Frogs, Floods & the Future: Balancing Environment & Economy on Mount Desert Island

For Immediate Release:

Frogs, Floods & the Future: Balancing Environment & Economy on MDI

Senator George Mitchell and David Mitchell Lecture 9-12-01201_2Hart will appear at the Jesup Memorial Library on Tuesday, July 15 at 7:00 PM to speak about the economic and environmental conundrums facing us on MDI, and how we can work together to address these issues.

For example, we need more housing on MDI, but we want to preserve the natural environment and protect our wetlands.  Severe storms are increasing, which results in greater flooding that damages our roads. Our economy depends on tourists who flock to our beautiful beaches, but the pollution of coastal waters is a continuing concern. And invasive insects, like the emerald ash borer, threaten our forests.  The problems we face require solutions that involve not just science, but also strong alliances between citizens, conservationists, municipalities, and the business community.

Senator Mitchell helped to found the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions to address the myriad environmental and economic challenges that confront our state, and to involve Maine’s universities and colleges in this effort.  He will introduce the center’s Director, David Hart, who will talk about the projects already underway to help communities find better solutions to these and other problems on MDI and throughout the state.

David Hart is Director of the Mitchell Center and a professor at the University of Maine. Captivated by streams and rivers as a small boy in northern California, David presented his first public testimony  on watershed stewardship at age 17. David has a PhD in Ecology from the University of California and came to Maine in 2006 to launch solutions-driven programs in which teams of students and faculty work with communities to tackle real-life problems at the intersection of environmental, social, and economic issues.

Before coming to Maine, David taught and conducted research at the University of Pennsylvania , Swarthmore College, and the the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. He has been the recipient of many awards including: a Fulbright Senior Scholarship, an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship, and the Governor’s Award for Watershed Stewardship from Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. David’s goal is to increase the capacity of Maine’s universities and colleges to partner with local and stategovernment, , citizens, non-profit organizations and the business community, to find lasting solutions that create bright future in and beyond Maine.

For more information, contact David Hart at 207-581-3257 or david.hart@maine.edu