Alums in the News
Roger Cook (’77) of ‘This Old House’ Dies At 70
August 23, 2024 – Marc Berman, Senior Contributor – Forbes
Roger Cook, who was a garden and landscape contractor on the veteran PBS home renovation series This Old House, died on August 21 after an extended illness. He was 70.
Maine Audubon Urges Federal Regulators to Remove Kennebec Dams (Gundrum ’19)
May 23, 2024 – by Ches Gundrum, Audubon.com
The story of America’s movement to restore wildlife habitat by removing unnecessary and underperforming dams began, in part, on the Kennebec River. In 1999, advocates from across Maine came together to celebrate the removal of the Edwards Dam near Augusta and the restoration of 18 miles of fish habitat not accessible since 1837.
Bangor students see things from a salmon’s eye view (Dillingham ’24)
May 2, 2023 – Maine Audubon, by Melissa Gallagher
Through recent outdoor learning and hands-on activities, students at the Fairmount School in Bangor are deepening their understanding of watersheds thanks to Maine Audubon’s “River in my Backyard” after-school program.
In Memory of Wesley Smith ’71
Legacy.com – Wesley Chipman Smith…
As he would have been the first to say, on May 11, 2024, Wes “up and took dead.”
Born in Gardiner, he was stricken with polio at one year old. The doctor said he’d never walk. That was just the first of many instances where Wessy was underestimated.
PCSWCD’s annual bird walk with Maine Audubon Society & Forest Society of Maine (Kristin [Dilworth] Peet ’03)
Contributed • April 1, 2024
DOVER-FOXCROFT — Register and join us for a morning bird walk on Saturday, May 4 as we explore springtime birds at the Law Farm Nature Trails in Dover-Foxcroft! The Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District will be cohosting with Forest Society of Maine Conservation Specialist Kristin Peet, experienced birder, Shane Barker and Maine Audubon Society’s birder Nick Lund. Together, they will be leading a bird walk along the trails of Law Farm’s community forest and recreational trails starting at 8 a.m.
Francesca Gundrum ’19 named Director of Advocacy at Maine Audubon
Maine Audubon – posted March 11, 2024
Maine Audubon is pleased to announce that Francesca “Ches” Gundrum has been promoted to Director of Advocacy.
In memory of David Locke ’56
SOUTH GARDINER – David Orman Locke passed away on March 4, 2024 at Maine General Medical Center, Augusta, Maine. He was born October 4, 1934, to Lloyd G. and Doris (Stanley) Locke in Bridgton, Maine. He graduated from George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill, Maine and from the University of Maine at Orono with a degree in Wildlife Conservation in 1956.
Experts from Maine Forest Service to talk woodland stewardship (Whitman ’92)
The Camden Public Library welcomes Andy Whitman and Allyssa Gregory from the Maine Forest Service on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 6:30 p.m. for a presentation on ways to steward woodland with forest carbon in mind. They will discuss forest carbon basics, forest resilience, forest carbon practices, and provide information on where to find additional resources, and who to contact for professional guidance.
In memory of Peter S. Bosse ’76
Portland Press Herald – posted November 5, 2023
WENDELL, N.C. – Peter died Sept. 14, 2023 after a brief illness. He was born April 11, 1952 in Lewiston, the youngest of six children.
Announcing our interim executive director (Gardner [Huebner] ’10)
August 25, 2023 – Sageland Collaborative
We’re excited to announce our new Interim Executive Director: Janice Gardner! Gardner has been a Conservation Ecologist at Sageland Collaborative for over five years, leading with both a deep passion for wildlife and a marked ability to achieve large-scale conservation impacts.
Outdoors with Jeremy Hurst and Amanda Watson 8/22/2023 (Watson {Bailey} ’12)
WAMC Northeast Public Radio – Published August 23, 2023
We welcome back Jeremy Hurst, the Big Game Unit Leader for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Also joining us is Mandy Watson is a wildlife biologist with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Game Management section.
Steve Walker (’93) named Land for Maine’s Future director
June 17, 2023
AUGUSTA — Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Commissioner Amanda Beal has announced that Steve Walker will be joining the department as director of Land for Maine’s Future.
Downeast Audubon talk April 12 (Berigan ’24/Filiberti ’24)
Apr 3, 2023 – Ellsworth American
ELLSWORTH — Downeast Audubon is hosting a talk titled “Migratory Marvels: Understanding Woodcock and Golden-winged Warbler Migration” on Wednesday, April 12, at 7 p.m. at the Moore Community Center in Ellsworth.
