Olivia Olson
Welcome to the ninth issue of Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability. We are delighted to announce that the winner of this year’s cover art contest is Madeline Hunter. Madeline’s “Planting” is the first installment in her series of illustrations which highlight the changing biotic communities that she witnessed during the planting phase of her graduate field work. Each illustration features a young woman, “Bean Girl,” and speaks to the interconnectedness of people and their environments, a fitting invitation to the ninth issue of Spire.
Chantelle Flores
Katahdin’s the only one watching
as we sip stories through tear-stained napkins.
My eulogy’s flown with the northern wind
by the time my cousin begins the dig.
They tell of forests felled into fields,
of the produce, corn and potatoes, and
of my great grandmother’s child hands
boring holes in the soil of the family plot.
Continue Reading
Tom Lagasse
The pond is like a country
as are the woods, the meadows,
And bogs. All with leaky borders.
The snags are towns in decay
As are the oaks and bee balm.
Its citizenry is diverse –
Raccoons, rabbits and deer,
Cardinals and blue jays, ants
Continue Reading
Chantelle Flores
You beautifully destructive being,
an Odysseus of ashen vessel,
our godless world has steered you astray
and left you as emerald pendant,
a cursed spectacle in our hands.
You consume the innermost of all
you esteem as your Eden,
Continue Reading
How Much Additional Electricity Will a Heat Pump Use?
Nicole Grillo, Kelsey Flores, Matthew Hartt, Savannah Hustus, Thomas E. Stone
In order to meet decarbonization goals associated with mitigating climate change, many states and the federal government offer a variety of rebates and tax incentives for heat pump installation. Heat pumps are generally more efficient than other heat sources and can maintain the same temperature in a home or building with lower overall greenhouse gas emissions. While the climate change implications are of crucial importance, electric ratepayers have an immediate question: how much will my electric bill go up if I install a heat pump?
Continue Reading
The Power of Intentional Cultivation of Land and Community at The Terrell House
Eddie Nachamie
UMaine’s Terrell House Permaculture Living & Learning Center offers students a way to engage with intentional community, permaculture gardening, and sustainable living through resident steward opportunities. The Terrell House Permaculture Living & Learning Center was established in 2012 as a space for UMaine to host a permaculture demonstration site with opportunities for student housing… The house offers students the opportunity to live in Orono year-round and grow organic produce in an ecologically designed permaculture garden as “resident stewards”…
Continue Reading
Rihannon McCutcheon
Babbling, crystal, blue, and cool
all words to describe your waters,
A sanctuary to all who find you—
The trees who sup from deep beneath,
horsetails who grow in the shallows,
stones who tumble onto their next stop,
the deer who drink, the trout who waggle,
all of them friends who partake
Continue Reading
Ella McDonald
Sometimes you will come across a dead tree,
a skeletal landmark in the spring forest–
its whitegrey trunk exaggerated with age
next to the new growth of the nearby maple
If you are quiet enough, you’ll watch the forest
come to visit—
pick up their gifts and pay their respects.
Hidden from view you’ll hear the wood borer larvae
squeaking morbidity from their mandibles,
fattening themselves in their slow circuits
Continue Reading
Jacqueline Knirnschild
if you can, inside a cave, a waterfall
gushes on a rock, and on
the rock is a translucent, whitish pink
eyeless fish. The blind cave tetra.
Now imagine, if you can, that you are the tetra,
and the current constantly washes over you–
your smooth, clear back, your non-eye
sockets and spindly little hook fingers
that cling to the rock. Imagine, if you can,
your entire world is a single waterfall
Continue Reading
Our Campus Recycles: Incorporating Student Opinion in the Recycling Discussion
Kaleigh Kogler, Katie Simmons, Marissa Wood, Noah Bruns
UMaine’s average recycling rate has plummeted from 36% in 2020 to 10% in 2023. This is partially due to the introduction of China’s National Sword policy in 2018, which set major restrictions on the quality, type, and amount of recycling the United States previously sent to China. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic caused many Maine towns to stop recycling for fear of handling the materials, and unstable prices have halted the restarting of recycling programs. These widespread issues have created barriers to recycling at the University of Maine…
Continue Reading
Harrison Goldspiel
It began with a man and a woman, as many stories do.
They met on the beach in the Rockaways at the southern edge of Queens. It was the crux of the 20th century, an indelible ecotone of time. Families sprawled across the sandy peninsula like so many ants, enjoying an innocent pause between one war and another.
Albert was a fortunate man. After a short period of training in the Colorado mountains, he found himself miraculously spared from war, returning home to New York instead of Korea. Returning to a large family and the certain pleasures provided by the coastal city.
It’s hard to say what he first noticed about her. Edna was a peculiar woman of many signals. She rode bikes and roller skates. She climbed billboards and trees. She smoked cigarettes…
Continue Reading
Jacqueline Knirnschild
The deepest point of
the world’s deepest trench in
the world’s deepest ocean.
The Mariana Trench
in the Pacific Ocean.
A scar in the Earth’s crust.
Seven miles beneath the waves.
The last unexplored frontier.
More than 1,500 miles long.
A feat of engineering
just to get there. The submarine
is like a pillow on its side,
akin to the Wright Brothers
Just baby steps. Simply open the door.
Continue Reading
Harsha Elizabeth James
That it is transient and resilient is nature for me.
Can I be one too?
One that is subject to seasonal and temporal variations
Yet, it gets it back together every single time.
Time? Wait, do I have it?
I am late, as always, testing the patience of nature again and again.
Will it let it go this time or lecture me again on the importance of time?
Not a word, complete silence!
Continue Reading
Clea Harrelson
“I slept three hours last night,”
someone says to a reporter.
Hopes for an early night are not high,
and no one can really leave.
It’s their job, after all,
to wait.
Continue Reading
Mara Scallon
Nineteen of us occupied several rows within the classroom, seated in every other lecture hall seat, with colorful hiking packs jammed into the seats in between. This was a Wilderness First Responder recertification course, and many of us were wearing layers of outdoor gear, broken-in hiking boots, and well-loved brimmed hats. We were here to recertify our ability to practice basic wilderness medicine in the backcountry. This was my third recertification and like many of my classmates, I was here to maintain my certification…
Continue Reading
Why Compostable Packaging Isn’t a Silver Bullet Solution
Suz Okie and Sydney Harris
On a trip to your local haunt, you may have noticed a rising trend: a growing number of coffee shops, cafés, and food establishments across Maine — and indeed across the country — are distributing compostable cups, straws, and containers.
With concerns escalating over single-use plastics and the limitations of our recycling system, it’s no wonder that businesses large and small are looking for more eco-friendly alternatives. After all, packaging and plastic waste have become a ubiquitous and unwelcome part of our modern lifestyle.
Continue Reading
