THE PEREGRINE NEWSLETTER OF THE COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION WINTER 1993-94 In this Issue: COMMUNITY: Ideal or Reality? Also: Profile of Barbara Boardman '80 Letter from New Zealand Poetry A Call for Art Alumni Scholarship Plus: A Special Inauguration Insert Maps of the planned manatee preserve were hung in public areas (in this case "Communities gather to in a local shop) to familiarize people with environmental terms and descriptions at various stages of the planning process. This practice led to impromptu discus- mark transitions, to sions of what making a park would mean to the Gales Point community. acknowledge endings, to PHOTO: BARBARA BOARDMAN usher in new beginnings. Whatever the transition- Creating a Manatee Preserve in Belize: whether it was to build, re- build or celebrate-we have A Profile of Barbara Boardman '80 gathered, and through com- by Louise Tremblay '91 munity we have been For a long time, Barbara Boardman '80 has been intrigued by the complicated strengthened and enriched." issues facing cultures as they struggle to find a balance between their traditional Rabbi Shoshana Perry '83, from her uses of coastal lands and modern-day pressures on those lands, both environ- benediction at the inauguration of mental and economic. Growing up in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Boardman Steven K. Katona, October 9, 1993 watched with distress as her fishing and boating hometown, in her words, "got ruined by unthoughtful development." At College of the Atlantic, Boardman studied design. She went on to Harvard where she earned a masters in architecture and landscape architecture. Her in- terest in coastal development remained a unifying theme in her work; for her graduate thesis, she designed a visitors' center for a marine park on St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. Boardman first arrived in Belize on a Fulbright scholarship in September 1991. She chose this country on the northeast coast of Central America because of her interest in coastal issues. She had been to Belize before and was aware that there were efforts under way to create a series of marine parks. Having just completed her masters, Boardman jumped at the chance to pur- sue a hands-on approach to her studies. "I could have written a theoretical paper exploring some of the issues, problems and possible solutions to coastal develop- ment," she states. Yet such a study, Boardman notes, "would have probably end- See Inauguration Insert -continued on page 3 COLLEGE A Note from the Editors OF THE ATLANTIC Alumni Association The topic proposed for this issue of The Peregrine was "Com- munity: Ideal or Reality?" To speak to this issue, the editors THE PEREGRINE wanted to present a wide range of voices. Thus, you will hear is published by the College of the from an environmental planner working in Belize, an activist Atlantic Alumni Association. in New Zealand and a member of a community farm in Winter 1993-94 Edition North Carolina. A Vermont teacher finds community Editors: Alice Leeds, Carl Little through music and dance while an alumni trustee from Bar The editors thank Cynthia Borden-Chisholm Harbor discovers community through the founding of a for her invaluable assistance. child care center. Design: Z Studio One of last year's commencement speakers suggests Printing: Downeast Graphics & Printing the world can be changed through community, while a cur- rent faculty member, in a letter to his students, provides a COAA Board Members moving perspective on the evolution of friendship at COA. Peter Moon, Chair You'll also find poetry; and extensive "Personal Notes" will 617 776-6757 (H) help you to catch up on the activities of some of the college's Rebecca Buyers-Basso, Alumni Trustee farflung alumni/ae community. 207 288-3784 (H) The sense of community at College of the Atlantic was no more apparent than on the occasion of the inauguration Robert Finn of the college's fourth president, Steven K. Katona, in Octo- 612 522-3746 (H) ber. A mixture of reunion, rally and celebration, the ceremo- Susan Flynn 207 288-9420 (H) ny and its related events brought together students, alum- ni/ae, trustees, faculty, staff, islanders, friends and family in Gail Henderson-King a lively reception for the new president. 802 985-4134 (H) Five alums took part in the inauguration ceremony, Michael B. Kaiser, ex-officio each of them saluting Steve Katona and sharing their 212 577-7700 (W) thoughts on the college. Not surprisingly, many of the par- ticipants spoke of community. The editors felt it appropriate Kent R. Katz to include excerpts from their speeches, which comprise a 207 685-3891 (H) special insert to this issue of The Peregrine. Alice Leeds Three days after the inauguration, the college commu- 802 453-2519 (H) nity was shocked and saddened by the death of third-year student Douglas Clayton Rose in a climbing accident at Great Eugene A. Lesser 603 465-7328 (H) Head in Acadia National Park. Again, the community gath- ered together, this time to mourn the tragic loss of a promis- Lisa Norton ing young man, who loved life and lived it to the fullest. 617 876-2985 (H) A memorial service took place in the new Gates Com- Margaret Pennock munity Center auditorium, where students, faculty, staff and 207 761-4517 (H) friends gave moving testimony to the many ways in which Doug had touched their lives. The editors would like to dedi- J. Louise Tremblay cate this issue of The Peregrine to the memory of Douglas 212 795-1126 (H) Rose. Kate Van Dine A community undergoes changes-perhaps that's the 617 983-5447 (H) thread that ties together the various voices you will hear in Alumni Coordinator: these pages. We invite you to read on. Victoria Savage '80 207 288-5015 Alice Leeds Carl Little 2 Boardman continued from page 1 Aerial view of Gales Point, Belize. PHOTO: BARBARA BOARDMAN ed up sitting on a shelf somewhere, lages hastily create a "visitor friendly" line north of the village. along with a lot of other research doc- environment without the benefit of a Boardman has been involved with uments on Belize." long-range plan or a vision of how to the Gales Point Progressive Coopera- achieve sustainable development. tive since she arrived in the village in Better known for its extensive lagoon In the village of Gales Point, locat- November 1991. Choosing Gales Point systems and mangrove swamps than ed roughly thirty miles from the capi- as the site for her project turned out for its white sand beaches, the coast of tol of Belize City, the community to be a great deal easier than getting Belize may be on its way to becoming joined forces to plan for its future long there. The U.S.-funded road to the vil- the next hot spot for eco-tourism. For before the construction of its new ho- lage was six months away from com- a country the size of New Hampshire, tel began. Through the creation of the pletion, making passage by boat the Belize has a great deal to offer. Endan- only form of transportation. It took gered species such as the Hawksbill Boardman several weeks of detective turtle and the West Indian manatee, Tourist activity of any kind work to find out where to locate a boat lush rain forests populated with jaguar spells growth and to Gales Point. She had to find a par- and baboon colonies, and miles of as- ticular bridge in Belize City, over one yet unspoiled wilderness-all this adds development-and carries of its many canals, where once a week up to a highly desirable destination. some dories would come by. "If you In spite of eco-tourism's focus on with it the built-in danger were there at just the right time, you environmental-friendly activities and might be able to catch a ride," Board- its low-impact ideology, tourist activity of environmental man recalls. of any kind spells growth and develop- ment-and carries with it the built-in degradation. When she finally arrived, Board- man found Gales Point irresistibly danger of environmental degradation. beautiful. The village is situated on a The presence of this industry in small Gales Point Progressive Cooperative, long thin peninsula, which runs, south towns and villages creates a need for the village has taken the responsibility to north, through a mile and a half of new structures, both physical and con- of sustainable development into its the shallow waters of the Southern, or ceptual, in order to accommodate an own hands and is working to establish Manatee, Lagoon. The peninsula influx of visitors. Unfortunately, in a community-based park or sanctuary varies in width, with the wider areas their passion for progress many vil- in the estuarine system along the coast- -continued on page 4 3 Boardman continued from page 3 being a couple hundred feet across and the narrow spots only 60 feet wide-it's a "one road town" out of physical necessity. Yucatan A traditional creole village of roughly 350 inhabitants, with subsis- tence fishing, hunting and farming the basis for most livelihoods, Gales Point MEXICO is protected from tidal action by the mangroves and the reef system to the east. The reefs ensure that the waters surrounding the peninsula are always calm and gentle, perfect for swimming and boating. The Northern and South- ern Lagoon complex has long been popular with Belizeans, many of whom travel down the protected inland wa- terways from Belize City to spend their holidays there. The calm waters of the lagoon system Belize City attract another guest to the area: the endangered West Indian manatee. The manatee is also drawn by the re- gion's supply of fresh drinking water and the promise of a safe and quiet place to mate and calf. In the late 1980s, manatee specialist Thomas O'Shea studied the manatee popula- tion in Belize and concluded that the COMMUNITY MANATEE RESERVE Gales Point area had the highest con- PLANNING AREA centration of the mammal in the Caribbean. O'Shea recommended that the area be protected. Around the same time, a grass- roots conservation effort began in BELIZE Gales Point. The village council, which helped to create the Gales Point Pro- gressive Cooperative, received the sup- port of the Belizean government. Many volunteers also lent a hand, among them, Dr. Rob Horwich, known internationally as the founder of Belize's Community Baboon Sanc- tuary. This sanctuary is considered by many to be a case model for communi- ty-based conservation efforts; it has been studied widely by those interest- ed in eco-tourism. Although the Community Baboon Sanctuary, located north of Belize City, is affiliated with the Belize Audubon Society, it is essentially a GUATEMALA project that makes use of privately- held lands and is directed by a com- munity agreement for the protection MAP COURTESY BARBARA BOARDMAN of the Howler monkey, or "baboon," habitat, and the use and development of the area toward these goals. The sanctuary has been successful in bring- ing eco-tourists to the area while simul- taneously managing to boost the local economy and encourage conservation -continued on page 15 4 Rainbow Warrior Memorial at Matauri Bay in Northland, New Zealand. The boat was bombed by French agents in Auck- land's harbor in July 1985, to stop the protesting against French nuclear testing at Moruwa. The boat was subsequently scut- tled off Matauri Bay and is now a reef for divers from all over the world. As a founding member of Greenpeace in Europe, Newborn was responsible for buying the boat and naming her. That's the ship's propellor at center. PHOTO: SUSAN NEWBORN Letter fom New Zealand Dear Friends, Kia ora! the separatist government of with the Mana Tagata (Power to the I have been meaning to write for a Kanaky/New Caledonia. Our baby People) unit in Greenpeace, hoping to while now to let you know what I have daughter was born this January here in implement environmental programs been up to. I have been based in the back garden, in a spa pool under a with street kids in the major cities here. Aotearoa/New Zealand since 1986, tree on the hottest, sunniest day of the New Zealand seems to be on every but returned for a term to COA in year! Her Melanesian name, Naawie, lit- Watson Fellow's itinerary, so I have 1989 and graduated in 1990. erally means "from water." She is been blessed with many visitors from Since then I have been involved adored by her half-sister, Brenna, COA who keep me up to date with with a number of non-government or- whom some of you may remember what is going on over