Island Updates

Casco Bay Student Helps with the Scallop Project

Guest Blogger: Rosemary

Casco Bay High School, an expeditionary learning school in Portland, ME, requires all juniors to complete an internship in a field the student is interested in. I have always loved exploring and the world around me, so I immediately thought to reach out to Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership when looking for a place to intern. Ever since participating in their week-long Marine Biology program in the summer of 2015, I have been exploring my passion for science and how it can be turned into a career. To start the internship process, I reached out to Phoebe Jekielek, the Outreach and Marketing Coordinator for HICSL, and she went to work scheduling a time that I could come up to Rockland to help measure shells for what she called a “shell blitz”.

On October 18th and 19th, we worked with Caitlin Cleaver, the island’s Director of Science and Research, measuring shells for the Midcoast Maine Collaborative Scallop Project. We used calipers to record the distance between rings, which on scallops, helps to determine growth rates. Cait and her intern, Bailey, traveled to Woods Hole last year to learn this method from scientists studying the same process on other scallop populations. Although this process sounds quite objective and simple, it was surprisingly difficult to determine whether rings were laid down annually or seasonally. Working to evaluate places where human error might interfere with data collection, I was given a good idea of what it is like to work in a field where research is crucial and is conducted frequently.

Scallops are bivalve mollusks, meaning they have a small body enclosed within a hinged shell. When we eat scallops, we are eating the adductor muscle; a strong, proportionally large muscle that is strong enough to propel the scallop through the water. One of the main goals of the collaborative scallop project is to assess the effectiveness of a small-scale closed area in rebuilding resident scallop populations.

You may wonder why so much time and effort was expended on collecting data for these little creatures; we did, after all, have about 1,800 shells to get through. The scallop industry is a crucial part of Maine’s economy, supporting many families dependent on the bivalve mollusk through its fishing, processing, and distribution. Fortunately, the industry is doing well in Maine, due to many regulations that have ensured the safety of scallop production. Some of these regulations include setting up closed areas where no scallops can be fished until the population rebounds. We worked with scallop shells taken from the lower Muscle Ridge area off of Spruce Head Co-op, an area chosen by local fishermen to be a three year closure in the name of research. Scallops that are not in closed areas are harvested only between December and mid-April.

You can read more about the Collaborative Scallop Project at our Science for Everyone blog:


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Aquaculture comes to Hurricane!!

This blog is the combined efforts of our Science and Research Director and our Director of Education. Cait Cleaver gives us the perspective of how the Limited Purpose Aquaculture (LPA) licensing process proceeded and Dr. Jenn Page adds in the actual implementation including the fun times we have had with students in their classroom and on the Island!  Enjoy!

Limited Purpose Aquaculture process (Caitlin Cleaver)

In August 2015, I started the Limited Purpose Aquaculture license (LPA) application process to secure a small site where HICSL could experiment with growing sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima). This is part of our work developing aquaculture curriculum with support from SEANET (the Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network). The LPA process was relatively simple in comparison to the application process for larger aquaculture leases that require public hearings and site visits by state scientists. The LPA process still covered quite a bit of ground to minimize potential environmental impacts of our small-scale aquaculture setup – both the ecological and the social in terms of competing with other uses such as commercial fishing in that particular area.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) reviews these applications and coordinates with the other state and federal agencies that have varying levels of jurisdiction over uses in our oceans and protecting the natural environment. For example, the Army Corps of Engineers ensures that the equipment and gear used in the proposed aquaculture operation does not interfere with basic navigation. In addition, as applicants, we reached out to staff at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife to make sure that our proposed site was not within a certain distance of an eagle’s nest and we checked the DMR’s water quality maps, which determine whether or not you can grow shellfish in certain areas. Hurricane is in an area where growing shellfish is prohibited; however, this designation does not prevent us from growing sugar kelp.

Map of site for DMR application

A large part of the application was developing a series of maps to fulfill the application requirement of submitting a vicinity map. We generated these images using Google Earth and nautical charts. The map had to include the following elements:

  • Location of proposed site
  • 300’ radius circle around site
  • 1,000’ radius circle around site
  • North Arrow (indicate true or magnetic north)
  • Show depth contours and indicate mean low water (MLW) and mean high water (MHW) on all land adjacent or nearest the site
  • Ebb and Flood directions
  • Scale used on plan
  • Distance to DMR water quality closure lines

Overhead view of the proposed site

And, we had to label the following components if they were within our map:

  • Federal navigation projects or anchorages
  • Navigational channels
  • Structures
  • Aquaculture leases or licenses (LPAs)
  • Anchorages or moorings
  • State or federal beaches
  • Docking Facilities

Side view of the proposed site

In addition, we had to provide overhead view and cross-sectional views of the gear configuration we planned to implement at the site. We based our setup on recommendations we received from Paul Dobbins of Ocean Approved.

