Host: Glen Mittelhauser Producers: Glen Mittelhauser and Daaby Tingle Continuing a botanical inventory of Little Spruce Island off the coast of Downeast Maine, Glen explains why each island supports a unique plant community shaped by its history and environment. He reflects on the importance of documenting these remote floras today to provide the baseline data needed to understand ecological change in the future. More information about Maine Natural History Observatory can be found on our website at mainenaturalhistory.org/. About the hosts: Glen Mittelhauser founded Maine Natural History Observatory (MNHO) in 2003 to fill the need for an organization that specializes in collecting, interpreting, and maintaining datasets for understanding changes in Maine’s plant and wildlife populations.  Glen received his Bachelor’s in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic in 1989 with a focus in the biological sciences and received his Master of Science degree in Zoology (with a focus on ornithology and statistics) from the University of Maine in 2000. Glen was the Managing Editor for Northeastern Naturalist and Southeastern Naturalist for 18 years and has served as external graduate faculty for 3 graduate student committees at the University of Maine.  Glen currently serves on the Baxter State Park Research Committee. Logan Parker is an Ecologist residing in Waldo County, Maine. Logan started the Maine Nightjar Monitoring Project in 2017 and brought the project (and his passion for bird conservation) to MNHO when he joined the team in 2018. Logan is heavily involved in the ongoing Maine Bird Atlas where he both coordinates and participates in the project’s special species surveys. When “off the clock”, Logan enjoys birding, writing, gardening, and working alongside his wife, Hallee, on their off-grid home in the Maine woods. Logan is also a wildlife photographer and shares photos and field notes through his project, Here In The Wild.

The post Nature Notes: A Maine Naturalist Afield 8/23/26: Surveying Plants on Maine Islands, Part 2 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Host/Producer: Amy Browne Second Story Builders 2nd Annual Radical Reuse Festival and Artisan Fair, Saturday in Union Friends of WERU present the film Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World  a portrait of the life and career of the best-selling poet and Pulitzer Prize recipient, and the inspiration behind her renowned works, with several showings this weekend at the Alamo Theatre in Bucksport. Click here for show times and more information “Featuring archival footage, never-before-seen personal photos, notebook pages and original interviews, Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World explores Oliver’s early days as a writer, the people and places that inspired her poetry, and the award-winning works that launched her to broad acclaim. New interviews from Maria Shriver, John Waters, and former US Poet Laureate Ada Limón, as well as poetry recitations from Helena Bonham Carter, Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Steve Buscemi, and Oprah Winfrey illuminate Oliver’s legacy as a beloved poet” (Source: publicity materials for the film) Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

The post Around Town 8/21/26: Local News, Culture and Events first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Host/Producer: Amy Browne From Monday’s shadow hearing re ICE killing Biddeford resident Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in that city last month. With no known investigation by conducted by Trump’s “DOJ” or Republicans in Congress, the hearing was organized by Maine (CD1) Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, and attended by other local, state and federal officials, as well as members of the public. The full hearing can be viewed on Pingree’s youtube page Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

The post Around Town 8/20/26: Local News, Culture and Events first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Host/Producer: Amy Browne Sue Roche, Executive Director of the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP), testifying Monday in Biddeford, at the shadow hearing re ICE killing Biddeford resident Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in that city last month. With no known investigation by conducted by Trump’s “DOJ” or Republicans in Congress, the hearing was organized by Maine (CD1) Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, and attended by other local, state and federal officials, as well as members of the public. The full hearing can be viewed on Pingree’s youtube page Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

The post Around Town 8/19/26: Local News, Culture and Events first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Host/Producer: Amy Browne The father of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Biddeford resident who was killed by ICE in July, speaking at yesterday’s shadow hearing in Biddeford. With no known investigation by conducted by Trump’s “DOJ” or Republicans in Congress, the hearing was organized by Maine (CD1) Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, and attended by other local, state and federal officials, as well as members of the public. Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

The post Around Town 8/18/26: Local News, Culture and Events first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Host/Producer: Amy Browne One of the OGs of home improvement shows, locally-produced Hot and Cold with Tom Gocze has moved to youtube, with live shows on Saturday mornings at 8. Tom stops by with all the details. Hold and Cold’s YouTube channel Hot and Cold’s website Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and others – including other members of Congress- are holding a shadow hearing today on the killing of Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero by ICE last month in Biddeford. It’s scheduled to start at 11 this morning at Biddeford High School and is open to the public. It will also be streamed on Pingree’s YouTube channel Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