there. Congratu- ganizations and am currently both a from my time at COA-she's now a lations to Steve Katona on his appoint- director of Greenpeace (NZ) as well as wonderful 12 year old who loves to ment as president of COA, and kia director of Friends of the Earth (NZ). I study!! My friend Harriet Corbett from kaha as they say here (much strength am also responsible for setting up a Allied Whale came over to assist at the for your endeavor). Green Dollar Exchange System here in birth, but baby was three weeks late Brenna and I miss Maine, and the Auckland (do you have similar net- and Harriet had to leave to join a whale wonderfully stimulating environment works in the U.S.?). I have a bright research project in the Caribbean, so of the college. I would love to come green office at home, equipped with the two have yet to meet. back and teach a course on the South fax, computer and modem, where I do In addition to my work with the Pacific (politics and culture) as a way environmental research-in particular, NGOs, I have set up and run "social of giving something back to a place the environmental and health effects justice" programs for violent, disturbed which gave me so much. of nickel mining and smelting in New and segregated inmates in New For those of you who have not ven- Caledonia. I have written several arti- Zealand's maximum security prison. tured this far south, let me tell you cles on this issue. While very successful, these programs that when they named this area God- In 1991 I married a member of the had to be discontinued due to lack of Zone, they weren't joking. Aotear- Kanak independence movement, the funding, after the changeover of gov- oa/New Zealand is a country of spec- Minister of Economic Development of ernment. I am now working closely -continued on page 7 5 Marching to a Common Beat by Alice Leeds '76 As a teenager I was a flag twirler in that our nation represents to come to- could just hop into our common lan- the Long Branch (N.J.) High School gether and create a place of mutual guage of dance steps. Golden Warriors Marching Band. Our belonging. For me, participation in Sometimes we uncovered bonds director, Jack Pirone, was a little Ital- music and movement has been this beyond our interest in traditional mu- ian man with a strong spirit. He led point of contact. sic and dance. Five years ago I met my our band to three consecutive nation- I loved the musicality of the COA husband, Rick, at a contra dance in al championships. We were invited to community. It seemed there were al- Pittsburgh. We discovered that he had play at a presidential inauguration and ways great melodies seeping out of played the banjo at dances I had at- several professional football games. the most unusual places on campus at tended in Blue Hill years back, and we Our claim to fame was a double-time the oddest hours, piano improvisa- both had close ties to Maine. marching cadence; we were clocked at tions and rounds and guitar and vocal 212 steps per minute. duets. I remember dancing to Herbie Rick and I moved from western Penn- The band was composed of a won- Mann with Tripp Royce at the culmi- sylvania to Vermont several years ago derful mixture of people representing nating event of Suzie Lerner's modern so he could spend more time with his the spectrum of racial, ethnic and so- dance class. two sons who were living with their cio-economic backgrounds. Each year For a while during my years in mother in Middlebury. It was an up- we sold thousands of chocolate bars to Maine I played in a recorder trio with rooting experience. We left family, raise funds to send our band around Heidi Welch and Jan Keller. Then friends and work and, beyond Rick's the country. In the summer we attend- there was all that wild and wonderful boys, who would spend four treasured ed band camp to perfect our marching dancing on festive occasions, days a month with us, we had none of routines. I remember a hot afternoon Like many of us, I thirsted for com- these things waiting for us. beside a swimming pool in Arizona munity after leaving COA. I found I learned of the awkwardness of when we received word of our victory. much of this connection through par- membership in a noncustodial step- Mr. Pirone let out a whoop that was ticipation in folk music and dance. family. Although we attend the boys' soon echoed by the rest of us. Water For a number of years I was part of a games, concerts, open houses and per- was flying everywhere. I had never felt group of international folk dancers. formances, we aren't included in the so joyously connected to a group of We traveled around the northeast to community of families to which they people, so much a part of something I dance at workshops and festivals, and belong. Our lives seem fragmented helped to create. we performed at local events. between work, chores and efforts to Years later, while working on my Later, I took up contra dancing. be part of the boys' lives. College of the Atlantic senior project Whenever I moved to a new town, I There were positive things too. I on play and the history of American would seek out the local folk dance was lucky to find a teaching position recreation, I learned that membership group. Usually I would see people I in a small mountain town, and Rick in clubs and organizations allowed had met in other towns at other found work as a greeenhouse techni- folks from the diverse backgrounds dances. Introductions were easy; we cian with Gardener's Supply Compa- ny. We began contra dancing and met some good people. Still, I had no feeling of connection or support. People lived scattered throughout the mountain towns. They were just as busy as we were, so we rarely saw them except at dances. I learned that it can take time and effort to earn membership in a community, even when there are common bonds. Besides, we needed a deeper level of community at this point in our lives. We invested ourselves in finding or forming our own community. Rick be- gan to host a weekly tune session at our home, and gradually a small but tight-knit core group emerged. With this group of musicians as a base, we started creating our own celebrations to mark the changing seasons. After a while, the Hardscrabble Band was performing around central Vermont, even traveling up to Maine for the Buttermilk Hill Festival. Be- Alice Leeds and her husband, Rick, at their wedding, April 1993. Note instru- ment collection in the background. PHOTO COURTESY ALICE LEEDS -continued on page 7 6 Newborn continued from page 5 tacular beauty, and unspoilt people-I Alumni Scholarship mean, where else would the Speaker of the House, a medical doctor, make In an effort to help College of the At- select the recipient. Steve Thomas, house calls in a low-income neighbor- lantic compete for outstanding stu- director of admission, is very excited hood before returning to Parliament? dents, the college's Alumni Board by the prospect of having a merit I look forward, always, to my copy voted at their November meeting to scholarship this year to offer students of The Peregrine and applaud you all for establish an Alumni Scholarship interested in coming to College of your commitment and excellent work. Award. the Atlantic. The annual award will equal a What do you think? The Alumni Best wishes, arohanui, minimum of $10,000 and a maxi- Board would like to receive your in- Susi Newborn mum of the cost of tuition, which is put before deciding on the specifics 321 Richmond Road about $14,000 this year. The scholar- of the scholarship. You will be hear- Grey Lynn, Auckland Phone/Fax: (09) 3786718 ship will be awarded to the Alumni ing from Gail Henderson-King, who Scholar, a new student recognized is spear-heading the fund-raising ef- for community service, academic fort. Please send your comments and Leeds continued from page 6 achievement and leadership in rais- ideas to Alumni Scholarship, c/o yond that, we got to know folks ing environmental awareness. Becky Buyers-Basso, RR 1, Box 3915, through work, local events and just go- The Admission Office will screen Bar Harbor, ME 04609. ing about our weekly chores. We were applicants and the Alumni Board will beginning to feel a sense of belonging to this place. My energy was renewed. Last fall I decided to learn to play the A Call for Art clarinet. I wanted to learn to play klezmer and jazz, and I wanted to join the Bristol Band that performs on our The college's new Thomas S. Gates, Jr. done by COA students returning from a town green every Wednesday night all Community Center boasts a wonderful two-week Caribbean history course summer. The music teacher at the art gallery. Named after the late Ethel taught by Alesia Maltz, associate dean school where I work gave me lessons H. Blum, an accomplished watercolorist for advanced studies at the college. In during our mutual break, and I prac- and wife of COA life trustee Robert E. February the gallery will be devoted to ticed at home, gradually improving my Blum, the gallery has already been the an all-campus exhibition. tone and fingering. In June I bravely venue for five outstanding exhibitions. The college would like to showcase packed my clarinet into its case and, Most recently, "Celebrating Allied alumni art. With the prospect of mount- loaded with a set of new 2 1/2 reeds, Whale: 21 Years of Conservation, Re- ing an exhibition next fall, we would set off for band practice and was made search and Public Education" was like to hear from alumni interested in welcome as a new member. mounted in conjunction with Steve Ka- exhibiting. Paintings, drawings, sculp- The band is composed of many tona's inauguration; and award-winning ture, photographs-we're open to all sorts of folks-high school students, children's book author and illustrator mediums. Please send reproductions- current or retired professionals, ama- Ashley Bryan, from Little Cranberry Is- slides, snaps, photocopies, etc.-along teur musicians of all ages. Folks land, had a one-man show. with an SASE if you wish them re- around town say we sound pretty This winter, visiting artist Natasha turned, and a resume to Carl Little, Col- good. I'm getting so I can play most of Mayers will be exhibiting some of her lege of the Atlantic, 105 Eden St., Bar the notes. It's a great feeling to be a recent monotypes, which will be fol- Harbor, ME 04609. Deadline for consid- part of a tradition in the place where lowed by a show devoted to artwork eration is June 1, 1994. we live, and it's helping create that deeper connection I've been seeking. Laura F. Cohn Rick and I have no past ties to the '88 photographed community in which we live-that in her studio with would certainly be the optimal situa- batik painting tion. But over the course of our four "Jongkok" in the years in Vermont we have made some Nude (Yogyakar- inroads. In a small town like ours, these ta, Indonesia, roads merge and blend. Through our May 1993). Cohn interest in music and dance Rick and I had shows this are each finding a niche of our own. past year in Alice Leeds '76 lives in Bristol, Vermont. Northeast Har- She teaches a multi-age 4-6 grade class at bor, Chicago, Lincoln Community School and is curricu- and Philadelphia. lum implementation specialist for K-12 in the local school district. She and her hus- band recently bought a house in Bristol. 