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December 20, 2000

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On Sunday, December 10, seven members of Alpha PhiOmega, and a friend, volunteered at
Greenland Point Center. The major project of the day was getting the new snowmobile trail ready
for use this winter. The group worked cutting brush, small trees, and tall grass along the two mile trail
into GPC. In addition to this project, the group also moved boats, picnic tables, snowmobiles, and
other assorted equipment. The group also was willing to use their own vehicles to get to GPC.
Thanks go out to the group for their effort.
Adam Goodspeed
Program Director

MAGAZINE FEATURES UMM PROFESSOR GAYLE KRAUS
RECOGNIZED FOR TEACHING WORK AS WILDLIFE REHABILITATOR

M. Gayle Kraus, a longtime member of the faculty at the University of Maine at Machias and a widely
recognized wildlife rehabilitator, is featured in the latest edition of Natural New England. The article
touts Kraus as being a "legendary Maine biology professor who keeps her students active
in Machias."
The January-February issue of the regional science and nature magazine describes the UMM professor's
work, both on the campus and in the Down East community where she has cared for scores of injured
and orphaned wild animals and birds. Natural New England is circulated throughout the northeastern
United States.
Kraus has been living and teaching Down East for more than 20 years. She is a professor of marine ecology
at the University of Maine at Machias and is licensed both by state and federal governments as a wildlife
rehabilitator. Her North Street home in Machias frequently harbors birds and animals ranging from owls
and eagles to deer and bobcat.
More than a dozen American bald eagles have been given a new lease on life over the years, thanks to
Kraus, wildlife biologists, game wardens and Dr. David Cobb, a Machias veterinarian whose services have
been volunteered many times. "I can provide the daily care but we could not offer the rehabilitation service
without Dr. Cobb," she said in a recent interview.
Kraus had an owl in her barn last year while it recovered from injuries. A variety of birds have received
treatment at her home and many have recovered to return to the their natural environment. Deer often
graze in her fenced-in backyard.
Releases of wild birds and animals are always made in remote areas, with little fanfare and as far from
people as possible, she said.
Students at the University of Maine at Machias also have opportunities to look in on the rehabilitation
center when Kraus has an unusual animal or bird in residence. Lori Brown, a recent UMM graduate
interviewed by the magazine said, "after meeting with Dr. Kraus on a campus visit … I knew [UMM] was
the type of school that I wanted to attend.
At the university Kraus supervises a number of projects in addition to teaching traditional courses such as
marine biology, invertebrate zoology, ichthyology, ornithology, general ecology, terrestrial mammals and
marine mammals and pelagic birds.
Fish tanks throughout the university's Science Building offer evidence of the studies conducted by students
enrolled in Kraus' classes. Several aquaria representing ecosystems in the Amazon Basin, Asia, Africa and a
typical pond in North America are found throughout the building. Students trained by Kraus participate in
the feeding of marine life and the maintenance of the aquariums.
Sherrie Sprangers, an associate professor of biology and colleague in the UMM biology department
describes Kraus as being more than just a teacher. Sprangers said, "She’s absolutely nuts about what
she does ... The students think she’s great – they absolutely love her."
UMM represents one of about 20 places across the state where volunteers help the Department of Marine
Resources detect blooms of red tide and other toxic alga before they become a threat to marine life.
Zooplankton (plankton composed of animals) and its effect on native mammals and birds is also under
close scrutiny. The disappearance of great numbers of phalaropes in the Cobscook Bay area between 1985
and 1990 may have been an effect of zooplankton distribution, scientists suggest.
Another reason for conducting these studies is to detect introductions of "exotic" species that may appear
from ballast water taken on by ships in other parts of the world and dumped along the East Coast,
Kraus added.
Kraus and her students also have been involved in surveys for the North American Amphibian Monitoring
Program and assist state biologists at the landlocked salmon hatchery at Grand Lake Stream and the
Wild Salmon Resource Center at Columbia Falls.
Kraus agreed last year to participate in the National Marine Debris Monitoring program, a five-year project
to collect and analyze materials that drift ashore along the American coastlines. Volunteers collect and
categorize debris on a regular basis at Jasper Beach in Machiasport. This program is coordinated by the
Center for Marine Conservation in Washington, D.C., and supported by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA, National Marine Fisheries, the National Park Service and the Coast Guard use the data that Kraus
and her students collect.
In the coming days, Professor Kraus and her students will participate in the National Audubon Society
Christmas Bird Count. The Christmas Bird Count is an early-winter survey of birds. The counts occur in Central,
South, and North America within two weeks of December 25.
Kraus, a native of Freeport, New York, completed studies for a B.A. in biology and M.A. in biology at
Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. She earned her Ph.D. in zoology at the University of Rhode
Island in 1980 before becoming a member of the UMM faculty.
In addition to numerous academic programs in the fine arts, liberal arts, business administration and
education, the University of Maine at Machias offers programs in marine biology, environmental studies,
biology, and recreation management for students interested in a hands-on learning experience. UMM
maintains two field sites for supplemental classroom instruction and research studies. In addition, the
University continues a close affiliation with the Beals Island Regional Shellfish Hatchery, which offers
UMM students additional research experiences.
Students are kept busy throughout the academic year with numerous research projects and experiences
that reach far beyond the classroom. Kraus explains "that she continues to learn how to introduce more
exciting learning opportunities into each course she teaches." According to Sprangers, almost all of Kraus’
biology or marine biology students -- past and present -- would agree that Dr. Kraus is a "legendary
Maine biology professor who keeps her students active in Machias."
The university, with about 1,000 undergraduate students, offers a personal approach to education
on the coast of Maine.
For more information, contact the admission office at 1-888-468-6866 or
visit the web site at www.umm.maine.edu.
To learn more about Natural New England magazine visit their web site at www.naturalne.com.

