“Gulf Of Maine Day” at Sea Coast Science Center

For Immediate Release

May 23, 2002, Bar Harbor, Maine -- Join the fun and meet the Expedition team for a “Gulf of Maine Day” at Sea Coast Science Center in Rye, New Hampshire, on Saturday, May 25th. The kayakers break from their 1,000-mile sea kayaking voyage to share a day of their mission on land. This event marks the official celebratory kick-off of the Expedition’s land visits and is a fantastic opportunity to catch up with the team and experience the fun whether you are a family, outdoor enthusiast, or educator. The cost is $4 per person: $3 to get into the park, $1 to enter the Center, and it will go on rain or shine!

Team leader and Maine Sea Grant Extension Agent Natalie Springuel, Science and Technology Coordinator Richard MacDonald, Canadian team members Dan Earle and Sue Hutchins, and Outreach and Education Coordinator Bob DeForrest team up with Sea Coast Science Center for the day’s activities and will be available for discussion. The team has already successfully paddled the coast of Massachusetts.

Festivities will include events on the hour. Starting at 11:00 am, the Gulf of Maine Mural Project, U.S. Coast Guard flare demonstration, bird walk by team member and ornithologist Rich MacDonald, kayak gear demo, feeding time for the Center’s Gulf of Maine animals, and Gulf of Maine Creature Features are all featured presentations. Partners involved in this event include the United States Coast Guard and Sea Coast Science Center.

The next day, the team paddles to Cornell University’s Shoals Marine Laboratory on the Isle of Shoals to meet with the Lab’s on-location scientists and students; this event is closed to the public. The Shoals Marine Lab is feeding and housing the Expedition Team for the evening, and offers them a unique opportunity to visit this island ecosystem on the border waters separating Maine and New Hampshire.

The Gulf Of Maine Expedition organized to raise awareness and caring about the ecology and culture of the Gulf of Maine. The team hopes to hear your concerns regarding the health of the Gulf and will be available personally for discussions. Their records will capture a snapshot of the Gulf as it is today, and provide a unique perspective for monitoring in the future. They are eager to share information, observations and scientific results they have gathered along the way. Their website, www.gomexpedition.org, is updated several times a week to provide an evolving virtual documentary with an active route map, images from the Gulf, observations, and journal entries.

The Gulf of Maine Expedition was made possible by the generous financial support of Maine Sea Grant, Maine Coastal Program, Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, and the New England Biolabs Foundation. Additional equipment and financial support has come from Necky Kayaks, Kokatat, U. Maine Cooperative Extension, and many other businesses and individuals.

We hope to see you there!

For more information, please visit www.gomexpedition.org. If you would like a copy of the Gulf Of Maine Expedition Newsletter which includes the Expedition itinerary, please email Bob DeForrest, Outreach and Educational Coordinator at gomex@earthlink.net.

***if you would like to receive this document as an attachment, please request from: amy.minarik@state.me.us ***

Amy Minarik
Maine Conservation Corps/Americorps
Maine Coastal Program/Maine State Planning Office
38 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
amy.minarik@state.me.us