-594-0694 or 866-282-8362. Deb Soule frequent- mon for medical students and practicing doctors ly teaches at conferences around the country. She and nurses to consult with Soule over comple- is also working on an update of her first book, mentary health care. She even sees patients con- A Woman's Book of Herbs and on her second currently with a doctor in Augusta, Maine. book, as well as on a grant to distribute an herbal That scientific studies have questioned the effi- handbook on women's health to college and cacy of certain herbs does not concern Deb family planning clinics around the country. She Soule. Where were the herbs grown? How were offers classes and free herb walks throughout the they stored and prepared? Were they even using summer in Avena's gardens. Come October, Deb herbs or just the chemical component? she asks. Soule's story will be part of the photography "You can tweak a study to show what it wants to show, "Maine Women Living off the Land" at the show. Studies are biased all the time, myself college's Ethel H. Blum Gallery. Herbal support for easing stress, enhancing memory and strengthening the immune system Wise Woman Tea One of my favorite herbal teas, great for easing stress, improving digestion and enhancing vitality and well-being, and especially great for women with pre-menstrual, pre-menopausal or menopausal stress. Contains alfalfa, nettle, lady's mantle, oat seed, lemon verbena and lemon grass. Ashwaganda Root Powder stirred into warm milk (dairy or non-), mixed with a touch of honey and cardamom powder, taken daily in the morning and evening or evening only, is deeply nourishing, building and restorative. This Photo by Donna Gold ayurvedic herb clears the mind, strengthens the body's vital life force, balances the hormonal sys- tem and promotes restful sleep. Great for students, teachers and all hard workers. Astragalus root, Siberian ginseng root, sacred basil and rhodiola have been found safe to use over several months or longer for enhancing the immune system and adrenal gland health. These herbs can be used as tea or tincture, but read labels carefully, as herb quality varies, especially since the herbal industry has grown. Know your herbalist like you know your local farmer. Photo by Donna Gold ~ Deb Soule appropriate scale At Farms for the Future, Kerri Sands '02 helps preserve farmers, farms -and their communities By Loie Hayes '79 Photos by Noah Krell '02 What makes a rural community a vibrant place where the young adults don't all leave for the city? Kerri Sands '02 grew up in a small Maine town and she's convinced that local farms are an economic and social foundation, what she calls a stable "dual root" for a healthy Maine. K erri Sands doesn't call the farms she works at convenience stores and other venues. She with "small." She prefers to call them enjoyed talking with consumers and engaging them "appropriate scale." Context, or environ- in conversations about local farms and the foods ment, is crucial in determining what is that they were producing. Hearing about COA, appropriate where-just as it is in any ecological, Sands enrolled, recognizing the aptness of human social, or economic milieu. As she talks with farm- ecology to her learning style and goals. ers about their dreams for the future, she thinks COA's farm at Beech Hill was a clear draw. She about the context for those aspirations: what experi- soon became manager of the summer farm stand, ence and assets does the farming family already relishing her position as the link between farmer and have or need to develop, what consumer, an experience fur- does its local community need ther enhanced by a summer job and want, what roles does the at COA faculty member Elmer farm play in the economy, Beal's restaurant, The Burning identity and landscape of the Tree. Sands loved seeing Beal region? working with local producers of Faced with the massive everything from eggs to water- economies of scale that tip the melons, and reporting to the U.S. food system so starkly in chef on which crops were get- favor of agribusiness, Sands ting ready to be harvested. counters, "Maine farmers offer Years later, she points to that a different product, one that is summer's experience as one of of vastly higher freshness, taste, the most insightful lessons she's nutritional content and charac- gleaned in her lifelong learning ter. It's 'food with a face.' Its about farms. place is not in the produce By the time Sands graduated, bins in the supermarkets, but she was able to articulate the at farm stands, in restaurants, at sustainable development princi- small local food stores, ples that she had embraced Community Supported Agriculture (through which intuitively as a child. "Human ecology is so natural people buy a share in a farm at the beginning of the to me that I forget that some people use it as a lens," growing season to receive weekly allotments of fresh she says-as if they were putting on a pair of glasses vegetables during the summer and fall), and at vari- to examine a particular kind of problem. "I never ous other new creative forms of urban-suburban- take off that lens. Being at COA helped me to talk rural economic partnerships. As an example of the about it and strengthened me in using it. When I go latter, Sands cites the Senior Farm Share program, a to a farmer's home and sit in their kitchen, I have to state-administered federal grant that funds $100 listen to the real needs of that farmer and have them farm shares for low-income seniors. trust me. That means seeing where other people are Sands has been passionate about farms since at coming from." least high school. Instead of heading straight to Sands now works with CEI as the administrator of college, she took a farm apprenticeship in Ireland. Farms for the Future, a State of Maine program that "I learned from that apprenticeship that I'm not that provides team-based business planning services and great at growing things, but understanding the role implementation grants to Maine farmers. "Our pro- of farms in landscape, economy and regional identi- gram brings together a diverse team to meet with the ty remains very important to me," she says. Upon farmers who participate in our business planning. Sands' return to Maine, she met COA alum Gabe Depending on the situation, we might have some- McPhail '97 of Coastal Enterprises, Inc., a communi- one who knows about website development, a soap ty development corporation. Sands was intrigued maker who's interested in buying herbs in bulk, a with CEl's work and started volunteering, staffing soil scientist from the University of Maine, a taste-test demonstrations of locally-produced foods business counselor and a land conservationist. We COA 21 start with a farm tour, then we all fire ideas at each bers and find out that to sell their milk to their other across the table. I love being at that nexus of neighbors at what seems to them like a reasonable multiple perspectives driving toward the same goal: price, they've got to find a way to subsidize that helping the farmer and their community. At COA, I price with higher profits on different products sold had so many opportunities to practice this type of in Portland, Camden or other wealthier areas." collaboration: in classes, at all-college meeting, on Though in Maine, organic peppers from internships, in my jobs. Now, when I have to argue California might be cheaper than those grown on for more funding for Farms for the Future, I feel I Mount Desert Island, Sands points out that while know how to switch hats and see a situation from many large-scale agribusiness companies are now the perspective of all the people and systems that producing an organic product line, often the land are involved." management standards are not very different from Farms for the Future helps to the non-organic. Local consumers link private, government and non- should look at the extra dollar profit resources to assist farmers in While many large-scale they might spend as an investment exploring innovations to make agribusiness companies in their community's economic their farms more efficient or eco- are now producing an health, as the farmer will in turn nomically viable. "With support organic product line, often contribute to schools and other from their tailored advisory teams, the land management local services, offer employment, farmers research and write a busi- standards are not very and buy goods and services from ness plan, then apply for grants to different from the non- local merchants. Explaining why offset part of the cost of imple- Farms for the Future likes to talk organic. Local consumers mentation. Farmers who are about "farmer preservation" should look at the extra awarded a grant pledge not to sell instead of "farm preservation," house lots or otherwise develop dollar they might spend as Sands asks, "What good does it do the farm property (except for agri- an investment in their com- to preserve farmland if it's not cultural purposes) for five years. munity's economic health, actually in production and provid- Since many farmers are land-rich as the farmer will in turn ing an income for a family?" and cash-poor, the sale of a house contribute to schools and Strengthening family farms is a lot is often the ace-in-the-hole for other local services, offer crucial tactic in the effort to make farmers when times are tough. But employment, and buy sure Maine doesn't turn into a once prime farmland is under- goods and services from patchwork of "Anytown USA" neath a house and yard, it is near- sprawl and hollowed-out small local merchants. ly impossible to reclaim. It is our towns. hope that the business planning To Kerri Sands, questions about process helps the farmer create other economic nutrition, landscape, ecosystems, poverty and jobs options." all relate to maintaining vibrant agricultural commu- Soaring land prices, long distances between nities. In Maine and many other rural communities population centers, a short growing season and the worldwide, rural development is synonymous with relatively higher costs associated with smaller sustainable farming. Without working farms, rural acreage and being on the end of the fossil fuel communities wither, the children move away, and a pipeline combine to make farming in Maine a cargo-culture mentality flourishes that ignores local difficult task, but Sands sees hope in both direct-to- resources in favor of exotic junk and junk food consumer sales and niche marketing. She also trucked in from the metropoles. acknowledges that farmers statewide have to find ways to tap into the tourist and professional markets in the coastal and southern regions of the state. "A Loie Hayes '79 is a freelance editor, writer, and now a small dairy in central Maine might crunch the num- frequent contributor to COA Magazine. 