OUTSTANDING TUTORS RECEIVE
WELL DESERVED RECOGNITION FROM UMM

UMM recently recognized six Washington County Reads Tutors for their outstanding volunteer work at the
Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School in Machias, and the Milbridge Elementary School in Milbridge.
Ellen Cates, Beverly Marshall, Beverley Higgins, and Deidre Violette are tutors at the Rose M. Gaffney
Elementary School. Mary Margaret O’Dowd and Katie Adams are tutors at the
Milbridge Elementary School.
UMM’s program, Washington County Reads, is part of the larger America Reads Program. President Clinton
developed this national initiate by posed a challenge to the nation that all young people read well and
independently by the time they reach the third grade. UMM is one of over 1,000 colleges throughout the
United States participating in the program.
These six individuals work with children in Kindergarten through the Third grade. They volunteer between
two to six hours a week working one-on-one or with small groups of children. The role of a tutor is to help
children feel comfortable, develop self-confidence and motivation with reading and reading skills.
According to VISTA volunteer, Lori Brown, who oversees the program, the Washington County Reads Tutors
are composed of university students and community members. Currently, there are two students in the
program and four community members. As a tutor, volunteers commit to one semester of tutoring a minimum
of two hours a week. The volunteers are provided with information and training sessions to prepare them for
entering a classroom.

If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a Washington County Reads (or Counts) Tutor, applications for the spring semester are available through Brown at 255-1372 or lori.brown@maine.edu.

TECHNIQUES OF FICTION COURSE TO BE OFFEREDAT UMM

"Techniques of Fiction" is a reading course for people interested in writing fiction. Rather than interpreting
stories or analyzing them in a cultural context, the course treats them as studies in technique. This course
will be offered during the Spring Semester (beginning mid-January) at UMM.
After a review of the elements of fiction, especially traditional narrative, the class will read and discuss over
eleven works of fiction (novels and collections of short stories) by contemporary authors. The artists whose
works have been selected for this course are generally innovators---writers exploring the boundaries of
traditional narrative, in both form and style.
For a more practical grasp of technique, students will also write informal "simulation" pieces for each of the
authors studied. Two of these exercises (of the student's own choosing) will be handed in for class-critiquing
and grading.
Readings for the course will include the following:
The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx,
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy,
Letourneau's Used Auto Parts by Carolyn Chute,
Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner,
Stones for Ibarra by Harriet Doerr,
Mariette in Ecstasy by Ron Hansen,
The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields,
Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? by Raymond Carver,
and The Watch by Rick Bass.
The instructor for "Techniques of Fiction" will be Professor Robert Froese.
The course will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:00 p.m. - 3:20 p.m. during the Spring Semester.
For more information about registering for this course or for a complete Spring Semester course schedule
please call (207) 255-1223.

