Summer Flies

Post by Oakely Jackson, Program Instructor

We have been wrapped up in the bustle of summer for several months now. The peak of the season has been marked by a full harbor, a dock jam-packed with tenders and pleasure cruisers and the island alive with plants and programs.  As the so called “Mayor of Hurricane” (I am honored Bob) I have been keeping track of the comings and goings of the island and playing host to the masses, which have been as many as fifty people at times.  That many individuals can sure go through a lot of TP, water and Goldfish. We are kept busy raking the composting toilets flat, filling our beloved blue water jugs on Vinalhaven, and keeping enough vittles on the table.

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Our dishes have been supplemented with greens and veggies from our gardens.  The straw bale garden is over-flowing with squash, cucumbers, broccoli and green tomatoes.  The berries are also in season and most guests leave the island with raspberry stained fingers.  We now have a hive of honey bees on the island and the multitude of wildflowers are constantly being plundered of their pollen. In order to provide the bees with a greater variety of options we put in a new flower garden between the flywheel and Sam’s cabin.  Although we have out-witted the deer (I have seen several does and a buck this summer) with our new and improved fencing, we opted to not fence the flowers and there has been a lot of nibbling going on… R.I.P. sunflowers.

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Even with plenty of summer left, I am getting the sense that things are starting to wind down. With only a few summer programs to go and the interns leaving soon it is sad to admit that another season is coming to a close.  In the three years I have been on Hurricane, for the first time this summer it has felt like we truly have a functioning community with enough people to run the island and the type of team cohesion that gets you excited to go to morning meeting. A major role in any community is the cook, and Micah brought us all together in the galley, both with the production of food and the sharing of meals. Micah is a techno-crazed magician who can produce the most scrumptious food while never missing a beat. Micah is now off to another island, this time in the Bahamas, and we are left to wonder when the next time we will eat beans out of a pressure cooker will be. You will be missed dearly Bean King, go forth and prosper!

Marine Biology 2015

Post by Alice and Jacque, program leads

We enjoyed a fun, jam-packed week with a great group of students exploring the marine environment in Hurricane Sound and beyond August 2-8, 2015. On their arrival day, students got oriented to the island by leaning about Hurricane’s quarry history and our current sustainable systems including our solar power array, our constructed wetland for filtering grey water, and our composting toilets. After dinner, we enjoyed a short hike to Gibbons Point to the see the sunset and enjoy each others company.

The Craftier Rafters before deploying their raft in the Ice Pond. Click through for more photos from the program

Our first full day started with a focus on lobster and scallops, two of Maine’s most important fisheries. Bailey, our scallop research intern, showed students how to collect data underwater and explained her current research processing spat (larval scallops) bags. Jacque and Jenn challenged students to use the concepts of density, water displacement and surface area when designing a series of submarines and boats. Everyone had a chance to look at lobsters up close, and learn more about the lobster fishery and about lobster biology. That afternoon, students prepared for the raft challenge by first learning useful knots with Silas and Oakley. Using just bamboo, plastic barrels, different lengths of rope, and their new knowledge of density and knot tying, students were challenged to design a raft in two hours that could successfully float them across the Ice Pond. In the end, team “Craftier Rafters” prevailed with a triangular shaped raft that students rode victoriously across the Ice Pond. The other team,  the “OG Crafty Rafters” faced some challenges with their raft, but as enjoyed working as a team shared lots of laughs and teamwork.

The morning of our second day was spent exploring the rocky intertidal near Two Bush Island and collecting critters to examine back in the lab. Despite a rainy morning, students had a blast working as a team to collect and identify the organisms they found. Using field guides, microscopes, and hand lenses, they identified a total of 27 different species including nudibranchs and waved whelks. Based on their observations of organisms and patterns in the intertidal zone, students split into three groups to formulate different questions to drive their group research projects they would conduct the next day. After lunch, students explored the challenges of underwater engineering as they constructed two Sea Perch, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) which can move around underwater connected to a tether. Our hardworking students built all the components, including soldering together an electrical control box, making the motors for the propellers water tight, and designing a PVC frame. While two teams tackled the Sea Perch, the other group of students took Hurricane Sound by sail. While sailing, they observed sea birds and utilized map reading to navigate around our rocky coastline.