7 Poetry Sparkles I entertained this theory once, that there is beauty everywhere strong enough to lift your soul, and when your soul needs lifting, the strong loveliness you need is surely sparkling there beside you, waiting to be seen. It may be partly true. But still I find it well sometimes to linger in the darkness and explore and not crave too soon release. And this I also find, Illustration from Sparkles by Elisa Friel-Mosenteen. that sparkles come in unexpected ways and show me things I never asked to see: transcendent beauty in a common place; an extraordinary spirit in a crippled frame; events I never dared to wish; something past thankfulness I never knew existed. Everyone's Island They just appear, astound me. Or something gently turns my head and points. There are so many places Or comes a hushing presence more like and they are all still in me. hearing silence. So the spirit comes and I am spoken to, amazed. In my mind I can still drive the roads And now I do believe at dusk, from Camden to Penobscot Bay that sparkles are intentionally rare. to Blue Hill to East Blue Hill to Ellsworth to the island. Within the rhythms of our tapestry a little spot of brilliance here and there We would stretch our sleeping bags by the shore gives life and meaning to the whole, and rest and wake and dream. though spots of brilliance by themselves mean little. It would be sunrise at the edge of the world. So sparkles have to take their place, It would be round, it would turn, it would be blue unpredicted moments of delight going red. within the rhythms of the day or week. And all the moments when the work is being done, There are so many places all the plodding, tending, dashing, struggling, and they are all still in me. anxious, peaceful moments of the week, and all the waiting, all the learning how to wait, The green leaves are whispering, prepare the soul for little bits of radiance, the cool slabs of granite stretch little windows into heaven toward the harbor, the last flecks lighting up the whole design. of light dart across the darkening fields. -William R. Booth I cannot comprehend everything I will need to know. Born and brought up in Maine, William Booth graduated from the University of Maine (Agriculture) and Hartford Theologi- It's sunrise at the edge of the world. cal Seminary. He spent 17 years with his wife, Zilpha, in South It's round, it's turning, it's blue going red. Africa working in agriculture and community development and theological education, then 20 years in Maine in an education- -Elizabeth Cunningham al ministry (United Church of Christ) and teaching (Hebrew Scriptures), most recently at College of the Atlantic. He deliv- An independent journalist, Elizabeth Cunningham '82 has ered the benediction at this year's commencement. just completed her first book, Anxious Friends, Intimate "Sparkles" is the title poem of Booth's first book of poems, re- Enemies: The Media and American Leadership. Pub- cently published by Horizon Printing in Southwest Harbor. The lished by Praeger, the book will be available in 1994. Cun- book is available at bookstores or from the publisher (207-244- ningham is also founder of the Choosing the Presidents Fo- 9066). rum, which held its first forum at the Smithsonian Institu- tion last year. 8 n Saturday, October 9, 1993, College of the Atlantic cele- brated the inauguration of Steven K. Katona, the college's fourth president. It was a ceremony-and a weekend- marked by grand festivity as alumni, friends, family, and college staff, students, trustees and faculty, joined together to mark a special event in the history of the college. The ceremony began and ended with the words of THE INAUGURATION: College of the Atlantic alumni/ae: Philip Kunhardt III '77 A SPECIAL INSERT delivered the invocation, and Rabbi Shoshana Perry '83, the benediction. In between, the audience heard from Katherine Hazard '76, Scott Swann '85 and Cathy Ramsdell '78. Also on the program were keynote speaker, Dr. Kenneth Paigen, director of Jackson Laboratory; Chairman of the Board of Trustees Edward McC. Blair, acting as master of ceremonies; Thorndike Library Director Marcia Dworak; stu- dent Jennifer Aylesworth '94; Academic Dean Richard Borden; Trustee Peter Sellers; Associate Dean for Advanced Studies Alesia Maltz; Literature Faculty Member William Carpenter; and President Katona. John Cooper, faculty As Chairman of the member in music, composed a Board Edward McC. "Cetacean Suite," as well as introductory and recessional Blair looks on, Cathy pieces, specially for the ceremony; they were performed by Ramsdell '78 pins him, along with the COA Winds and Chorus. symbolic seaweed onto The editors of The Peregrine would like to print all the Steve Katona during speeches given that day, but space doesn't allow it. Instead, his investiture as we've chosen to take the excerpt route, in the hope that fourth president of these highlights will convey some of the wealth of warmth, College of the Atlantic. humor and reflection that made for a memorable afternoon. (Photo Peter Travers) INVOCATION BY PHILIP B. KUNHARDT III '77 RIENDS AND FELLOW MEMBERS of COA: We group pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, and are gathered at an auspicious moment in the his- that sense of awe and beauty, which seemed tory of our college. Speakers today will look always to hover around everything we did here. backward into a treasured past and forward into Yet without even realizing it, we were also a challenging future. My job, as pronouncer of in a kind of denial, a kind of flight-from the big the invocation, is to open up the power of the cities, from nuclear proliferation, from the terri- present. ble violence of the late 1960s, from the Vietnam The late Dick Davis used to teach us here at war, which still raged in the college's first year! the college that the past and the future can be For a handful of idealist young men and women, seen as a series of great open-ended cones that on a street called Eden, we had returned to the converge at single points. In this vision, all of the garden; we had found a chance to live, for a few past-personal, evolutionary, geologic-all of brief years anyway, in a near perfect world. And it-becomes accessible to us anew in each pres- none of us has not been changed vastly for the ent moment. And depending upon how we better by those years. respond in the present, so is the future changed. Roc Caivano once said to me that each of us on Of central importance is how awake we are able this planet is either a guest or a host. Well, Steve to be, how alive to the actual moment. "Steve Katona is one of Katona is one of the planet's hosts-one of the Twenty-odd years ago a small group of peo- great givers of self and intelligence and compas- the planet's bosts-one ple came to this magical island in pursuit of a sion. But in a proper sense, he is also one of the of the great givers of self dream. It was a good dream, filled with honest planet's guests, with that extraordinary humility, idealism, a deep love of the outdoors, and a real and intelligence and which must be part of an authentic environmen- concern for making the world a better place. I'll tal ethic. compassion. But in a never forget my education here, or the common And so this invocation is for you, Steve. For proper sense, be is also life we had together-the night skates on Eagle the years ahead in your new role as president, I Lake's black ice; the winter ocean swims that one of the planet's invoke your very best-the most helpful, life- raised up such exhilaration; the gathering of guests, with that extra- affirming spirit you are capable of. And I call friends for music and poetry and organic dinners; upon this same spirit in each of us as well. Today ordinary humility, the night walks filled with wonder. I miss the day we pledge our support not only to you, but to the which must be part of a friend and I put up a tent-fly, sail-like, and well-being of our college, and to the well-being soared on ice skates down two miles of lake on a an authentic environ- of the world at large, for which this community fifty-mile-an-hour wind, ecstatic with life. I miss itself was created. mental ethic." the wildflowers of the island spring, and the Memorandum To: PRESIDENT STEVE KATONA From: MARCIA DWORAK AND THE STAFF OF COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC Regarding: YOUR PRESIDENCY YOU WELL KNOW, Steve, the staff at College We welcome your leadership and challenge of the Atlantic is a diverse group that at times has you to demand excellent work from each of us. difficulty achieving consensus. On this occasion, We're whole-heartedly behind you, Steve, and however, we had no trouble in coming to agree- wish you health, happiness, and a long and suc- ment on our message to you: please help us make cessful tenure as president of College of the the college an institution noted for the pursuit of Atlantic. excellence and please raise a lot of money! INAUGURATION 2 WELCOME/GREETINGS FOR STEVE KATONA'S INAUGURATION JENNIFER AYLESWORTH '94 JL I would like to welcome you today. MY NAME IS Jen Aylesworth, and I am a tion a celebration to set forth a new era in the graduating senior this year. As a student at COA history of our college. It is an era we can all rejoice in, an era in which we can grow together I never thought I would be standing up here as a community. today, speaking to all of you about Steve as presi- Thank you, Steve, for taking your time, ener- dent. Yet I am ready to embrace this occasion gy and enthusiasm to lead us. Thank you for with all the dreams, wishes, and potential that it being a part of COA and believing in this thing holds. I am proud to be a part of this celebra- called Human Ecology. SCOTT SWANN '85: FOR STEVE KATONA YFIRST COLLEGE LEVEL class was Steve's fall The college has benefitted from excellent leader- semester Invertebrate Zoology. I remember the ship in the past. Much like a nice used Volvo, COA Now a graduate student labs being slightly disgusting, and I have a partic- is faithful, solid and dependable, a quality product at the college, Scott ularly horrid memory of cutting open a live, fresh- waiting for its next caring and loving driver. Swann '85 salutes ly collected sea cucumber, only to have it contract As a representative of the graduate students and invert on me. The phylum stew at the end-of- at College of the Atlantic, I want to offer congrat- Steve Katona. Scott had semester potluck was a recipe cheerfully forgot- ulations and wish you a good journey. As a former the audience in stitches. ten, but the class itself was excellent-both fun student and a friend, I want to say that I am very (Photo Peter Travers) and intriguing. proud to have this occasion to celebrate today. Since that fall I have taken many courses and independent studies with Steve, as an undergrad- uate and graduate student, always learning more about evolution and ecology. Of all the teachers I had, Steve was the only one to ever bestow an "A" upon me. Besides being lax in his academic standards, Steve through the years maintained a genuine interest in what I was doing. Once, in a week's time, he wrote a glowing recommendation for me and wired me $1,500 for bail-more than my own mother would have done. The summer after graduation, I remember Steve walking around my elderly VW van, which was illegally parked under the copper beech trees in front of the Turrets. That day, Anne and I were exuberantly and naively preparing to leave Bar Harbor to drive to South America. Steve looked at the van carefully and, with a concerned expres- sion on his face, asked if we thought that it might really make it. We didn't really know where we were going or what roads lay ahead of us that day, but we had a smacking good time and did make it. Today, years later, is much like that meeting under the beech trees, only I am here to observe Steve starting on his great adventure. I have more confidence in Steve than he had in us that day, for he is well prepared for the roads ahead. INAUGURATION 3 REMARKS AT THE INAUGURATION OF STEVE KATONA- KATHERINE HAZARD '76 NAME IS Katherine Hazard. I'm here on behalf ness. He has endeavored, not to tame or conform of the alumnae. I started as a student at College of this wildness, but to encourage it, to lend it disci- the Atlantic in 1972, its first year. After graduating pline, insight, new experience-and to find an in 1976, I worked in Alaska for ten years as a expression for it in the world through work. He wildlife biologist. I am now an attorney at the has helped students find a voice in society for what Department of Justice, Environment Division, in is most special in them. That has been a great and Washington, D.C. enduring gift. I would like to take this opportunity to thank We have been so lucky to know Steve as a Steve for what he has given to students at College teacher and a researcher. We are now so very for- of the Atlantic. His greatest gift has been to see the tunate to have Steve as president. wild in students, their brilliance, curiosity, strange- A GREETING FROM THE FACULTY RICHARD J. BORDEN, ACADEMIC DEAN "As COA comes of age TIS A TRADITION, in academic processions, for national waters. What you have accomplished and matures, it is a the faculty to walk-not in step. As you've seen, beyond the college has been matched within-as a Steve, we do it perfectly. It is also an academic faculty member, provost and trustee. tribute to you, Steve, tradition for the faculty not to speak in one As COA comes of age and matures, it is a and to the college that