Liam Berigan and Emily Filiberti are researchers at the University of Maine studying bird migration using remote tracking technology. Berigan will give an introduction to the biology and life history of the American woodcock and discuss his ongoing research on their migration patterns. Filiberti will speak about her two-year-long tracking and monitoring of the golden-winged warbler, a species facing acute population decline.
The audience will be walked through the process of tagging and tracking these elusive birds, how the Motus network is playing a pivotal role in understanding migratory pathways, and how this work will ultimately help to inform future management decisions for these species.
Amanda Ives (’23): Teaching — and learning — with Maine Audubon
March 16, 2023 – UMaine News
Amanda Ives has always been outdoorsy. She remembers her childhood vacations and outdoor summer camp adventures as formative times in her life, and influential in her decision to pursue conservation as a career.
Salmon deplete fat stores while stopped at dams, study shows (Rubenstein ’12)
February 2023 – phys.org
Restoration of the critically endangered Atlantic salmon is an important issue in the rivers of Maine. Dams on Maine rivers have long been known to impact fish populations, but a new study led by the University of Maine quantifying the time and energy lost by Atlantic salmon stopped by dams indicate that the structures might have even more of an impact than once thought.
Reading Trees: Are small mammals able to predict seed densities in the Maine woods? (Franzoi Dri ’24)
February 2023 – Maine TREE – Written by Gabriela Franzoi Dri
We all know that farmers try to predict if the coming season will produce a good crop based on spring weather. But have you ever wondered if squirrels can predict if this will be a good or poor acorn year? This is very intriguing because trees produce variable seed quantities each year – a process we call “mast-seeding” – and squirrels certainly would benefit from knowing when food will be more abundant.
Salmon deplete fat stores while stopped at dams, study shows (Rubenstein ’21)
By Shweta Varshney – Samachar Central – Feb 3, 2023
Restoration of the critically endangered Atlantic salmon is an important issue in the rivers of Maine. Dams on Maine rivers have long been known to impact fish populations, but a new study led by the University of Maine quantifying the time and energy lost by Atlantic salmon stopped by dams indicate that the structures might have even more of an impact than once thought.
In memory of Beth [Henderson] Goettel ’76
Bar Harbor – January 18, 2023
Beth Goettel lost her battle with multiple system atrophy (MSA) on Jan. 16, 2023. Although this cruel disease took away her ability to walk, and affected her eyesight, coordination and ability to talk, she never lost her sense of humor or her bright outlook on life.
Outdoors with Mandy Watson and Matt Palumbo (Watson {Bailey} ’12)
WAMC, The Roundtable – January 17, 2023
Today we talk about wildlife that you might find in your own backyard. We welcome back Mandy Watson, coordinator of the Furbearer and Small Game Mammal programs for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Also joining us is Matt Palumbo from the Avian Unit of the DEC’s Wildlife Diversity Section.
A Fond Farewell to Amanda Ives (’23), the 2022 Davis Intern at Fields Pond
December 20, 2022 – Maine Audubon
Imagine a job where you start your day by filling feeders for wild birds, then help to plan an after-school lesson for fourth graders, then recommend some hiking trails for visitors to the Fields Pond Audubon Nature Center.
Outdoors with Jeremy Hurst 11/29/22 (Watson {Bailey} ’12)
Bullseye with Jesse Thorn – Published November 29, 2022
We welcome back Jeremy Hurst, the Big Game Unit Leader for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Also joining us is Mandy Watson is a wildlife biologist with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Game Management section.
Matt Gonnerman: Wild turkeys adapt movement to Maine’s winter weather, UMaine study shows (Gonnerman ’21)
November 22, 2022 – UMaine
Thanksgiving may be right around the corner, but Maine’s wild turkeys have more to worry about than ending up on the kitchen table. Winter is coming, and with it, extremely cold temperatures and fewer resources for turkeys to thrive.
Readfield outdoorsman leads the High Peaks Alliance (West ’10)
READFIELD — Brent West grew up in New Portland in Somerset County hunting, fishing and exploring the high peaks of Maine.
The experiences led him to a career in wildlife ecology. After college, he worked across North America for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducting surveys that informed federal hunting laws. While working for the service in Maryland he earned his master’s degree developing a model to estimate North America’s woodcock population, according to West.
In Memory of Marshall Thomas Wiebe (’60)
READFIELD – Marshall Thomas Wiebe, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, passed away peacefully on March 15, 2022, at Balsam House in Readfield with his loving wife at his side.
