Schoodic Institute

What "Maine Won't Wait" Looks Like in Action feat. Ivan Fernandez, Maggie Kelly-Boyd, and Parker Gassett
2025-06-10 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Moore Auditorium, Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, Acadia Drive, Winter Harbor, ME, 04693, United States
Join us for our 2025 Summer Lecture Series premiere event!
Join us in person at Schoodic Institute or online via Zoom on Tuesday, June 10 at 7:00pm for What “Maine Won’t Wait” Looks Like in Action, our Summer Lecture Series opening event featuring Ivan Fernandez, Ph.D, Maggie Kelly-Boyd, and Parker Gassett, Ph.D.
During the lecture, the panel will discuss Maine’s updated 2024 climate action plan that builds upon the award-winning 2020 “Maine Won’t Wait” climate action plan, addressing climate change impacts, building resilience, and meeting statutory emission reduction targets. This was the first integrated climate action plan for Maine, encompassing mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. Developed through extensive collaboration with over 200 working group members, more than 1,000 survey responses, and multiple public engagements, the plan outlines strategies for individuals, communities, and businesses.

Ivan J. Fernandez, Ph.D, is Professor Emeritus and Climate Research Scientist in the School of Forest Resources, Climate Change Institute, and School of Food and Agriculture at the University of Maine, and Director of the Maine Climate Science Information Exchange. Among other awards, he was made a Distinguished Maine Professor in 2007, CASE/Carnegie in Washington DC named him Professor of the Year for Maine in 2008, he was named a fellow in the Soil Science Society of America in 2010 and was the 2018 President’s Public Service Achievement Award recipient at the University of Maine. He has served on various U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board committees in Washington DC since 2000 and has led the Maine’s Climate Future assessments in 2009, 2015, and 2020. In 2019 he was appointed to the Maine Climate Council, serves as co-Chair of its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, and is a member of its Natural Working Lands working group. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Schoodic Institute.
Maggie Kelly-Boyd is the Natural Resources Climate Policy Advisor with the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. In this role, she supports state policy and programs related to natural resources, climate change issues, and climate adaptation for Maine’s natural resource industries and communities. Maggie helps Maine implement the state’s key climate action strategies, such as supporting farming, forestry, and fisheries industries in Maine in adapting to climate change, and improving monitoring of inland, coastal and marine ecosystems to increase resilience.
Parker Gassett, Ph.D, is the Assistant Director of the Maine Climate Science Information Exchange at the University of Maine, where he coordinates climate science initiatives in support of the Maine Climate Council and State Climate Action Plan. With a Ph.D in Environmental Science from the University of Maine and extensive experience in climate resilience and adaptation, Parker bridges the gap between scientific research and community action. As a member of the Maine Climate Council’s Community Resilience Working Group and co-coordinator of the Maine Climate Change Adaptation Providers Network, he works to strengthen Maine’s response to climate challenges. His research focuses on coastal environmental monitoring and restoration, community science, and climate adaptation strategies, with numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals addressing coastal acidification, community resilience, and state-level climate action. Parker’s background includes leadership roles in outdoor education with Outward Bound and conservation work with AmeriCorps, demonstrating his commitment to both environmental stewardship and community engagement. His contributions have been recognized through various awards, including the Outstanding Service Award from the Maine Fishermen’s Forum and the EE360 Fellowship from the North American Association of Environmental Education.

No Time to Wait: Science Organizations as the New Adaptation Leaders feat. Doug Parsons
2025-07-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Moore Auditorium, Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, Acadia Drive, Winter Harbor, ME, 04693, United States
Join us for our 2025 Summer Lecture Series!
Join us in person at Schoodic Institute or online via Zoom on Tuesday, July 8 at 7:00pm for No Time to Wait: Science Organizations as the New Adaptation Leaders featuring Doug Parsons, Director of America Adapts Media and host of America Adapts – The Climate Change Podcast.
Doug Parsons is the Director of America Adapts Media and host of America Adapts – The Climate Change Podcast.
As the federal government steps back from climate leadership and science comes under increasing attack, the role of science organizations has never been more critical. At the local level, these groups are essential in not just advancing climate adaptation but also creating widespread awareness of its urgency. Too often, adaptation is overlooked in climate discussions, yet it is vital for protecting communities and ecosystems. In this talk, Doug Parsons, host of America Adapts – The Climate Change Podcast, will explore how research institutions can lead the way in bridging the gap between science, policy, and public understanding. With real-world examples and insights from his global storytelling, Doug will highlight why now is the time for science organizations to step up, ensuring that adaptation becomes a central focus in the climate conversation.
Doug Parsons is the Director of America Adapts Media and host of America Adapts – The Climate Change Podcast. A recognized leader in climate adaptation, Doug has worked at the intersection of science communication, policy, and media for over a decade. He has traveled the world telling stories of adaptation, highlighting the people, policies, and innovations shaping our climate future. His career includes roles with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the National Park Service, as well as adaptation work in Australia. Doug is a sought-after speaker, consultant, and storyteller, helping organizations and audiences understand the urgency and opportunities in climate adaptation.