voice-as a sign of creativity and intellectual vital- tribute to you and to the college that this place this place could produce ity. At COA we also do that extremely well. could produce someone of the caliber who can and But on this occasion there is a common senti- someone of the caliber wants to be president. This reflects with honor on ment. It is a spirit of celebration, the opening of a the faculty as a whole-to produce our own next who can and wants to be new door. As you pass through it, Steve, your leader. And in that sense you are a student of the president. This reflects presidency is a great gain for the college, although college as well. with honor on the at the same time it is also a loss to the teaching So Steve: We welcome you. Our colleague, capacity of the faculty. our friend, our president. As we enter this next faculty as a whole-to Through your dedication and perseverance era, help us to build bridges and take new produce our own next we have seen you grow to the top of your field as chances. There is immense trust in your commit- leader." a marine ecologist. You have helped create the ment and leadership, as we move forward togeth- field itself, and to place COA in the center of it. er, as we further refine College of the Atlantic, as The first whale you and your students followed we continue to be students discovering how to out of the Gulf of Maine has led us all into inter- meet the challenges of the world. GREETINGS TO STEVE KATONA FROM PETER H. SELLERS ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES WOULD LIKE TO SPECULATE for a moment scholar, a scientist, a teacher and one who loves about how COA is going to change, now that we new ideas. His constant concern will be with have a new president. whether the faculty and students are being offered Ten years ago the college looked entirely dif- enough intellectually. Academic excellence will be ferent than it does now. In the next decade the his number one goal for COA, and he is uniquely changes may be of a different kind, but they will qualified to lead us in that direction. just as surely depend on the character and aspira- I would like to conclude by saying to all the tions of the president. I speculate that the greatest newcomers to COA that you are very fortunate to changes at COA during Steve's presidency will be be arriving at this time, as we set out on a new in the academic and intellectual realm. Steve is a course with a new president. INAUGURATION 4 REMARKS BY DR. KENNETH PAIGEN, DIRECTOR OF THE JACKSON LABORATORY L WORLD IS GOING THROUGH a major histor- cially genetics, our understanding of self is rapidly "Put very simply, there transition-the kind of transition that only changing, raising many questions as to birth her- is a special need for the comes at intervals of many decades, if not cen- itage and the knowledge of one's fate. very things that COA turies. College of the Atlantic teaches that knowl- can до particularly In times of transition, society has a special edge, or wisdom, is not compartmentalized. That well." need for small, interdisciplinary organizations the artificial divisions of subjects and disciplines with the flexibility and capability to respond to that academia and governments invent are just problems in novel ways. College of the Atlantic is that, inventions. such an organization. The college teaches students to examine criti- Put very simply, there is a special need for cally what they are told. In a transitional world, Director of the Jackson the very things that COA can do particularly well. we are susceptible to the persuasions of the pro- Laboratory and inter- The new leadership that Steve Katona brings will fessional, the one who knows-not only the scien- nationally-known provide a chance to ask which aspects of college tific professional, but the religious professional, life work especially well and should be reinforced, the political professional, the philosophical profes- geneticist Dr. Kenneth and which can be improved. It is a time for both sional. We need citizens who know how to be Paigen delivers the pride and introspection-pride at what the college skeptical. keynote address at the has accomplished, pride in your choice of a new Related to this is the understanding that president, and introspection to ask about the knowledge is not wisdom. Technical expertise inauguration. future. does not make one wise. I hope I am a good (Photo Peter Travers) With respect to global affairs, we face drastic geneticist, but that does not mean that I know bet- revisions and problems. The economic hegemony ter than anyone in this room whether aborting a fetus with a birth of the West in general, and of the U.S. in particu- defect is a moral or lar, has ended. World politics will come to include immoral act. powers whose cultural traditions and values are not derived from traditional Western thought. To someone like We will have to deal with the extraordinary myself, who is outside intensity of religious and ethnic identities. And the the college but sees it world faces great natural disasters. The degrada- close at hand, these tion of the global environment could easily are some things COA become overwhelming and irreversible. does especially well, By the end of the century, it is expected that and some of the things 40 million people will be infected with AIDS. We this world particularly are in a terrible race to find a vaccine or cure, or needs. both. If we lose, it will be worse than the black And when I say death in the Middle Ages. the college, I don't In our own country, we have witnessed the mean some abstract end of generational growth. We have now had institution. College of twenty years of economic stagnation, and despite the Atlantic is its peo- the rhetoric of the last political campaign, it does ple: students, faculty, not seem likely to change. And how do we reach administrators, staff. the types of consensus necessary for a successful You now have a new society in a country of very heterogeneous cul- leader. He knows the tures? college and he knows We are living through a second industrial the world. The rest of revolution, one of information-the ability to us truly need what you acquire, store and process it. In an area close to can do together. my understanding, that of medical science, espe- INAUGURATION 5 SALUTATION FROM ALESIA MALTZ, ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR ADVANCED STUDIES TEVE, RUNNING THROUGH these salutations we helm, and an abiding faith in your abilities to lead have just hear is a sense of celebration of you as a this institution from within and to represent person, a joyous welcome to you as you take the College of the Atlantic to the outside world. WILLIAM CARPENTER: "A WHALE SHIP WAS MY YALE COLLEGE AND MY HARVARD" L COULD FOUND A college on that sentence counter-evolutionary in a Darwinian sense-that from Moby Dick, and it wouldn't be Yale or one species should exhibit this level of respect Harvard either. It would be a college where and caring for another species to which it is not direct experience weighed in equally with learned symbiotically bound. But human ecology has authority, where survival depended on the inter- taught us that symbiosis or interdependency connectedness of extends further than even Melville could have human beings, imagined. The creatures we had always regarded and where mutiny as enemies or mere resources have become part of was an ever-pres- the family, to be protected, preserved, nurtured, ent possibility. as we would our own children, brothers and sis- You might ters, or parents. Though we no longer depend on begin such a col- whales for light and food, in another sense if the lege with a work- great whales perish we perish with them. shop like the one This ecological lesson has extended to the Steve Katona political sphere of war and peace. College stu- taught with Sam dents of today were born after the Vietnam war Eliot twenty-one became history, but at the time when COA was years ago in 1972, being invented, half a million young Americans "Humans and the were in Southeast Asia and the model of conflict Great Whales." was at its peak. The two giant abstractions of Out of that work- Right and Left were poised for nuclear war. No shop the whale- wonder the founders first wanted to call the with its hugeness school "Acadia Peace College"! They settled on and its immense the environmental theme instead, but it was the vulnerability- same thing. Peace with the environment and became the sym- peace with ourselves come from the same non- bol of the new confrontational premise, which we call human voyage of Human ecology. Deans Alesia Maltz Ecology. It's fit- Now we go forward with a helmsperson who and Richard Borden ting that Steve is our new man at the helm. He did happen to pass through Harvard, but who got and his organization have become the spokespeo- his real education on a whale-ship with the rest of lead the inauguration ple of all great-hearted creatures who cannot us. Maybe it's time to live out a sequel to Moby processional, bearing stand up and speak for themselves. Dick with a more attractive ending: both the minke whale bones in In the 600-page voyage of the novel Moby Dick it whale and the ship survive. The captain this time would have to be Ishmael, the teller of the story place of the tradition- never occurs to a single character to be nice to a al mace. whale. On the new voyage navigated by scientists and a human ecologist even if he didn't know it, like Steve, the biology of struggle and survival is who looked the whale right in the eye and came (Photo: Carl Little) out alive. replaced by an unprecedented biology of respon- sibility and concern. It seems almost unnatural- INAUGURATION 6 PRESENTATION AND INVESTITURE BY CATHY L. RAMSDELL '78 CAME TO THE COLLEGE in 1974, an eager kid old mentor, Steve Katona, with the powers of the from Maine, because I could study ecology here fourth presidency of this college. and work closely with faculty members in an acade- The qualities in Steve that I believe will serve him mically intimate context. The college was in its sec- well as president are the same ones that serve him ond full academic year. well as a scientist, teacher and friend: awareness, Steve Katona was my first mentor. I took lots sensitivity, understanding and responsibility, which of courses from him-ecology, marine biology, evo- equals human ecology. lution, invertebrate zoology. Eventually I taught a As you formally enter this presidency, Steve, I couple of labs with him, led whalewatching trips would like to present you with some ritualistic gifts with him, and kept the Gulf of Maine Sighting to be used as guides on your journey: Network running while he and Susan went on sab- This seaweed is a symbol of holding fast to batical around the world. convictions, but being able to move with the tide. I learned how to learn from Steve. I learned This twisty-tie symbolizes the importance of how to think. I don't mean what to think, which closure and the paradox of impermanence. often happens in educational institutions when you This wool from an island sheep is meant to are taught by what I call "intellectual offenders"- remind you of the warmth and comfort that is all mean I learned how to learn and how to think-sci- around you here, especially if the going gets tough. entifically, logically and compassionately- This glider is a human-made symbol of balance watching Steve. and dimension, and represents the complexities of Nineteen years and many interesting jobs and staying aloft. experiences later, here I am, vice chair of the board And, lastly, this [Cathy waves her hand in the of trustees and a member of the presidential search air] is invisible and symbolizes the power of that committee, and I'm about to assist board chair Ed which is unseeable, be it joy, wonder, or influence. Blair with the task of investing this individual, my INAUGURATION SPEECH BY DR. STEVEN K. KATONA R. CHAIRMAN, DR. PAIGEN, TRUSTEES, Faculty, would have a new title, but that I was still the same "I have inherited an Staff, Alumni/ae, Students, Honored Guests. person and would remain in touch with the web of institution poised to Seeing so many friends, relatives and loved ones life that I had always studied. It was a simple les- make its mark in bold from so many parts of my life all in one place; son, but it reassured me, and perhaps it will you. letters on the map of