How to outsmart a beaver, topic of Coastal Rivers online program (Lisle ’94)
by Angela DesVeaux, Coastal Rivers – Tue, 03/15/2022 – 11:15am
The North American beaver is a keystone species, or an organism that supports an entire biological community. However, their engineering projects can put them at odds with humans when they cause damage to roads and other human property.
Scott appoints Wayne Laroche (’71) to Vermont House of Representatives
Mon, 02/14/2022 – 2:40pm — Vermont Business Magazine
Governor Phil Scott today announced his appointment of Wayne A. Laroche, of Franklin, to the Vermont House of Representatives, representing House District Franklin-5. Laroche replaces former Representative Paul Martin (R-Franklin) who recently resigned.
In Memory of Richard “Dick” Hess (’53)
December 11, 2021
Richard “Dick” Hess, 90, of Collbran, Colorado, passed peacefully in the early morning of December 11, 2021.
Forestry Walk and Talk (Joseph Roy ’14)
By Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District Sat, 07/24/2021 – 8:15am
Presenters include: Peter Abello, district conservationist at NRCS-USDA; Barrie Brusila, forester with Mid-Maine Forestry; Joseph Roy, wildlife biologist Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; and representatives from Midcoast Conservancy.
Wildlife science education, research were passions for SDSU professor (Jonathan Jenks ’86)
Jan 29, 2021
BROOKINGS, S.D. — For the past 29 years, Jonathan Jenks, a distinguished professor of natural resource management at South Dakota State University, has devoted his professional life to researching wildlife populations and educating young people hoping to enter the wildlife ecology and natural resource management industries.
In Memory of Patricia L. Waldman
Mon, 12/07/2020 – 8:30am
Patricia Lois Flynt Waldman was born in Augusta, Maine on Jan. 19, 1938 to Horton and Barbara (Burr) Flynt. Her life spanned just beyond eight decades and she packed every one full.
Birds of Maine Lands On Bookshelves (Peter Vickery ’90 & ’93)
By Will Grunewald – Down East Magazine Holiday Issue 2020
A flock of family and friends helped the late Peter Vickery‘s sweeping account of Maine’s birds become a full-fledged reality.
In Memory of Lewis N. Flagg (’65)
WINTHROP – Lewis Nelson Flagg, a retired State of Maine Marine Biologist and Army veteran, passed away peacefully, with his daughter and wife at his side, on May 17, 2020, at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough.
Saving Maine’s endangered wildlife is a ‘complex dance’ (Charlie Todd ’79)
By Aislinn Sarnacki, BDN Staff
February 15, 2020 1:00 am
Maine is home to 51 animals that are currently listed as Endangered or Threatened by the state or federal government. On that list, you’ll find the puffin, the New England cottontail rabbit, the spotted turtle and a fish called a swamp darter — just to name a few.
Phippsburg chooses local trappers over federal program to control rabies (Shevenell Webb ’03)
Phippsburg selectmen agreed to connect residents interested in trapping wildlife on their property with local fur trappers, who help control the wildlife population and the diseases they carry.
Kathleen O’Brien Times Record – February 13, 2020
In Memory of Charles “Chuck” A. McNulty (’60)
Oct. 10, 1938 — Feb. 6, 2020
QUEENSBURY — Charles “Chuck” A. McNulty, 81, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, at the Glens Falls Hospital after a lengthy, valiant battle with heart disease and kidney failure.
New Patrol Officer to be assigned to Machias (Evan Whidden ’17)
January 15, 2020
…Sworn in at the same time was Evan Whidden of Harpswell, who will serve as boat specialist on the patrol vessel Monitor out of Boothbay Harbor.
Letter to the editor: Trapping not the only way to manage beavers (Skip Lisle ’94)
Non-lethal tactics can protect property while letting beavers play a vital role in the ecosystem.
Portland Press Herald – January 6, 2020
Bat Conservation: Helping Maine’s Bat Population in the Face of White Nose Disease and Other Threats (Shevenell [Mullen] Webb ’03)
By Cindy Han – Oct 29, 2019
The bat population has been in decline in Maine ever since 2011, when the onset of white nose syndrome caused by a harmful fungus began to kill off different bat species here.
Biologist among those awarded for their work with Maine’s fisheries (Wes Ashe ’09)
by John Holyoke, BDN Staff – September 17, 2019
Several state fisheries and hatcheries staffers were honored recently for their efforts to manage and enhance the state’s fishing resources.
Schoodic Institute appoints new education specialist (Sarah Hooper ’90)
August 30, 2019
WINTER HARBOR — Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park has appointed Sarah Hooper of Brooklin as education specialist.