22 COA Fostering Farms Maine agriculture has traditionally been dominated by large-scale commodity production of potatoes, chickens and dairy cows, and to a lesser extent apples and blueberries. According to research by Russell Libby of Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, these sectors have declined significantly in the last three decades. Yet Maine's total number of farms-roughly 7,000- has remained constant. This is mostly due to the expansion of small, diversified farms supported by the natural and organic foods markets: from year- round farm stands and Community Supported Agriculture to restaurants that buy local produce FREEDOM vegetables Dowers bects and organic milk distribution companies. Maine - Photo courtesy of Kerri Sands has the largest percentage of organic milk produc- Foredom ers, 16 percent, in the nation. Among the farmers Kerri Sands has been able to help through Farms for the Future were former Gabe consults with farmers at low or no cost to Beech Hill Farm managers Lucian and Maggie help them determine their unique marketing mate- Smith, who received a grant for part of the costs rial needs, then she designs and produces proto- of expanding their new small organic dairy farm. types for logos, product labels and packaging, The Smith Family Farm in Hulls Cove is one of a brochures, magnets, business cards and farm number of farms that are diversifying their produc- signs. CEI also sponsors a New Americans tion and working with local land conservation Sustainable Agriculture Project, in partnership with groups, such as Maine Coast Heritage Trust, to Heifer International, Maine Initiatives, Maine mitigate the burden of high property taxes based Community Foundation and other funders. The on the land's development potential. program assists immigrants in becoming involved Land trusts, such as the Brunswick-Topsham in Maine agriculture. The farmers market in Land Trust, are becoming active in preserving Lewiston is now the outlet for produce from a farms. Other farms, such as the Morris Farm in NASAP training garden and is one of the few Wiscasset, are adding educational components as farmers markets in Maine able to accept EBT another way to keep the land in production and (formerly food stamps), which facilitates low- financially viable. Since 2003, the Maine Cheese income individuals' access to fresh, locally grown Guild, with almost twenty producers, provides farm products. another option to farmers who want to add value Like CEl's other farm support programs, Farms to their basic production. for the Future builds strong links between other- Farms for the Future is a State of Maine pro- wise isolated interests: bankers have a better gram administered by CEI as part of its Maine understanding of farm businesses, farmers better Farms Project. CEI emphasizes economic, equi- understand the needs of institutional buyers and table and environmentally sound community devel- the resources available to them for planning and opment, "3E Investing" for short. investment, and business counselors understand Grants target job production where appropriate, the unique needs of farmers. especially the hiring of low-income individuals into Sands is pleased to note that, "Just about newly created jobs. In addition to Farms for the everyone with whom I work, on every level, wants Future, CEI offers several other farmer support to see plenty of healthy, sustainable food and programs. One is Image Building Concepts, the farms in Maine." brainchild of alum Gabe McPhail, who tested the concept as part of her senior project in 1997. ~ Loie Hayes '79 JoAnne Carp What JoAnne Carpenter creates with brush and paint is not just a feast for the eyes; the heart and the mind are equally engaged. There is the purely visual pleasure: a palette that empha- sizes warm tones, a sense of light and balance, the careful delineation of a face in sunlight, the compositional finesse that marks an interior with figures. Then there's the mystery. Is that small sketch in a corner of a painting a citation from the Swiss painter Balthus? What is Self-portrait, 2002, oil on canvas, 15" X 15" the connection between family photo- graphs and a portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino? Why do the figures in this canvas appear to look past each other? A narrative is implied; enigma enters, beckoning us to explore. From the catalog essay by Carl Little for Classic Stillness: Recent Paintings and Watercolors. The exhibit by College of the Atlantic art and art history faculty member JoAnne Carpenter is on view at the Ethel H. Blum Gallery from August 10 through September 29, 2006. Portrait of Jan, 2000, oil on canvas, 15" X 15" Carl Little, a member of COA's board of advisors, is a prolific art critic and the author of The Watercolors of John Singer Sargent, Edward Hopper's New England and most recently, Paintings of Maine: A New Collection. His second book of poems, Ocean Drinker was just published by Deerbrook Editions. Carl lives and writes on Mount Desert Island. 24 COA enter The Dream, 2004, oil on canvas, 46" X 42" COA I 25 The Family, 2001, oil on canvas, 45" X 37 1/2" Making decisions in the best interest of the institution Millard Dority's 36 years at COA an oral history excerpt with photos by Noreen Hogan '91 Millard Dority is College of the Atlantic's longest- serving employee. He began working for the college before the start of its 1971 pilot program, when Millard was 17 and the college but a few months old. He has stayed to care for every inch of the col- lege's buildings and land, absorbing COA and its mission of human ecology over thirty-six years of devotion. Donna Gold: What were your early impressions of College of the Atlantic? Millard Dority: I remember this place as a little kid, living in Salisbury Cove, going into town with my mother and staring out the car window seeing the seminarians skating on the front lawn, playing hockey. I knew something happened here, and I remember thinking, What is that place? There used to be a water box out on the big field. That's how they flooded the front lawn to play hockey. Just this summer we took it out. It was like the last remnant of what I remember as being the Oblate Seminary. DG: How did you start working here? MD: Ed Kaelber gave me two weeks' worth of work. I was 17 and in trouble in school- - I wasn't a troublemaker, I would just question things. I was a jock, ever since I could walk, but I thought it was more important to protest the war in Vietnam than to play sports, so I quit. And I read and they didn't, you know? Then I got this opportunity to work for the college, and Ed somehow finagled a govern- ment program to keep me on for a little while longer, and it just took. I didn't know a thing. I didn't even know that you had to turn the screw- driver clockwise in order to screw a screw in. Ed was just amazing. He was so inspirational. The only thing that mattered was starting the school, and he was going to do whatever it took. He wasn't going to fail. He just was not going to fail. He had a presence and a focus that just was unbelievable. I'd never been around anyone like COA 27 that. And he was so willing to share. I had no idea DG: What was it like getting ready for the first what human ecology was. I was much more inter- classes? ested in playing music and hanging out on the green, but when Ed started talking about MD: We worked day and night for months, get- Whitehead and John Dewey, I read everything I ting the fire chief to allow us to use Guy's Cliff as could read by those guys, and I was going, Yeah! an educational institution-fire doors had to be Man, this is it. This is the way it should be. You installed, the kitchen had to be retrofitted so it could even separate out human ecology; the idea would meet health codes. The labs had to be out- of interdisciplinary education just blew me away, fitted. I don't remember having a day off. We just that there is a relationship between the sciences knew it had to be ready. It was a blast! and art. It was like, Whoa! Plus he said to me, "I don't have time to talk DG: Did you participate in the all-college about what you need to do. You need to be a self- meetings? starter. Don't come in to me every day and say, 'What do you want me to do?' You need to figure MD: Ed believed in a sort of egalitarian mode of out what it is you need to do." Then we talked operation. I was working for Al Stork, but I would about everything but buildings and grounds. get the same memos everybody else would get. I Lots of things shape your life: my father think Ed tried to keep everybody included, but not dying before I was born, meeting Ed Kaelber and everyone could be included. You know, do we Al Stork [COA's first director of buildings and want to fix this roof today, or do we want to sit in a grounds]. Al Stork was a great teacher. He could meeting? Ed would say, "Make the decision in the do anything. He knew carpentry very well, but he best interest of the institution." If you make a deci- was also a good designer. Anything that anybody sion you think is in the best interest of the institu- else could do in metal, he could do in wood-and tion, most of the time you're going to be right. If he was a good metalworker, too. He was a good not, you just stand up and say, "I made a mistake," welder. He painted well. He did everything. He and move on. Don't dwell on it. Otherwise, this could do electrical work and he could do plumb- place wouldn't be here. ing. He was an incredible human being. 