An important component of this work is making sure community members and others are aware of the project. To notify the Hurricane Island landowners, we mailed them the entire application. I also went to the October meeting of the Vinalhaven board of selectmen to notify them of our intentions to implement an educational aquaculture site on the northwest side of the island. They were supportive of the work and we made sure that our gear would not interfere with the fishing activities of Vinalhaven lobstermen.

Our license was officially secured in November and we are in the process of renewing it as every LPA expires on December 31st of each year. It’s definitely an exciting project for HICSL and we hope to continue doing this work! Now let’s hope the sugar kelp grows!


Student driven aquaculture (Dr. Jenn Page)

Harvesting kelp with Paul Dobbins

As mentioned by Cait, this started waaaay back in the summer when we were visited by Paul Dobbins, a wonderful aquaculturist and educator who is the owner of Ocean Approved.  Paul and his wife spent the day on Hurricane and visited several sites around the Island to help us evaluate their suitability for various types of aquaculture (e.g., kelp, oysters, scallops, etc.).  We settled on a spot on the northern end of the island that was relatively sheltered and out of main travel/work areas but would still have significant water flow to make our first endeavor with kelp babies as successful as possible.  Paul then graciously took me on a kelp expedition out of Boothbay Harbor early this fall to help me identify and collect quality reproductive tissue.

Students harvesting kelp spores

The next few days were spent working with students from Deer Isle-Stonington High School’s (DISHS) Pathway program to release the kelp spores from the reproductive tissue and establish them on spools of line that were set up in their classroom.  It was then up to the students and their teacher (Seth Laplant) to care for the kelp babies until they were ready to be released. This involved a lot of maintenance of the tank and a significant amount of troubleshooting with Paul as they had to figure out why the babies weren’t growing as fast as we had anticipated. Some extra light and nutrients later they had amazing growth and their line looked almost identical to the “backup” line that Paul gave us from his own growth stock. 

Before the winter waves got too vicious, the DISHS students came out to Hurricane and selected the best spool they had to put in the water. Because we only have one mainline in the water and we wanted to maximize our potential for success, students strung half the mainline with their kelp and the other half with the backup kelp from Paul. We are very hopeful that both lines will have successful winter growing seasons and we look forward to getting the students back out in the spring to harvest the kelp!

A great day on the water putting our new sea farm in the water

Kelp under the microscope at the time it was put in the field

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End of fall roundup!

Having moved back to Maine full-time in August, one would think I might finally feel settled here in Rockland and little less like a gypsy than I normally do…not with all of the events we attended this Fall! The past few months have been full of travel – making it to 12 different events in 4 different states. We are growing as a staff, giving us more opportunity to spread the Hurricane message to wider audiences and the possibility of sharing the Hurricane experience with more and more students, teachers, and visitors.

This year's Common Ground Fair poster

In September, we stuck to our home turf of Maine. Being a water bug myself, I was a bit out of my element at the Maine State Museum’s Bug Maine-ia, surrounded by tarantulas, termites, and honey bees. But the action never stopped, with 1727 people in just a 4-hour time span stopping by to learn about how termites communicate! Shockingly, many of the termites made it out alive. Our Program Manager, Josie Gates, and one of our Science Educators, Chloe Tremper, took Hurricane to the Midcoast Mini Maker’s Faire. Along with the Knox-Lincoln Conservation Fair, we were allowed to spread our artistic wings a little and get creative with visitors as we shared solar prints and algae presses with over 300 students. At the Common Ground Fair we ate delicious food and spent too much money (I ALMOST bought a bunny), and made new and diverse connections with other organizations, students, families, and colleges. Amazing how much Maine had going on for education in just that one month!