County Faces: Steve Young (’78) of Frenchville
<Jessica Potila – July 4, 2019
Wildlife biologist Steve Young of Frenchville, 63, first fell in love with nature when he was a Boy Scout growing up in Madawaska. Young went on to become an Eagle Scout and has shared his respect and appreciation for Maine’s natural landscape with others ever since.
Marsupials on MDI? (Shevenell [Mullen] Webb ’03)
By Becky Pritchard on News – May 13, 2019
BAR HARBOR — Mount Desert Islander reporter Dick Broom was on his way to a meeting one evening last February. While stopped at the stop sign where Park Street meets Ledgelawn Avenue, his vehicle headlights caught the form of a light gray animal across the street.
Beaver Deceivers: System protects animals, prevents flooding (Skip Lisle ’94)
By Paul Post ppost@digitalfirstmedia.com @paulpost on Twitter – Apr 22, 2019
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Skip Lisle has a spent a lifetime trying to outwit beavers in an attempt to keep them alive, protect their habitats and save people millions of dollars.
His Graftton, Vt.-based business, Beaver Deceivers, employs a clever system he designed that allows the animals to build dams without causing flooding, which triggers expensive property damage.
DIF&W promotes biologist to lead wildlife division (Nate Webb ’03)
By John Holyoke, BDN Staff – April 22, 2019 12:49 pm
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has promoted an experienced biologist to serve as the new director of its wildlife division. Nate Webb, who has been working as the supervisor of the department’s Wildlife Resource Assessment Division, will now oversee the development and implementation of policy decisions and legislative proposals, and will coordinate a $12 million budget while supervising a staff of nearly 50 employees.
Manager at Westmoreland State Park loves its history, but notes that age requires updates (Russell Johnson ’84)
BY ROB HEDELT THE FREE LANCE-STAR, Apr 16, 2019
Westmoreland State Park Manager Russell Johnson receives a check from Carter Blackford Filer, president of Garden Club of the Northern Nec, money being used to update the park’s Discovery Center. Assistant Park Manager Steve Davis (at rear) stand next to and worked with GCNN members Jan Schuler and Candy Carden to present the proposal to the Garden Club of Virginia, which issued the grant.
In memory of Sally C. Rooney ’59
Sally C. Rooney, 80, died December 13, 2018, at Birch Bay Village, Bar Harbor. Born 1938 in Malden, MA, she was the daughter of Kellogg W and Muriel C Kyle of Stoneham, MA. Sally graduated from the University of Maine, Orono, becoming the first woman to earn a BS, wildlife management in 1959. She followed that with an MS zoology in 1972 and an MS botany in 1991.
First sequencing of Canada lynx genome (Jennifer Vashon ’93)
September 14, 2018 by Tanya Lama, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in collaboration with the Vertebrate Genome Laboratory (VGL), New York, this week are publishing the first-ever whole genome for the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). It is one of 14 being released to the public data repository for use by researchers studying evolution, disease, genetics and conservation, says lynx team coordinator Tanya Lama, a doctoral candidate in environmental conservation at UMass Amherst.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-09-sequencing-canada-lynx-genome.html#jCp
In memory of Dr. “Sandy” Sanford Schemnitz (professor of wildlife resources ’62 to ’75)…
Sanford D. Schemnitz was born March 10, 1930 in Cleveland, Ohio to David & Evelyn Schemnitz. Shortly thereafter, they moved to California. When he was five years old, tragedy struck and his mother died. After her death he lived for a brief time with his aunt, Theresa Wertheimer, in Glencoe, IL. In 1937, he went back out to California and lived briefly with his grandparents before moving back to Cleveland. His father remarried Rhoda Goodman, who helped raise him along with his two sisters. The family eventually moved to Milwaukee, Wis….
In memory of Peter D. Vickery ’90, ’93
Peter Douglas Vickery, 67, of Richmond, Maine, died at this home on February 28, 2017, after an 18-month battle with cancer. Peter’s lifelong passion was birds, and they were woven on a daily basis into his adult life and his work.
In memory of Gorden W. Bell ’67
Gordon W. Bell, 73, died following a brief illness, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, at Sussman Hospice House in Rockport. His loving wife was at his side.
Why Maine Is The Only State In The US With A ‘Significant’ Elver Fishery (William Sheldon ’69)
MAY 1, 2018, Nora Flaherty
…..In Maine, the story starts in the 1970s, at a time when sushi was becoming popular in the western world. At that time, according to a National Geographic article on the elver trade, a Japanese fisheries attache got in touch with the state Department of Natural Resources, wondering if Maine had enough baby eels to start a commercial fishery.