28 COA But if Ed called a full meeting, we would all be windows were all black, and so you'd walk in and there. I felt like a real part of the institution right it was this really deadened sound. from the very beginning. I remember how devastated Walter Litten and I don't expect people today to understand what Craig Greene were to lose all of their work. I did it felt like back then; there was total commitment. everything I could possibly do. I remember crawl- I can remember Ed saying, "Here's the problem: ing in under a place I probably shouldn't have We don't have enough cash flow-I'm out there, been and I can remember the sun filtering down, trying to get it right now." And everybody's going, the sort of ash falling off the charred structural "Ooh, yes!" "No paychecks? The paycheck's going beams that were above me in the crawl space, try- to be two weeks late? Yeah! All right!" Nobody ing to find Craig's index of the herbarium. said, "Oh, my god, I hate this place." And every- body was together. It wasn't a faculty meeting and DG: Would you say the college was always a staff meeting; we were always all together in the environmentally concerned? same room when announcements like that were made. I remember Ann Peach's little money jar MD: No! There's been a big shift at this institu- upstairs. It felt like a scene out of It's a Wonderful tion. We have shifted from saving the whales to Life. "Ann, I gotta have some money. I gotta buy saving human beings and the earth. Nobody cared some food; I have a kid." "Well, how much do you about anything but saving the whales-that's what need?" "Sixty." "Could you get by with forty?" It it felt like. I've always said that felt wrong, at first. was wild! But it only feels wrong now because of what we've all learned. Other people were trying to save other DG: Tell me about the fire. How did you hear things; it just wasn't as obvious as saving the about it? whales. We know that saving the whales is impor- tant. Now we know that cutting asbestos board MD: I got a call from Paul Dubois at 5:10 am on with a Skilsaw is not good. We've sort of evolved July 25th, 1983. His exact words were, "Kaelber from saving the whales to saving the earth. Hall's on fire. Don't worry, it's under control." I threw on my clothes. I lived one mile away. I DG: You received an honorary degree at some opened my porch, which faced east, and the sky point, didn't you? was black. I knew immediately it wasn't under control. It was devastating. MD: I did. In 1994. I'm very proud of it. DG: So you drove up and the fire department DG: So now, what do you see as your biggest was there- challenge? MD: They tried to hold me back on Eden Street MD: It would be the campus plan, getting stu- because they were blocking traffic. I just said, "If I dent housing built. This student residence village have to run over you, I'm going to run over you, is going to really show what we're about. If we do but I'm going." It was a Monday morning. I went a good job at explaining how these buildings home on Thursday. It was a blur; then the reality work, then it will be phenomenal as far as the set in. Jim Perkins ('76) and I, we went down and impact they will have on the earth. It's almost bought a couple of beers at nine o'clock at night, unbelievable how little energy they use. And the and we just sat out on the stone wall outside the materials are being carefully chosen to make sure admissions office, completely black. Just covered. that not only the people that live in the buildings I ruined a pair of shoes trying to save some stuff are healthy, but the people building the buildings of Don and Betty Meiklejohn's out of the base- are healthy, and the people that are providing ment. It just melted my soles. I've never seen a materials are healthy. So that's it! That's the big flashlight so restricted by blackness. It wouldn't challenge. expand. It was completely black-everything. The COA 29 Tawanda Chabikwa '06 baobabs BY TAWANDA CHABIKWA '06 in heaven This chapter occurs midway through Tawanda Chabikwa's novel-in- progress of the same name, Baobabs in Heaven. Chabikwa, a native of Zimbabwe, plans to finish the novel as his senior project. The narrator, raised rurally, now lives in the city, though his old friend Jeremiah still lives in the countryside. On a visit to Jeremiah, just before this chapter begins, the two young men had confronted a local gang. These are the "events" that are referred to in this chapter, which begins with the funeral of the man known as "Serio's brother." Throughout the novel, as in this chapter, the action is broken up by the stories of Ambuya, the Grandmother. ~ DG 30 COA here is no magic where I come from. No laughter. I do not come across bubbles T of happy energy while roaming in the woods. No. There is no magic. Only fading hopes scribbled on the toilet paper of yesterday. I do not find magical mentors of spiritual apexes nor friends to hold my hand. I let go and fall forever. My beauty is not coupled with supernatural acuteness and sensual awareness. My thoughts are damp and moist like dirty, old cloth in dark corners of the basement. We are escorting the unneces- sarily expensive coffin to its last stop. The slow motion, weeping swarm follows the cof- fin. Dust is raised in the arid scape as the weepers traverse the few hundred feet to the other end of Serio's compound where others of his family are buried. The ground is naked and dry like the voices of the people surrounding and supporting the coffin. The cool surfaces of tattered, tired drums are being beaten in the bored gaze of the morning light. I am glad we are almost done here. I follow at a distance. We awoke at the crack of dawn from a wakeful when we stoop so low as to gossip, or when the sun sleep colored by the pigments of grief. Scalding thick of our conscience is setting and the shadow grows tea was served with large slices of thick dry bread. I taller. burnt my tongue on the metal cup but was glad to be Now the ground beneath our feet on the way to the receiving the tea. It reminded me of how much I grave is carrying our many stout shadows. The soil is missed tea. I made a mental note to drink more tea in large, hard clumps apart from a path made for sin- when I got back to the city. Later there were speech- gle-file human traffic. To walk we have to raise our es given by the family and friends. They were tearful knees quite high to avoid stubbing a toe or falling and bland lies told to give an image of what a brilliant over. Halfway to the grave we stop for a moment of person the faithful departed was. But I sat and lis- silence and respect. A sweaty reverend drops an tened. It appears Serio's brother had been the peace- inaudible, feeble prayer. I think to myself that if that keeper in the family, the cool headed one. The buffer. prayer is a reference letter to get into Heaven, then The most memorable speech was by the youngest Serio's brother had better get ready for warmer cli- brother of the family. He had sorrowfully described mates. People's heads are bowed and there is the how this dead man was not just another tale of a occasional "amen" sighed as positive reinforcement hunter who had gone out and returned home with for the impotent prayer. My mind takes a stride in its nothing on his back. That this was in fact the only per- own direction: Heaven is within you and all around son in the family worth a gasp. The man had broken you. These were the words from the gospel of down and cried as he talked of how close he was to Timothy, the one that the folks in the Vatican would his brother. To people's surprise and shame, he began pummel you with a chalice for reading. I look around to yell about hypocrites among the mourners who myself to see if this is true. The Heaven all around came to sate their own griefs and also the hunger for me-the Village-is sad. Their faith is parched and gossip about the cause of the death. We all knew hope is blurred from decades of listening to the same what he was talking about. He was then dragged from senile preacher and sleeping with the same whore in our knowing guilt by those who felt he had said tedious alternation. The Heaven within me is a story enough. People had shaken their heads and sighed of my childhood, far away and colorful. There is no saying that grief does this to people. I knew he had magic here, or maybe it is just now, or times like now, cast light on the darker recesses of the gathering's when the world is as bland as the bread I was fed for thoughts. The unspoken truth of the disease that had breakfast. claimed the dead man remained a shadow