I need to update you today on a couple of events of interest to those of us who share an affinity for our coast.

First off is the completion of the Gulf of Maine Expedition.

Back on May 4 in Provincetown, Mass., the GOMEX team began a kayak trip from the tip of Cape Cod, around the Gulf of Maine shoreline to Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia.

The four paddlers, Natalie Springuel, Maine Sea Grant Extension Agent and team leader; Richard MacDonald, science and technology coordinator, both of Bar Harbor, and Dan Earle and Sue Hutchins, Canadian team members, left the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown. They were sent off by well-wishers after a blessing of the fleet.

Today, Sept. 28, five months and 1,000 miles later, the four intrepid paddlers will complete their journey at Clark’s Harbour, Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia. The mayor of Clark’s Harbor and the town crier will welcome the team; the Queen of Hearts Dory Club and the Coast Guard will escort the team to Clark’s Harbor Wharf.

On their expedition, members made about 20 presentations in coastal communities, educating the public about the Gulf of Maine and Leave No Trace principles, and sea kayakers about safety and stewardship. The expedition was organized to raise awareness and caring about the ecology and culture of The Gulf of Maine. During the trip, team members made observations and collected information to “paint” a comprehensive picture of the Gulf, its watershed, and natural history.

To help make the picture complete, the team kept records of such things as weather patterns, ocean salinity, phytoplankton, water clarity, birds, plants, marine mammals, shoreline type and condition, and human activity. They collected stories and songs and other cultural information and documented their work with photos and video images, drawings, and journal reflections that will be shared through a series of kayak-based environmental education programs for the summer of 2003.

According to the GOMEX Web site, “The long-term plan is to use the expedition as a launching pad for a Gulf of Maine Expedition Institute. This institute will provide expedition-based environmental learning to provide a forum for students, educators, the public and the expedition team to collaboratively learn about an ecosystem and share that learning using modern technological tools in combination with traditional outdoor adventure. Equipment and resources gained by the 2002 expedition will be used in the programs of the institute. The institute will work closely with other groups and organizations around the Gulf of Maine to fulfill a niche that can make a unique contribution to the environmental, economic, educational, and recreational goals we share in common.” For more on the expedition, check out their site at www.gomexpedition.org.

Congratulations GOMEX on your fantastic voyage!

Coast Week 2002

Next, I need to tell you about Coast Week 2002, which runs from today through Oct. 5.

It’s an annual event during which volunteers (anyone is welcome) clean up and record debris and trash from beaches. Data cards are compiled statewide, then nationally to identify sources of marine debris. This year, approximately 140 cleanups are scheduled for Coast Week 2002. Last year, upwards of 1,900 Maine volunteers cleared our coastline of 16,987 pounds of debris – 67,330 items were recorded including plastic wraps and containers, beverage bottles and cans, cigarette filters, six-pack rings, rope, buoys, and line.

Coast Week is a celebration of our coast and coastal resources as well as an event of education and awareness building. Coastal beach water pollution is hazardous to swimmers’ health as well as to consumers of seafood. Marine wildlife is threatened by debris that they eat or in which they become entangled. Cleanups help keep beaches free of unsightly garbage so we all can enjoy a trip to the shore.

The Maine Coastal Program is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. International coastal cleanup is coordinated by the Ocean Conservancy.

Other events such as guided nature walks, tide pool visits, lobstering and sail making programs are scheduled and open to the public to celebrate our marine resources during Coast Week; these are detailed on the Maine Coastal Program site – http://www.state.me.us/mcp/.

Here are some of the places where programs will be held followed by events and/or the contact for a program.

Hancock County

Blue Hill, Tina Howes, 374-3298; Blue Hill, Long Island, Rich Bamberger, 374-2135; Brooklin, Oct. 2 at 1 p.m., meet at Brooklin School, David Sullivan, 359-2133 or 359-5066 (evenings); Brooksville, Sept. 30 at noon, meet at elementary school, Rick Alexander, 326-8500; Deer Isle, Oct. 1 at 9 a.m., meet at Shore Acres Preserve parking lot, Ann Hooke, 348-6933; Penobscot, Bagaduce River shoreline, Diane Bartholomew, 326-9690; Sedgwick, Oct. 1, Donald Buckingham, 359-5002; Sorrento, Sept. 29 or Oct. 5, meet at town dock, Beth Clark, 422-6514; Sullivan, Marie Zwicker, 460-8920; and Winter Harbor, Schoodic Peninsula, Bill Stone, 963-7844.

Knox County

Camden, Sept. 28 at 10 a.m., Marsha Sloan, 236-3440; Friendship, Walker’s Beach and town landings, Sept. 28 at 10 a.m., meet at Harbor Hill B&B on Harbor Hill Lane (off Town Landing Road), children must be accompanied by adult, Mrs. Liga Jahnke, 832-6646; Rockport, east shore of harbor to Camden town line, Oct. 3 at 8 a.m., Lucy Funkhouser, 236-6374; and Rockport, Glen Cove, Sept. 28 at 10 a.m., meet at Glen Cove picnic area; Roy Salzman, 596-7072.

Waldo County

Islesboro, Warren Island State Park, Oct. 5 (rain date: Oct. 6) at 10 a.m., meet at 9:45 a.m. at Lincolnville Ferry Terminal, Charlene Hood, 941-4014; Prospect, Fort Knox State Historic Site, Sept. 28 at 10 a.m., meet at Visitor Center, Mike Wilusz, 469-7719; Searsport, Moose Point State Park, Sept. 29 at 9:30 a.m., meet in parking lot, Julie McPherson, 548-2882; Searsport, town dock to Navy Street, Sept. 28 -29; Selma Carkner, 548-0919; Stockton Springs, Oct. 1 at 9 a.m., Rob Burke, 234-2326; Stockton Springs, Fort Point Cove, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. (weather permitting), bring canoes, kayaks, and lifejackets; refreshments and tour of lighthouse afterward, Terry Cole, 567-2256; and Sandy Point, Sandy Point Beach, Sept. 28 at 9 a.m., meet in parking lot, Judy Oneal, 567-3840.

Washington County

Eastport and Lubec, Chris Bartlett, 853-2518; Jonesport and Beals, Oct. 2 at noon, meet at high school, Lynn Alley or Pam Smith, 497-5454; Lubec, Quoddy Head State Park, John Smith, 733-0911.

This just in: the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at Cadillac Mountain Sports in Bangor. Potential new members are always welcome to attend the evening’s program, which will be a presentation by Jeffrey Miller, director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. His talk, illustrated with slides, is on a three-week, 2,100-mile tour between Seattle and Calgary. I’m told to warn you that Miller’s presentation contains numerous photos of wildlife, pristine mountains, and glaciers. For more information on MOAC, call Kathryn McGloin at 866-7189.

Jeff Strout can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.