hearing your kind words today and during these I am also humbled to compare the circum- higher education. That past months; feeling your deep support for me and stances of my inauguration today with those of my is a grand gift to any for this wonderful college.. I am moved beyond predecessor, Lou Rabineau, at his inauguration new president." measure. eight years ago. President Rabineau inherited a With all this praise and pomp, I am grate- campus still reeling from the tragic fire which ful for the lesson taught to me by a baby harbor destroyed our library and administration building seal pup on the morning of June 4, the day that my on July 25, 1983, and he was further handicapped selection as president was scheduled to be by low enrollment and uncertainty about the announced here on campus. The pup, lost or aban- future. But thanks to Lou, and to the leadership, doned by its mother, had been brought here to pre- dedication and generosity of so many of you, our pare it for shipment to the New England Aquarium college and campus are thriving now. There is still where it could receive veterinary care. As we tube- much to do, but I feel quite certain that I have fed fluids into the pup's stomach, it pooped all over inherited an institution poised to make its mark in me, showing how impressed this member of the bold letters on the map of higher education. That is marine mammal community was with the impend- a grand gift to any new president. ing change in my status. That seal poop was a Even as it has guided our efforts for the past two mighty antidote to conceit. It taught me that I CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE INAUGURATION 7 INAUGURATION SPEECH CONTINUED "Human Ecology is a decades, the human ecological vision has challenged Human Ecology is the quest to understand our journey to our own des- and puzzled us. We have asked or been asked innu- own origins and nature by studying animals, genes, tiny both here at home merable times, "What is Human Ecology?" ancient bones and the pageant of human history, and in the deepest recess- Examples of answers that I recall range from the replete with the triumphs and follies of thousands of earnest: "an environmental slant on the liberal arts"; es of black space, where cultures. It is a journey to our own destiny both we search for clues to the to the playful: "Human Ecology is the detergent here at home and in the deepest recesses of black birth of the universe and that cuts through the bacon grease of Ecology"; to space, where we search for clues to the birth of the messages from distant the enigmatic: "It's like that coffee feeling-i you universe and messages from distant civilizations, civilizations, whose pres- don't know what I mean, I can't tell you." whose presence could relieve the loneliness of the ence could relieve the Today, if anyone asks you what Human great night sky. loneliness of the great Ecology is, you can tell them that it is Kuwaiti oil Today's inauguration celebrates the existence and fields ablaze, ethnic hatred in the Balkans, tribal night sky." persistence of one small college on a little bay as it warfare in Kenya or Somalia, or the colonial destruction of native civilizations. But Human engages students in this great drama. We recall the courage of its founders, who were bold enough to Ecology is also Rabin and Arafat shaking think that a new college could not only survive, but hands, and millions of people yearning and could also play such an important part in our collec- working for peace, equality and freedom of tive future. We remember the resilience of the col- opportunity. It is the destruction of forests, lege community to endure fire, economic distress or fields, lakes, streams, wetlands and the air discord. We recognize the boldness of students and itself during our relentless quest for resources, teachers, eager to make a difference, and willing to food and money; but it is also the evolution of reach out for new ways to do it. And we acknowl- mechanisms for improving environmental reg- edge the community's hope that the leaders it ulation, reclaiming damaged habitats and pro- chooses will guide the college to a meaningful and viding comprehensive economic analyses that productive future. can guide commerce toward long-term I entered through a door labelled "ocean," responsibility and sustainability. found a pathway marked "whales" and have fol- Amy George '97 Human Ecology is death squads in lowed it on a captivating journey through human accompanies Dr. Guatemala, El Salvador or Brazil, but also life ecology. I am equally excited to help you find door- Elizabeth Russell, squads providing emergency care in communities ways and to see where your intuition, intellect and COA trustee, to the throughout much of the world. It is a newborn inauguration. infant at the breast and the medical care needed for passion lead and what problems you solve along the way. May all of our best wishes for this institution (Photo Peter Travers) mother and baby to thrive, but it is also contracep- come true. tion, abortion and euthanasia. BENEDICTION BY RABBI SHOSHANA PERRY '83 OMMUNITIES GATHER TO MARK transi- helped to mold for many of us, and together we tions, to acknowledge endings, to usher in new affirm our support to Steve as he begins a new era beginnings. There have been many such moments of leadership. for this community, the COA community, As we mark this passage in the life of COA, moments of vision, moments of loss, moments of let us find renewal, and as we leave here today, let achievement, moments of struggle. Whatever the us remember to see beyond the surface of things. transition, whether it was to build, rebuild, or cel- It is up to us to hallow creation, to respond to life ebrate, we have gathered, and through community with the fullness of our lives. It is up to us to we have been strengthened and enriched. repair the World and to bind our lives to Truth. In this spirit, we have joined together on this May the Divine Spirit who dances in creation, day to welcome, and celebrate with, Steve Katona who embraces us with love, who shakes our lives and his family. Today we affirm our commitment like thunder, bless us and drive us out with Power to the vision of human ecology, a vision Steve to fill the World with Divine Justice. The editors thank Sharon Reiser, Jodi Heath and Karen Siegwald for their assistance with the transcriptions of these speeches. INAUGURATION 8 (Who Knows) Where the Time Goes by John Anderson "Time has come for us to part you came, and my teaching showed it. and think of living as it was. I have learned more than I have Into the future we must cross- taught, and for that I am deeply in I'd like to go with you. " your debt. One of my advisees complained re- Dear Seniors, cently during a discussion of future Graduation is always one of the course plans, "Why are you planning most difficult times of the school year. all these neat courses when we are all In one sense, there is an enormous graduating?" The reason is you. Great feeling of relief: the year is over, the students encourage teachers to greater work is done, we all survived more or less. There is also an enormous degree and learning that has occurred. (Go PHOTO: CYNTHIA BORDEN-CHISHOLM daring. It is easy to be safe, to avoid gambling when the result of failure is of pride and fulfillment when one so obvious (I am still terrified for at stands back to measure the growth least a minute every time I get up in front of a class), but in your patience and look at your admissions picture in and humor I have found my own confi- Turrets: Is that the same face you see dence to try new things, to do better. in the mirror these days?) The "Islands" course, Isle au Haut, Pe- Underneath it all, however, there is tit Manan, Boston-all were born with a sense of loss. There are the faces some of you as midwives, and there that you and I will not see next au- John Anderson mans the oars off Petit will be echoes of our talks together tumn, the conversations that will not Manan Island. down all my years of teaching. take place, the books we will not read, I would not be a teacher without the classes that we will not share. I particularly wanted to write to wanting to get in a few last words. There is so very much that I would still you seniors, because I feel that you First, I do not know what one does like to say to you, but our time togeth- have suffered through my "growing with a degree in human ecology. I er is almost over, and the world is up" as a teacher. I was still new when -continued on page 16 waiting for you on the other side of Eden Street. I suppose that this sense of loss is an inevitable part of being a teacher. Building a Farm Community We are in a trade where the time is short and the tools are crude, and the in North Carolina by James Senter '85 materials with which we work are only on loan. The degree of our success For the last three years, I have been a the barnyard structures, moving tobac- does not really show here and now, member of a ten-household communi- CO barns out of the way of the road we but rather will appear in five or ten or ty that has taken on the stewardship of are building, putting up people's twenty years when the measure of our an abandoned 150-acre tobacco farm homes on the land work can be placed in context with north of Durham, North Carolina. We Why is community so important for what you have become. call ourselves the Potluck Community us? It's really quite simple: together we We are shipwrights, preparing you Farm because we have potlucks when can do things that we cannot do indi- for the deep we will never see, arm- we get together for our twice-a-month vidually. For instance, there are six chair explorers who spread out maps business meetings. young people in the Potluck Commu- and bid you go. This is the way it is Of the farm's 150 acres, 120 are nity, ranging from five months to nine supposed to be, and for all my sadness held in common by a land trust. Our years of age. Community sharing of there will mainly be pride when I see goal is to put the cleared portions of childcare is an important part of how you getting those diplomas. the land back into production in an or- we function. Raising kids is a big job One of the candidates for the COA ganic fashion, and we are well under for a single person, or a couple, to do. presidency asked me if it was "fun" to way. The orchard has already been We all need time out for ourselves, teach here. I replied that "fun" wasn't planted with a collection of heirloom and living in an extended family of really the right word, what really came apples. The beehives are in place. choice enables us to do that. to mind was "joy." Joy in the collabora- We came together at first simply There is an emotional aspect to this tion, joy in the gallant attempt, joy in out of a desire to create an alternative as well. Although it can be viewed as an the recovery from failure, joy in the ul- to the anonymous suburbs where peo- extremely personal, apolitical act, inten- timate success. There is no feeling like ple live totally isolated and insulated tionally creating community is a rejec- that of seeing a student do things that from each other and from the non-hu- tion of the anonymity and alienation of were only a potential four years ago, man world. Since our coming togeth- mass culture. We choose to create an of watching confidence and maturity er, we have grown far beyond that ini- environment in which despair and pow- replace self-doubt and confusion. If tial desire. We have come to know one erlessness have no place. the cost of joy is a degree of sorrow, another, our skills and foibles, in the We make our decisions by strict then so be it. process of clearing fields, rebuilding -continued on page 10 9 Some Thoughts on Community: A Commencement Address by Eric Weikart '93 Without truth, we cannot have a fair evaluation of who we are and where we are going. Without truth and hon- esty we cannot have community, with- out truth we are fooling ourselves into thinking that community exists when only individuals exist. Let's be truthful here, it wasn't too long ago that our ancestors were out there hunting and gathering. We func- tion best in groups, we are human be- ings who love to stick together. A hundred years ago we had towns and villages with real communi- ties, not individuals living in the same place. The power of the small town farming