STUDIES IN FILM COURSE TO BE OFFERED AT UMM

Studies in Film (ENG304) is a course in the history of the art of cinema. The course will be offered
Tuesday evenings during the SPRING 2001 semester from 6:00 p.m. until 8:50 p.m. at UMM.
The course will follow the development of film as an art form, from Thomas Edison's crude peep show
novelty of the 1890's to the sophisticated motion pictures of today. Students will learn the basic elements
of cinematography and work toward a fuller appreciation of the film experience.
Class time will be devoted largely to the viewing and analysis of classic films, especially those
representing important schools or developments in the history of cinema. Films tentatively scheduled
for the course include The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Queen Christina (with Greta Garbo), Citizen Kane,
The Grand Illusion, The Seven Samurai, and McCabe & Mrs. Miller.

For more information please contact Robert Froese, Professor of English at UMM 255-1334.
If you would like to receive a complete schedule of spring semester courses or
would like to register for Studies in Film (ENG304) please contact the registrar at 255-1223.

MAINE HIGHER EDUCATION ASSISTANCE FOUNDATION
AWARDS SCHOLARSHIP
TO DENISE C. HOVEY ATTENDING UMM

The trustees of the Maine Higher Education Assistance Foundation are pleased to announce that on
Tuesday, December 12, 2000 a scholarship in the amount of $1,300 was awarded to Denise C. Hovey,
a student from Harrington attending the University of Maine at Machias. Hovey is a non-traditional student
in her senior year at the university and is studying business administration and accounting.
The Maine Higher Education Assistance Foundation was established in the 1950’s to support a guarantee
fund for student loans. The founders included a wide range of banks, businesses, community organizations,
and individuals. In 1990, the MeHEAF trustees, the Maine Bankers Association’s Board of Directors, seeking
to continue the original intent of the founding members, began a scholarship program funded by the return of
the original loan guarantee funds. The MeHEAF trustees recognize the importance of helping students meet
the financial demands of higher education.
This year the MeHEAF trustees have selected twelve Maine colleges and universities to receive scholarships.
Student scholarship recipients are chosen by the participating school. All student scholarship recipients must
be in the second, third, or fourth year, must be a Maine high school graduate, must be majoring in a business
related subject, must have good academic standing, and must have financial need. All scholarships are
awarded for second semester expenses.
Since 1990, a total of $134,800 in scholarships has been awarded. In 2000 an additional $15,600 will
be awarded to twelve students in $1,300 awards.
The Maine Higher Education Assistance Foundation is administered by the Maine Bankers Association and
is located in Augusta at 132 State Street. The Maine bankers Association President Joseph Pietroski made
the presentation along with are banks representing the Maine Bankers Association.
UMM offers academic programs in Business Administration, Fine Arts, Biology, Recreation Management,
Business Teacher Education, Behavioral Science, Education, Environmental Studies, College Studies,
History, English, and Marine Biology.
For more information please contact the admissions office toll free at 1-888-468-6866 or
on the web at www.umm.maine.edu.

John Joseph, President - UMM; Ed Hennessey, President - Machiaas Savings Bank;
Denise Hovey, scholarship recipient; John Morrison, House of Representatives – Maine District 135;
Joe Pietroski, President of the Maine Bankers Association; Kevin Shorey, Senator – Maine District 4;
Jane Chute, Assistant Vice President - Bar Harbor Banking and Trust; and Carl Hovey,
Denise’s husband and a student at UMM.

