• By working with state environmental agencies to develop and operate the Maine Compost School, our faculty has educated over 1,000 individuals from across the United States and 20 different countries who are now practicing large scale composting. This composted waste has turned into “organic gold” by creating new enterprises selling compost as soil amendment matter to enhance homeowner landscapes and gardens.
   
• Our Teen and Young Parent Program of Knox County educates and advocates for teen parents and their children through parenting education, information on child development, mentoring matches, playgroups and social and educational programs.
   
• University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant faculty initiated the Maine Healthy Beaches Program that works in partnership with coastal towns, state parks, state and federal agencies. The program provides data and facilitates the community process of protecting public health and identifying and remediating pollution sources affecting coastal beaches in Maine.
   
• 4-H is the youth development program of University of Maine Cooperative Extension. During the last year, 4-H enrollment increased by 35% to a total of 199 members and 56 volunteers in 20 clubs throughout Knox and Lincoln counties.
  • 4-H programming included county-wide healthy lifestyles activities (snowshoeing, ice skating, snow tubing, swimming, hiking, bowling and food/nutrition workshops) and environmental education opportunities through a collaboration with our Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center. Programming also included community service projects, public speaking events, gardening and animal science projects.
     
• Aquatic Invaders in Maine (AIM) provides training, curriculum development and in-class assistance for teaching science concepts to middle and high school teachers and their students in an experiential and meaningful way. Students conduct field and lab surveys and identification of invasive species in all habitat types, providing a basis for the understanding of biodiversity and acquiring research skills.
   
• University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant are engaged in research, education and outreach through several avenues and projects regarding the issues Maine is facing with our changing climate including studying the impacts of sea level rise on coastal resiliency, partnering on outreach with UMaine’s Climate Change Institute and other education projects.
   
• The Taunton Bay Pilot Project is using community-based ecosystem management to improve Maine’s management of its inshore waters. The project provides meeting facilitation and collaborative governance training for the Taunton Bay Advisory Group in partnership with the Maine Department of Marine Resources and the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources.

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