communities is gone, it does not exist. Erik Weikart '93 (at far left) with Chairman of the Board Edward McC. Blair and Today's communities are exempli- classmates at the college's 21st commencement. PHOTO: CYNTHIA BORDEN-CHISHOLM fied by corporations. What is a cor- poration? A community of individu- yond what we have as separate indi- individuals all over the globe. Some- als working together for a profit. viduals. times the work of these organizations What is a government? A community Modern-day politics often reflect is in direct conflict with corporate in- of individuals working together to ad- the inability of individuals in our soci- terests. I'm thinking of Greenpeace, minister and control a piece of land. ety to form political blocks. Some cor- the Peace Brigade, the international What is a school? What is a police de- porations count on our inability to Red Cross partment? What is a family business? find common community. That is Whatever our interests and our A church? A study group? All are what is so amazing about the rise of needs, we do not have to struggle forms of community. When we be- international non-profit relief and alone to achieve them. We are hu- come members of these communities peace organizations, formed for the man beings. The creator did not we gain the power in our lives far be- purpose of representing the rights of -continued on page 16 Senter continued from page 9 consensus, which has led to some very a reintegration of economic and social had to overcome-trusting that other drawn-out discussions. It is often said activity. Whether in a rural or urban members of the farm will place the that consensus takes a long time to setting, by creating community we rec- same value as I do on the non-human reach conclusion, but the quality of the ognize and address the human need to community. decisions reached is, from my experi- be connected to something greater One of the difficulties in dealing ence, far superior. I have seen this in than ourselves. By choosing to live in with this issue has been our differing practice with this group on many occa- such a way, we are literally changing levels of knowledge of those communi- sions. the world from the ground up. ties. While there are three professional For instance, it took two years of Another aspect of community that ecologists in the group, for the most discussion, investigating alternatives, is important is the sense of place. In part farm members have a layperson's analyzing people's needs and fears, for the process of creating an alternative understanding of field ecology and tax- us to reach a decision about the rela- to anonymous suburbs, we have come onomy. Struggling with this stuff has tionship between individually-held land to honor the particular features of the been a good way for me to come to and collective land. Through this pro- landscape that make the Potluck Com- terms with our differences and similari- cess, I have come to know and under- munity Farm unique. The lady slipper ties and to stop thinking that folks have stand the members of the group and to patches, a hillside covered with trilli- to be just like me in order for us to live respect differences and similarities. um, the spring with its resident frogs and work together. It's been a very use- and crayfish, the whippoorwills and ful lesson. Community-building is not always woodcock that fill the night air with Struggling to find the place where sweetness and light. The times when their voices-all have come to be part- what is good for the group is good for we have not been able to reach agree- ners in this project. the individual, and what is good for the ment, and have been unclear about I have been vocal from the very be- individual is good for the group: I have just what the disagreements are, have ginning about the fact that there al- found that what is needed for that been frustrating and aggravating. But ready is a community on the farm, that search to be successful is commit- we have stuck with it and the results it's just not a human one. Community ment-to each other, to the proecess, have been worth it. acknowledgment of this non-human to the long-term. The creation of community involves world has been a trust issue that I have 10 Discovering Community through a Child Care Center by Rebecca Buyers-Basso '81 The Random House College Dictio- nary defines community as "a social group of any size whose members re- side in a specific locality, share com- mon government and have a common cultural and historic heritage." I like this definition, but it is incomplete. It celebrate Children implies that communities are discrete and fixed in time. It only hints at the process of creating community. Whether it be a neighborhood, a small town or a college campus, a com- munity ideally provides an environ- ment in which people of various ages and abilities can grow and thrive, in which everyone contributes their tal- ents to the larger group and reaps the benefits of belonging to that group. Kids' Corner marching in the Bar Harbor Fourth of July parade. Think of the many ethnic immigrant PHOTO: REBECCA BUYERS-BASSO groups in this country-the Irish, Ital- ians, Jews, Cubans or Asians, for exam- scarce. So when COA faculty member And it was exciting and educational. ple. These tight-knit communities have Don Cass and his wife, Suzi Taylor- During those two years of struggle I helped their members survive poverty, both experienced child care jugglers- got to know some wonderful people- discrimination and language barriers asked me to join a group of concerned parents, business leaders, early child- in American cities. citizens interested in starting a child hood education experts and others What is missing from the dictionary care center, I agreed. who took an interest in the creation of definition, but what is apparent to me, Intern Program Director Jill Barlow- Kids' Corner. is that community can be created Kelley and I represented College of the We learned about child care issues, whenever people struggle together in Atlantic at meetings with other major standards and state regulations as well working toward a shared goal or vi- Bar Harbor employers regarding the as progressive parenting skills. And we sion. As one of the founders of a child joint sponsorship of a community child developed an appreciation for the un- care center in Bar Harbor, I have de- care center. We learned that these dis- sung nurturing skills and devotion of rived enormous personal satisfaction cussions had been going on for some child care workers. from working with a group to solve a time, but they heated up when Mount It was a wonderful feeling to walk problem. In the process, we have creat- Desert Island Hospital faced the possi- into the center on opening day, Sep- ed a community. bility of losing 11 nurses for lack of ad- tember 19, 1990, and see that our equate child care! dream had become a reality. On that Although I had been a resident of Bar That's how Kids' Corner, Inc., got day, we-founders, parents, children, is- Harbor since 1979, my relationship to started, by a group of people sitting land residents-felt what it means to be the town was dispassionate. As a stu- around a table, talking about the need a part of a community. dent at College of the Atlantic and as a for more and better quality child care. My daughter is in second grade this reporter for the Bar Harbor Times after We had no money, no building and no year, and I no longer have need of a graduation, I was an outsider. I was in- staff. Yet after two years of meetings, child care center, but I'm still involved terested in Mount Desert Island's af- we articulated a vision for the center, because I know how important high fairs, but not invested in them. raised seed money, wrote and received quality, reliable child care is to other That relationship changed dramati- a start-up grant of $47,500 from the parents with young children. cally when I became pregnant. Sudden- state of Maine, borrowed $75,000, ne- Why is a sense of community so im- ly, my husband and I were stakehold- gotiated with the Town of Bar Harbor portant to us? I suspect because we all ers in the community. Even before our to lease the former Industrial Arts need to feel connected to others in a daughter was born, we became a part building (the one the COA library meaningful way. It's just the way we're of the network of child-care providers moved into after the 1983 fire), hired a wired, I think. and consumers, a network where infor- contractor to completely renovate and mation, for the most part, is communi- modify the building to meet child care Rebecca Buyers-Basso '81 is College of the cated by word of mouth. center regulations, interviewed and Atlantic's alumni-trustee. She lives in Bar After Marisa's birth, we did what so hired an experienced director, re- Harbor with her husband, Skip, who teach- many other working couples do. We ceived our license and opened our es museum studies at the college. She is cur- juggled. We used three different home doors to the children of working par- rently working on a screenplay, based on day-care providers by the time our ents in Bar Harbor! the life of her grandmother who lived in daughter turned three. Although we The process was never easy, but we Appalachia around the turn of the century. believe she received good care, we nev- succeeded. We accomplished some- She also serves as a consultant on youth er knew how long we could rely on any thing of value as a group, which none initiatives for the Maine Community Foun- one sitter, and child care "slots" were of us could have done individually. dation in Ellsworth, Me. 11 PERSONAL KARIN ANDERSON m'82 graduated from Corporate Health Benefits for AT&T. traumatized children, adolescents and the University of Southern Maine with a DIANA COHN '85 is working on a mas- adults. She serves on the board of the B.A. in Biology this past May. She is cur- ters in the history of education at Teachers Coalition for Maine's Children. The Dodd- rently working for the Committee to Pro- College in New York. As community out- Hagge family resides in Portland, Maine. mote Women and Minorities in Science reach director for secondary school pro- After finishing his B.A. in English Liter- and Engineering for the Maine Science and grams for the Foreign Policy Association, ature at Columbia University in 1985, Technology Commission. Karen plans to she is involved in the Global Citizen Proj- GEORGE M. EHRHARDT m'83 went on pursue a doctorate in biochemistry, focus- ect, which brings together teachers, stu- to study agriculture at the University of Cal- ing on women's health issues. dents and community members in order to ifornia at Davis. George presently manages A volunteer at the Cincinnati Chapter of teach young people "about our changing a farm-seed conditioning and retail facility the American Institute of Architecture, world and the great decisions that face us." for Albert Lea Seed House in Minnesota, TENIA L. BANNICK '86 chaired the local SARAH COLE '93 is a graduate student where he and his wife, Sophie, live. site committee for a national tele-confer- at the Yale Forestry School. A research associate at the Center for ence sponsored by the institute to establish Former receptionist and assistant to Ed- Microbial Ecology at Michigan State Uni- a local A.I.A. Committee on the Environ- ward Kaelber, president emeritus of COA, versity, DAVID EMERSON '81 received his ment. Tenia is busy completing a Masters DODIE (Fenton) COMAN sp'77 has been Ph.D. in Microbiology at Cornell University of Architecture at Miami of Oxford. teaching middle- and secondary-level art at in 1989. He is conducting research in the DENNIS BRACALE '88 lives in Bar North Yarmouth Academy. She and her areas of environmental microbiology Harbor with his wife, Emily. A self-em- husband, Bruce Kennett, are moving to (biodegradation/bioremediation) and mi- ployed garden designer, Dennis has been New Hampshire where they will operate a crobial ecology, specifically microbial be- working on a long-term writing project fo- book design/photography business. havior in dynamic (gradient) environments. cusing on the garden as a reflection of be- TAMMY CROSSMAN-TURNER '92 is PETER EMMET '92 is the lead instruc- liefs about nature. the librarian at Mountain View Elementary tor for Project Use, a wilderness program This fall EMILY BRACALE '90 complet- School and teaches a 15-week