UMM GREEK COUNCIL THANKS LOCAL BUSINESSES

The members of the Greek Council Organization at UMM would like to thank a number of local businesses
and individuals for their generous donations to the Christmas for Kids Program. The following businesses
and individuals participated: Sears, Ellsworth Building Supply, Downeast Video, Riverview Video, Colbert
Enterprises (JC Penny and The Party Palace), Peder Moe, Rite Aid Drugstore, The Robin’s Nest, The Tickle
Trunk, Main Street Discount, Coffin’s True Value, The Sow’s Ear, Winter Raven, McKinney Books, and Parlins
Flowers. The event was a great success and all donations were greatly appreciated.

EARLY CARE CENTER ENSURED AT UMM
Libra Foundation Provides $150,000 for New Campus Facility

A $150,000 grant from the Libra Foundation has helped to ensure the construction of an early care
and education center on the campus of UMM.
The facility, envisioned as a phase of the CLL, will be located across an access road leading to the
Reynolds Athletic and Education Center. It will have play areas for infant-toddler ages and preschool
children, a central office, crib room, kitchen, bathroom facilities and storage space.
The major purposes of the center are to offer the greater Machias area a needed and additional child
care facility and provide a setting for the university to enhance academic programs in early childhood
development and behavioral science.
The early care and education center is a collaborative effort by UMM and the Washington Hancock
Community Agency, the contractual operators of the center, and the town of Machias. The preliminary
design calls for a facility to house 24 children on a full-time basis and up to 50 both part and
full time.
Barbara and Ken Manchester, co-chairs of the capital campaign, said the Libra Foundation grant couple
with more than $50,000 raised in other gifts, pledges and donations, ensures that a Maine Community
Development Block Grant of $200,000 has been matched.
The Libra Foundation is a Portland-based philanthropic organization created in 1989 by the late
Elizabeth Noyce, former wife of Robert N. Noyce, co-inventor of the computer chip and a founder of
the Intel Corporation. Since its inception, the Libra Foundation has provided more than $19 million in
gifts and grants to a variety of charitable and nonprofit organizations throughout Maine. Last year the
Foundation awarded 113 grants totaling more than $6 million. The Foundation has generously supported
other phases of the capital campaign for the Center for Lifelong Learning and projects throughout
Washington County.
A number of grants provided by the Libra Foundation were awarded in the past to agencies working in
the area. The following are a few of the projects with a local impact: a grant to provide summer camp
scholarships for Maine children; a grant to the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance for a project to
raise student achievement and aspirations in mathematics and science; to the Down East Resource
Conservation & Development, to improve the storage and display capabilities of The Waponahki Museum
and Resource Center; to the Lubec Historical Society West Quoddy Head Light Keepers to rehabilitate
West Quoddy Head Lighthouse; to the Lubec Safe Kids Coalition Regional Medical Center at Lubec, to
construct the Lubec Safe Kids Playground Project; to the Town of Machiasport to restore Liberty Hall to its
original condition and update its facilities; to the Lubec Consolidated School to help finance the new
aquaculture vocational and academic program at Lubec Consolidated School; and to the CLL at UMM to
provide a Learn to Swim Program.
Foundation representatives Owen and Annie Wells and Elizabeth Flaherty visited the Machias campus in September. Owen Wells is president of the Libra Foundation. They were impressed with the various
components at the CLL and the opportunities and programs that the university provides for all of
Washington County. The Foundation, which limits its grants to programs and projects within the State
of Maine, was particularly supportive of the cooperative nature by which the people of Washington
County and UMM have worked together.
Stewart Brecher Architects of Bar Harbor developed a preliminary proposal for a single-level structure.
It is anticipated that construction bids for the Early Care and Education Center will be invited by
early spring.
The project review team examining aspects of programming at the facility and the community development
block grant committee reviewing compliance of the federal grant will continue to meet to discuss all aspects
of the project.
The capital fund-raising team includes co-chairs Barbara and Ken Manchester, Dick Fickett, Carolyn and Bob
Foster, Maurine and Ralph Jans, Doug Kell, Connie and Tom McIntyre, and Marilyn Murdock.

For more information, call UMM's development office at 255-1327 or
for information about academic programs at UMM
please contact the admissions office toll-free at 1-888-468-6866.

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