lurking beneath our feet. One that only becomes evident COA 31 Tonight Ambuya is tired. She had spent the whole day carry food. Night and day were the same in the forest, asleep. Her body is not well, but her storytelling is as so they slept whenever they were tired. One day they strong as a baobab tree. She sighs and coughs a little. came across great danger." Tonight there are only three of us seated around the I can tell that even Grandfather is listening. I lean fire: Grandfather, myself and her. This is unusual. A forward tentatively. neighbor had passed away two days ago and was "Before them stood a large baboon. Dirty, dank buried yesterday. So the other children are not here as clots of fur lined its pink skin. Its large nostrils flared; they were probably not allowed to come over. My its bark echoed through the woods. It was almost as cousins are asleep. But I stayed with Grandmother. large as the Basket Weaver! The monster had large Grandfather is also here because the neighbor was a teeth the size of an axe blade and its eyes were so good friend of his. I do not know how he died. But deep in the skull they could be mistaken for Never. Sekuru is drinking beer out of a gourd and smoking. The Weaver had heard talk of such a creature, terrible "The story shall continue," says Grandmother in a things had been said of it." Her voice sounds distant low tone, "life does not wait, our hearts beat till they as she continues. are tired." She glances at my grandfather who is look- "Now what could they do? Two men on the same ing into the fire quietly. path to different places had encountered Fear. Large He is far away. Smoke from the cigarette is swirling teeth, filthy drool, ill-odored intent and an obscure about his face. The hood of smoke makes him look fate. But the baboon turned away and strutted into the tired and old. Ambuya pokes the embers with a stick forest displaying its calloused red buttocks. Perhaps and tosses a log into them. In a few seconds the sparks they would meet again. As soon as it was gone, the turn into flames and the three of us disappear into the two turned and saw the Oracle further up the path. past: Ambuya with her fatigue, Sekuru with his defeat They continued to walk." and I with my imagination tree. Grandfather rises with a sigh, I hear his knees crack. "The Basket Weaver walked behind the large man "Tomorrow has come," he mumbles gently as he in silence for many days. They would stop twice a leaves. day to eat. They never spoke to each other. And their "It is tomorrow, Sekuru," I watch him and wonder eyes did not meet. They had only looked at each if he will sleep. other once when the Basket Weaver had freed the Zindoga. The loner's expressionless face had ex- tended its understanding from behind dark eyes and he turned to the dark forest. Basket Weaver followed." She coughed a little and shifted her weight. After the burial, the crowd sits to eat lunch before "The oracle had occasionally appeared before leaving. The bull that had been slaughtered is finally them in the forest. They followed her form silently. to feed the masses. As Jeremiah and I sit with the men They were two men walking different journeys on the eating meager shares of meat and morsels of sadza, same path. Life is sometimes like that. Sometimes two heads turn at the sound of shouting. We all rise and different journeys can be on the same path." see four men emerge from behind a hut arguing angri- I hear a sniffle and I turn to look at Grandfather. He ly. Three of them surrounding one and yelling about is rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. In disrespect of the dead. The fellow being chastised is his left hand the dejected cigarette glows from behind lacking in remorse. He is large and proud. Something a long protrusion of ash. He looks like he is shivering. about his character is dangerously familiar. I see that "Yes, and sometimes different paths lead to the he is talking about coming to pay his respects to the same place," I wonder if she has noticed. "But these living as well. Serio goes to see what the problem is. men were taking the same path to different places. As they speak, I catch Jeremiah glancing at me The Basket Weaver watched in awe as the giant momentarily. It is sooner than we hoped. We go and pushed trees over to make bridges over rivers and as flank Serio. he hunted animals with his bare hands. And the "We don't want any trouble," he is saying. Zindoga observed quietly as the Weaver made reed "Trouble started a long time ago, but we are just pouches to carry water, and wove rope baskets to here to pay our respects like I said." 32 COA As the man says this, I see that he is not alone. gruesomely loud clap. The large man is staggering Almost out of nowhere I see a group of at least twen- and Jeremiah is pulling back his open palm. I jump in ty men and boys of similar character. They are bear- between two large men this time and on either side of ing no weapons but they are clearly looking for trou- them men are pushing each other and pulling at each ble. They are talking aloud and in vulgar tones, but others' collars. The large man whistles sharply. The not at anyone. I know they are just here to pick a signal is understood and people release each other. fight. And that they have been sent. I can feel a few Some are still cussing and spitting. The two large men people looking at Jeremiah and me. More men from I am standing between are staring over my head at the funeral are moving closer to us, but they still seem each other. The invader leader is heaving, and his a little confused. face has the neat dent of Jeremiah's palm. I can see it "I think you should leave," Serio says feebly. throbbing. A little saliva is on the cheek opposite that "But we have not seen the grave," says the leader of the assault. I can smell cheap cologne on him. in an obnoxious tone. Jeremiah stares at him steadily, with the dark look that His crew is now standing behind him. This is a makes my adrenaline run. stand-off. Two groups of people facing each other. "This is not over," he says to Jeremiah. The group I am in is clearly less accus- "Have a safe journey," I say. tomed to this exhibit of neo-primitivism. "Yes, and sometimes "You city guys think you're funny," he Besides, we are still in the funeral mode. turns and leaves. different paths lead "We must see the grave," says the His army follows, leaving behind a leader of the group. to the same place," trail of threats and evil promises. I am "To piss on it," mutters one of his I wonder if she has pleased to not find the smell of fear cronies. Bad move. noticed. "But these when I turn my nose back to the crowd "What!?" This is Serio's little brother, of men that had stood behind us. One the one who had given the passionate men were taking thing that never fails to erase fear is dis- speech earlier. the same path to respect. I guess I have Serio's little He is already advancing towards the different places." insane brother to thank for taking a chap that had blasphemed. I can see stand. Jeremiah is given many pats on that this situation could explode easily as everyone is the back. He does not respond. The events of the day now advancing. Voices are being raised by both before begin to be openly discussed. People now ask sides. The comment had transformed my group from us to confirm the rumors. We simply say that they had passive to primitively militant. Jeremiah is still stand- disrespected us. The dead man is forgotten. Younger, ing next to Serio. I jump forward and catch his little spunky men are psyched and hoping for a fight. brother before he gets to the leader of the mercenar- Middle-aged men are annoyed by the disrespect ies. I almost laugh at how unfair a fight it would have exhibited by the intruders, and want to set it straight. been. Serio's brother is small and thin. His flesh has The older men sniff their tobacco, groaning about been eaten away by excessive affinity for marijuana how the times have changed. And the chief, who had and alcohol. He is yelling obscenities interjected with watched from a distance, remains quiet. The white the demand that I release him. So I am sandwiched stubble on his head and chin looks terribly frail on his between him and the large leader guy. I can smell shiny skin. His cane leans against his knee as he sits. alcohol on the breath of the flailing sibling. Other Everyone has forgotten him in the excitement. I watch men step in and pull him away to the back of the him closely, to see what remains unsaid. I watch him crowd. I can see that at the back of the funeral crowd, dread the future. axes and hoes had miraculously materialized and were raised high. I turn to the boss guy. Tawanda Chabikwa was educated, in part, through the "This is a funeral, you may pay your respects some United World College system. At College of the Atlantic other time." I feel Jeremiah at my side. Serio is on the he has been a dancer and an artist, and has participated in other side. COA's ongoing novel workshop. The accompanying woodcut illustration is his. "And if we don't?" Another bad move. In a flash, there is the unmistakable sound of a COA 33 poetry Sarah Mercedes Boucher These poems come from Morning the master's thesis written by Sarah Boucher, Air of 48 degrees greets me in the kitchen, MPhil '06: Thirteen Ways of metal hardware of the bone stark cupboards Looking at a Guillemot. reverberating cold to my cheeks, chill creeping in between the wall and windowframe. | The thesis is a scientific and move to the stove, turn on the gas and cup poetic consideration of the my hands around the kettle and flames, thinking guillemot written from all the while about pancakes and syrup. The research conducted at thought of walking to the outhouse makes me COA's Alice B. Eno shiver, puts goosebumps on my neck and scalp. Research Station on In a hole in a piled shore a guillemot chick stirs, Great Duck Island. soft black eyes half asleep and waning against the darkness of its home, where it waits on its rock nest, still warm from yesterday's sun and a parent's body, for mother or father to come home with food. The chick will swallow the eel whole before falling asleep, without shivering under its dependable gray down, without thinking about the next meal. Black Guillemots polished sleek stones skipped from a cliffy shore buoyant black and white bobbers atop dangling red worms cherry truffles with pointing hershey kiss tails, those candy coral mouths. 