Earth Science Day at the Maine State Museum

Steel House's low cost submersibles

October didn’t slow down as we were back at the Museum for their Earth Science Day. Our fabulous Education Director, Dr. Jennifer Page, was inundated while teaching students about ocean circulation and how the density of water affects buoyancy in boats! That floated a lot of kids boats (yes that pun was intentional... yes I know it was bad). The Maine Science Teacher’s Association meeting was a highlight, with a mix of teachers who have brought students before and those who learned of us for the first time. So many workshops and discussions about teaching science…Maine teachers are doing amazing things! I traveled down to New Bedford, MA, for the New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative (NEOSEC) quarterly meeting at Buttonwood Park Zoo. NEOSEC is a collaboration of over 40 institutions from across New England with the mission “to leverage New England’s extraordinary assets, to engage the public in understanding the vital connections between people and the ocean.” It’s like a meeting of the minds for people who love the ocean and want to share it with others; awesome! Again, Jenn represented us at the annual Poptech conference in Rockland with Sam and the Steel House running a workshop on our aquaculture and submersible projects. Jenn and Sam are still running around the office with their fancy french-press, coffee mug schwag!

NSTA nautilus sign - it was amazing in person!

I know, you’re already overwhelmed with the amount of outreach we’ve been doing, but November was really crazy. I attended the Coalition for Essential Schools annual meeting in Portland. This event brings together schools and organizations from all over the country, even some international schools, to share ideas about education practices and methods for creating educational communities to equip students to become powerful and informed citizens. The next stop on the tour took me to New Hampshire for the New England Environmental Education Alliance (NEEEA) Climate of Change Conference. Not only is our climate changing, but the way we teach about it is also evolving as a result of changing education, communication and engagement in such issues. Inspiring people doing inspiring things in this time of flux! This conference. Sam and Josie also connected with EMS crews from along the coast of Maine at the 35th annual Atlantic Partners EMS seminar. Read Josie’s blog about it here. Finally, Jenn and I road-tripped all the way down to the regional National Science Teachers Association meeting in Philadelphia, PA. The little coastal country mice went to the big city, ate some cheesesteaks, and had a blast! Even though a trip to Hurricane means a 9-hour car drive, Philadelphia teachers were unbelievably enthusiastic about the hands-on, experiential, get-dirty type of educational science experiences we offer on Hurricane and we hope to see some of them on the Island in 2016.

Looking back, the past few months were an insanely busy time. We put a lot of miles on our cars, met a lot of people, shared a lot of great ideas, made new connections, ate some good pretzels, and almost purchased some animals. In all of the unsettled running around, the inspiration and the constant was Hurricane Island. Even far from it’s shores and lapping waves, people feel the energy that it instills in us. They want to come and do the science, learn the sustainability, and walk away with the leadership to change their world. So, in 2016, we’ll continue to travel, to share, to connect, and to expand the Hurricane Island community!

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Closing up the island

Like clockwork, the early days of September greeted us with the first cold northerly breeze of the season, a canary sign of the winter that lies ahead. We felt so fortunate to have had a wonderful fall season of programs on Hurricane, with busy days of students exploring the island and the sense of community that gives a certain sense of purpose and meaning to the island. But as October came around, the last of the students boarded M/V Equinox and it became time to start putting the island to bed for the winter.

There is a bitter-sweet feeling that comes with closing down the island as it marks the end of the season. It is a time for reflection and contemplation, for putting things in order and taking stock, and also a time to look ahead and assess and contemplate what the future may hold.  It is a process that perhaps mimics the natural world, that we can observe in the species around us, a necessary preparation as the island too needs her time to rest and reflect over the long, cold months ahead. 

The every mysterious "Bacon Brothers" make their yearly visit to the island, bringing bacon grease and joy with them.  Little known fact: bacon grease and wigs are incredibly helpful when hauling floats.

It is no small undertaking to prepare the buildings and systems for the winter, but much work was done in a short amount of time with the help of the solid Hurricane crew of Josie, Chloe, Phoebe, Jenn, and, of course, Oakley and Silas (rumored to be part of the band of "Bacon Brothers", these suspicions have not been substantiated).  Buildings were secured for the winter, wall tents dismantled and stored away, spaces were cleaned and organized, boats and floats hauled, and finally the water system drained and winterized.  Much thanks goes to the Cabot Lyman and Chip Bauer of our Infrastructure Committee who have been vigilant and thoughtful about designing the systems to be simple yet robust to minimize, as much as possible, the daily and annual maintenance that is necessary to keep the island running. And much thanks to the staff for developing systems and procedures that make close-down smoother and smoother every year.  It is comforting on the blustery winter nights to know that that Hurricane has been properly secured for the winter, and that the when we open the island back up in the Spring that everything will be ready to roll.

We still plan to visit island throughout the next few months to check on things as we move through the winter.  Spending time on Hurricane in the winter is a wonderful experience and one of strong contrast to the days of July and August.  Although the quiet and solitude of days on the island in the winter are beautiful in their own way, the busy days full of activity and students and programs are very much missed.  It is a good reminder and inspiration to continue to develop the mission of this organization and to continue to build the community on Hurricane Island.