The crew after a successful morning collecting data in the intertidal at Two Bush Island

On Wednesday, each group of students set out to collect their data to support their research questions during low tide. Armed with different sized quadrats, measuring tools, and buckets, students carried out their data collection procedures that that varied from measuring and counting snails, to determining the ratio of invasive crabs to native crabs. For the rest of the morning, some students learned to rock-climb with Sam, where they strengthened their knot tying skills, learned how to safely belay one another, and challenged themselves to climbing the 60 foot rock face in the quarry. Others spent time in the lab, dissecting herring and analyzing the anatomy of a fish. We also took a closer look at plankton, and discussed why these microscopic organisms are vital for life in the ocean.

That afternoon, students built a passive drifter. This low-cost, ocean drifter is equipped with a GPS unit, and will be one of more than 1000 drifters that have been sent out to sea over the last 10 years. Drifter data, collected via satellite, are used by NOAA to track ocean currents and the movement of plankton in the Gulf of Maine. Our passive drifter, decorated with students names and the Hurricane Island logo, will soon be deployed offshore by the Rozalia Project.

An underwater view from Hector the Collector, Rachael's ROV that she uses to help pick up marine debris.

Thursday we took a field trip to a nearby island to conduct a marine debris cleanup along the shoreline. Students looked high and low for trash of all kinds, and in just over an hour collected 563 pieces of debris! As we collected, each piece was recorded and categorized on a data sheet, which we also update into an online marine debris tracking platform. Following our cleanup, we returned to Hurricane to attend a presentation by Rachael Miller, the co-founder of the Rozalia Project. She spoke to students about the impacts of marine debris on ocean health and how they each can contribute to a cleaner ocean. After a tour of the American Promise, the Project’s 60ft sailboat, and a look at Rachael's ROV Hector the Collector, students and staff ended the night with a campfire and s’mores, and a lesson about the stars.

With binoculars in hand, students started the last full day with a hike around the island learning about sea birds and their habitat. The exploring continued with another hike to the highest point on the island. In the afternoon, students hoped aboard a local lobsterman’s boat and headed out to sea to haul traps. On the boat, we experienced a day in the life of a fisherman, as we measured the keepers, refilled bait bags, and practiced banding lobsters. Back in the lab, Alice and Jacque assisted students as they processed and analyzed their data from Wednesday's trek in the intertidal. Students made conclusions about their results, in preparation for their presentations the next day.  

On our final day, students proudly presented their intertidal projects to the Hurricane Island staff and gave insight into the ecology of life on the shoreline. The final hours on Hurricane were spent swimming, rowing in one of our gigs, and enjoying a cookout lunch on the South End. We had a fantastic time with these students and it was sad to see them go, but we hope to see them next summer or back in the future as interns on Hurricane!

5-Day WFR 2015

Participants from the second Wilderness First Responder (WFR) program of our 2015 season enjoyed Hurricane Island at the peak of summer and the peak of our busy season. Along with 14 WFR participants, we were also running our Marine Biology summer program and hosting Overland students as part of their Maine Leadership program. All combined, we had nearly 60 participants and staff on the island for a sun-filled week which was bustling with activity!

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Participants learn how to improvise splints using lifejackets, sleeping pads, and other available materials

WFR courses are normally a week long, so the five-day WFR is always a whirlwind of instruction. Participants split time learning in the classroom about how body systems respond to shock and stress, and in the field where staged scenarios gave everyone hands-on learning opportunities to stabilize patients suffering from a range of ailments including lightning strikes, traumatic brain injuries, and hypothermia. One of the realities of living on Hurricane is that we are in a "wilderness" setting and cannot immediately access definitive care. Safety is a priority out here, so is our pleasure to support the efforts of Wilderness Medical Associates and send more certified first responders out into the world! Congratulations, and thanks for helping save lives!

