Vinalhaven Land Trust

Students try their hand at carving granite

In mid June seventh grade students from Vinalhaven sponsored by the Vinalhaven Land Trust came out to Hurricane for a two-day exploration of the island and its history. Educators Alice Anderson, Josie Gates, and Oakley Jackson led students in a history hike around the island, talking about different important historical spots and helping students create a picture of what quarrying looked like on Hurricane over a century ago. Despite Hurricane’s close proximity to Vinalhaven, only one student had visited the island before, but several had family members who had lived and quarried on Hurricane.

The evening on island was filled with learning about sustainable energy and how Hurricane strives to operate as its own sustainable island community. Being from Vinalhaven the students already had great insight as to the efforts, triumphs, and struggles it takes to live on a small island in Maine. Students also participated in leadership activities and games, and had possibly the best strategy the Hurricane staff has ever seen to complete the Helium Stick challenge. They executed great communication and teamwork!

VH students sit in at the foundation of the old catholic church and make observations and educated guesses about what else might have been in this area during the quarry era

After a cozy night spent in our new bunkhouse, students spent the morning learning about Leave No Trace ethics and principles. They played a game identifying proper durable surfaces to camp and hike on, practiced digging a cat hole, and made up fun skits about different LNT principles to act out for their classmates. After lunch they played a game of Island Jeopardy, which put them to the test to remember facts and information that they had learned during their time on Hurricane. They all did a great job! Thanks for joining us on Hurricane Vinalhaven seventh graders; it’s always a joy to host other islanders. Happy summer vacation!

Masonry Oven Building Workshop

We had a great week at the end of May with some incredibly talented artisans building a new masonry brick oven for Hurricane.  The oven is located in the old quarry-era foundation (which used to be the bank) across from the kitchen and mess hall on Hurricane Island. The instructor for this workshop, Pat Manley, has built all of the major bread ovens in Maine restaurants (you may have enjoyed had some delicious food cooked in one of his ovens at Cafe Miranda in Rockland) and Pat even goes abroad with Mason's on a Mission to build safe masonry cook stoves for families in Guatemala. The group benefited from his expertise, and we are benefiting from their hard work! Our next big project is to face the oven in granite blocks so that it can last for many seasons to come! 

Pat Manley helps masonry workshop participants lay the last of the fire brick over the arched roof of the oven.

What's so great about a masonry oven? A masonry oven uses all of the cooking methods: convection, conduction, and radiant heat to cook your food, so pizzas end up with perfect crusts, bread-baking is a breeze, and we can roast a delicious chicken. Hungry yet? The best news is that we are looking forward to having Ladleah Dunn, of Sailor's Rest Farm in Lincolnville, ME teach a masonry oven baking course in the Fall. This course will be jam-packed with information and tips on the art and science of cooking using brick ovens, but more importantly participants will help make some amazing meals for everyone to enjoy. Stay tuned!

Cambridge School of Weston

The Cambridge School of Weston (CSW) Marine Biology program from Weston, MA came out to Hurricane for a 10-day intensive field program where students learned about the scallop and lobster fisheries of Maine, the rocky intertidal zone, and also designed their own independent research projects using the marine environment around Hurricane Island. We look forward to working with the Marine Biology class on an annual basis: new students will be able to look back and build on previous years projects, and hopefully create some ongoing research initiatives!

You can read more about their program in this article, published by the Boston Globe.

Gould Academy

Students and staff from Gould Academy joined us on Hurricane Island for a few days of fun and exploration. Upon their arrival they participated in leadership initiatives, a long hike around the island, and a chilly plunge into the ocean off of the pier. A cook out dinner on the South end was followed by a journey through “the crack” and board games illuminated by headlamps. Luckily the rain held off the next morning and students were able to take charge in a massive beach clean up around Gibbon’s Point on the Northern side of Hurricane, coming back with over 500 pieces of marine debris and dozens of lobster buoys. Science Educator Alice Anderson led a discussion about Maine’s lobster industry and lobster anatomy, and students got a chance to try hauling one of Hurricane’s lobster traps by hand. Thank you Gould Academy students for toughing out the wet spring weather! 