 

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Apprenticeshop Expedition

Full sails aboard the Castor

First year apprentices Nina and ???

View from Duck Harbor "Mountain"

Written by Facilities Manager Oakley Jackson

          The Apprentice Shop crew and I set sail aboard Castor, one of the shop built vessels, from Hurricane on the afternoon of Monday the 28th of September.  With a steady southerly we made good time out around Heron Neck on Greens Island.  The breeze stayed on our quarter the whole way as we sailed between Sheep Island and Carvers and out past Saddleback Ledge with its weathered little lighthouse tower. Approaching Isle Au Haut we neared several ledges with seals perched high above the sea. Though we were a good ways off the seals spooked and we witnessed them making a plunge off an 8 ft. sheer cliff into the water below. Exciting show!

            We dropped the hook for the night in Duck Harbor and erected a tent/fort with a tarp draped over a sprit between the masts. Dinner was cooked on board and the moon gave us an incredible show as it rose into a mackerel sky, it was the night following the super moon eclipse. The next morning we awoke to fog and decided to take a hike up Duck Harbor “Mountain” for a nice view of the harbor, despite the reduced visibility. Sailing away from Isle Au Haut we set a course of 320° towards Winter Harbor on Vinalhaven. The fog shrouded us in its folds and we had to rely on the compass for what felt like a long while. The occasional lobster boat crossed our path, but thankfully our course was true and we emerged from the grayness at the mouth of Winter Harbor.

             Sailing past Big Hen Island we tucked in behind Little Hen and anchored for lunch and exploration ashore. Little Hen is part of the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) and affords a great little campground barely above sea level. With it still being early in the day we decided to sail on past the Goose Rocks sparkplug lighthouse and through the Fox Island Thoroughfare. With snotty weather in the forecast we took refuge in Southern Harbor on North Haven. We made landfall just before the rain began and gratefully took shelter at the Gates’ home.  We listened as the wind picked up and the rain poured down. Big thanks to Josie for recommending the safe haven of her house.

            The onslaught of rain and wind had not ceased by morning and we decided we needed a plan B if sailing on to Rockland did not seem like a wise choice. With the forecast calling for winds of 30 knots, gusting to 40, and seas building to 6 ft. we agreed to give the bay a look and return to Browns boatyard if we deemed it too rough.  Castor is a sturdy vessel and with reefs in both in the main and foresails she took on the waves gallantly, charging through and sending blown spray onto our already rain soaked heads. As in the words of John Masefield’s Sea Fever the wind was“like a whetted Knife,” but we gritted our teeth and sailed out into the rising tempest.  By the time we were abreast of the Sugar Loaves at the western end of the thoroughfare the gusts were putting severe strain on the rigging. With the words, “I’ve seen enough” I turned the helm hard to leeward and began the retreat towards land. After tacking our way back through the Thoroughfare downtown North Haven we snagged a mooring and abandoned Castor to ride out the storm. Although it was tough to call the expedition early it was clear that we had made the right choice.  We were grateful for the days of sailing we were given and all felt rewarded to have tested our vessel in strong winds and to have had her perform so beautifully. I am already looking forward to next year’s expedition! 

Second year apprentices Dakota and Silas

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Organization of Biological Field Stations Meeting

Meeting participants take time to explore the North Pole Basin with Ian Bicknell, RMBL Director

Meeting participants take time to explore the North Pole Basin with Ian Bicknell, RMBL Director

At the end of September, I was fortunate enough to spend a week at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab in Gothic, CO, attending the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS) Annual Meeting. OBFS is a network that supports over 300 field stations around the world with the mission “to help member stations increase their effectiveness in supporting critical research, education, and outreach programs. We pursue this goal in a manner that maximizes diversity, inclusiveness, sustainability, and transparency.” Individuals are able to trouble shoot and problem solve by accessing the wealth of knowledge contained in this network and the annual meeting provides the opportunity for face-to-face interactions, which leads to collaborations and partnerships. I traveled to the meeting with Laura Sewall, Director of the Bates Morse Mountain Conservation Area and Coastal Center at Shortridge, and my co-PI on the NSF Field Station and Marine Laboratory planning grant. We used the meeting as a venue to gather ideas and make connections to further formalize the network of Gulf of Maine field stations, marine labs, and larger research institutions.


I attended a session on how to develop programs with community colleges to increase field science opportunities to those who may not otherwise have access - Hurricane would be a great venue! Other sessions offered ideas on fundraising events and efforts to supplement operating revenue to keep a field station financially viable over time and establishing and maintaining long-term monitoring projects with the aim of providing services to surrounding communities and the broader scientific community.


