UPCOMING 2025 EVENTS
(new events being added as they are scheduled)
MAY 27, 2025: Spring Seaweeds of the Intertidal
David Porter, Ph.D., Co-founder, Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
Sponsor – Downeast Audubon
When – May 27, 2025 at 4 pm
Where – Limited number of participants, must pre-register by emailing deaudubon@gmail.com
Description –
Join David Porter on a low tide exploration of the seaweeds found in the intertidal ecosystem of our rocky shores. More than just the dominant rockweed and bladder wrack, we’ll see beautiful filamentous red algae, Irish moss, dulse, sugar kelp and much more. Because of restricted access, we need to limit the event to 15 people and preregistration is necessary (details will be posted at Downeast Audubon). When you register you will receive directions to the specific field trip location. Bring a trekking pole and shoes that don’t mind getting wet.
June 25-28, 2025: Low Tide Shore Walks
When –
June 25 – meet at 5 am
June 26 – meet at 5:30 am
June 27 – meet at 6 am
June 28 – meet at 7 am
Where – Reversing Falls Town Park, Pembroke ME, park at the parking area near the cemetery.
Directions: VIA GOOGLE MAP
Sponsor: Maine Rockweed Coalition
Reversing Falls Town Park is a place of high marine species diversity, including a lush rockweed forest, colorful kelps and bright red seaweeds. Join us for a walk during June’s extreme low tides. We will explore the upper edge of the subtidal zone and see species that are not usually exposed by the tide. This subtidal/intertidal edge is where many uncommon species reside. For those unable to hike down to the water’s edge, we will have some aerated seawater tubs set up in the parking lot and bring organisms up to show (and return them to the shore shortly afterward for conservation!)
Bring your breakfast snack to the picnic tables there, and enjoy the Falls after our explorations, or take advantage of the trails nearby at the Reversing Falls Preserve owned and managed by the Downeast Coastal Conservancy.
Bring: breakfast snack, waterproof footwear, bug repellent, hat, camera
MAY 1-31, 2025: Floating Filaments: Seaweeds (Art show)
When – May 1-31, 2025; Opening reception was May 4
Where – Blue Hill Co-op, 70 South St, Blue Hill
Sponsor – Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
“A group exhibition opens at the Blue Hill Co-op on Thursday, May 1, and will run through the end of the month. The show is inspired by the seaweeds that are a little-noticed but important component of our coastal shores, attracting the eye of both artist and scientist.”
SEPTEMBER 9 and 11, 2025: Maine’s Underwater Seaweed Forest: Rockweed! A Sunrise Senior College course
Robin Hadlock Seeley, Ph.D., Executive Director, Maine Rockweed Coalition
Sponsor – Sunrise Senior College, University of Maine at Machias
When – Sept 9 and 11, 2025
Where – Sept 9, hybrid (in person and via Zoom); Sept 11, in person only at Reversing Falls park (photo below) Pembroke ME
Description – Rockweed is a foundational coastal species. What does that mean? This is a two session course: a hybrid lecture with discussion followed by a field trip to Cobscook Bay. In the first one hour session, we will get to know rockweed by discussing its value in the structure and functioning of the marine food web, including scallops, lobster, cod, alewives, otters and sandpipers. An introduction to Maine law affecting rockweed and its commercial harvest will be provided, as well as an outline of the commercial harvest controversy. In the second session we will meet on the shore at low tide and walk through the rockweed forest, learning about the species that live within its branches and canopy, its growth and growth forms, and ways the forest is affected by different harvest methods in Maine.
PAST 2025 EVENTS
Maine Rockweed Coalition
or
Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
MAY 3, 2025: Discover Maine’s Seaweed Forests!
Maine Rockweed Coalition table during Maine Seaweed Week in Ellsworth, ME
When – May 3, 2025; 10 am to 12 noon
Where – lawn of Ellsworth Public Library, 20 State Street
MAY 6, 2025: Protecting the Rockweed Forest
David Porter, Ph.D., Co-founder, Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
Sponsor – Downeast Audubon
When – May 6, 2025 at 7 pm
Where – Moore Community Center, Ellsworth
Description – Rockweed is the dominant brown seaweed that drapes the ledges and boulders in the intertidal and at high tide forms a forest of 6-8’ fronds that create an environment providing food and shelter for many marine creatures. This illustrated talk will introduce you to this special habitat, seaweeds’ commercial uses, and the strategies for their conservation.