Gould students, still smiling after a polar plunge into the Atlantic

Proctor Academy May 2014 Visit

It was our pleasure to host some new and familiar faces from Proctor Academy for a weekend of service projects on Hurricane Island. Students participated in a wide variety of helpful ways, including digging trenches, clearing brush, and fixing up an old peapod boat. Despite the wet and cold weather they had high spirits and great enthusiasm. Thank you Proctor students and staff for all of your help! 

Logan School from Denver CO

It is always a pleasure to host students and teachers on Hurricane Island who have never been to the Maine coast before, and this spring we got the chance to do so with 26 students and four chaperones from the Logan School of Creative Learning in Denver, Colorado. Their four-day stay on Hurricane Island was part of a weeklong trip to the East Coast, visiting both Massachusetts and Maine.   

Much of the programming for the Logan School students revolved around exploring the intertidal zone and understanding and identifying the sea creatures that call Hurricane’s tidal areas home. Being from Colorado, for many students this was their first experience venturing into intertidal areas. Students were enthusiastic about the diversity of life that they found and raised thoughtful questions about what it takes to live in intertidal climates. Of course, a trip to Hurricane would not be complete without a look at lobsters, and Science Educator Alice Anderson led a lesson in lobster biology as well as a discussion about the Maine lobster industry’s past, present, and future.

Students gather around fish totes to examine their invertebrate collections from the days low tide

Coming from a land locked area of the United States, the Logan School students took great interest in the challenges and opportunities that come with living on a small island, and how the use of sustainable energy can meet these challenges.  They identified ways in which Hurricane uses sustainable energy and infrastructure to power the island and gave presentations on how Hurricane’s solar panels and water and compost systems help the island achieve goals in self-sufficiency. During their final reflections many students spoke of the importance that this lesson had on them, and how they will be more conscientious about their own use of energy upon their return home.

A highlight of Logan School’s time on Hurricane was doing a beach clean up along the island’s shores. Students kept track of the debris that they found on the Rozalia Project’s marine debris form that the Center for Science and Leadership will submit to The Rozalia Project to help in their continuous efforts to remove marine debris from the ocean and it’s coastlines. Thank you Logan School students for helping us keep our coastlines beautiful!

Other highlights included hikes to sunset rock, campfires, walks around the island, planting seeds, playing Frisbee, and the season’s first jumps off the pier into the ocean. Summer must be on its way!

Students enjoy a great view from sunset rock.

Earth Day on Hurricane Island

15 teachers from 12 schools all around Maine (from Fryeburg to Bangor) came out to Hurricane Island April 22, 2014 to enjoy Earth Day and learn more about the programs we offer and design for schools. We are so excited to be able to share our island with new educators and are looking forward to getting more new schools from Maine out to explore, discover, and learn on Hurricane!

Teachers gather to learn about the sustainable infrastructure that helps us reduce our impact while we do programs on Hurricane

Casco Bay High School Service Learning

This past winter, Casco Bay High School seniors Neil, Clare, and Lizzy collaborated with Hurricane Island Foundation to design and lead a four-day expedition on Hurricane during late spring for sixteen of their fellow high school peers and two chaperones. The expedition was called, “How To Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable In the Outdoors,” and focused on bringing young people together through time spent in the outdoors. The idea came about for their senior project, a great example of how Casco Bay High School’s model as an Expeditionary Learning Mentor School encourages students to engage and take the lead with their learning.

Despite chilly temperatures and a morning waking up to snow, students fully engaged with their surroundings on Hurricane. Neil, Clare, and Lizzy did a great job at creating and leading daily lessons, which included leadership exercises, hiking and exploring the island, learning about Hurricane Island’s history, teaching and implementing Leave No Trace practices, and a two-hour reflective solo.

They also incorporated an element of service learning into their time on Hurricane. Every morning students helped Hurricane staff with various projects around the island including landscaping, building repairs and cleaning, and brush clearing, which proved to be a tremendous help.

During the students’ final night on Hurricane, Neil, Clare, and Lizzy led a reflection circle, prompting students to think about their time on Hurricane, how it was impactful, and what lessons from their experience they hoped to translate into their life back home. Reflections resonated around how grateful they were for the relationships they made with their peers in thanks to the close and connected community that Hurricane Island’s environment encourages. Casco Bay High School’s experience was a great example of how Hurricane Island can be used as a site for implementing tremendous leadership skills and making close connections with your fellow island peers.