Hurricane Island was an unexpected treat. Originally the site of an Outward Bound School founded by an OCC member, it’s now a school for offshore research related to the Gulf of Maine, along with sustainability programs for school children and young adults (the school is 95% free of fossil fuels, using propane only for a kitchen stove and gas for a tractor and boat). The hiking trails around the island reveal the remnants of an old granite quarry (among lots of other buildings, etc, the base of the Washington Monument is of Hurricane Island granite).
They are one of the few places studying scallops in Maine. The scallop industry is the second biggest industry in Maine (though it’s far below #1 lobster), and it’s becoming more critical as the lobster industry faces the threat of climate change (though the Maine lobstering community has worked hard to protect the populations, lobsters are slowly moving north from Maine to Canada as the water temperature has been rising). The lead researcher gave us an entire presentation on the scallop life cycle and current harvesting programs (along with hands on inspection).
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