Farm-to-Table Harvest Moon Supper

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The menu from the evening

On September 8th, the night of the Harvest Moon, we hosted 45 guests for a dinner catered by Ladleah Dunn, who owns and operates Sailors Rest Farm in Lincolnville, Maine. The theme was island-sourced farm-to-table dining. HIF staff have worked hard this year to grow more of our own food on island, and this supper was a great way to celebrate our own garden efforts. Ladleah did a superb job of sourcing the ingredients for the meal from the mid-coast area.

Guests enjoyed a ride out to Hurricane on the Equinox and the Reliance and were welcomed with an Elderberry Kir Royal. After a walk around the main campus and up to the gardens, guests sat down to a four-course meal. As dinner came to a close Ladleah introduced herself and her staff, and explained her love for Hurricane Island, which started when she was a student on Hurricane 15 years ago. As the Harvest moon rose over Greens Island crème brulee and coffee were served for desert. 

We are very grateful for those who joined us for our Farm to Table dinner this fall, and hope to continue the tradition in years to come as we continue to expand our gardens and grow more of our own food on Hurricane. Thank you to all of the local farms and venders, and especially to Ladleah and her fantastic staff for making it such a memorable night.

Family Day on Hurricane

To bid farewell to the summer season and welcome the start of school and fall on Hurricane Island we hosted our first Family Day on Saturday August 30th, 2014. The goal of the event was to get kids of all ages and their parents out to the island to learn a bit more about the Center For Science and Leadership’s mission and programs, as well as enjoy a day of both staff-led and self-guided exploration and fun.

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Enjoying an outdoor barbecue!

The morning kicked off with a staff-led hike around the island. Stops included the meadow garden, and vistas of Little Hurricane Island, Gibbon’s Point, and our small sand beach on the northeast side of the island. As we hiked, staff shared some fun natural history information about the island, stopping to smell the fragrant bayberry leaves and eat huckleberries. Everyone enjoyed a picnic and s’more making during an outside barbecue lunch. For the afternoon session, families were able to choose from a variety of activities: to go on a history hike to learn about the quarrying town that used to reside on Hurricane until 1914; participate in arts and crafts where we made cyanotype sunprints and pet rocks; or take their own stroll around the island. It was a beautiful day on the island and it was energizing to have learners of all ages out on the island at once! Thanks families!

Outward Bound celebrates "50 years on course"

Hurricane Island was the island base for Outward Bound from 1964-2006, and this year marks their 50th anniversary as the Maine Outward Bound School. Although their base has since moved operations to Wheeler's Bay, both organizations collaborated to co-host part of the festivities on Hurricane Island in order to celebrate their history out here, and also celebrate the rebirth of the Hurricane Island as a new educational resource for Maine students and beyond.

Assembling on morning meeting rock

Boats sailed in and filled Hurricane Sound, and soon sounds from revelers filled Hurricane Island, as nearly 400 people returned to reminisce about the life-changing experiences that occurred in this space and shaped them as educators, sailors, and adventurers. Staff from the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership showed guests around our updated facilities, and explained how we are engaging students in our science, sustainability, and leadership initiatives while fostering a new learning community for students, teachers, and field scientists. You can read more about our summer programs here.

Current Outward Bound educators arrived to this event fresh off course, and shared stories and memories with old time educators, and the morning-meeting rock buzzed with excitement, joy, music, and readings. We all celebrated on the evening of August 23rd with a lobster cookout and live music, and the dancing only stopped because we couldn't convince the band to keep playing! Guests finally made their way back to the "tent city" that filled the south end of the island, and then awoke for a final morning meeting before filling boats and then ferries to return home.

We are so glad that we were able to share our space with Outward Bound, and give everyone an opportunity to convene and celebrate Hurricane Island. You can view photos of this event here.