Maine Audubon biologists and educators will be taking part in the 2025 Maine Sustainability & Water Conference, scheduled for March 27 at the Augusta Civic Center.
The conference is an annual gathering where “ . . . professionals, researchers, consultants, citizens, students, regulators, and planners gather to exchange information and present new findings on sustainability and water resource issues in Maine.”
It’s an important day for us because it’s a place to hear about new and innovative projects happening around Maine, to network with partners and other collaborators, and to share news and ideas on a wide variety of topics.
Here’s a sampling of what we’ll be doing:
Phil Keefe, Maine Audubon Community Science Manager, will be presenting as part of a session titled Integrating Complex Water Quality Data Streams & Identifying Critical Messages for the Public. His presentation, Maine Stream Explorers: A Treasure Hunt to Find Healthy Streams in Maine, will describe the Stream Explorers program that enlists the help of volunteer community scientists to survey macroinvertebrates in streams all across Maine. Different species are considered “sensitive,” “moderately sensitive,” or “tolerant” to poor water quality, and the collection of species found at a site can be used as a good indicator of that stream’s water quality. Volunteers are trained in survey techniques and identification through online webinars and in-person field workshops, and record their data on either paper forms or online through Survey 1-2-3. Guide and data forms are available on the Maine Audubon website, and survey kits are available to check out from a variety of locations. The program was launched in 2021 in the Sebago Lake watershed, and has expanded since then to many other areas of the state. Preschoolers, elementary and middle school students, home school groups, families, neighbors, retired folks, and teachers have all participated in the program. Maine DEP is using the data from volunteers as a screening tool to determine if and where they need to do more extensive follow-up biomonitoring surveys.
Eric Topper, Director of Education, will be taking part in a panel discussion on Resilience of Maine’s Riverscapes, as part of a session titled Defining Riverscapes: Physical, Chemical, and Biological Interactions Affecting Riverine and Riparian Health.
The panel will discuss the ability of riverscapes to continue to function in the face of thermal, temporal, hydrological, and other physical, chemical, and biological changes due to a warming climate and other stressors. Eric will be discussing his work with ProjectShare developing a system for growing native plants to be used in riparian restoration work, such as around road/stream crossings and associated with in-stream habitat restoration work.
Sarah Haggerty, Maine Audubon Conservation Biologist and GIS Manager, will be assisting with the all-day session on Defining Riverscapes. Sarah represents Maine Audubon in the Maine Riverscape Restoration Network—a collaborative of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, academics, and individuals working to facilitate interdisciplinary approaches to healing Maine rivers.
