Spire 2017 Issue

The Maine Woods National Park Photo-Documentation Project

Lee Ann Szelog & Thomas Mark Szelog   Imagine having the opportunity to preserve one of the last great wilderness ecosystems in the United States, creating a peaceful environment and adequate space for some of the world’s greatest wildlife, including black bear, moose, and Canada lynx, to raise their families, thrive and survive. Imagine a […]

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Eden & Ruin: Monhegan’s Island Shepherd

Taylor Cunningham University of Maine   “Over another rise of ground, below him, he saw a sort of sprawling house. It was not really a proper house—the  boards went higgledy-piggledy in all directions—but it did seem to belong just where it was.” – Yolla Niclas, The Island Shepherd   I. The Trouble with Horizons Understanding […]

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What’s Next for Maine’s Forests? Mill Town and Statewide Community Perspectives on the Value, Management, and Future of Maine Forests

Julia B. McGuire,1 Jessica E. Leahy,2 Mindy S. Crandall,3 James A. Marciano,4 Robert J. Lilieholm5 1 Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Forest Resources, University of Maine 2 Associate Professor, School of Forest Resources, University of Maine 3 Assistant Professor of Forest Management and Economics, School of Forest Resources, University of Maine 4 M.S. Graduate, School […]

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Tiny Catastrophes

Michel Droge   Not unlike the canary in the coal mine the small islands on our coast will be first to see the impacts of climate change. Although the effect appears mild at the moment, the changes are gradual; seemingly minor changes have a profound cumulative effect. This new body of work is a perceptual […]

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What We Should be Learning from Syria: Climate, Planning and Worst Case Scenarios

Kimberley Rain Miner   In the last few years, scholars1 have discussed the compounding effect of climate stressors and political unrest in Arab nations leading up to the Arab Spring uprisings.2 They have highlighted the environmental changes that led up to the regime changes, and the possibility for international multilateral cooperation in a volatile climate […]

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Table 1. Flowering plant taxa observed flowering in Maine blueberry fields (2014-2015).

Year and Region Early May Late May – June July 2014 Hancock Co. bluets (Houstonia caerulea)1 bladder campionE (Silene vulgaris) bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) bluets cherry (Prunus spp.) buttercupE&N  (Ranunculus spp.) dandelionE  (Taraxacum officinale) Canada toadflax (Nuttallanthus canadensis) forsythiaE (Forsythia spp.) chickweedE (Stellaria media) strawberry (Fragaria vesca) cinquefoilE&N (Potentilla spp.) violets (Viola spp.) cloverE (Trifolium spp.) […]

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Acadia Photography

Mohamad Bakr Rahim Karim   Low Tide at Otter Cliff Low tide gives you more room to explore. – Waves on Otter Cliff The bright sun at dawn reflecting off the waves near Otter Cliff – Snow on Otter Cliff February in Maine. Enjoying the sun, snow, and water all at the same time. – […]

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Are They Weeds or a Life Force? Or Sustainability on the Edge

Frank Drummond1,2, Elissa Ballman1, and Judith Collins1 1School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine 2Cooperative Extension, University of Maine   Abstract: In 2014 and 2015 we surveyed 28 wild blueberry fields in Hancock, Knox, Waldo, and Washington Counties, Maine. We assessed and recorded the diversity, richness, and total abundance of flowering wildflowers along field […]

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