Bowdoin College
EN-9: Community Partnerships

Summer Fellowship program The Environmental Studies program supports a fellowship program that places students with local, national and international organizations for the purpose of expanding capacity for addressing environmental justice and sustainability. Additionally, the college provides support for students to work with Maine based organizations and communities. The program has been in place for over 15 years. The fellowship has resulted in numerous on-going community partnerships with organizations such as the Town of Brunswick, Town of Topsham, The Nature Conservancy, Maine Audubon, and the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. http://www.bowdoin.edu/environmental-studies/fellowships-internships/

The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust recently initiated a volunteer driven water quality monitoring program with the Town of Georgetown and began sampling coastal waters during the summer of 2015. As part of the project, Bowdoin College’s Marine Geochemistry class, led by Professor Michele LaVigne, is conducting a study of two clam flats: one where the clams have thin shells, and another where the clams have thick shells. Students are testing a number of characteristics of the sediment, water, and clams to see if they can begin to identify the characteristics in the environment that cause thin shells. http://kennebecestuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/KELT-Spring-2013-sm1.pdf Another example focuses on a collaboration with the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. The Environmental Studies program has been engaged in a longer term analysis of the economic impact of bicycling and bicycle tourism as a form of sustainable tourism. Students, in partnership with BCM staff conducted surveys of tourists and bicycle based businesses. In the Fall of 2015, a student prepared a summary of the results as a part of a community based independent study.

Merrymeeting Food Council The Merrymeeting Food Council is a collaborative network of farmers, non-profits, businesses, government, and individuals working together to advance a thriving, resilient food system. Bowdoin's Environmental Studies Program has been engaged with the process by providing numerous student research opportunities that are providing valuable data to the project. Over the summer and fall of 2015, students collected data as part of a food scan. Through a collaborative partnership with two local land trusts (Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust and Kennebec Estuary Land Trust) and other stakeholders the college supported the development of a local food assessment. As part of fall courses, students analyzed the results and looked at implications of food access for elderly as well as challenges of providing access to local food for residents. MFC has since held its launch and stakeholder meeting at Bowdoin College in the fall of 2015 and the Environmental Studies Department is looking forward to further engaging with the program and providing valuable research opportunities for Bowdoin students. See: http://community.bowdoin.edu/news/2015/08/students-collaborate-on-local-food-project/