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Friday, August 21, 2020
Volume 16 • Issue No. 34
Beachgoers See More Jellyfish YORK COUNTY This summer, Maine’s beaches have been frequented by remarkably large lion’s mane jellyfish. Glimpses and photographs of these guests have shocked and captivated people around the state, including Senior Research Scientist Nick Record at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay. Since 2015, Record has run an ecosystem modeling project based on jellyfish sightings by citizen scientists along the coast of Maine and
Atlantic Canada. Interested beachgoers send him basic information about the type, size, and location of the jelly they spot. Record plugs this data into a mathematical model he developed, and generates a forecast map that shows the likelihood of more jellyfish sightings throughout the region. The summer of 2020 has been an odd one for jellyfish. Beachgoers reported far more sightings of lion’s mane jellyfish than anything else, and they have been unusually big. Reports poured in about animals between two
and three feet in diameter, and a few described gelatinous masses six feet across. Lion’s mane jellyfish are typical in the Gulf of Maine, but what inflated many of this summer’s specimens is unclear. Record suspects it may have to do with the increasingly warm water temperatures that have become the new normal in the Gulf of Maine, or perhaps a change in the availability of the jellyfish’s food. See JELLIES page 20...
YCCC and New Director of Enrollment Ready for Fall WELLS York County Community College (YCCC) is excited to welcome Cait Grant to the team as the new Director of Enrollment Management. Grant holds a BA in English Education and a MA in Teaching English Education from the University of New Hampshire. She began her career teaching composition and reading to grades 9-12 in SAU 56 / Somersworth, NH. After leaving the classroom, Grant served as a Regional Access Director for Maine Community College System’s Embark Program. Most recently, she served as a
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what the Fall semester will look like, and just in time for a September 8 opening. In a letter written in July, the new President of YCCC, Michael Fischer, wrote “Given the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and to keep you and the rest of our campus community safe, we are taking several measures and steps in order to reduce the number of people on campus.” For instance, on-campus instruction will be limited to those students whose courses
require hands-on learning in a shop or lab or demonstrations on equipment located on campus. These classes will be smaller and meet physical distancing requirements. All courses that can be taught remotely will be using Brightspace, an interactive software for blended classroom learning. The delivery mode of each course can be found in the schedule which is kept current on YCCC’s website (www.yccc. See YCCC page 4...
Pottery Business Gets Creative for Survival YORK When COVID-19 hit the area, Ocean Fire Pottery shut its doors like other local businesses. But when it was time to reopen, owner Amy Clark was leery about letting the public in again, because her business is actually in her home. When visitors walk in the door to the gallery, they are also walking into Clark’s studio, where she spends her days and nights making pottery. They could also turn to the right and step directly into her kitchen. In the middle of a pandemic. “Back in June, with all of the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, I just wasn’t comfortable bringing so many people
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Lead Navigator Developer for the Maine Community College System. “Over the past few months, I have learned a lot about the passion, innovation, and commitment that the leadership, staff, and faculty, have for the work of redefining, not only York County Community College, but higher education. It’s contagious. It’s impossible to resist wanting to play a part of the reimagined YCCC,” said Grant. Her direction is welcome guidance as YCCC determines
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into my house and my workspace. I had to find a solution that would feel welcoming and safe, both for me and for my customers.” And the results have been remarkable. Clark pulled out a tent, a can of paint, and some tables, and created an open-air gallery in front of her house. Her handmade platters hang on the exterior walls of the house, and planters hang on hooks with flowers in them. She even brought her pottery wheel outside, so she can work out there and passers-by can see the pieces being made. “The feedback I’m getting is wonderful,” said Clark. And the
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shop is busier than ever. Tourists are stopping to see what’s going on. Locals who have been driving by for years are pulling over and introducing themselves.
“We’re getting used to wearing masks and sanitizing, but there’s still a small level of anxiety involved in shopping. I wanted this to be open and lowstress,” she says. A sign asks visitors to use the provided hand sanitizer or gloves before touching the pottery, and everyone wears masks. “Everyone’s been so nice, and respectful,” she says. It’s usually just one or two people at a time, so it’s never crowded, which helps people feel comfortable, she says. At least 35% of her revenue each year comes from See POTTERY page 8... Have you seen our
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Available at www.granitestatesentinel.com