(© 2024 A. Gurvitch, photo)
By Adam Gurvitch
FEBRUARY 2025: Maine’s intertidal rockweed is the target: conservation, lawsuits, “sustainability”
Robin Hadlock Seeley, Ph.D.,
Executive Director, Maine Rockweed Coalition
Sponsor – Friends of Harriet L. Hartley Conservation Area, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
When – Mon. Feb. 17, 2025, at 7 pm
Where – Rockweed Center, 156 High St, Belfast, ME 04915
Description – Maine’s intertidal rockweed is the target: for an industry mining it for global agriculture, for conservation for Maine fisheries and Maine wildlife, for lawsuits, and for conflicting ideas of what “sustainability” means.
JANUARY 2025: Maine’s Seaweed Forests: Do They Play a Role in Climate Change, too?
Robin Hadlock Seeley, Ph.D.,
Executive Director of the Maine Rockweed Coalition
Co-Sponsors – Brooklin Climate Response Committee, Town of Brooklin, and Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
When – Wed Jan. 16, 2025, at 4 pm.
Where – Brooklin School, Brooklin, ME
Description – Maine’s rockweed and kelp forests are important to conserve for fisheries habitat and for wildlife.
Should we also conserve rockweed and kelp because of a potential role in climate strategy?
2024 EVENTS
Maine Rockweed Coalition
and/or
Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
JULY 2024: Conservation of Maine’s Seaweed Forests: Great Progress, Great Challenges!
Robin Hadlock Seeley, PhD, Executive Director of the Maine Rockweed Coalition
Sponsor – Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
When – Monday, July 15, 2024, at 5 pm.
Where – Howard Room, Blue Hill Public Library, 5 Parker Pt. Rd.
Description – Robin will discuss how rockweed conservation is evolving on the Maine coast. Commercial rockweed harvesters, state agencies, the courts, the legislature, nonprofit conservation groups, and scientific researchers have all played a role in determining the balance between rockweed forest protection and exploitation. Maine courts and the legislature have been key in achieving the current degree of rockweed forest protection. Currently, the Dept. of Marine Resources (DMR) regulations to limit industrial-scale rockweed harvesting are few, and monitoring/enforcement is tricky. What are the prospects for further improving the balance between protection and commercial extraction of this vital coastal habitat and resource? Join us for a rich and timely discussion.
JULY 2024: Field Trip to Explore Intertidal Seaweeds with David Porter
Sponsor – Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
When – Friday, July 26, 2024, at 8:30 am.
Where – Reversing Falls in Blue Hill. Limited to 15 people as space and access is restricted. Details about parking will be sent to registered participants
How to register – Send an email to info@rockweedforest.com to reserve a place.
Questions? Contact us at info@rockweedforest.org
Description – David Porter, PhD, will host a field trip to introduce participants to the seaweeds of the rocky coast. The tide will be falling to -0.8ft by 9:30 am, making this a great time to explore the intertidal zone.
AUGUST 2024: Rockweed Field Workshop and Optional Kayaking with Allison Snow
Sponsor – Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
When – Saturday, August 17, 2024 (rain date is August 18), at 2:30-3:30 pm
Where – Brooksville Town Landing picnic area, Town Landing Rd, Brooksville, ME
How to register – Send an email to info@rockweedforest.com to reserve a place (limit of 20 people). Questions? Contact us at info@rockweedforest.org.
Description – At the water’s edge on Smith Cove, Allison Snow will lead an informal workshop about the ecology of rockweed. We will talk about the unique characteristics of rockweed vs. other types of seaweed, and why it is important to protect this commercially sought-after seaweed from overharvesting. In 2021, rockweed beds around Smith Cove and Holbrook Island Sanctuary were the focus of machine-harvesting by a company based in Canada.
