Gulf of Maine Day in Portland!

For Immediate Release

Contact: Bob DeForrest, Outreach and Education Coordinator, (207) 288-4205, gomex@earthlink.net. For directions to Southern Maine Technical College, please visit www.smtc.net.

June 14, 2002, Portland, Maine -- Everyone is invited to attend the Portland Gulf Of Maine Day! Afternoon festivities and an evening presentation/buffet will be held at Southern Maine Technical College waterfront and Portland Harbor Museum on Sunday, June 23rd. The day begins at Noon, with a series of exhibits, and includes a tour of the Spring Point Light House from 4-5pm, and an Island Slideshow program at 1:00 and Leave-No-Trace workshop at 2:30 both presented by Maine Islands Trail Association. Istar the whale, a life-size replica of the ocean mammal that has visited the coast of Maine for more than 28 years, will be making a special appearance, presented by the Children's Museum of Maine, sponsored by Unum Provident. Rippleffect, the Gulf Of Maine Expedition's fiscal sponsor, will offer afternoon kayak demonstrations and opportunities for children to experience kayak paddling first hand. Bring the whole family to share a first time experience!

All of the Gulf Of Maine Expedition's events are fortuitously scheduled in this, the International Year of Ecotourism. 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 will all be available to discuss their journey, findings and mission.

Partners for the event include Southern Maine Technical College, Portland Harbor Museum, Portland Children's Museum, Rippleffect, Friends of Casco Bay, Maine Coastal Program, Gulf Of Maine Aquarium, Maine Islands Trail Association, Ocean Conservancy, Coast Guard Auxiliary, University of Maine Cooperative Extension/Maine Sea Grant, Gulf of Maine Council, Gulf Of Maine Marine Educators Association and others.

The Gulf Of Maine Expedition was 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.

Come join the Expedition at the first ever Portland Gulf Of Maine Day!

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