By Bik Wheeler   Fall 2006

An Overview:
As a subcommittee of the Mount Desert Island Water Quality Coalition (MDIWQC), the Ambassadors of the Bay have been holding visioning sessions in various locations around Frenchman Bay. The subcommittee has been collecting anecdotal data from local stakeholders. This oral information includes concerns such as pollution and over-utilization of marine resources and visions of how Frenchman's Bay may change for the better in the future. This process is ongoing and will be handed over to the MDIWQC to further run the program. The primary goal of this project was to work with the MDIWQC to create GIS maps which represent the oral data collected from local citizens.

Map Summary 1:
This map is meant to integrate the responses and opinions from citizens concerned about the bay. Citizens expressed their concerns on copies of maps like this one at public forums. This GIS project provides the data framework in which to build citizen comments into the GIS data format. Comments are mostly about ecological stability, human interests, and the long-term health of the bay. Once in the database, various maps can be made based on collected comments ensuring that people's views are not ignored but are valuable assets in the planning process.

Double-Click Image to Open PDF map. (pdf - 810k)

Map Summary 2:
This  map depicts wildlife habitats in Frenchman Bay. Data for this map was collected by various state agencies. This map will be useful during visioning sessions when stakeholders write visions related to environmental protection on the map.

Double-Click Image to Open PDF map. (pdf - 576k)

Map Summary 3:
This marine resources map is a compliment to the habitat map for use in education and management of the bay.

Double-Click Image to Open PDF map. (pdf - 801k)

GIS Lab Contact:
Gordon Longsworth, glongsworth@coa.edu, 207-288-2944, extension 277