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ORONO — The Maine Sustainability & Water Conference will be a virtual gathering on Wednesday, March 31 and Thursday, April 1.
Maulian Dana, Penobscot Nation tribal ambassador, will deliver the keynote address, “Connection, Not Ownership: The Sacred Relationship Between the Penobscot Nation and Ancestral Territory.” She will talk about her experiences growing up on Indian Island and events and teachings that have shaped her cultural values and influence her leadership. A strong sense of place and ties to her homeland, as well as Indigenous knowledge, guide her work.
The conference will feature 11 concurrent sessions to be held on both days, with presentations and discussions focused on such topics as PFAS, eliminating arsenic exposure, a blueprint for 100 percent renewable energy, migratory fish passage, the effects of climate change on Maine lakes, Maine’s climate action plan and much more.
A poster competition where some of Maine’s high school, undergraduate and graduate students present their research will also be held. Poster topics include invasive species management, microplastics in the Penobscot River, combatting heavy metals in drinking water, coastal water quality management, climate change and lake ice-out dates and SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance.
The conference, organized by the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine, provides a forum for researchers, residents, students, policymakers and municipal representatives to exchange information and present new findings on sustainability and water resource issues in Maine, attracting a broad audience of close to 400 participants from across the state.