The job of answering that question fell to William Sheldon, a Maine Department of Marine Resources employee with a degree in wildlife management. He was the right guy for the job. Once Sheldon determined there were indeed elvers aplenty in Maine’s rivers, estuaries and streams, he figured out techniques for elver fishing and holding, and for shipping the little eels to Japan. (That isn’t where his story ends, by the way.)
Should Some Species Be Allowed to Die Out? (Marcus Collado ’09)
MARCH 13, 2018, By JENNIFER KAHN
As the list of endangered animals worldwide grows longer, society may soon be faced with an impossible decision: which ones to take off life support.
Important news if you hunt turkeys or hate turkeys (Brad Allen’79)
March 6, 2018, By George Smith
If you don’t hunt turkeys, you probably hate turkeys. One year, a week before Christmas, a friend got a call from a lady asking him to come to her house to kill the turkeys that had eaten all her Christmas decorations on her deck.
The most peculiar job I did as a Maine wildlife biologist? Count deer dung (William Noble ’73)
By Ron Joseph, Special to the BDN • February 10, 2018 12:24 pm
On April 4, 1978, I celebrated my 26th birthday by counting deer dung as a recently hired wildlife biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The census is officially named “deer pellet-group surveys,” a cleverly worded euphemism. Gary Donovan, my supervisor, assigned me to work with Gene Dumont, an assistant regional wildlife biologist.
Fish and Game publishes multispecies monitoring tool (Lacy Robinson ’06)
Money for wildlife conservation is a dwindling resource in a time when there has never been a greater need for it. The sweat equity of eight organizations, 200 citizen scientists, and a biologist’s survey tool showed what can be accomplished when the two are connected. This collaborative effort is now published for others to see and use in similar research.
Celebrating with my birthday mallard (Howard Delo ’79)
October 22, 2017 – Back in the early 1970’s, the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Maine at Orono had strong ties between the two wildlife management schools within the universities. Without going into much detail, I think that’s one reason I was accepted for graduate school in Maine after graduating from Fairbanks.
How one man tricked beavers and saved them — and roads — in the process (Skip Lisle ’94)
October 10, 2017 – Knee-deep in muddy water, Skip Lisle wrestled with a metal fence, a key component of his invention, the Beaver Deceiver. On the morning of Sept. 29, deep in the woods of northeast Maine, Lisle pieced together the simple, durable device that he designed with one goal: trick the beavers, and in doing so, save the beavers.
In Memory of Clarence W. Davis ’62
Clarence “Larry” W. Davis, 84, of Boothbay, died peacefully Sept. 13, 2017 at the Maine Veterans Hospice House at Togus in Augusta.
In Memory of Alan Edward Hutchinson ’69 and ’80
We deeply mourn the unexpected passing of Alan Edward Hutchinson on Sunday, August 27th at his home in Orono. We will painfully miss this extraordinary man who possessed a deep respect and love for the magnificence of family, the glory of nature, and the pleasure of many, many cherished friendships.
Rewilding cougars in the Maine woods (Mark McCollough ’82 and ’89)
On Wednesday, June 28, a five-member panel discussed the possibility of bringing, or rewilding, a permanent population of mountain lions, or cougars, to the East. The forum “Mountain Lions in Maine: Rewilding the Maine Woods” drew about 125 people to the Round Top Darrow’s Barn in Damariscotta….
…Mark A. McCollough, an endangered species specialist biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Maine Field Office; and Christopher Spatz, president of the Cougar Rewilding Foundation.
Game Commission hires CWD boss (Wayne Laroche ’72)
HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Game Commission has focused its attention on limiting the spread of chronic wasting disease through the state’s wild whitetailed deer and neutralizing its threat to wild elk….
Wayne A. Laroche, who has served as the agency’s Bureau of Wildlife Management director for the past two years, will be appointed Aug. 1 as special assistant for CWD response. Laroche will lead the Game Commission’s efforts to slow CWD and reduce its impact. CWD is fatal to deer and elk.
Local game warden recognized as Maine’s Warden of the Year (Kris MacCabe ’05)
FARMINGTON – A game warden from the greater Farmington district was recently recognized as warden of the year for his outstanding efforts in law enforcement.
Warden Kris MacCabe spent years in his college days building up his resume with outdoor experience before applying for a position on the state’s game warden force in 2007.