34 COA Gulls Solo | walk through your nests all piled up The first time you are pushed with the boulders while you rise as off a boat ramp in a dory, you ominous white kites screaming squeeze the ends of the oars too hard and move them in because summer was late and there is circles above the water, the way not much to show for it. that young chicks practice flying Foul smelling ruddy spit pours over the rocks from the ground. After you are rocked off the cradle in all your and | think | understand why | am relative newness, when you are such a threat when | see the backs fully suspended on sea, you of your babies whom you have covered feel eyes on you, boring holes into your back muscles, wondering up in their old straw beds like they if you will utilize them correctly never were. | walk slowly with my head down in full-body strokes. Coordination and my brimmed hat but you still shout is replaced by a simple faith that you are moving, as being alone in at me when | get too close to your such a heavy boat causes one to scrambling chicks and all | want to do wonder whether or not she can is count the young that have made it. pull herself over a most ancient force in an old dory with a pair of splinter oars. It is not until | can almost touch one of your bellies, heaving above me with a piercing cry, that | imagine what it is you are mourning. COA 35 CLASS NOTES Barbara Dole Acosta ('75) has accepted a position as program director for CAREER AND Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow, leading the effort to re-design a high school INTERNSHIP SERVICES teacher academy program to attract local high school students to teaching. Alumni: We can help! Her daughter, Margarita, 19, is a freshman at Bryn Mawr College. Gabriela, 16, is a sophomore at Blair Senior High School, Silver Spring, Maryland, in the College of the Atlantic's Office of Communication Arts Magnet. Husband Paco is launching a Latin American Intership and Careers offers Commission to seek constructive solutions to regional conflicts and to such internships and job opportunities destructive initiatives as the Central America Free Trade Agreement. Check out on the college's website: http://www.gmu.edu/alumni/spirit/fall05/labor_love.htm for more on their work. www.coa.edu/internships. barbara.acosta3@verizon.net. Contact Jill Barlow-Kelley, Director, at jbk@coa.edu or 207-288-5015, Scott Mercer '78 and his wife Tree ran the San Francisco Marathon in late July ext. 236 for: and the Maine Marathon in October. With their son Tyler, a fifth grader, they Career Information and Guidance recently visited Utah where they rented a little house on the prairie, spending Graduate School Information their time exploring the canyons of Capitol Reef, Grande Escalante and Bryce. Job Search Skills Tree has taught biology for twenty-five years; Scott is teaching part-time and Resume Review completing the final edit on a book exploring the connections between children Relocation Guidance and the natural world. Employment Websites Mentoring of Current Students and Bruce Phillips '78 is living in Newton, Massachusetts with his wife, Susan Other Alumni Erickson, and his two sons, Andrew and Eric. "My professional work has me consulting to electric companies on economic and regulatory issues as well as an occasional environmental/air emission issue. We still get up to our island woods camp outside of Jackman, Maine on a regular basis, mostly when the lake is not frozen over." "I've been accepted into the diagnostic medical imaging program at Austin Community College so, after nine years of making pottery, I'm changing direc- tions," writes Sally Swisher '78. "School full-time almost 30 years after graduating from COA-I must be crazy! Anyway, it will be sort of funny because my son is at The Art Institute of Orange County in California, my daughter will be at UT in San Antonio and I will be at ACC here in Austin. Kids off to school, house on the market, heading back to school full-time. Big changes." Charlie Hutchison '81 writes that he was a visiting "expert" at Nadine Gerdts '76 design class at Rhode Island School of Design last spring. He often speaks to Diana Cohn '85, now a successful children's book author. Rich Cohen ('83), who lives in Watertown, Massachusetts, was best man at his wedding five years ago. Charlie's a godparent to Rich's daughter, Ruby. After graduating, Ben Walters '81 moved to Portland, Oregon to attend law school. He has remained in Oregon, working as a deputy city attorney with the City of Portland for twenty years. He and his wife Stacy Hankin have two chil- dren, Joshua, 9, and Charlotte, 6. He writes, "For multiple reasons, we chose to adopt. They are both wonderful children." The picture is from a trip Stacy and Ben took to Wellington, New Zealand, "to find out that the rim of fire leads to significantly similar geological phenomena along the same latitudes New Zealand and Oregon have lots in common." On March 28, the small Pacific Islands nation of Kiribati announced that it is cre- ating the third largest marine protected area in the world, conserving an archi- pelago of some of the planet's most pristine coral reefs. Greg Stone '82, vice president for global marine programs at the New England Aquarium and his aquarium project team, were instrumental in its creation. Katrina Van Dine '82 writes that she was appointed to the newly-created position of research counsel for the Marine Affairs Institute at the Ralph R. Papitto School of Law at Roger Williams University. Katy will be responsible for managing the Sea Grant outreach component of the institute, conducting research and overseeing law student research for coastal stakeholders in Rhode Island and New England. 36 COA After living in Berlin, Germany for six months, Ellen Sullivan Sylvarnes '83, hus- band Richard and daughter Sonje are relocating back to New York. "We are all trying to readjust to living here after immersing ourselves in a cold northern European winter. After graduating from COA, I studied painting in New York City and have since been shown in several galleries and museums in New York and environs. In 1998 I gave birth to my daughter and my energies have been focused on raising her and on my art." Teny Bannick '86 recently moved to Athens, Ohio to take a job as graduate archi- tect with Panich and Noel Architects and to be closer to her children who have settled in Ohio and Kentucky. The picture features Remi, Teny's youngest, now 27. She writes, "Many of you will remember Remi as a child of five." Tammis Coffin '87 writes, "I'm in western Massachusetts, working as a seasonal POLDJERNS CO park interpreter with Mount Holyoke Range State Park. I lead nature programs, including a nature-inspired writing group. We're now making public appear- ances for readings and exhibits of our work. During winter months, I'm continuing to publish contemplative nature guides, incorporating reflections on local landscapes by local writers and artists." On April 8, Kelly and Eric Roos '87 welcomed their first child into the world, Nicholas Alain Roos. Eric is sales manager for Morris Yachts in Bass Harbor, Maine, and Kelly is a real estate broker for the Lynam Agency in Bar Harbor. Having lived in other parts of the world since graduating, they cherish living on Mount Desert Island. eroos@morrisyachts.com. In 1993, Lisa Hammer '90 graduated from Harvard Divinity School with a master's degree in theology. She is now living in Harvard, Massachusetts. She writes, "I am taking a huge break from academia to raise my four children (identical twin boys and two girls, ages five to eleven), sustaining the socio-enviro-intellectual habitat for a very vibrant family." Brian Hoey '90 is a post-doctoral fellow at the Alfred P. Sloan Center for the Ethnography of Everyday Life in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and looking for a long- term teaching position. When not busy researching the impact of post-industrial economic restructuring on everyday lives of working families, working on papers and drafting conference proposals on the therapeutic uses of "place" in everyday life, he and his wife, Bonnie, are even busier raising their 2-year-old daughter, Kyleigh. www.umich.edu/~bhoey. After nearly ten years as an assistant director of law for the City of Newark, Ohio, Elena Tuhy '90 opened her own law practice in February 2006. She repre- sents juveniles as attorney advocate, Guardian ad Litem in delinquency and dependency cases in Juvenile Court and adults in the Municipal Court in Licking County, Ohio. She says it has required a definite shift in her thinking as far as preparing cases: a difference between "seeking justice," which is the prosecu- tor's role, and "zealously representing the interests of the client," which is the defense attorney's role. She loves being self-employed