Name
The Wild Difference: Hearing Voices of Small Farmers and Endangered Plants in Downeast Maine
Date & Time
Tuesday, March 31, 2020, 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Speakers
Description
Democracy, Opportunity, and Voice in the blueberry barrens of Downeast Maine depend on whether small farmers can compete with multinational big ag encroachments in the region. To address small farmer’s concerns, the Wild Difference Project linked community partners with students from 5 university classes with the following project outcomes: 1) launch of online Maine Wild Blueberry Museum, 2) parallel social media campaign, 3) designs for Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability, 4) funding for a physical museum, and 5) plans for a National Heritage Area. This interactive presentation with Q &A will draw out best practices and lessons learned from this fruitful partnership while inviting the audience to sketch out possible projects for their own eco-regions.
Learning outcomes:
- How to:
- build trust with and expand community partnerships
- involve and empower students from different classes on a large project
- grow momentum from one project to another
- find funding sources and allies
- generate real economic and policy impact
Session Type
Small breakout