Optional kayak tour – After the workshop, we will launch our kayaks (bring your own) as the tide rises. We will paddle to nearby ledges where machine harvesting took place in 2021, while looking for remaining canopies of undisturbed rockweed.
AUGUST 2024: The Art and Science of Maine Seaweed
Sponsor – Center for Ecological Teaching
When – Sunday, August 25, 2024; 9 am to 3 pm
Where – Center for Ecological Teaching and Learning, 27 Suffolk Drive, Edmunds ME 04628
Art instructor – Coleen O’Connell (instagram), member, International Nature Printing Society
Fee: $75/person (incl. art materials)
How to register – Register or ask questions by email to maine.rockweed@gmail.com (workshop limit of 10 people). $30 deposit due August 15, 2024.
Description – A one day (9 am to 3 pm) workshop is offered by the Center for Ecological Teaching and Learning on Cobscook Bay (CETL, Edmunds).
Science: The morning session (9 am to noon) is planned for low tide seaweed gathering on the CETL shore while learning about seaweed ecology from Dr. Robin Hadlock Seeley of the Maine Rockweed Coalition.
Lunch: Bring your own lunch or order a boxed lunch (fee) and eat in the screened-in porch above the shore (coffee pot, hot water pot, refrigerator and microwave available).
Art: After lunch, seaweed will become the artistic focus of a nature printing experience led by Coleen O’Connell, artist-in-residence and steward of CETL. She has had her work shown in various New England galleries. Coleen is a member of the International Nature Printing Society and has taught nature printing to adults all over the USA. See Coleen’s instagram account @natureartprinting.
Other details: Overnight accommodations in new simple cabins on the CETL campus are available on a first come, first served basis (fee). Workshop fee is $75, which includes materials, and participants will leave with framable art. Contact maine.rockweed@gmail.com to reserve one of 10 workshop places by August 23 or ask questions. We will send instructions on how to submit the deposit or other fees.
MAY 2024: Life and Strife in the Intertidal: Toward the Conservation of Rockweed
Sponsor – Brooklin Garden Club, Public Event
When – Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at 1:00 PM
Where – Bagaduce Music (49 South St., Blue Hill)
Description – An illustrated presentation by David Porter, PhD, Professor emeritus, U of Georgia. Rockweed is so common along our rocky coast that we sometimes tend to ignore it. But this seaweed is foundational to the intertidal ecosystem. It is shelter, nutrient, and stability for hundreds of marine creatures both small and large, and is sometimes called the rockweed forest, as a comparison to the shoreline forest of spruce and fir that harbors and nurtures so many birds and other animals. The terrestrial forest is obvious, but we tend not to see the intertidal forest in the same light.
This presentation will introduce attendees to the diversity of seaweeds that are common along our rocky coast; it will cover the unusual biology of rockweed, its adaptations to the harsh, wave-pounded shore; and the ecosystem that is supported by this keystone species. Also, the conservation efforts for the rockweed forest that are needed in the face of poorly regulated harvesting by a Canadian company and others that sell rockweed for fertilizer and other commercial products.
UPCOMING 2025 EVENTS
(new events being added as they are scheduled)
Maine Rockweed Coalition
and/or
Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
MAY 3, 2025: Discover Maine’s Seaweed Forests!
Maine Rockweed Coalition table during Maine Seaweed Week in Ellsworth, ME
When – May 3, 2025; 10 am to 12 noon
Where – lawn of Ellsworth Public Library, 20 State Street
MAY 1-31, 2025: Floating Filaments: Seaweeds (Art show)
When – May 1-31, 2025; Opening reception May 4, 3 pm
Where – Blue Hill Co-op, 70 South St, Blue Hill
Sponsor – Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
“A group exhibition opens at the Blue Hill Co-op on Thursday, May 1, and will run through the end of the month. The show is inspired by the seaweeds that are a little-noticed but important component of our coastal shores, attracting the eye of both artist and scientist.”
