Adam Daigneault, Assistant Professor, School of Forest Resources; Faculty Fellow, Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions
Linda Silka, Senior Fellow, Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

How do we define resilience? What are the key attributes and drivers of resilient communities? How have natural-resource dependent communities responded to large socio-economic shocks? Adam and Linda will provide a comprehensive overview of how these questions are being explored in the Katahdin Region as residents continue to adapt to significant socioeconomic change over the past few years by actively exploring opportunities to make the region a more resilient and robust place to live, work, and play. A key part of this research is to establish a current economic and social snapshot of the region so that community leaders can strategically apply resources and make informed decisions. In addition to identifying quantitative ways to measure resilience, the researchers are also gathering information on residents perception of their communities and how prepared they are prepared to respond to future shocks. The findings from the Katahdin Region study will be compared and contrasted to other natural-resource communities in Maine and across the U.S. that have also faced similar challenges.