chemistry for youths at risk who are primarily from ed a book titled Visions of the World, incor- adult education course in Sullivan, Maine. the inner city. He plans and runs courses, porating journal entries, paintings and A Waldorf teacher at the Hawthorne trains staff, teaches environmental aware- sketches based on her travels through Asia Valley School, STUART DICKEY '82 and ness and counsels. Peter and several of his and Europe during the year of her hus- his wife, Laura Van Arsdale, are busy raising coworkers are developing a Coastal Ecolo- band's Watson Fellowship. Emily spent the their three year old, Kelsa, and running gy Center to study marine environments past two years teaching kindergarten their small farm in Hillsdale, New York. through sailing. through seventh grade in the one-room PATRICIA DODD-HAGGE m'77 ob- Residing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, school on Islesford, Maine. tained her Masters in Clinical Social Work with her husband, Cameron Erdman, and PRISCILLA BRIGHT '79 is living in at Boston College in 1988. In private prac- their children, Kelton, age four, and Aaron, Randolph, New Jersey. She is manager of tice as a psychotherapist, she works with age one, SUSAN FREED '80 is a self-em- ployed architect. A Masters candidate in Geography at the University of Maryland, SCOTT GEN- NARI '93 was awarded a double internship at the Goddard Space Flight Center to study remote sensing and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) analysis. LORI GUSTAVSON '86 presented a poster in September at an international wildlife management congress on "Integrat- ing People and Wildlife for a Sustainable Future" held in Costa Rica. Her poster was titled "Hematologic Parameters as Indica- tors of Neonatal Mortality in the Guanacos of Torres del Paine, Chile" and addressed methods for assessing the health of endan- gered wildlife populations. A Ph.D. candidate in Genetics, Universi- ty of Georgia, MATTHEW HARE '84 is diligently working on his dissertation re- search in population and conservation ge- netics, which includes molecular biological lab work with DNA. A masters candidate at Boston Universi- Orion Westervelt Riley-Elliott, son of Donna (Riley) '88 and Gary Riley-Elliott of ty, BRUCE HAZAM '91 is doing research Mt. Holly, VT, born October 17, 1993 on the uses of GIS in bat habitat studies. PHOTOS THIS SPREAD COURTESY MARCIA DORR 12 NOTES SUZANNE (FRANKLIN) HELLMAN Ireland, in February to begin archaeologi- '82 and her family have moved from New cal fieldwork for his dissertation project, Jersey to Valley Cottage, New York. Her "The Lough Swilly Archaeological Survey: second son, Jeremy, was born last New Investigations into the Neolithic Transition Year's Eve; Suzanne's social service work is in Northeast County, Ireland," which will currently on hold for full-time mothering, focus on the adoption of farming in prehis- which she loves. toric Ireland. The work will include the ap- GAIL HENDERSON-KING '82 is an as- plication of Geographic Information Sys- sociate landscape architect at Dunn Associ- tems (GIS) technology. ates in Burlington, Vermont. As a team Having conducted her graduate study at member of Rotary International, she trav- the Worsley Institute of Classical Acupunc- eled to the Burgundy and Champagne re- ture in England, MARJORIE LAU MABIE gions to study the French economy, culture '81 runs her own acupuncture practice on and countryside in April 1992. Gail has Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. Marjorie been conducting archival research on the spends as much time as she can surfing and architectural history of Shelburne Farms in enjoying the marine wildlife on the Vine- Vermont. yard. Living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, ROBERT LEDO '91 is a special educa- CHARLIE HUTCHISON '81 teaches 5th tion instructional assistant at the Mary and 6th grade social studies and language Hogan School in Fair Haven, Vermont. arts at the Fayerweather Street School. He Recently named GIS Lab director at is also teaching science in an Upward COA, GORDON LONGWORTH '90 holds Bound Program at the University of Mas- a Masters in Landscape Architecture from sachusetts, and counsels men who batter the University of Pennsylvania. He was pro- women. As a pasttime, Charlie is exploring ject manager for the GIS development of Megan, 5, and Tyler, 1, children of the technical and artistic possibilities of the the largest Emergency Management (E911) Terry and Alison (Miner) '81 Valley, of pin-hole camera. program in western Pennsylvania. Barton, VT. A field engineer for TICS, Inc., a tele- Founder and president of American Sun- phone company, MELISSA JARVIS m'92 Co, an alternative energy company based in In an article on the Harlequin duck in gave birth to her second child, Jessica Sa- Blue Hill, Maine, MILES MAIDEN '85 was the November 1993 issue of The National vannah, in October 1992. Melissa and her recently interviewed on Maine Public Ra- Geographic features, GLENN MITTEL- husband, Scott, are busy raising children dio. He and his wife, Meg Maiden, who has HAUSER '89 and his research on Isle au and cattle on their farm in Graham, North been working as a consultant for COA's de- Haut are featured. Glen has been doing Carolina. velopment department, are proud parents field research for Acadia National Park, fo- JENNIFER KASSALOW m'87 complet- of Haley Eliza Maiden, born October 19. cusing on previously unsurveyed islands be- ed her Masters in Environmental Science at Senior development associate for the longing to the park. the Yale School of Forestry and Environ- Pine Cabin Run Ecological Laboratory, Chief civil drafter for Land Use Consul- mental Studies. Her studies focused on in- DAVID MALAKOFF '86 is also a consult- tants of Portland, Maine, SALLY MORONG- dustrial environmental management and ing editor for various environmental CHETWYND '76 coordinates a living histo- environmental health sciences. From 1989- groups. He left the editorship at Friends of ry re-enactment troupe. The Presidential 1991, Jennifer was a fellow with the Natural the Earth in 1991 to spend more time with Entourage recreates Civil War battles and Resources Defense Council (NRDC), re- his family. David, wife Amy, and Ben, age encampments; it also provides lectures searching water quality and solid and haz- four, are delighted to announce the birth and demonstrations for educational pur- ardous waste disposal. In the course of her of Liam on July 24, 1993. poses. Sally portrays a foot soldier while work, she testified before the U.S. Senate "New job, new city," writes ROB MAR- her husband, Phillip, impersonates Abra- Committee on Environment and Public SHALL '85 from Phoenix, AZ. Rob has ham Lincoln. Works regarding the establishment of na- been hired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife JOSEPH NOLAN '87 worked in Eng- tional standards for ocean water monitor- Service as an endangered species biologist land for a couple of years and made a ing and mandating public notification of to coordinate the reintroduction of the Cal- roundabout trip home through Malaysia health hazards. ifornia condor in Arizona, and to handle and Thailand. He worked in interior design KENT KATZ '79 is in private practice as petitions under the endangered species act in Washington, DC, and Boston before a psychotherapist in Augusta, Maine. Prior for the listing of bird species in the South- landing in Binghamton, New York. Joe has to moving to Maine last winter, he was west. served as field manager of historic renova- chief inpatient clinical psychologist and an HEATHER MARTIN-ZBORAY '93 is tion for Trozzo & Co architects, restoring assistant professor at Case Western Reserve the coordinator for "Bangor Beautiful," a the Binghamton Court House and re- University. Kent received Case Western's non-profit organization that promotes recy- designing residential homes for elderly Teacher of the Year award in 1992. cling and the aesthetic appearance of Ban- housing and for the Association for Retard- MICHAEL KIMBALL '87 resides in gor, Maine. She is planning a major ed Citizens. After traveling to Kenya in the Wisconsin with his wife, Lori Gustafson. cleanup initiative to be held in conjunction summer of 1992, he studied architecture at He is preparing to go to County Donegal, with the annual Kenduskeag Canoe Race. the University of Buffalo. Joe is now pursu- -continued on page 14 13 Personal Notes continued from page13 ing his life-long interest in painting and land, Maine, representing unions, employ- 1983-85. She completed her graduate stud- travel. ees and individuals, primarily in civil rights ies at the University of Rhode Island in Director of land conservation for the cases. He and his wife, Audrey, have two 1992. Maine Coast Heritage Trust, CAROLINE children, Chelsea, age four, and Benjamin, M. Weber Associates is the name of the NORDEN v78 is responsible for land pro- age eight. graphic design business MICHAEL WE- tection in the mid-coast region and direct- A drafter and technical writer for ORS BER '83 has started. He works with corpo- ing the trust's stewardship program. Environmental Equipment, LAURA rate identity and packaging design, and DAVID NORTH m'85 has been divid- STARR-HOUGHTON '84 resides with her with strategic communications. Michael re- ing his time between seasonal ornithologi- growing family in Weare, New Hampshire. ceived a BFA from Rhode Island School of cal research and restoration carpentry. Dateline-November 21, 1993, Raven's Design. Over the past few years, he has served as Watch, Thorndike, Maine, the Homestead "Like most other human ecologists," tern and raptor biologist for New Hamp- of BENNETT (Verbeck) '89 and Karen SARA WENDT '85 writes, "I've been try- shire Audubon and assistant field biologist STEWARD: "Mostly I'm giving myself the ing to squeeze all of my passions into this for the Point Reyes Bird Observatory. space and permission to find my own light life. Diana Cohn '85 and I have been BENONI OUTERBRIDGE '83 has and follow it, doing what I love to do, split- teaching fourth grade [at the Little Red gone back to graduate school at New York ting wood, clearing land, and eating winter School] in New York City for the last three University to get a masters and certifica- squash by a warm fire and learning how years. Recently, we've been writing about tion to teach high school history. not to be so uptight about life. My message our philosophical approach to education Having completed her M.S. in Natural for the day: relax, this is a safe universe. and what we do in the classroom for publi- Resources and Environmental Education Have fun, and the whole Human Family cation. at the University of Michigan in August will benefit." I've also been 'playing the part' of a per- 1992, MARGARET T. PENNOCK '84 is GREGORY STONE '82 is a marine bi- cussionist and singer for the poet's band interested in teaching environmental edu- ologist and Japan program manager for HOMER EROTIC, a group of six women- cation and in designing teacher-training the National Oceanographic and Atmo- poets, musicians and dancers-who are try- programs in Australia. She is now in spheric Administration (NOAA) in Wash- ing to do nothing less than change the Freeport, Maine, teaching grades 3-5. ington, DC. Over the past two years, he world! We will tour internationally next In a recent post card, GREGORY has been conducting research and develop- summer. RAINOFF '81 writes, "I am working in ing cooperative science programs with the The other passion I've been able to real- Hollywood doing graphics and optics, and Japanese government and the marine sci- ize is to be a professional dancer. I've been churning out fodder for the Hollywood entific community. Greg was selected to be continuously dancing with several small Grist Mill." the first non-Japanese person to dive in the companies in New York and get most of CATHY RAMSDELL '78 is the finan- SHINKAI 6500 deep sea submersible, cur- my joy and excitement from teaching cial officer for the Island Institute in Rock- rently the world's deepest diving subma- African dance to children. land, Maine. When she is not dealing with rine. He is a member of the U.S. Embassy's I still live in Manhattan and would love COA's financial picture as vice-chair of the science council in Tokyo and was invited to hear from you! 215 W. 14th St. #3A NY, Board of Trustees and the Finance Com- to be a