and says she feels like she is helping people. Since serving in the Peace Corps in Senegal, Christie (Denzel) Anastasia '92 has been living at the Point Reyes Lighthouse in California where she and her husband of eleven years (who is the lighthouse keeper) work for the National Park Service at Point Reyes National Seashore. Christie has recently completed her master's in organization development and last year celebrated the birth of her son, Xavier Orion Anastasia, "the first baby born at the light- house in as long as anyone can remember," she says. Christie specializes in sharing research information with the public for science-based decision-making. "My home is at the windiest and foggiest place on the west coast, with wind speeds clocked at 130 mph although I've only experienced 109 mph (and then the anemometer broke!). My son thinks the whole world is this windy and turns his face into 80 mph winds without blinking an eye. I can be reached at christie_anastasia@nps.gov if anyone finds themselves in the area or in need of a coastal wilderness experience!" COA 37 CLASS NOTES Jeff Miller '92 (second from right in photo) writes of four COA alumni who spent a week together paddling the St. John River in northwest Maine: "Alexandra '77 and Garrett Conover '78 (far left) were guiding a trip on which Thomas Matthias '86 (far right), who now lives in Santa Barbara, California and I paddled. Thomas and I didn't know each other before the trip, but all four of us had a great time recounting COA stories and gossip, probably to the annoyance of the other six folks on the trip." Cedar Bough (Blomberg) Saeji '93 finished her master's degree in Korean Studies in June, with a focus on folk arts preservation. To celebrate, Cedar and husband Karjam will "disconnect from the world" and walk to Lhasa, a three-month jour- ney at high altitude. They've been given sponsorship from some great compa- nies: Chocolate Fish, Sherpa Adventure Gear, Montrail, Lowe Alpine and Sierra Designs, and intend to publish multiple magazine articles and a book after the trek is completed in September. Her photo is called "Tibetan Winter Landscape with Yak." Since earning a second bachelor of arts degree in biomedical communications at Rochester Institute of Technology, Jenni (Daczka) McEnerney '93 has spent the last eight years working for the Xerox Corporation. Jenni lives in Rochester, New York with her husband and son, Jackson. Jennifer DesMaisons '93 will be starting as the director of college counseling at The Putney School in Putney, Vermont. Heather Martin-Zboray '93 continues to coordinate Hancock County's Democratic Headquarters. She will be Senator Dennis Damon's campaign man- ager. In the photo are John Knutson, Margaret Knutson, Heather, Phil Bailey, Beth Reynolds, Jullie Mattes, Senator Russ Feingold and Dexter Bellows at the 2006 Democratic State Convention. Mike Martin-Zboray '95 continues to enjoy his position as assistant principal of the Conners-Emerson school in Bar Harbor. Their children, Eilon, nearly 6 and Tobiah, nearly 3 are each looking forward to new schools. Jennifer Roberts '94 has been working with the emergency and critical care service of the Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. She writes, "In addition to clinical work, I am responsible for teaching and mentoring residents and interns. It is a lot of work but I really do love my job and the folks I work with. Most recently I have been in touch with Heeth Grantham '94. Dan Gottleib '92 and I live in the same Jamaica Plains neighborhood. Periodically I see him out walking about. He insists that his brother Noah '95 and Ed Vanderslice '91 are there too, but I have not seen either of them so I cannot confirm or deny." Ethan Balmer '95 lives in Austin, Texas where he is the house lighting designer at Paramount Theatre for the Performing Arts. He writes, "Years previous, I toured with Lynyrd Skynyrd and Thirty Odd Foot Of Grunts, which was led by actor Russell Crowe. The tours and associations with celebrities have brought me to the far corners of the United States, as well as all the way to Australia for a month-long tour. Say hi to John Cooper for me." www.ebcoaustin.com. Curry Caputo '95 and Andrea Lani '95 increased their family by two with the addition of Emmet and Zephyr on May 17, 2005. Curry, Andrea, 4-year-old Milo and the twins live in Whitefield, Maine in an off-the-grid house Curry built with the help of many COA alumni and friends. Curry builds custom homes and is currently working on an energy-efficient home in Gardiner. He stays connected to his true interest, botany, through the New England Wildflower Society. Andrea is on leave from her work at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Air Quality, where she writes regulations and rarely comes in contact with the actual environment. Write them at currycaputo@earthlink.net or andreaelani@yahoo.com. Kelly S. Dickson, MPhil '97, a COA trustee, has left her job at Friends of Acadia and is working as assistant editor at the Bar Harbor weekly paper, The Mount Desert Islander. Call or email her with story ideas at 207-288-0556 or kelly@mdislander.com. 38 COA Chris Witt '97 is living in Berkeley, California, with his wife, Satya, and daughter, CLASS NOTES Iris, born last winter. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California-Berkeley. In January, Chris and his family plan to move to Albuquerque, New Mexico where he has accepted a position as assistant professor in the Department of Biology and Curator of Birds at the Museum of Southwestern Biology. Katie Allis '98 is living in Sevierville, Tennessee where she works at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg. "Yes, that is Ripley's-Believe-It-Or-Not," she writes. "And yes, it's a large corporate company, but a good one, I think." She has been busy with various projects, including a conservation group at the aquarium, running Earth Day festivities in the town of Gatlinburg and volunteer- ing for the American Eagle Foundation, training birds for a Wings of America show at Dollywood. "I occasionally help with rehabilitation and release of local species: bald and golden eagles, owls and hawks." Csilla (Wollner) Dunn ('98) is currently living in North Carolina with her husband, Matt, and sons Jacob, 2, and Zachary, born in February. She has estab- lished her own business, Paprika Designs: www.paprikadesigns.com. ORN FEBRUARY 22ND. ZACHARY WILSON DUNN 2006 5 LBS. 8 OZS Jaime Duval '00 has received her master's of science in environmental studies 18 1/2 INCHES 8TH, 100l MARCH from Antioch New England in Keene, New Hampshire and has been hired as a graduate program faculty member at the Teton Science Schools in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She will begin working in early June. Serra Benson '02 writes, "I am currently living in Ojai, California with my husband Shai. I just finished my first year teaching a kindergarten/first grade combo class at a public elementary school in Santa Paula, a mostly Latino community. I really enjoy teaching and am looking forward to another year at that school where I will probably be assigned to a straight first or second grade class." This summer Serra and Shai will be traveling to Israel and England to visit family. Bori Kiss '02 writes, "I have started a round-the-world sailing trip on the Schooner Maggie B, built in Nova Scotia, Canada. We left Canada on March 28, 2006, sailed to Bermuda, then to Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and now we are in Barbados about to leave for Brazil. Our website with many photos and charts is www.schoonermaggieb.net." Julia Davis '03 is working as a guide at a residential therapeutic treatment center for teens in western Maine. She lives in Portland when she's not working. Through the fall, Edward Stern '03 will be finishing up a master's in fisheries management through Memorial University at the Marine Institute in St. John's, Newfoundland. He writes, "Soon I I head off to Alaska for my fourth fishing sea- son with F/V Myriad, and I'm looking both for a troller and for fishery-related winter work in Newfoundland." Ed wants all to know that the Newfoundland flipper pie is fantastic. As for the photo, he says, "I'd been in the hold an hour when Cap took that photo, -60 F with the freezer's fan." Lee Kuck, MPhil '04 has moved to Austin, Texas, and lives less than a mile from the world's largest urban bat colony: "The Mexican free-tailed bats depart night- ly from my neighborhood bridge here in the Texas capital." April Mauro '04 and Rohan Chitrakar '04 were married in a traditional Newari ceremony in Kathmandu, Nepal on June 29, followed by celebrations in Mont Vernon, New Hampshire on July 22. April is in her third year of Veterinary School at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Rohan recently completed his master's degree in fine arts in film production from Boston University's College of Communication. COA 39 CLASS NOTES Living in Fort Collins, Colorado and attending graduate school at Colorado State University, Lindsay Parrie '04 is finishing her work in the biology department lab of Dr. Deborah Garrity. "I will be researching the role of a gene called Tbx5 in zebrafish heart development. I'm enjoying being close to friends and family again. Fort Collins is beautiful." lparrie@colostate.edu. After working in Bar Harbor for the summer, Aaron Lewis '05 (photo) moved to Richmond, Virginia in September to continue playing music with his band, Special Ed and the Shortbus. He writes, "I'm pursuing rock stardom and supporting myself with performing and teaching music. I also started up an electric heavy