MAY 6, 2025: Protecting the Rockweed Forest
David Porter, Ph.D., Co-founder, Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
Sponsor – Downeast Audubon
When – May 6, 2025 at 7 pm
Where – Moore Community Center, Ellsworth
Description – Rockweed is the dominant brown seaweed that drapes the ledges and boulders in the intertidal and at high tide forms a forest of 6-8’ fronds that create an environment providing food and shelter for many marine creatures. This illustrated talk will introduce you to this special habitat, seaweeds’ commercial uses, and the strategies for their conservation.
(© 2024 A. Gurvitch, photo)
By Adam Gurvitch
MAY 27, 2025: Spring Seaweeds of the Intertidal
David Porter, Ph.D., Co-founder, Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
Sponsor – Downeast Audubon
When – May 27, 2025 at 4 pm
Where – Blue Hill Country Club, 213 Parker Point Rd. Blue Hill
Description –
A low tide exploration of the seaweeds found in the intertidal ecosystem of our rocky shores. Meet at the Blue Hill Country Club.
SEPTEMBER 9 and 11, 2025: Maine’s Underwater Seaweed Forest: Rockweed! A Sunrise Senior College course
Robin Hadlock Seeley, Ph.D., Executive Director, Maine Rockweed Coalition
Sponsor – Sunrise Senior College, University of Maine at Machias
When – Sept 9 and 11, 2025
Where – Sept 9, hybrid (in person and via Zoom); Sept 11, in person only at Reversing Falls park (photo below) Pembroke ME
Description – Rockweed is a foundational coastal species. What does that mean? This is a two session course: a hybrid lecture with discussion followed by a field trip to Cobscook Bay. In the first one hour session, we will get to know rockweed by discussing its value in the structure and functioning of the marine food web, including scallops, lobster, cod, alewives, otters and sandpipers. An introduction to Maine law affecting rockweed and its commercial harvest will be provided, as well as an outline of the commercial harvest controversy. In the second session we will meet on the shore at low tide and walk through the rockweed forest, learning about the species that live within its branches and canopy, its growth and growth forms, and ways the forest is affected by different harvest methods in Maine.
PAST 2025 EVENTS
Maine Rockweed Coalition
and/or
Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
FEBRUARY 2025: Maine’s intertidal rockweed is the target: conservation, lawsuits, “sustainability”
Robin Hadlock Seeley, Ph.D.,
Executive Director, Maine Rockweed Coalition
Sponsor – Friends of Harriet L. Hartley Conservation Area, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
When – Mon. Feb. 17, 2025, at 7 pm
Where – Rockweed Center, 156 High St, Belfast, ME 04915
Description – Maine’s intertidal rockweed is the target: for an industry mining it for global agriculture, for conservation for Maine fisheries and Maine wildlife, for lawsuits, and for conflicting ideas of what “sustainability” means.
JANUARY 2025: Maine’s Seaweed Forests: Do They Play a Role in Climate Change, too?
Robin Hadlock Seeley, Ph.D.,
Executive Director of the Maine Rockweed Coalition
Co-Sponsors – Brooklin Climate Response Committee, Town of Brooklin, and Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
When – Wed Jan. 16, 2025, at 4 pm.
Where – Brooklin School, Brooklin, ME
Description – Maine’s rockweed and kelp forests are important to conserve for fisheries habitat and for wildlife.
Should we also conserve rockweed and kelp because of a potential role in climate strategy?
2024 EVENTS
Maine Rockweed Coalition
and/or
Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
JULY 2024: Conservation of Maine’s Seaweed Forests: Great Progress, Great Challenges!
Robin Hadlock Seeley, PhD, Executive Director of the Maine Rockweed Coalition
Sponsor – Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
When – Monday, July 15, 2024, at 5 pm.
Where – Howard Room, Blue Hill Public Library, 5 Parker Pt. Rd.
Description – Robin will discuss how rockweed conservation is evolving on the Maine coast. Commercial rockweed harvesters, state agencies, the courts, the legislature, nonprofit conservation groups, and scientific researchers have all played a role in determining the balance between rockweed forest protection and exploitation. Maine courts and the legislature have been key in achieving the current degree of rockweed forest protection. Currently, the Dept. of Marine Resources (DMR) regulations to limit industrial-scale rockweed harvesting are few, and monitoring/enforcement is tricky. What are the prospects for further improving the balance between protection and commercial extraction of this vital coastal habitat and resource? Join us for a rich and timely discussion.