Miles O’Brien, a freelance journalist and science correspondent for the PBS News Hour, and Mark Ruffalo, an actor and environmental activist who started Water Defense, connected to the meeting through Skype to speak to the entire group. They spoke about their experiences communicating science to the public and the dire need for increasing science literacy. They emphasized the importance of field stations as providing access to nature and in understanding our world through the scientific process.  


Overall, it was an incredible week in a beautiful place and I am reenergized to continue the work to create field science opportunities for middle and high school students through career scientists on Hurricane Island.


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Fryeburg Academy

Fryeburg Academy's AP Environmental Science class joined us for a fast-paced 24-hour visit! Upon arrival, the students explored Hurricane’s historical roots and sustainable systems. They then hopped on one of our boats to learn how to haul lobster traps with Oakley. The rest of the afternoon was spent with Chloe and Jacque, hiking and learning about basic botany and phenology (the study of seasonal change) in preparation for the development of a phenology focused research project.

After a tasty, fresh-caught lobster dinner and watching the nearly full moon rise over Greens Island, we headed to the lab where the students developed their research question and methods.  The students were interested in investigating if paper birch trees on the south end were further along in their phenophase (an observable stage or phase in the annual life cycle of a plant) than paper birch on the east side of the island. Early the next morning, the students were back in the lab narrowing down a procedure and then they headed out into the field to collect their data.

They split into two groups – one headed to the south end and one to the east side of the island.  Each group walked along a 60m transect. In order to randomly select paper birch trees, the students would stop every 15m along the transect and then collect data on the nearest paper birch to that stopping point.  At each tree, students quantified the color of leaves on a select number of branches as well as other data about that tree including height, circumference, and available sunlight.

Back in the lab, each group compiled their data and spent time analyzing the results, which were then presented to the Hurricane Island staff. Even in such a short amount of time, students were able to collect enough data to conclude that paper birch on the eastern side of the island were further along in their phenophase than paper birch on the south side of island.  We had a great time with the Fryeburg students and their instructor and we hope they enjoyed their whirlwind trip of Hurricane as well!

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Proctor Academy Ocean Classroom

Students from Proctor Academy’s Ocean Classroom semester program started the first leg of their journey on Hurricane where we enjoyed two days exploring the island and learning some valuable skills that students can take with them to sea as they begin their sailing voyage aboard the Schooner Roseway.

During the first part of the program we showed everyone around Hurricane’s sustainable systems and then took students on a hike around the island that revealed the foundations and other artifacts that remain from when Hurricane was an operational granite quarry town. Students looked through historical images and identified the church, town hall, and company store from the granite era. We also recently received the original organ from Hurricane’s Catholic Church back from North Haven, and students even took turns playing it and reviving some of the old sounds of the island in the 1900s.

After the history lesson, students learned about how to read nautical charts and perfected some basic knots including a bowline, slipknot, figure 8, and clove hitch. Each watch then raced to get everyone to successfully tie all of the knots and demonstrate their new skills.

Students also had a chance to explore the low-tide zone near Gibbon’s Point to get a snapshot of the type of organisms that make up rocky intertidal areas in Maine. We caught a lot of green crabs (some students dared to eat a live green crab), watched barnacles feeding in tide pools, and caught hermit crabs scampering around trying to hide among empty periwinkle shells.

We also enjoyed showing students how to use ornithology field guides and binoculars to identify seabirds. While we mostly saw herring gulls and eider ducks off Hurricane, we expect students to encounter a variety of amazing seabirds during their ocean voyage. We also talked about how seabirds are adapted to survive in the ocean environment.

Finally, we discussed Maine’s commercial fisheries and how important the lobster industry is to the economy of Maine’s coastal communities. We took a look at the data from this past year’s fishing season from the Maine Department of Marine Resources, and students learned about the history of some of Maine’s other historically important fisheries including the cod fishery and the scallop fishery. Students learned about how Maine manages and regulates fisheries to try and avoid overharvesting different species, and we discussed the challenges of trying to manage species that have complicated and not fully understood life histories and behaviors. Students also had a chance to see how lobster fishing works in action by going out on the boat with Oakley to watch him haul his recreational lobster traps. We got enough lobster to enjoy a lobster dinner that night, followed by a birthday celebration!

We wish students fair seas and strong winds during their next adventure on Roseway headed towards the Caribbean, and you can follow along with their trip’s progress at the school’s blog.

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