metal/punk side project." In October Aaron traveled to Germany with Carter Tew ('05) for the World Beard and Moustache Championships. www.specialedshortbus.com. Jessica Sharman '05 says that she just finished her senior project and presented it as a poster in San Diego at the Marine Mammal Conference. She continues at Allied Whale as one of the co-curators of the Fin Whale Catalogue while looking into graduate schools. Janet Wise writes from the summer teachers' program: "I am a chemistry teacher at The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science and I have taken several courses in your summer program. I took a course in webpage design one summer and in Photoshop another summer. Both were wonderful learning experiences, and I use them constantly for teaching and communicating with parents. My webpage is http://homepage.mac.com/jwise1966. Biologist John Anderson, associate dean for advanced studies, was awarded FACULTY NOTES $4,000 from the Maine Space Grant Consortium to support continued micro- habitat monitoring at the Alice B. Eno Research Station on Great Duck Island. These funds will assist John and two students in developing a model of the rela- tionship between vegetative structure and nesting areas used by Leach's storm petrels. Video and performance artist Nancy Andrews premiered her film The Haunted Camera, the last of her Ima Plume trilogy, at COA in July. She had another July showing at the Maine International Film Festival in Waterville. The movie has its New York premiere at the Museum of Modern Art in October. Rich Borden's article on deanship which appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education last summer has been selected by the Council of Independent Colleges for their New Chief Academic Officers Workshops. Last fall, it was reprinted as a special feature in the journal, The Department Chair: A Resource for Academic Administrators. Bill Carpenter participated in the New England Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation visit to the New Hampshire Institute of Art, which is seeking first-time accreditation. His focus as a team member was on the standards of faculty and academic programs. Environmental lawyer Ken Cline presented a paper on significant values in the Union River Watershed to the Frenchman Bay Conservancy Board of Directors. For the second summer in a row, political economist Gray Cox organized a summer research seminar for the Quaker Institute for the Future. Follow their work at www.quakerinstitute.org. David Feldman, associate dean for academic affairs, co-directed the Complex Systems Summer School in Beijing, China, an international, interdisciplinary summer school for graduate students in physics, mathematics, biology, econom- ics, chemistry and related fields, from July 10 through Aug. 4. The program is sponsored by the Santa Fe Institute in cooperation with The Institute of COA Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 40 Zoologist Helen Hess presented the paper, "The Roles of Facultative and Obligate Cleaners on a Caribbean Coral Reef" with Max Overstrom-Coleman '03, Alison Fundis '03 and Chris Petersen to the Western Society of Naturalists meeting and the Bowdoin Marine Science Symposium. Marine ecologist Chris Petersen co-authored three papers for the Bulletin of the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory as well as the following 2006 papers: with George W. Kidder III and Robert L. Preston, "Energetics of Osmoregulation: II. Water flux and Osmoregulatory work in the euryhaline fish, Fundulus hetero- clitus" in the Journal of Experimental Zoology. 305A:318-327, and with Kidder and Preston, "Energetics of Osmoregulation: I. Oxygen consumption by Fundulus heteroclitus" in the Journal of Experimental Zoology. 305A:309-317. Petersen also serves on the town of Bar Harbor Marine Resource Committee and continues to be an associate editor for American Naturalist. In March, COA botanist Nishanta Rajakaruna '94 gave a talk on "Plants on Extreme Soils: Models for Studies in Evolutionary and Applied Ecology" at Colby College. Nishi is a member of the steering committee for the Callahan Mine of the Marine Environmental Research Institute in Blue Hill, Maine and an advisor to the Pine Mountain Geobotanical Preserve recently established by the Island Heritage Trust of Deer Isle, Maine. Glen Mittelhauser '89 of the Humboldt Center and COA students Kathleen Tompkins '08 and Peter G. Pavicevic '07 pub- lished "Phytoremediation: An affordable green technology for the clean-up of metal contaminated sites in Sri Lanka" in Ceylon Journal of Science 35:25-39, 2006. At the Fifth International Conference on Serpentine Ecology in Siena, Italy in May, Nishi was first author with David D. Ackerly on the paper, "Understanding Community Assembly on Serpentine: A Study of Functional Traits Relating to Serpentine Tolerance" and co-authored another paper. Three other COA papers were presented there and Nishi became chief organizer of the sixth conference, to be held at COA in 2008. Nishi also helped to bring two grants to the college to pursue botanical work in and around Acadia National Park. The National Park Service funded the col- laborative proposal, "Assessment of Natural Resources and Watershed Conditions in and Adjacent to Acadia National Park," written by Vaux, Nelson, Mittelhauser '89 and Kopp, for $49,987. Nishi also received a $5,000 L.L. Bean Acadia Research Fellowship to conduct ecological and physiological studies to inform rare plant monitoring and management protocols. Vertebrate biologist Stephen Ressel gave the paper, "Arizona Reptiles and Amphibians Revisited" to the Maine Herpetological Society and "Snakes of Maine and Beyond" to the Somes-Meynell Wildlife Sanctuary. At the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in San Francisco last April, Bonnie Tai presented the paper: "Critical Exploration and the Learning and Teaching of Science" on the first year of the Carnegie-funded professional development project, "From Cell to System." In June, economist Davis Taylor and Eric Dodge presented the paper, "Watersheds as Units of Analysis and Planning for Local Sustainable Economic Development: Do They Make Any Sense?" at the International Conference on Rivers and Civilization: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Major River Systems, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. COA faculty members Rich Borden, Ken Cline and Isabel Mancinelli, along with COMMUNITY NOTES Union River Watershed coordinator Travis Hussey '00 and GIS director Gordon Longsworth '90 have co-authored an article on the Center for Applied Human Ecology's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education-funded water- shed project for the fall 2006 issue of Human Ecology Review under the title "A River Runs Through It: A College-Community Collaboration for Watershed- based Regional Planning and Education." COA 41 Marianna Bradley '06 presented the poster, "The effects of ion concentrations on sperm motility in the estuarine fish, Fundulus heteroclitus," at the Maine Bio- logical and Medical Sciences Symposium in April, 2006 at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory with Erica Maltz '07, Jason Childers '06, M. P. DeBerge, R. L. Preston, G. W. Kidder and COA marine ecology professor Chris Petersen. The Center for Human Ecology received $50,000 from the late Fitz Dixon, includ- ing $25,000 to support the GIS Lab, the Union River Watershed Coordinator, and the outreach efforts of the program. Additional fundraising for the URWC came from the Gulf of Maine Council, the Southern Maine Wetlands Conservancy, the Aldermere Foundation and Healthy Acadia. Grants writer Carla Ganiel was appointed by Governor Baldacci to serve on the Maine Commission for Community Service, the state government body charged with fostering community service and volunteerism to meet human and envi- ronmental needs in Maine. Carla will be co-chairing a task force on developing excellence and expertise in Maine's volunteer management sector. Tanner Harris '06, with former COA faculty member Fred Olday and biologist Nishanta Rajakaruna '94, had a paper accepted by the Bryological and Lichen- ological Section of the American Bryological and Lichenological Society, "Lichens of a Peridotite Outcrop in Eastern North America: An Investigation into the Lichen-Serpentine Relation." Tanner was also first on the paper, "Saxicolous and Terricolous Lichens of a Peridotite Outcrop in the Northeastern United States: A baseline study exploring the lichen-substrate relationship," written with Olday and Rajakaruna and presented to the Fifth International Conference on Serpentine Ecology in Siena, Italy in May. He received a $5,000 scholarship from the Maine Space Grant Consortium, which has its funding from NASA, to continue his research on lichens of the copper- and zinc- contaminated Callahan Mine in Brooksville, Maine. Working with Dorr Museum manager Lynn Havsall (photo), purchasing manager Jean T. Sylvia received a grant for $900 from Health Acadia for an inter-genera- tional Earth Day project, "Healthy Habitats: People and Birds," bringing children and seniors together to build bluebird houses and monitor their success. Thanks in large part to the work of Ken Hill, COA's academic dean and the associate dean for academic services, COA received a $224,900 grant from the MELMAC Educational Foundation to improve student retention practices. Travis Hussey '00 received a $10,000 grant from the Gulf of Maine Council for watershed monitoring and educational outreach for the Union River Watershed Coalition. Led by Kara Johnson, MPhil '06, COA graduate students hosted the 13ᵗʰ annual Northeast Graduate Student Symposium at the college, with representatives from both New England and the Maritimes. Several COA students presented papers. John Anderson, associate dean for advanced studies, was the after-dinner speaker. Gordon Longsworth '90, director of the Geographic Information Systems Laboratory, gave a presentation to the Northeast Arclnfo Regional User Group, with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection about COA's GIS and regional planning curriculum and methodologies. The Land Use Planning class, taught by Gordon and planning and landscape design faculty member Isabel Mancinelli, made a presentation to members of Mount Desert Island's compre- hensive planning committees in response to a request from MDI Tomorrow for assistance in thinking about development issues across Mount Desert Island, Trenton and Ellsworth. For one term, students looked at the region's economics, services, housing and transportation needs, as well as the environmental impact of proposed development. This work dovetailed with work by COA internation- al policy faculty member Doreen Stabinsky's Practical Activism class and the Union River Watershed Coalition. 