member of the Marine Mammal NY 10011." mittee, Cathy is preparing for her next Scientific Advisory Committee for the RAY WIRTH '82 is an English teacher marathon. South Pacific Regional Environmental Pro- at Nokomis Regional High School in New- A self-employed draughtsman, BAR- gram. port, Maine. Ray lives with his wife, Lisa, BARA SASSAMAN 78 spent the past year A part-time writer, KATRIN (Hyman) and daughter, Michaela, age 11, in Belfast. overseeing the construction of COA's new TCHANA '83 is working for the Vermont Currently a vocational rehabilitation Gates Community Center. She is currently Refugee Resettlement as an ESL teacher. counselor for the Rochester Rehabilitation the vice president of Bar Harbor's only Katrina, Eugene and their three-year-old Center in Rochester, New York, CYN- child care organization, Kids' Corner. son live in Burlington. THIA WREND '82 has also been involved MARGARET SCHEID '85 was recently JILL TABBUTT '74 develops curricula with Camp NaCOAra, a residential camp named director of Mount Desert Island and trains health service providers in devel- for children from families with alcohol/ Hospital's PATCH (Planned Approach to oping countries as a family planning and drug dependence. Cindy has decided to re- Community Health) program. Formerly training consultant. Recent consultant turn to graduate school in human resource with Acadia National Park, Meg is the au- work has taken her to Ghana, Jamaica, management, labor relations and organiza- thor of Discovering Acadia. Kenya, Nigeria, the Phillipines, Romania, tional development and is interested in Librarian at the Tremont Elementary Rwanda, Tunisia and Uganda. hearing from alums who have studied or School in Bass Harbor, Maine, KRISTIE Attorney FRANK TWOHILL '79 was pursued any of these fields. She is also SIMKO '91 has been working with teach- recently elected as a town meeting repre- looking for Ellen Sullivan's address. ers on curriculum development and pre- sentative in Branford, Connecticut. He is Cindy's new address is 1126 Whitlock senting storytelling and puppetry pro- also a director of the Branford Land Con- Road, Rochester, New York 14609, home grams for the K-8 students. servation Trust. Frank received his law de- phone (716) 266-7277. As senior analytical engineer for Pratt & gree in 1982. Whitney Aircraft, MARK SIMONDS '81 CLAIRE VERDIER '80 is a nurse prac- designs, tests and develops aerodynamic titioner at the University of Connecticut's m=Matriculant components for gas turbine engines. health center. Upon completing her stud- sp=Special KAIGHN SMITH v78 is currently asso- ies at COA, Claire served as a Peace Corps s=Summer ciate attorney for Fontaine & Beal of Port- volunteer nurse in Central Africa from v=Visiting 14 Boardman continued from page 4 of the region's riverine ecosystem. marked by a few halting steps, but Focusing a community conservation work on the hotel is now under way effort on a single, high profile species and completion of the Manatee Buoy like the Howler monkey or the West Project is about to become a reality. Indian manatee can work to the advan- Fifty-five buoys will be used to mark off tage of the entire ecosystem in situa- an underwater up-welling of fresh wa- tions where the protection of the "star" ter frequented by manatees, an area species translates into protection for 800 to 1,000 feet in diameter. an entire region's flora and fauna. Giv- Collisions with power boats are a ing top billing to an intriguing animal major threat to the manatee popula- like the Howler monkey, or to an en- tion. Manatees are in the lagoon all the dangered species like the manatee, en- time, but not everybody knows that. sures the attention and support of the Boardman points to the pressing need world's eco-tourists. for warning strangers from other parts of the country that they should motor Relying on tourism as a means for inti- slowly while in the lagoons. tiating economic growth and to help Boardman has spent this past sum- fund infrastructure for a village may mer and fall in Cambridge, Massachu- seem an anachronism, but it should be setts, working to secure the funding for remembered that very few of the peo- the installation of the Manatee Buoy ple in the rural areas of Belize actually Project through grants. She also has have title to their lands. The resources taken on private landscape design jobs that villagers have been using for gen- to subsidize her return to Belize. As of erations could soon be lost as more early October she had raised the ma- private land ownership occurs with jority of the needed funds and was changing times and rapid develop- planning to return to Gales Point in ment. With access to resources taken January. She estimates that the buoy in- away, many families may be forced to stallation will require eight weeks of move from the village or to work for Adult West Indian manatee (after a work, between gathering volunteers someone else-often foreign-owned drawing by John Quinn). In a 1987 and finishing the actual marking off of lumber companies or citrus orchards. aerial survey, Southern Lagoon on the the designated section of the lagoon. By creating the cooperative and hope- coast of Belize was found to have the The issues surrounding the cre- fully in the near future the reserve, the largest population of manatees in the ation of a park or preservation area villagers of Gales Point will be able to Caribbean. have been central to Boardman's work continue to have a voice in the future in Belize over the last two years. "A of these resources and retain control tributed her map-making skills to the park is a double-edged sword," she ex- over their own future. team working on the zoning plan. plains; "it protects even as it attracts One of the first projects taken on There were no guidelines for the development and additional users, and by the Gales Point Progressive Cooper- planners and no concept of what their this can be problematic." ative was the planning and construc- end product might be. A large part of In reflecting on her experience in tion of a small, community-owned and Boardman's job was familiarizing mem- Belize, Boardman has come to realize -managed hotel. Scheduled to open in bers of the village with environmental that it takes a certain kind of person the winter or spring of 1994, the hotel terms and concepts. For instance, she to effectively work at the community will have seven rooms, a library, and a had to explain the effect certain farm- level. Such work, she notes, can be space for holding conferences or class- ing practices up river would have on frustrating and time-consuming, espe- es, the latter designed with the needs the lagoon and fishing-basic water- cially if one has preconceptions about of environmental groups like Earth- shed management principles. how long things should take-"like Watch in mind. A bed-and-breakfast as- "The villagers are very knowledge- most of us in the States have," she sociation has been established, with able," Boardman notes, "but working adds. "To raise the level of dialogue lodging and simple meals provided in with maps, environmental concepts, fu- and to help people arrive at a consen- village homes. A local products associa- ture projections and potential degrada- sus for what's best for them as a tion and a farmers association are in tions was completely foreign to them." whole: I think that's a gift." And, one the planning stages. She found it a challenge to work with might say, a goal Boardman herself is In November 1991, just as Board- people whose tradition of subsistence well on the way to achieving. man arrived in Gales Point, Belize's fishing and hunting-methods of sur- Ministry of Natural Resources declared vival ruled by the seasons and depen- A COAA board member, Louise Tremblay the region a "special development dent upon abundance, not resource '91 is a freelance writer who is exploring area." The Manatee Special Develop- managemen-had provided little expe- careers in media. Her interview with Amy ment Area became one of four such rience with planning for the future. Goodman v'80 appeared in the last issue of designated regions within the country. The Peregrine. Louise spent the fall of Boardman wrote zoning recommenda- The initial stages of creating the Gales 1993 interning with Amy at WBAI-FM tions for the coastal lands and con- Point Progressive Cooperative were community radio in New York City. 15 Anderson continued from page 9 Weikart continued from page 10 don't have one. You will be answering make us to be alone. We do things you're not going to get a lot done. that question for the rest of your lives, best together. When we fight togeth- Together we can change the world. with your lives. er, love together, cry, laugh, tell sto- Second, much of what we have ries There is no reason for all Eric Weikart is telling stories and writing tried to teach you comes down to these lonely people; it is a sign to me children's books in New York City. He re- "question authority." Remember that how far we have come from knowing cently did a storytelling program at the Mu- there are times when authority has a what community means. We have a seum of Natural History and told a story good answer, and also times when it is built-in need to touch, hold, love and on WBAI radio. He conducts storytelling more effective to go around than over. support each other. We have the and environmental workshops throughout If you waste all your energy in the right to come to the place where we the New England area. For information, foothills, you will never climb the belong. write Wind Wolf Storytelling, 536 W. mountains. So I say to you, join a group and 111th Street, #5, New York, NY 10025, or Third, "From those to whom much change the world because by yourself call 212-866-7871. is given, much is expected." A lot of people would literally kill to have three or four years to think and read and ex- periment. Those of us who have re- In the next Peregrine: Ethical Investing ceived college educations have been given a great gift in this troubled and As human ecologists, how do we deal with the issues of day-to-day expenses ever poorer world. We owe a great and life-long financial planning? How do we use our personal resources to ex- deal to all the people who never get to press our ethical concerns? And how have these issues impacted those of us graduate for giving us the chance. who have established, or work for, a business? Finally, fare well wherever you fare. We'd like to hear your thoughts on these and other questions regarding Drop me a postcard sometime. ethical investing. The Peregrine staff requests feature articles, between 500 and John 1,000 words in length (approximately two to four double-spaced pages), on this topic. These articles are meant to provide an opportunity for members of "Across the evening sky our COAA community to share knowledge, experience and expertise. Ideally, all the birds are leaving." feature articles should express the voice of the writer while remaining rooted in factual information. John Anderson teaches zoology, behavioral ecology, anatomy and physiology at College We would also like to create a forum for dialogue among the COAA com- of the Atlantic. He holds degrees from the munity. The Peregrine would like to receive brief personal commentaries from University of California, Berkeley, San alums that respond to previous articles, current happenings at COA, or any Francisco State University and the Univer- topic of interest to them. Due to space considerations, the editors reserve the sity of Rhode Island, where he received his right to condense editorials. Ph.D. in biological sciences in 1987. He is Please send your typed articles/commentaries on ethical investing to: Alice Leeds presently editing for publication a man- uscript on ecology and natural history writ- 69 Maple St., Bristol, VT 05443 ten by the late William H. Drury, Jr. This Deadline for the next issue is March 15, 1994. letter appeared in Off the Wall in May. COLLEGE NON-PROFIT OF THE ORGANIZATION ATLANTIC U.S. Postage Paid Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 Alumni Permit# 47 Association 105 Eden Street, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 Printed on recycled paper If you do not want to receive The Peregrine or you have received more than one copy per household, our apologies. Please write to us to let us know and we will promptly correct our mailing list.