In Loving Memory of David Vieten
For the students and campers moving across the beautiful landscape at Chewonki each day, our staff and faculty are familiar faces, but they are not
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For the students and campers moving across the beautiful landscape at Chewonki each day, our staff and faculty are familiar faces, but they are not
Last month we published an article about our epic Mud Rove tradition, and we were excited to hear from several alumni & friends remembering their mud roves in Montsweag Brook. And a few folks told us there was more to the story…
On Tuesday, August 23rd, nearly 100 current and former staff members, alums, and friends joined us on campus to celebrate Willard Morgan’s eighteen years at
Faculty are back! Chewonki summers are our busiest season; our staff nearly doubles, and we host hundreds of kids and teens for camp and expeditions. But, summer vibes are just the opposite for much of our faculty, who have three months off to refresh, recharge, and adventure. So we caught up with a few in between move-ins and orientation meetings to ask them how they spent their precious summer months:
Traveling back and forth to a remote research outpost on another continent, climbing tall trees to send texts and emails, recording and observing countless hours of behavioral data, and collecting hundreds of poop samples for genetic analysis – these are just a few of the ways Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki science faculty, Chloe Chen-Kraus, has pursued her love of lemurs.
*By Doc Fred Chichocki, Camp Chewonki Naturalist* On an otherwise average day this past August, I was working in the Nature Museum when I received an unexpected package. I thought it amazing the odd-shaped parcel reached me, considering it was simply addressed to DOC fred, Camp Chewonki, Maine.
*By Megan Phillips, Chewonki Farm and Woodlot Manager* A line from a Michael Blumenthal poem has been rattling around in my head this week: “And now, I think I see it all in terms of light.”
“Every semester writes its own story.” This is not just a declarative statement, but a piece of oral history and wisdom, something passed on to me when my sons joined Maine Coast Semester 64. A compelling invitation. A unique narrative, an original outcome, a story line that could only be written by these young authors. So much opportunity, space, and agency to shape and weave a narrative.
Resupplying our backcountry expeditions is most definitely my favorite summer work task. The process begins when I open the door to Packout, our on-campus trip coordination hub, and I’m hit by the smells of garlic powder, cheddar cheese, plastic bags, white gas, and humans working in the hot sun. Adventure is afoot, and excitement bubbles.
From 1970 through 1991, Chewonki experienced a profound transformation, and in honor of his 86th birthday on October 1, we are honoring the man who steered these monumental changes: Chewonki’s First President, Harwood “Tim” Ellis Jr., by publishing guest-written blogs about Tim over the next few weeks.
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