JULY 2024: Field Trip to Explore Intertidal Seaweeds with David Porter
Sponsor – Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
When – Friday, July 26, 2024, at 8:30 am.
Where – Reversing Falls in Blue Hill. Limited to 15 people as space and access is restricted. Details about parking will be sent to registered participants
How to register – Send an email to info@rockweedforest.com to reserve a place.
Questions? Contact us at info@rockweedforest.org
Description – David Porter, PhD, will host a field trip to introduce participants to the seaweeds of the rocky coast. The tide will be falling to -0.8ft by 9:30 am, making this a great time to explore the intertidal zone.
AUGUST 2024: Rockweed Field Workshop and Optional Kayaking with Allison Snow
Sponsor – Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
When – Saturday, August 17, 2024 (rain date is August 18), at 2:30-3:30 pm
Where – Brooksville Town Landing picnic area, Town Landing Rd, Brooksville, ME
How to register – Send an email to info@rockweedforest.com to reserve a place (limit of 20 people). Questions? Contact us at info@rockweedforest.org.
Description – At the water’s edge on Smith Cove, Allison Snow will lead an informal workshop about the ecology of rockweed. We will talk about the unique characteristics of rockweed vs. other types of seaweed, and why it is important to protect this commercially sought-after seaweed from overharvesting. In 2021, rockweed beds around Smith Cove and Holbrook Island Sanctuary were the focus of machine-harvesting by a company based in Canada.
Optional kayak tour – After the workshop, we will launch our kayaks (bring your own) as the tide rises. We will paddle to nearby ledges where machine harvesting took place in 2021, while looking for remaining canopies of undisturbed rockweed.
AUGUST 2024: The Art and Science of Maine Seaweed
Sponsor – Center for Ecological Teaching
When – Sunday, August 25, 2024; 9 am to 3 pm
Where – Center for Ecological Teaching and Learning, 27 Suffolk Drive, Edmunds ME 04628
Art instructor – Coleen O’Connell (instagram), member, International Nature Printing Society
Fee: $75/person (incl. art materials)
How to register – Register or ask questions by email to maine.rockweed@gmail.com (workshop limit of 10 people). $30 deposit due August 15, 2024.
Description – A one day (9 am to 3 pm) workshop is offered by the Center for Ecological Teaching and Learning on Cobscook Bay (CETL, Edmunds).
Science: The morning session (9 am to noon) is planned for low tide seaweed gathering on the CETL shore while learning about seaweed ecology from Dr. Robin Hadlock Seeley of the Maine Rockweed Coalition.
Lunch: Bring your own lunch or order a boxed lunch (fee) and eat in the screened-in porch above the shore (coffee pot, hot water pot, refrigerator and microwave available).
Art: After lunch, seaweed will become the artistic focus of a nature printing experience led by Coleen O’Connell, artist-in-residence and steward of CETL. She has had her work shown in various New England galleries. Coleen is a member of the International Nature Printing Society and has taught nature printing to adults all over the USA. See Coleen’s instagram account @natureartprinting.
Other details: Overnight accommodations in new simple cabins on the CETL campus are available on a first come, first served basis (fee). Workshop fee is $75, which includes materials, and participants will leave with framable art. Contact maine.rockweed@gmail.com to reserve one of 10 workshop places by August 23 or ask questions. We will send instructions on how to submit the deposit or other fees.
MAY 2024: Life and Strife in the Intertidal: Toward the Conservation of Rockweed
Sponsor – Brooklin Garden Club, Public Event
When – Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at 1:00 PM
Where – Bagaduce Music (49 South St., Blue Hill)
Description – An illustrated presentation by David Porter, PhD, Professor emeritus, U of Georgia. Rockweed is so common along our rocky coast that we sometimes tend to ignore it. But this seaweed is foundational to the intertidal ecosystem. It is shelter, nutrient, and stability for hundreds of marine creatures both small and large, and is sometimes called the rockweed forest, as a comparison to the shoreline forest of spruce and fir that harbors and nurtures so many birds and other animals. The terrestrial forest is obvious, but we tend not to see the intertidal forest in the same light.
