Proctor Academy Mountain Classroom

The Hurricane Island Foundation hosted ten Proctor Academy students and two of their staff for 6 days on Hurricane Island. Their work included a Lobster Fisheries Program for two days in May.

These students had been traveling from the West Coast to East Coast of the continental US studying food systems from fisheries on the West Coast to agricultural farming in the Midwest. Proctor students used Hurricane as a place to work on their independent projects as the culmination of their cross-country trip. They also did service work, including digging the ditch for the cable for our power system. In addition, these students spent two days doing a program on lobster fisheries, and visited the Vinalhaven Fisherman’s Co-op as part of this study.

A snapshot of materials covered in this course:

• Overview/Presentation of Lobster Fishery in Maine- Policies, Regulations, Zone descriptions, DMR, Trap limits, Annual Yields, Bait industry, Distribution, Canada/US, Stock Assessment, Lobster research in Maine etc., take Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Recreational Lobster License Exam.
• Overview of lobster gear (traps, rope, buoys, bait, tools etc.).
• Buoy painting
• Coastal Cleanup—collect fisheries related marine debris around Hurricane
• Lobster Anatomy and Biology
• Trip out on a Vinalhaven lobster boat

Inaugural dip of the Eastern Flyer

We are happy to announce that our new boat, the Eastern Flyer is now in the water and ready to steam us to and from Hurricane Island for this season! She is a 31’ Parker, with twin 130hp 4-stroke outboard engines

Eastern Flyer being lowered into Rockland harbor at Journey's End Marina

North Haven ROV Building

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North Haven 9th and 10th graders spent a little over a week in March, 2013 building three “Sea Perch” remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for future underwater exploration.  The ROV design process taught students how to solder components onto a printed circuit board for the control box, assemble a PVC frame, and mount thrusters or underwater propellers to help steer the unit.  Students also learned how to deal with the complications of working underwater—dealing with visibility issues, waterproofing, and factoring in the buoyancy of their robots.

North Haven Middle School

In September 2012, North Haven Community School middle schoolers stayed overnight for a learning expedition exploring Hurricane Island’s wild edibles using Euell Gibbons’ book A Wild Way to Eat, written for Outward Bound students in 1967. Students used a nature journal designed by our science educator, along with Gibbons’ detailed descriptions of the plants and animals that existed locally 45 years ago to track the changes that the intervening time has wrought. They collected and analyzed samples of plants, fungi, and sea creatures, and they helped to prepare a meal created with wild foods they collected! Each student also produced a field guide entry for their assigned edible plant.

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One student's field guide entry for Rosa Rugosa

North Haven Edible Botany

In 2012, North Haven Community School middle schoolers stayed overnight for a learning expedition exploring Hurricane Island’s wild edibles using Euell Gibbons’ book A Wild Way to Eat, written for Outward Bound students in 1967. Students used a nature journal designed by our science educator, along with Gibbons’ detailed descriptions of the plants and animals that existed locally 45 years ago to track the changes that the intervening time has wrought. They collected and analyzed samples of plants, fungi, and sea creatures, and they helped to prepare a meal created with wild foods they collected! Each student also produced a field guide entry for their assigned edible plant. 

A North Haven student learns about the wild beach pea