Chebacco Author Program: Gifts from Former Shores with Bonnie Newsom and Catherine Schmitt
2025-07-09 17:30 - 19:00 | ME
Shell mounds—rich in clam and oyster shells, animal bones, tools, and pottery—reveal the long-term, year-round presence and sophisticated stewardship of marine resources by Wabanaki people. A 1993 underwater discovery of oyster shells, dating back 9,000 years, supports evidence of ancient coastal living when sea levels were lower. Today, while warming waters are enabling the return of oysters, rising waters and storms threaten the integrity of cultural heritage sites. Preserving shell mounds and the Wabanaki knowledge they hold offers vital lessons for sustainable living in a changing world.
Join Bonnie Newsom and Catherine Schmitt as they journey through thousands of years of dynamic coastal transformation and enduring human presence. Through the lens of ancient shell mounds, they will explore the sophisticated foodways, seasonal movements, and environmental stewardship of Wabanaki people, past and present. This program is based on the 2025 Chebacco article Gifts from Former Shores.
This program is a collaboration between the MDI Historical Society and the Northeast Harbor Library. It will be offered in person at the Northeast Harbor Library (1 Joy Road Mount Desert, ME, 04662) and remotely via Zoom, and it will be recorded for later viewing.
Please Register at: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/13287794
Dr. Bonnie Newsom is a member of the Penobscot Nation and an archaeologist who is interested in the pre-contact lifeways of the Wabanaki peoples. She is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Faculty Associate in the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine. She and her husband Les are both military veterans, and they live in Eddington, Maine. They have four children and three grandsons.
Catherine Schmitt is a science communication specialist with Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, and previously served as a science writer and communications director for Maine Sea Grant at the University of Maine. She is the author of the books Historic Acadia National Park, The President’s Salmon, and A Coastal Companion: A Year in the Gulf of Maine from Cape Cod to Canada, as well as articles and essays for varied publications. She lives in Bangor.

Be a Climate Muskox: Fighting Defeatism with Ice Age Resilience feat. Jacquelyn Gill
2025-08-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Moore Auditorium, Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, Acadia Drive, Winter Harbor, ME, 04693, United States
Join us for our 2025 Summer Lecture Series!
Join us in person at Schoodic Institute or online via Zoom on Tuesday, August 19 at 7:00pm for Be a Climate Muskox: Fighting Defeatism with Ice Age Resilience featuring Dr. Jacquelyn Gill, Professor of Paleoecology and the Director of the BEAST Lab at the University of Maine.
Climate change is already reshaping our world. Yet as the impacts accelerate, global action continues to lag behind the scale of the crisis. This growing mismatch between urgency and response has fueled a rising sense of climate despair. In this hopeful talk, paleoecologist Dr. Jacquelyn Gill traces the evolution of the climate conversation—from early warnings to the emotional turning point of 2018, when public discourse began to shift toward anxiety and even doom.
But what if we looked to the past to guide our response to an uncertain future? Enter the muskox: a shaggy Ice Age survivor and powerful symbol of collective, justice-driven resilience. We’ll explore why being a climate muskox can help us transition from grief and despair to action, from the world-saving impact of the Montreal Protocol to recent climate victories led by youth in the courts.
Dr. Jacquelyn Gill is an internationally recognized paleoecologist and multiple award-winning science communicator. She is a Professor of Paleoecology and the Director of the BEAST Lab at the University of Maine. In addition to her passion for research and teaching, Dr. Gill is also dedicated to sharing science with the public. She was the co-creator of one of the first climate podcasts Warm Regards, as well as the forthcoming show Jax & Phoebe Make a Planet.

Don’t Fence Us In: New Ideas to Protect Acadia’s Forests feat. Chris Nadeau, Lauren Gibson, Jesse Wheeler, and Lauren Knierim
2025-09-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Moore Auditorium, Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, Acadia Drive, Winter Harbor, ME, 04693, United States
Join us for our 2025 Summer Lecture Series!
Join us in person at Schoodic Institute or online via Zoom on Tuesday, September 9 at 7:00pm for Don’t Fence Us In: New Ideas to Protect Acadia’s Forests, our Summer Lecture Series closing event featuring Chris Nadeau, Ph.D, Lauren Gibson, Jesse Wheeler, and Lauren Knierim.
From the tiniest seedling bursting through the moss covered floors, to the chorus of birds at the tops of the tallest trees, the forests of Acadia National Park are some of the healthiest in the eastern United States. But, their exceptional health is no accident. A team of forest managers, scientists, and local communities have worked diligently for decades to reduce the negative impacts of invasive species.
During this presentation, you’ll hear four encouraging stories of the ever-evolving strategies to manage invasive species in Acadia’s forests, and learn how you too can contribute to these efforts.
Chris Nadeau, Ph.D, has been a Senior Scientist at Schoodic Institute since 2022. He studies how ecosystems in Acadia National Park are changing and what we can do to ensure they continue to thrive.
Lauren Gibson is Friends of Acadia’s Wild Acadia Coordinator. She works closely with Acadia’s Resource Management Team and partners at Schoodic Institute to coordinate and communicate restoration projects happening in Acadia National Park.
Jesse Wheeler is Acadia National Park’s Vegetation Program Manager. He is responsible for stewarding plant resources at the park including native plant protection, invasive plant management, and forest pest monitoring.
Lauren Knierim is Acadia National Park’s 2025 Climate Community Volunteer Ambassador. Her work connects volunteers and community members to science happening in and around Acadia in the hopes of improving ecosystem resiliency in the face of climate change.

Our 2025 Summer Lecture Series events are free, thanks to support from our generous sponsor, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust.