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Circle of Trust Retreat

“I think people need to reconnect with nature up close and personal if they are going to become stewards and help protect our environment, so this type of program that does just that is incredibly needed, meaningful and empowering”

— Dave Oaks

The Center for Ecological Living and Learning in cooperation with the Center for Courage and Renewal welcomed 8 participants and facilitators Dave Oakes and Holly Wilkinson for a two-day Circle of Trust Retreat on Hurricane Island. The goal of the retreat was to give participants the space to reconnect with nature and experience a sense of renewal by immersing themselves in the natural beauty of Hurricane Island. Music, poetry, communal time, and solo experiences allowed participants to experience inner healing, celebrate the outdoors, and reflect on how to be better environmental stewards and continue to protect the environment.

The signature event of the retreat was a chance for participants to spend sustained time reflecting in nature and connecting to their inner and outer landscapes with an overnight solo experience. After dinner on Saturday night, participants dispersed around the island for a solo and returned to the main campus to share a silent group fire.

We were thrilled to be able to include Circle of Trust participants in a dinner that was foraged and prepared by our Island Ecology students who were also out on the island learning about the natural history and ecology of Hurricane's terrestrial landscape.

We look forward to welcoming Dave and Holly and another Circle of Trust group back to Hurricane next year!

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Island Ecology 2015

Post by Program Instructors Chloe Tremper and Olivia Lukacic

Five high school students, a little unsure of what to expect, assembled on foggy Hurricane Island for the first day of our week-long Island Ecology program. What followed was an incredible week filled with laughter, plants, creatures, and adventures of all kinds. The students joined our community from all over New England (plus Philadelphia), and each brought their own interests, excitement, and personalities.

After everyone settled into the bunkhouse, Chloe and Olivia showed students the ropes of the main campus, went over Hurricane's sustainability systems, and shared pieces about the history of the island. We finished the day with sit spots, which are a part of the program routine. These 30-60 minute long sit spots give students time to reflect on what they learned that day, observe the world around them, and enjoy the peace and quiet that the island has to offer.

About to head out insect collecting (click through for a full slide show of photos from the week)

The rest of the week flew by quickly: each morning was filled with nature explorations and science adventures, and afternoons focused on sailing and rock climbing challenges.  Kevin Keegan, a PhD student at the University of Connecticut started off the students' first full day on the island exploring a group of creatures that strike fear in the hearts of many: bugs! The students were introduced to the four main orders of pollinating insects (Diptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and Hymenoptera) before heading out on an insect hunt. Kevin taught the students how to catch insects using nets and a beat sheet as well as how to properly preserve, mount, and label specimen.  Our favorite thing he taught us, however, was the art of "zenning for insects," which consists of closely examining a small area of shrub for signs of insects like curled or chewed leaves. This led us to discover a huge pile of caterpillar frass with a caterpillar hiding inside! While some high school students may have been unenthused with the idea of touching bugs, everyone had a blast catching insects of all shapes and sizes. 

Planning the layout of the pollinator garden

The island ecology students left two positive, permanent marks on Hurricane.  They contributed specimens to Hurricane's new permanent insect reference collection and they also designed and planted a beautiful new pollinator garden on the south end of the island.  The garden is filled with echinaceae, flox, nepita, and more and was planted near our new hive of honeybees to benefit them and the native pollinators of Hurricane.

The students also spent a morning exploring the intertidal, learning about all of the different creatures that can be found there, followed by a perimeter hike to explore the transition from sea to land.  Another morning, the students completed a clue-based plant hunt with Ben Lemmond, a UVM masters student, to understand species distribution and diversity on the island. 