This presentation will introduce attendees to the diversity of seaweeds that are common along our rocky coast; it will cover the unusual biology of rockweed, its adaptations to the harsh, wave-pounded shore; and the ecosystem that is supported by this keystone species. Also, the conservation efforts for the rockweed forest that are needed in the face of poorly regulated harvesting by a Canadian company and others that sell rockweed for fertilizer and other commercial products.
UPCOMING 2025 EVENTS
(new events being added as they are scheduled)
Maine Rockweed Coalition
and/or
Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
MAY 3, 2025: Discover Maine’s Seaweed Forests!
Maine Rockweed Coalition table during Maine Seaweed Week in Ellsworth, ME
When – May 3, 2025; 10 am to 12 noon
Where – lawn of Ellsworth Public Library, 20 State Street
MAY 1-31, 2025: Floating Filaments: Seaweeds (Art show)
When – May 1-31, 2025; Opening reception May 4, 3 pm
Where – Blue Hill Co-op, 70 South St, Blue Hill
Sponsor – Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
“A group exhibition opens at the Blue Hill Co-op on Thursday, May 1, and will run through the end of the month. The show is inspired by the seaweeds that are a little-noticed but important component of our coastal shores, attracting the eye of both artist and scientist.”
MAY 6, 2025: Protecting the Rockweed Forest
David Porter, Ph.D., Co-founder, Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
Sponsor – Downeast Audubon
When – May 6, 2025 at 7 pm
Where – Moore Community Center, Ellsworth
Description – Rockweed is the dominant brown seaweed that drapes the ledges and boulders in the intertidal and at high tide forms a forest of 6-8’ fronds that create an environment providing food and shelter for many marine creatures. This illustrated talk will introduce you to this special habitat, seaweeds’ commercial uses, and the strategies for their conservation.
(© 2024 A. Gurvitch, photo)
By Adam Gurvitch
MAY 27, 2025: Spring Seaweeds of the Intertidal
David Porter, Ph.D., Co-founder, Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
Sponsor – Downeast Audubon
When – May 27, 2025 at 4 pm
Where – Blue Hill Country Club, 213 Parker Point Rd. Blue Hill
Description –
A low tide exploration of the seaweeds found in the intertidal ecosystem of our rocky shores. Meet at the Blue Hill Country Club.
SEPTEMBER 9 and 11, 2025: Maine’s Underwater Seaweed Forest: Rockweed! A Sunrise Senior College course
Robin Hadlock Seeley, Ph.D., Executive Director, Maine Rockweed Coalition
Sponsor – Sunrise Senior College, University of Maine at Machias
When – Sept 9 and 11, 2025
Where – Sept 9, hybrid (in person and via Zoom); Sept 11, in person only at Reversing Falls park (photo below) Pembroke ME
Description – Rockweed is a foundational coastal species. What does that mean? This is a two session course: a hybrid lecture with discussion followed by a field trip to Cobscook Bay. In the first one hour session, we will get to know rockweed by discussing its value in the structure and functioning of the marine food web, including scallops, lobster, cod, alewives, otters and sandpipers. An introduction to Maine law affecting rockweed and its commercial harvest will be provided, as well as an outline of the commercial harvest controversy. In the second session we will meet on the shore at low tide and walk through the rockweed forest, learning about the species that live within its branches and canopy, its growth and growth forms, and ways the forest is affected by different harvest methods in Maine.
PAST 2025 EVENTS
Maine Rockweed Coalition
and/or
Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
FEBRUARY 2025: Maine’s intertidal rockweed is the target: conservation, lawsuits, “sustainability”
Robin Hadlock Seeley, Ph.D.,
Executive Director, Maine Rockweed Coalition
Sponsor – Friends of Harriet L. Hartley Conservation Area, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
When – Mon. Feb. 17, 2025, at 7 pm
Where – Rockweed Center, 156 High St, Belfast, ME 04915
Description – Maine’s intertidal rockweed is the target: for an industry mining it for global agriculture, for conservation for Maine fisheries and Maine wildlife, for lawsuits, and for conflicting ideas of what “sustainability” means.
