connecting COA alumni with the college and each other

-COA chooses its next president
-Remembering Jesse Tucker '95
-An interview with Juan Hoffmaister '06 and Elsie Flemings '07, two of six COA students who participated in the Montreal Summit on Climate Change
-Travis Hussey '00, Coordinator of the Union River Watershed Coalition, talks about his job and the work of the URWC
-Update from the George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History
-Jackson Gillman '78 as 'Storyteller in Residence'
-Two restaurants owned by Michael Boland '94 win Ecofish award

COA chooses its next president
After a year-long search process which included the participation of the entire COA community, we have chosen our next president!!  David Hales, a lifelong environmentalist, has held numerous positions promoting sustainable development nationally and internationally. Most recently, he has been the Counsel for Sustainability Policy to Worldwatch Institute, an independent research organization focused on energy, resource and environmental issues.

Read the rest of our press release here.

Remembering Jesse Tucker '95
On January 22, we lost a beloved member of the class of 1995, Jesse Tucker. Jesse was returning home from a day of ice fishing when his pickup truck went off the road and struck a stand of trees near the Liberty-Palermo town line in Waldo County, Maine.  He was 32 years old. 

COA is planning a memorial for Jesse on campus and will let everyone know what the exact plans are as soon as they are decided. 

Several of Jesse's fellow alumni shared their thoughts about Jesse for this newsletter.  Click here to read their sentiments.

Six COA students participate in the Montreal Climate Change Summit- An interview with Juan Hoffmaister '06 and Elsie Flemings '07
COA students recognize that climate change is one of the most important issues in their lifetime and they are committed to doing something about it.  Their commitment brought them to the Montreal Climate Change Summit where they met with delegates, lobbied officials, and created theatre pieces to represent their views.

"The world mayors and municipal leaders presented their declaration which actually adopted the goals of the youth declaration (30% reduction in green house gasses by 2020 and 80% by 2050).  When the mayors presented at the summit, they cited the youth delegation as a source of inspiration for their declaration.  This was one of the direct effects our work had on a major player in the effort to minimize climate change."
--Juan Hoffmaister '06

To read the interview with Juan and Elsie click here.

Travis Hussey '00, Union River Watershed Coordinator, talks about his job and the work of the URWC

The Union River Watershed Coalition (URWC) was launched by COA's Center for Applied Human Ecology (CAHE) about six years ago as way to broaden the work of CAHE beyond Mount Desert Island.  Travis is the third coordinator of the coalition. 

For an interview with Travis about the work the URWC has been engaged in and how it relates to COA click here.

Update from the George B. Dorr Museum on Natural History