Foraged Dinner

Later in the week we came back to botany to learn about the diversity of flowers, trees, shrubs, and ferns on the island. This knowledge was crucial for our edible feast on the last day full day of the program. We spent all morning walking the island collecting edibles including a variety of berries, seaside edibles like sea rocket and orach, and edible flowers like red clovers, elderflowers, wild rose, and nasturtiums. After gathering wild edibles, students spent the afternoon working with our amazing chef Micah to harvest veggies from our garden and to prepare and cook all the food.  The students worked as a great team and pulled off a fantastic evening - cooking an amazing meal, developing menus, setting and decorating the main hall for more than thirty people! Some of our favorite menu items included a beach rose and clover simple syrup, elderflower fritters, and a huge garden and foraged salad.

The group got their adventure on during afternoons rock climbing and sailing. We led up to our on-the-water activities with help from Sam learning about nautical charts, navigation, and some important knot tying skills. During our full afternoon sail we were able to circumnavigate Greens Island and anchored at one of the beaches to explore the idea of island biogeography and see the differences between islands in Penobscot Bay. The adventuring continued with two sessions of rock climbing. Everyone pushed their limits in climbing and belaying, and one of the students was able to complete a route blindfolded! Students also got the awesome experience of repelling down the main face over the quarry.

Throughout the week we bonded over evening volleyball games, amazing sunsets (once the fog cleared), swimming in the Atlantic ocean, raucous games of UNO, and camp fires on the south end. The week flew by and we hope the students had as much fun as we did!

Strengthening Coastal Partnerships

It has been a busy time for collaborative meetings!  In the spirit of being super efficient, Alice and I managed to fit in three major meetings over the course of four epic days off the island last week.  The first two days were spent at the Island Institute in Rockland meeting first with Education Director Yvonne Thomas about our joint efforts to develop aquaculture curriculum and secondly with Yvonne and a host of other movers and shakers with the Eastern Maine Skippers Program.  Hurricane recently received a grant from EPSCoR’s Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network (SEANET) program to develop three aquaculture sites on the island: first for sugar kelp and later for oysters and scallops.  More specifically, we have money for students to set up these sites.  The goal of the program is to work with local schools and other local partners, such as the Island Institute and Herring Gut Learning Center, to bring aquaculture education and real life management of aquaculture sites into the hands of middle and high school students.  We are ramping up to develop and pilot our curriculum this upcoming school year with a plan to get students to put their own sugar kelp aquaculture site in the water in the spring.  These will be sites that students can monitor and modify for years to come, enabling students to not only cultivate these areas, but also collect data that can be widely distributed to any students, fishermen, or researchers who have an interest.

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Students during the 2014  Eastern Maine Skippers kickoff event spent time in Hurricane's intertidal doing green crab research.

After some great conversations with Yvonne, we launched into a full day meeting at the Institute with a variety of educators and other stakeholders associated with the Eastern Maine Skippers Program (EMSP). This program an amazing effort to bring project based learning into local high schools to help strengthen student engagement, specifically around topics and training critical to Maine’s coastal economy. Penobscot East Resource Center (PERC) based out of Stonington is spearheading the effort and Deer Isle-Stonington High School (DISHS) is one of the high schools pioneering the curriculum with a full in-school program.  Many other high schools up and down the coast of Maine in fishing Zone C (North Haven to Eastport) participate as part of an extended regional program and adapt the curriculum as it fits within their own school structure. Some schools implement the program as an after-school component, some as a full class, and some integrate material into existing classes, but all students associated with EMSP get an opportunity to learn broader skills and knowledge associated with the fishing industry. The program has a three pronged approach, giving students the skills they need to operate on the water, at the table with other stakeholders, and in the office as they manage their own assets. This comprehensive view of what it takes to be a successful fisherman or to understand the complexities of the fishing industry in general is one of the greatest assets of the program and what makes it so appealing to students as well as community partners looking to develop and support coastal youth as true stakeholders in their futures.

