In observance of Earth Day and Earth Day month, Green Ellsworth, the Ellsworth Historical Society and the Ellsworth Public Library will present a program entitled Landscape of Change.  On April 29 (7:00PM) in the Riverview Room of the Ellsworth Public Library (20 State Street), Raney Bench, Executive Director of the Mount Desert Island Historical Society, will provide an illustrated talk on this ongoing project which is operating at the intersection of history, science, and the imagination.  

A collaboration beginning in 2020 and involving the Schoodic Institute, MDI Biological Laboratory, College of the Atlantic, A Climate to Thrive, and Acadia National Park, the program uses records in the Society’s collection to support scientific research about climate change and establish a common understanding of how climate change is impacting MDI ecosystems and infrastructure. By drawing artists into the project Landscape of Change seeks to both document and effectively communicate the scope, speed, and scale of climate change on MDI.  The program initially focused on birds, pollinators, climate, and sea level because the society's historical records and scientific data, particularly the Champlain Society's observations (1880-1890), easily supported this research, but the work has since expanded beyond these archival materials. 

Raney Bench graduated with a BA in Native American Studies from Humboldt State University, and an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Nebraska.  Prior to becoming Executive Director of MDI Historical Society in 2020, she was Curator of Education at the Abbe Museum and Executive Director of the Seal Cove Auto Museum.  She has been a member of the New England Museum Association Board since 2019.

Although this program is focused on Mount Desert Island, it provides a model for other individuals, historical societies, sustainability and climate change organizations interested in doing similar research to raise understanding regarding the nature of climate change that is having increasing impacts across Downeast Maine.  For more information about the Landscape of Change program go to https://mdihistory.org/landscape-of-change .

For more information about this program contact Mary Blackstone at blackstm@uregina.ca or 667-8878