{"id":977,"date":"2017-05-04T00:00:12","date_gmt":"2017-05-04T04:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/?p=977"},"modified":"2017-05-04T13:50:10","modified_gmt":"2017-05-04T17:50:10","slug":"editor-letter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/2017\/05\/04\/editor-letter\/","title":{"rendered":"A Letter From the Editor"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Kaitlyn Abrams<\/em><\/p>\n<h5>English Department<br \/>\nUniversity of Maine<\/h5>\n<hr>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To residents of Maine and broader communities,<\/p>\n<p>It is my immense pleasure to introduce the inaugural issue of <em>Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>As an environmental journal created both <em>in <\/em>and <em>for<\/em> Maine, <em>Spire <\/em>is the first of its kind. The aim of this online publication is to broaden visibility around environmental concerns by showcasing work across the disciplines, helping to put Maine &ldquo;on the map&rdquo; as it leads efforts toward sustainable practices and the conservation of habitat and wildlife.<\/p>\n<p><em>Spire <\/em>is run by a team of graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Maine, with involvement from faculty members and a distinguished Advisory Board. Much like our authors, the students who make up <em>Spire&rsquo;s <\/em>Editorial Team hail from a wide range of academic fields, uniting their various backgrounds and skillsets in a shared undertaking that welcomes diverse voices.<\/p>\n<p>By way of acknowledgements, I would like to firstly congratulate Colby Fogg, winner of <em>Spire&rsquo;s <\/em>Cover Design Contest for this issue. To the authors and artists whose work we are so proud to feature in our inaugural issue, thank you all for elevating this publication with your contributions. Enormous gratitude is also due to <em>Spire&rsquo;s<\/em> team of student editors, for their dedication, collaborative outlook and enduring professionalism; to James Robe, Jack McLachlan, Gwyneth Roberts, John Welton, George Lindbom and Hanna Deon, thank you. Finally, <em>Spire<\/em> is deeply indebted to Daniel Dixon, Director of the UMaine Office of Sustainability, without whom this journal might still exist only in the realm of possibility.<\/p>\n<p>This first issue of <em>Spire <\/em>features work from the University of Maine at the undergraduate, graduate and faculty levels, as well as work from individuals belonging to other institutions and organizations across Maine. Many of the selected works address topics that hold particular relevance to Maine, while still others possess a global significance.<\/p>\n<p>In concordance with <em>Spire&rsquo;s<\/em> mission, these works have not been separated according to their genre; rather, you will find that the science article neighbors the humanities piece, and collections of art are interspersed throughout.&nbsp; Read alone, each individual work offers a distinct vantage point for considering questions of conservation, sustainability and society&rsquo;s potential role in these aims. Read <em>together<\/em>, these selected works begin to form a picture of the richly varied and complex ways that Mainers engage in environmental discourse.<\/p>\n<p><em>Spire&rsquo;s <\/em>arrival happens to coincide with a significant moment for human engagement with the environment. While awareness of the environmental challenges we face continues to increase, there is also a growing sense of the disconnect between academia and the public. Unquestionably, it is of more vital importance than ever that we foster dialogue and collaboration across the boundaries of discipline as well as community. Residents of Maine &ndash; and indeed elsewhere &ndash; are essential stakeholders in conversations about sustainable use of resources and environmental stewardship. As we look to the future, <em>Spire<\/em>&nbsp;will continue to advance these pivotal conversations about the environment, cultivating the spirit of interdisciplinary partnership that serves as the cornerstone of this publication.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Kaitlyn Abrams<br \/>\nEditor in Chief of <em>Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability<br \/>\n<\/em>University of Maine<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kaitlyn Abrams English Department University of Maine &nbsp; To residents of Maine and broader communities, It is my immense pleasure to introduce the inaugural issue of Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability. As an environmental journal created both in and for Maine, Spire is the first of its kind. The aim of this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":835,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spire-2017-issue"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Letter From the Editor - The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability - University of Maine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/2017\/05\/04\/editor-letter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Letter From the Editor - The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability - University of Maine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kaitlyn Abrams English Department University of Maine &nbsp; To residents of Maine and broader communities, It is my immense pleasure to introduce the inaugural issue of Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability. 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