JANUARY 2025: Maine’s Seaweed Forests: Do They Play a Role in Climate Change, too?
Robin Hadlock Seeley, Ph.D.,
Executive Director of the Maine Rockweed Coalition
Co-Sponsors – Brooklin Climate Response Committee, Town of Brooklin, and Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
When – Wed Jan. 16, 2025, at 4 pm.
Where – Brooklin School, Brooklin, ME
Description – Maine’s rockweed and kelp forests are important to conserve for fisheries habitat and for wildlife.
Should we also conserve rockweed and kelp because of a potential role in climate strategy?
2024 EVENTS
Maine Rockweed Coalition
and/or
Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
JULY 2024: Conservation of Maine’s Seaweed Forests: Great Progress, Great Challenges!
Robin Hadlock Seeley, PhD, Executive Director of the Maine Rockweed Coalition
Sponsor – Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
When – Monday, July 15, 2024, at 5 pm.
Where – Howard Room, Blue Hill Public Library, 5 Parker Pt. Rd.
Description – Robin will discuss how rockweed conservation is evolving on the Maine coast. Commercial rockweed harvesters, state agencies, the courts, the legislature, nonprofit conservation groups, and scientific researchers have all played a role in determining the balance between rockweed forest protection and exploitation. Maine courts and the legislature have been key in achieving the current degree of rockweed forest protection. Currently, the Dept. of Marine Resources (DMR) regulations to limit industrial-scale rockweed harvesting are few, and monitoring/enforcement is tricky. What are the prospects for further improving the balance between protection and commercial extraction of this vital coastal habitat and resource? Join us for a rich and timely discussion.
JULY 2024: Field Trip to Explore Intertidal Seaweeds with David Porter
Sponsor – Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
When – Friday, July 26, 2024, at 8:30 am.
Where – Reversing Falls in Blue Hill. Limited to 15 people as space and access is restricted. Details about parking will be sent to registered participants
How to register – Send an email to info@rockweedforest.com to reserve a place.
Questions? Contact us at info@rockweedforest.org
Description – David Porter, PhD, will host a field trip to introduce participants to the seaweeds of the rocky coast. The tide will be falling to -0.8ft by 9:30 am, making this a great time to explore the intertidal zone.
AUGUST 2024: Rockweed Field Workshop and Optional Kayaking with Allison Snow
Sponsor – Blue Hill Peninsula Rockweed Forum
When – Saturday, August 17, 2024 (rain date is August 18), at 2:30-3:30 pm
Where – Brooksville Town Landing picnic area, Town Landing Rd, Brooksville, ME
How to register – Send an email to info@rockweedforest.com to reserve a place (limit of 20 people). Questions? Contact us at info@rockweedforest.org.
Description – At the water’s edge on Smith Cove, Allison Snow will lead an informal workshop about the ecology of rockweed. We will talk about the unique characteristics of rockweed vs. other types of seaweed, and why it is important to protect this commercially sought-after seaweed from overharvesting. In 2021, rockweed beds around Smith Cove and Holbrook Island Sanctuary were the focus of machine-harvesting by a company based in Canada.
Optional kayak tour – After the workshop, we will launch our kayaks (bring your own) as the tide rises. We will paddle to nearby ledges where machine harvesting took place in 2021, while looking for remaining canopies of undisturbed rockweed.
AUGUST 2024: The Art and Science of Maine Seaweed
Sponsor – Center for Ecological Teaching
When – Sunday, August 25, 2024; 9 am to 3 pm
Where – Center for Ecological Teaching and Learning, 27 Suffolk Drive, Edmunds ME 04628
Art instructor – Coleen O’Connell (instagram), member, International Nature Printing Society
Fee: $75/person (incl. art materials)
How to register – Register or ask questions by email to maine.rockweed@gmail.com (workshop limit of 10 people). $30 deposit due August 15, 2024.