42 COA Together with the Marine Biology class, the Mount Desert Island Water Quality COMMUNITY NOTES Coalition, and Mount Desert Island High School, Chris Petersen conducted clam flat surveys for the town at Hadley Point in the fall of 2005 and spring of 2006 and presented the results to the town of Bar Harbor. Nina O. Therkildsen '05 published part of her senior project as "A Review of the Emerging Fisheries for the Sea Cucumber Cucumaria frondosa: Biology, Policy, and Future Prospects" with Chris Petersen in the SPE Beche-de-Mer Information Bulletin 23:1625 2006. www.spc.int/coastfish/News/BDM/23/index.htm Andrew J. Thrall '07 was first author on "Plant-Soil Relations on Serpentine Outcrops of Deer Isle, Maine in Northeastern United States" written with Nathaniel S. Pope '07, Eva C. Dannenberg '09, Kathleen Tompkins '08, Peter G. Pavicevic '07, Tanner Harris '06 and Nishanta Rajakaruna and presented to the Fifth International Conference on Serpentine Ecology in Siena, Italy in May. Kent Katz '79 (1956-2006) REMEMBERING Kent Katz '79, PhD died in his home in Winthrop, Maine on July 29 of natural causes. A psychologist with a private practice, he was soon to be married to Jane Li from Jinan, China. He was, writes Bill Carpenter, "one of our most intel- ligent, outgoing, friendly, wise graduates, dedicated to self-understanding and understanding of the human mind. After the fire in 1983, when he heard that my office had been burned, he sent a large portion of his personal library in boxes to be the basis of my reconstructed office collection." Here are remem- brances from classmates: Kent, it seems to me, was on a never-ending quest for an authentic life- - whether it be traveling to India and studying Eastern philosophies, playing classical guitar, challenging the status quo, engaging in deep discussions with friends and strangers alike, telling silly jokes to children, or working with his patients on the challenges they faced in their lives. ~ Jerry Bley ('78) Kent was more than just a very close friend; he was a member of our extended family. He had an almost magical gift for understanding and communicating with children, and he was one of the most important people in both of my daughters' lives. He made them laugh, feel important, and he listened earnestly and with empathy to their problems and questions. I was very moved following his memorial service in Augusta, when the mother of one of his patients shared this story about her son: When the boy was five, she was told that he couldn't learn and would not be able to attend a regular school. No expert wanted to work with him. Then someone referred her to Kent. During the boy's ten years as Kent's client, he began to respond and progress. Her voice filled with emotion as she told me that he was now 15 and a high school student. We touched hands and smiled-signaling a mutual understanding and a shared gratitude for how much Kent had meant to our respective families. ~ Jim Frick '78 Former trustee George Page succumbed to cancer on June 28 in Equinunk, Pennsylvania at age 71. George Page was a noted naturalist, and the host of Public Broadcasting System's weekly "Nature" series. When the George B. Dorr Museum was dedicated in August, 2000, he gave the keynote address. COA 43 graduation reflection Salahaldin Hussein '06 bout 39 years ago, my father was exiled; he could not enter our A country, Palestine, and was disconnected from his roots: family, home, land and all that humans identify with. One day, my uncles decided to arrange for my old grandmother, my father's mother, to be taken overseas to see her son, my father. After my uncles began to process her paperwork, she passed away. She could not fulfill even her last wish of seeing my father. I was very young at the time. When my mother explained to me in simple terms what had happened, I went to my father's bedroom; he was asleep, I did not detect any signs of tears, and later concluded that he chose to sleep his misery off. Thirty-nine years, folks. Thirty-nine years of exile. Growing up, I would occasional- ly see a look on my father's face that mourned a tragic loss while hop- ing that we-his children-will make up for it. I will not even begin to mention what my mother experienced. I share this story, brothers and sisters, for a crucial reason. You may not have realized this, but every human interaction that I have had in this supportive community helped make things a ton easier for me dur- ing similar difficult times that my father endured, such as not having been home in six years. Those interactions helped sustain confidence and determination in my route towards a spiritual, physical, mental and intellectual education. I feel compelled to give this speech because given that I grew up in conflict, I arrived at COA with my own prejudice, negative energy and anger. Somehow, these sentiments are out of my system now and have been replaced with respect, passion and confidence. This is not the magic of some divine inspiration, or one experience, but rather a product of my education here. I have seen nothing from this community but respect, and I have never witnessed any act of racism against me what- soever. This takes me to the point which I would like to impress upon you today, and it has to do with cul- tural identity, race, and respect for others. Whether you come to COA to get educated, work, or teach, we do not judge you because of your race, color, appearance or language. Rather we judge you on the basis of your moral character and conscious mind. Let me tell you what I mean with a concrete example. Some people, particularly those associat- ed with the government, when they look at me and see my beard, they see an Arab, a Middle Eastern, a Muslim, a Palestinian with a beard. They automat- ically label me as suspicious, a potential threat, per- 44 COA Photo courtesy of COA THE BACK PAGE haps even a terrorist. But when members of the COA community look at me, they see the beard as a natural part of men, a physical trait, and a beautiful one in my opinion. So when the first group says, "Well, I think you should be careful with that beard, you look suspicious," members in this community are more apt to say: "Salahaldin, I like you better with a mustache." Or, "You do not quite know how to trim a beard, let me show you." We emphasize the fact that we are all humans and a part of the human family. We have a unique model, brothers and sisters, per- haps not a perfect one, but a unique model. We need to take this unique model we have, further develop it, and share it with the world-show the people who are in a position of power and who have abused that power (wherever they are) that yes, we must bring democracy and justice to the world. Not with bombs, not by hijack- Photo courtesy of COA ing planes, not by coalition forces and militant imperial- ism, but rather with human ecology. That's right, with love, humanity, passion and utmost respect. We can reach effective results when we emphasize that racial pride and national confidence are not in conflict with humanity, nobility and respect for others. My last message to you, brothers and sisters, is to make the best out of this place, believe in it, it is the opportunity of a lifetime. To the friends and families here today, I say, You have visited us many times and have seen what we do. Send talented and curious young men and women our way and tell the world about the uniqueness of our faculty, staff and students. And to my countrymates, I say, I believe we are on our way to gaining a country, to winning justice, independence, freedom and eter- nal peace. I only left abroad to open my mind and get educated, I fully intend to return and be a part of reconstructing our society, economy, and infrastructure. And finally, I tell my father, I very much would like to think that this place has witnessed the birth of a man you have always dreamt to have. This is my gift for you to make up for your tragic loss. Brothers and sis- ters, you ask me what I think, I say it all starts here, at College of the Atlantic. Thank you. For his senior project, Salahaldin Hussein '06 created a community computer laboratory at the Mount Desert Island YWCA. Ultimately, he hopes to get into information technology project management and bring his skills back to Palestine. Non-Profit U.S.Postage College of the Atlantic PAID Augusta, ME Permit No.121 105 EDEN STREET BAR HARBOR, MAINE 04609