Hurricane Island will host the second kickoff event (read about last years event here) for EMSP students and teachers at the beginning of the school year, allowing all participants to meet and get to know each other in addition to laying the foundation for the year long project that they are about to embark on.  Last year the project tackled the invasive green crab problem, this year the project looks at the lobster industry specifically asking the students: Who or what eats/buys lobster? What impact can we/I have?  The first question allows a lot of freedom for students to choose to look at lobsters from an ecological perspective or from a more purely economical perspective. The question about ‘what impact they can have’ is similarly open to student interpretation, allowing a variety of options for students to really dig into the material from a standpoint that is relevant and interesting to them.  It will be great to see what the students come up with this year for their individual projects when they come to the retreat at the beginning of October.  Check back here for updates!

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Students share the marine debris art sculptures they created during the 2014 Pathways 101 program on Hurricane

Our final two days of meetings were hosted by Deer Isle-Stonington High School (DISHS) itself and we got a chance to meet with the teachers and other community partners associated with their Pathway program.  Pathways started out as a Marine Studies track for students who wanted to specialize their education in preparation for any post-secondary option dealing with marine related issues.  DISHS has also blended Pathways with EMSP using EMSP as an “honors” track that more specifically gears marine studies for students intending to pursue a commercial fishing license.  This year the Pathways program is expanding to include an Arts Pathway in addition to the Marine Studies and the goal is to add a Healthcare related track in the future.  It was amazing to hear about some of the cool classes associated with each of the tracks!  Most of the Pathways classes are team taught allowing options like Chemistry through Art or Marine Studies Health and Phys Ed., combinations that really demonstrate the relevancy of the topics to students.

I got to spend most of my time with Seth Laplant who is adapting a Biology class to the Marine Studies track and has a lot of programming planned that takes advantage of local resources.  Monitoring bacterial colonies on the shoreline, looking at green crab genetics, blood worm osmosis, and performing marine organism necropsies make this class not only super relevant but also super fun!  It was great seeing all the people who were invested in making these programs work. Island Heritage Trust, Rural Aspirations, Bowdoin College, Opera House Arts of Stonington, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and PERC were just some of the people and organizations that were represented over the course of the two days.

Even though it was an exhausting session of meetings, we left with a much better picture of all of the wonderful collaborations going on up and down the coast and we are extremely excited to be part of them.  Over the next couple months we will be solidifying aquaculture curriculum and planning for the EMSP and Pathways kickoffs on Hurricane.  Updates on everything will show up here so keep an eye out to learn more! 

Archaeology on Hurricane

Post by Juliette Bendheim, Program Participant

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Documenting artifacts found along Sand Beach

This week was spent digging in the ground, finding treasure, and learning about the fascinating past of this historical island. Hurricane’s first archeology program was quite the success. After a tour of the island and an intro to Hurricane’s history, we commenced the excavation process. The digging started along the path on the North end of the island next to the Sand Beach with six plots of half meter squares were set up in a line. We were hoping to find artifacts from before the quarry area such as Native American stone scrapers or arrowheads. We did find some of those artifacts, as well as coal, nails, and pottery shards from the quarry era. In addition, most of the plots had similar sized stones lined up along the eastern side, so we surmised that they may have been placed there to form a road or a boundary.

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Dig site along Main Street

In addition to the outdoor work, we completed some indoor research. We used census records from 1880, 1900, and 1910 to research topics of our interest such as how many families stayed on Hurricane for extended periods of time to how many boarders were in each household. We also compared old photographs to current foundations in order to match them together.

In order to obtain a larger perspective of the history of island, we decided to walk around the foundations. We were able to match several of the foundations with a map from 1910 and ended up walking behind one to an overturned tree. Something shiny caught our eye so we started to pick through the roots. From that one tree we were able to find half a bottle, a crowbar, an ice skate blade, some plate fragments, and even more artifacts. Hurricane is teeming with treasures to be found!

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Assorted artifacts found on Hurricane

On the final day, we excavated plots along the northern side of the historic Main Street. These plots were 30 inch squares since we hoped to find more artifacts in a larger space. While it was not the treasure trove we had expected, we did find some old nails, assorted pieces of metal, glass, pottery shards, and more.