The post Around Town 8/17/26: Local News, Culture and Events first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Host: Glen Mittelhauser Producers: Glen Mittelhauser and Daaby Tingle Glen begins a multi-day botanical inventory of Little Spruce Island off the coast of Downeast Maine. He describes the logistics of reaching remote islands, the slow pace of searching for plants, and why botanists rely on scientific names to accurately document the diversity they find. More information about Maine Natural History Observatory can be found on our website at mainenaturalhistory.org/. About the hosts: Glen Mittelhauser founded Maine Natural History Observatory (MNHO) in 2003 to fill the need for an organization that specializes in collecting, interpreting, and maintaining datasets for understanding changes in Maine’s plant and wildlife populations.  Glen received his Bachelor’s in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic in 1989 with a focus in the biological sciences and received his Master of Science degree in Zoology (with a focus on ornithology and statistics) from the University of Maine in 2000. Glen was the Managing Editor for Northeastern Naturalist and Southeastern Naturalist for 18 years and has served as external graduate faculty for 3 graduate student committees at the University of Maine.  Glen currently serves on the Baxter State Park Research Committee. Logan Parker is an Ecologist residing in Waldo County, Maine. Logan started the Maine Nightjar Monitoring Project in 2017 and brought the project (and his passion for bird conservation) to MNHO when he joined the team in 2018. Logan is heavily involved in the ongoing Maine Bird Atlas where he both coordinates and participates in the project’s special species surveys. When “off the clock”, Logan enjoys birding, writing, gardening, and working alongside his wife, Hallee, on their off-grid home in the Maine woods. Logan is also a wildlife photographer and shares photos and field notes through his project, Here In The Wild.

The post Nature Notes: A Maine Naturalist Afield 8/16/26: Surveying Plants on Maine Islands, Part 1 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Host/Producer: Amy Browne Margret Baldwin and Dave Hollenburg stop by to invite listeners to the 6th Annual Rural Hall Art Exhibit and Sale at the Surry Rural Hall, 680 Rt 172 (aka Surry Road), Sunday, August 16th, 4-6pm Cash or checks only. FMI: 207-667-8328 or 207-460-1959 Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

The post Around Town 8/14/26: Local News, Culture and Events first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Host/Producer: Amy Browne Judith Sloan and Najla Said, members of the multi-talented team behind Between a Rock and A Hard Place, join Amy this morning. This one-of-a-kind theatre experience is a benefit for WERU-FM and EarSay. Saturday, August 15th at 7pm, Emlen Hall, Blue Hill More information and a longer interview with the cast Learn more about EarSay and purchase tickets Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

The post Around Town 8/13/26: Local News, Culture and Events first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Producer/Hosts: Ron Beard and Liz Graves College of the Atlantic provides help with production. Engineering by Joel Mann of WERU Community Radio. Theme music for Talk of the Towns Theme is a medley from Coronach, on a Balnain House Highland Music recording. Talk of the Towns: Local Community concerns and opportunities This month: What are some of the milestones in Healthy Acadia’s 25 year history? What are the connections between promoting and enhancing health and wellness and the health care sector? What are examples of how Healthy Acadia works with partners? What are ways in which Healthy Acadia measures outcomes of its work? How does Healthy Acadia approach the issue of food security? How does Healthy Acadia support people in recovery? Guest/s: Elsie Flemings, Executive Director, Healthy Acadia. Maria Donahue, Community Health and Prevention Director, Healthy Acadia. Katie Freedman, Community Health and Food Programs Director, Healthy Acadia. FMI: healthyacadia.org About the hosts: Ron Beard is producer and host of Talk of the Towns, which first aired on WERU in 1993 as part of his community building work as an Extension professor with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant. He took all the journalism courses he could fit in while an undergraduate student in wildlife management and served as an intern with Maine Public Television nightly newscast in the early 1970s. Ron is an adjunct faculty member at College of the Atlantic, teaching courses on community development. Ron served on the Bar Harbor Town Council for six years and is currently board chair for the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, where he has lived since 1975. Look for him on the Allagash River in June, and whenever he can get away, in the highlands of Scotland where he was fortunate to spend two sabbaticals. Liz Graves joined Talk of the Towns as co-producer and co-host in July 2022, having long admired public affairs programming on WERU and dreamed of getting involved in community radio. She works as the Town Clerk for the Town of Bar Harbor, and is a former editor of the Mount Desert Islander weekly newspaper. Liz grew up in California and came to Maine as a schooner sailor.

The post Talk of the Towns 8/12/26: Celebrating the Work of Healthy Acadia over 25 Years first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.