Gulf of Maine Expedition Presenting at L.L. Bean Paddlesports Festival!

For Immediate Release

Contact: Bob DeForrest, Outreach and Education Coordinator, (207) 288-4205, gomex@earthlink.net. For logistic information regarding the L.L.Bean Paddlesports Festival, Cathy Piffath, (800) 341-4341, ext. 22498 or (207)552-2498, cpiffath@llbean.com.

May 31, 2002, Bar Harbor, Maine -- Come browse, network, or just enjoy the festivities at the L.L. Bean Paddlesports Festival, the most comprehensive on-the-water event in New England, Friday June 7th - Sunday, June 9th, at the University of New England, in Biddeford, Maine. The Gulf Of Maine Expedition has been invited to present at this three-day event, formerly the L.L. Bean Sea Kayak Symposium. The festival is expected to attract in excess of 3,000 people, coming to experience workshops, gear demonstrations, presentations, and sales. Guides, vendors, instructors and non-profit organizations will be participating and creating a unique blend of attendees and presenters. One day's admission is $10, three for $20, and under eighteen is free.

Team leader and Maine Sea Grant Extension Agent Natalie Springuel, Science and Technology Coordinator Richard MacDonald, Canadian team members Dan Earle and Sue Hutchins, and Outreach and Education Coordinator Bob DeForrest team up with L.L.Bean, and will be presenting a 75 minute powerpoint slideshow about the Gulf Of Maine ecology and cultural legacy on each of the three days: Friday (1:00-2:15pm), Saturday (11:30am-12:45pm), and Sunday (10:00-11:15am). They will be available to share photos of their journey, display their gear, equipment and a microscope to view phytoplankton, and talk casually about kayak safety and Gulf Of Maine stewardship during the hours they are not presenting, between 12-9pm on Friday, 8am-6pm Saturday, and 8am-4pm Sunday.

The Gulf Of Maine Expedition was organized to raise awareness and caring about the ecology and culture of the Gulf of Maine. The team hopes to hear your concerns regarding the health of the Gulf and will be available personally for discussions. Their records will capture a snapshot of the Gulf as it is today, and provide a unique perspective for monitoring in the future. They are eager to share information, observations and scientific results they have gathered along the way. Their website, www.gomexpedition.org, is updated several times a week to provide an evolving virtual documentary with an active route map, images from the Gulf, observations, and journal entries.

The Gulf of Maine Expedition was made possible by the generous financial support of Maine Sea Grant, Maine Coastal Program, Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, and the New England Biolabs Foundation. Additional equipment and financial support has come from Necky Kayaks, Kokatat, U. Maine Cooperative Extension, and many other businesses and individuals.

Come join the Expedition and celebrate L.L.Bean's Paddlesports Festival!

For more information, please visit www.gomexpedition.org. If you would like a copy of the Gulf Of Maine Expedition Newsletter which includes the Expedition itinerary, please email Bob DeForrest, Outreach and Educational Coordinator at gomex@earthlink.net.

***if you would like to receive this document as an attachment, please request from: amy.minarik@state.me.us ***

Amy Minarik
Maine Conservation Corps/Americorps
Maine Coastal Program/Maine State Planning Office
38 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
amy.minarik@state.me.us