Description – A one day (9 am to 3 pm) workshop is offered by the Center for Ecological Teaching and Learning on Cobscook Bay (CETL, Edmunds).
Science: The morning session (9 am to noon) is planned for low tide seaweed gathering on the CETL shore while learning about seaweed ecology from Dr. Robin Hadlock Seeley of the Maine Rockweed Coalition.
Lunch: Bring your own lunch or order a boxed lunch (fee) and eat in the screened-in porch above the shore (coffee pot, hot water pot, refrigerator and microwave available).
Art: After lunch, seaweed will become the artistic focus of a nature printing experience led by Coleen O’Connell, artist-in-residence and steward of CETL. She has had her work shown in various New England galleries. Coleen is a member of the International Nature Printing Society and has taught nature printing to adults all over the USA. See Coleen’s instagram account @natureartprinting.
Other details: Overnight accommodations in new simple cabins on the CETL campus are available on a first come, first served basis (fee). Workshop fee is $75, which includes materials, and participants will leave with framable art. Contact maine.rockweed@gmail.com to reserve one of 10 workshop places by August 23 or ask questions. We will send instructions on how to submit the deposit or other fees.
MAY 2024: Life and Strife in the Intertidal: Toward the Conservation of Rockweed
Sponsor – Brooklin Garden Club, Public Event
When – Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at 1:00 PM
Where – Bagaduce Music (49 South St., Blue Hill)
Description – An illustrated presentation by David Porter, PhD, Professor emeritus, U of Georgia. Rockweed is so common along our rocky coast that we sometimes tend to ignore it. But this seaweed is foundational to the intertidal ecosystem. It is shelter, nutrient, and stability for hundreds of marine creatures both small and large, and is sometimes called the rockweed forest, as a comparison to the shoreline forest of spruce and fir that harbors and nurtures so many birds and other animals. The terrestrial forest is obvious, but we tend not to see the intertidal forest in the same light.
This presentation will introduce attendees to the diversity of seaweeds that are common along our rocky coast; it will cover the unusual biology of rockweed, its adaptations to the harsh, wave-pounded shore; and the ecosystem that is supported by this keystone species. Also, the conservation efforts for the rockweed forest that are needed in the face of poorly regulated harvesting by a Canadian company and others that sell rockweed for fertilizer and other commercial products.
Past Events 2022 and earlier
TWO ROCKWEED WORKSHOPS: JULY 9, 2022 AND AUGUST 8, 2022
Join the Center for Ecological Teaching and Learning and Maine Rockweed Coalition at the CETL campus on Cobscook Bay, Maine for a rockweed workshop this summer.
DETAILS: The Center for Ecological Teaching and Learning (CETL), partnering with the Maine Rockweed Coalition (MRC), has been awarded a grant from the Eastern Maine Conservation Initiative (EMCI) to offer two free all-day workshops on rockweed (seaweed) conservation to landowners, land trusts and community members on rockweed conservation.
The first Rockweed Workshop took place on July 9, with a morning hybrid session (zoom and in-person) of lectures and lab work led by Dr. Robin Hadlock Seeley, Coleen O’Connell (VP of CETL), and guest speakers. In the afternoon, workshop participants were led through a field session on the shore. We compared rockweed (harvested without permission in 2021) on a CETL ledge with an unharvested ledge.
The second Rockweed Workshop, a repeat of the July workshop, will be held August 8. The August 8 workshop will be in person only. No Zoom option. Click the black button above to register, or just send us an email.
Details of the workshops:
Morning session lectures on the following topics: “Ecological value of the rockweed forest: shelter, food, carbon storage, temperature buffering”, “Rockweed morphology, growth, and recovery from disturbance”, “Legal and regulatory framework for commercial rockweed harvest in Maine”. Ms. O’Connell will speak on the impacts of community engagement on conservation practices and offer her experience of illegal harvest on CETL shores as the impetus to gather the community for education and discussion. DMR Marine Patrol staff will return for the Aug. 8 workshop to discuss enforcement of illegal rockweed harvesting. Afternoon session: collecting data in rockweed beds on the harvested ledge at CETL; lab time.