A lot was found in a week, but there is so much more of the island to be explored. We hope that the archeological process can be continued and more research can be done so that the secrets of Hurricane can be shared with all. 

Waynflete Sustainable Ocean Studies

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One of the settlement plates

Last week students from the Sustainable Ocean Studies program run in partnership by Waynflete School and Chewonki, joined us on days 16-19 of their 24-day program exploring ocean sustainability along coastal Maine. 

Students arrived on Vinalhaven via the ferry after traveling up from Deer Isle where they had spent an earlier portion of their trip sea kayaking. Everyone finally made it to Hurricane late on July 10th just in time for dinner and to settle down for the evening.

The next day started a two-and-a-half-day marathon of science including everything from intertidal exploration to data collection to designing a marine research project focused on green crabs. 

Back in early May we installed several settlement plates on the end of our docks which have been submerged through a busy spring season of plankton settlement events. One of the first projects students tackled was to pull the settlement plates out and take a look at the marine communities that had colonized. After bringing the settlement plates into the lab, students took a closer look at them under dissecting scopes and collected data on the species found on each plate.

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Taking a closer look at the settlement plates under a dissecting scope

Settlement plates are one tool marine researchers use to detect the presence of non-native marine species, and to also gain a broader understanding of the distribution and abundance of marine organisms. By hauling the plates periodically over the summer season it is also possible to gain a better understanding of the timing of different settlement events as well as the growth rates of newly settled organisms. We look forward to continuing to deploy settlement plates off Hurricane, and also to potentially deploy plates off Vinalhaven so we can compare organisms found at each site.

Other dock-side activities included collecting plankton to see what organisms are currently floating in Hurricane Sound, capturing nearby floating jellies to take a closer look, and jumping into the icy water to scrape organisms off a portion of one of the pilings to see if they differed from the organisms found on the nearby settlement plates.

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Intertidal scavenger hunt team

After a busy morning on the dock, we switched gears and headed over to the intertidal area on the South end of Hurricane which connects to Two Bush Island at low tide. Once settled, students split into two teams for an intertidal scavenger hunt to see who could find the most creatures--everything from algae, molluscs, echinoderms, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. We flipped rocks like crazy and were able to find over 40 different species--some of the most exciting discoveries included some juvenile lobsters, a rock gunnel, and nudibranchs.

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Lobster fishing with Jason Day

Afterwards students hopped straight onto Vinalhaven lobsterman Jason Day's lobster boat for an afternoon of fishing. We caught a few lobsters which had recently molted and were in the process of regenerating new limbs, and students enjoyed spearing West Coast rockfish fillets through the eyes to bait the traps. We also briefly towed the plankton net off Jason's boat for some more data to compare to our dock-side sampling.

After a jam-packed day, we took a break in the heat of the afternoon for some well-deserved free time and most everyone jumped in the ocean to cool off. One final night time plankton tow gave us enough information to get a snapshot of the organisms that make up the base of the food chain in Hurricane Sound right now. Students kept up their energy into the night and identified tons of organisms including larval sea cucumbers, larval crabs, and barnacle molts.

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Tethered green crabs awaiting deployment

The following morning we were joined by HIF science advisor Noah Oppenheim who talked with students about his trajectory to becoming a marine scientist, and then helped students design a marine tethering experiment to see if green crabs faced higher predation rates based on size, sex, or time of day. Students designed a tethering line, and deployed 20 green crabs tied to the line with monofilament. The crabs were first measured, sexed, and assessed for their claw condition. The experiment was deployed in Valley Cove in the afternoon, hauled after 6 hours, re-baited and then re-deployed for a nighttime treatment. A small but stalwart team assembled at 3am to retrieve the nighttime deployment.

It was a treat to have such an enthusiastic group of young marine scientists out on Hurricane, and I am sure we will hear about their accomplishments in years to come as leaders of the marine science and conservation movement. Hopefully we will also see these students again as researchers out on the island for a summer field season! 

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