About Mainewatch Institute
Board of DirectorsMainewatch Institute was founded and incorporated as a 501(c )(3) nonprofit organization in 1987 by a group of individuals with diverse backgrounds in natural resource conservation and economics. They held a common concern about the growing conflict between environmental values and economic growth in the Maine region. Since that time, the Mainewatch Insitute has remained focused on investigating and planning for the sustainable future of the people and natural ecosystems in Maine and the surrounding region.
The Mainewatch Institute is guided by this mission statement:
The natural environment, with its web of interconnected systems, supports and sustains all life and human activity. Technology and economic choices are rapidly altering these systems and our relationship to them, often with consequences we do not fully understand or appreciate. Northeastern North America, with its dense population and developed culture, is a microcosm of this global dilemma.
Mainewatch Institute identifies, monitors, and analyzes long-term trends and issues that bear upon the environment and economy of this region with Maine as its focus. Through research and analysis, Mainewatch explores viable economic alternatives that recognize the needs and importance of natural systems and the quality of life, and presents options that enable people to protect and enhance the environment while expanding their economic choices and opportunities.
The practical intent of this mission statement is summarized by the following key question:
How can people make a decent living in this region without destroying the very natural environment that must sustain them and future generations?
Mainewatch Institute is implementing its mission by identifying and conducting research on long-term trends and issues affecting natural and economic environments. Its focus extends from the rocky coasts of New Hampshire, Maine and the Maritime Provinces to the inland forests, rivers and lakes.
The Mainewatch Institute Board of Directors
The Mainewatch Institute is guided by a volunteer Board of Directors whose diverse backgrounds provide a wide perspective on issues affecting Maine's environment and economy.
Bill Bell serves as Executive Director of the Maine Association of Conservation Districts and represents several other agricultural-related organizations in New England.
Scott Cowger is the co-owner of the Maple Hill Farm B&B Inn and Conference Center , Maine 's first certified “Environmental Leader” green hospitality property and host to Maine 's largest solar electric array plus numerous other green practices. He served for ten years in the Maine Legislature from 1996-2006 in both the Senate and the House of Representatives where he served as both Senate and House chair of the Natural Resources Committee. He also served on the Appropriations Committee, the Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee, the Utilities and Energy Committee, and co-chaired the Joint Select Committee on Research and Development.
Patricia Hart is an economist with the Maine Development Foundation leading a workforce development initiative and conducting economic research and analysis. Prior to working at MDF, she operated her own consulting practice providing research and evaluation services in the fields of energy, public health, education, economic development and government spending.
Sherry Huber has a distinguished record of public service as a State Legislator, Executive Director of the Maine Waste Management Agency and member of numerous non-profit boards. Chosen as Downeast Magazine's "2002 Conservationist of the Year", Sherry is now President of the Forest Society of Maine, and has served as the Executive Director of the Maine Timber Research and Environmental Education ( TREE ) Foundation since 1996.
Brian Kent is president of Kent Associates, a land use planning and design firm, in Gardiner, Maine. He holds a Master's Degree in Urban Design and Architecture and specializes in downtown revitalization, master site planning, large scale conservation projects, and environmental publications.
Erika Morgan is President of the Maine Energy Investment Corporation, a non-profit "social incubator" developing ventures such as Maine Interfaith Power and Light and the Maine Green Power Connection, both aimed at building Maine 's market for clean, environmentally beneficial electricity. Ms. Morgan previously served as the Deputy Commissioner of the Maine DEP.
Beth Nagusky is the Director of the Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Innovation and Assistance where she directs Maine 's pollution prevention and Environmental Leader programs. She formerly served as Governor's Director of Energy Independence and Security. Beth holds a law degreeCathy Ramsdell currently serves as the executive director of the Friends of Casco Bay in South Portland , Maine . Cathy is a Certified Professional Accountant with considerable experience consulting to nonprofits, small businesses, and private foundations on management, organizational and financial issues. Previously, she worked for the Island Institute in Seal Harbor and the Island Foundation in Rockland , and prior to that she was an evolutionary behaviorist and marine conservation biologist working extensively on seabirds in the Bering Strait, as well as whales and seals in the Gulf of Maine and loggerhead sea turtles in Georgia . Cathy is a trustee at the College of the Atlantic .
Tom Reeves is a research and management consultant whose work focuses on transportation issues, resource policy, and the geography of healthy communities. He served as Chief Counsel for the Maine Department of Transportation from 1984 to 1999 developing programs in environmental law, passenger rail, and Land for Maine 's Future.
Christopher St. John is the Executive Director of the Maine Center for Economic Policy. Prior to this he worked as a staff attorney at Pine Tree Legal Assistance for seventeen years.
Robert Steneck is a Professor at the Darling Marine Center, part of the School of Marine Sciences at the University of Maine. Dr. Steneck is a leading authority on marine ecology, with a particular focus on lobster ecology.
Elizabeth Swain is President of the consulting firm of Barton & Gingold, specializing in public policy and community relations for natural resource issues. Ms. Swain was a member of the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission from 1984 - 1992, serving as Chair for four terms.
Jim Wilson is a professor of Resource Economics and Marine Science at the University of Maine at Orono. He is an internationally recognized marine economist with a long history of working with Maine's fishing industry to develop sensible management institutions.
Forrest Bell, Executive Director works with several nonprofit environmental groups in Maine . Forrest also owns a small consulting business located in Portland , Maine that specializes in water quality improvement projects and GIS mapping. Forrest has been serving as the Mainewatch Executive Director since 2003 and is responsible for overseeing the administrative functions of the organization.
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