Expedition Bids Farewell to Maine at Washington County Technical College in Eastport

For Immediate Release

Contact: Bob DeForrest, Outreach and Education Coordinator, (207) 288-4205, gomex@earthlink.net. For information regarding WCTC Marine Technology Center, Chris Bartlett, (207) 853-2518 or www.wctc.org.

July 18, 2002, Eastport, Maine -- Everyone is invited to attend as the Expedition visits its last port of call in the States! Afternoon festivities and an evening presentation will be held at Washington County Technical College in Eastport, otherwise known as "The Boat School" on Saturday, July 20th.

The day begins at 1:00pm with a bird walk. Concurrent exhibits including the Gulf Of Maine Mural Project, What's In The Ocean, and The Edge Of The Sea are scheduled for 2:30, and a sea kayak skills and safety workshop will be given at 4:00. Tours of the Marine Technology Center run from 2:30-4:00pm. The Marine Technology Center is located at Deep Cove in Eastport, where modern classrooms, labs, docking facilities and a multipurpose fishing vessel provide an effective coastal base of operations for the marine program. Washington County Technical College is a non-profit, residential, post secondary, associate degree granting institution supported in part by appropriations from the Maine State Legislature. The Gulf Of Maine Day winds to a close with the 7:30pm Team presentation of their mission, goals, findings and experience thus far; it has been evolving and is updated steadily with photos, findings and anecdotes as they continue their journey. This is the Team's last stop in the States; bring the whole family to learn, play and bid them farewell!

All of the Gulf Of Maine Expedition's events are fortuitously scheduled in this, the International Year of Ecotourism. 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 will all be available to hear your concerns regarding the health of the Gulf, and discuss their journey, findings and mission.

Partners for the event include Washington County Technical College, Maine Sea Grant, University of Maine Cooperative Extension and others.

The Gulf Of Maine Expedition was organized to raise awareness and caring about the ecology and culture of the Gulf of Maine. Their records capture a snapshot of the Gulf as it is today, providing a unique perspective for monitoring in the future. 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. 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 at gomex@earthlink.net.