Winter in Maine can feel a bit isolated at times. We turn to nature for a certain type of connection. But, we don’t always think of connecting through nature. As I wrote about last week in a description of the enormity of the aquatic biome, water connects us in ways that are sometimes obvious and sometimes harder to see. All of the water on the planet is connected and thus provides a common connection for people no matter where or how they live.

There are specific ecosystem impacts of this type of connection like the fact that something we put into the water in one location might end up and impact others in another location. Or, the fact that what we put into the water might spread to and affect many areas. Or, a creature that ought to live in one spot may end up traveling via water to another spot where it doesn’t belong. This is the environmental stewardship aspect of all being connected.

There is, however, another aspect of this connection – the emotional connection to water that all humans feel to one degree or another. It is something that we share, and it is so basic to our existence.

To that end, the Maine Humanities Council (MHC) is undertaking a discussion project called “To stand by the edge of the sea”. MHC is involved in many projects throughout the state designed to bring people from a variety of audiences together to discuss a common topic. This is one of 24 discussion groups that will be held this spring across ten counties in Maine.

This particular project, “To stand by the edge of the sea” is presented in collaboration with a group called Women Mind the Water. As such, it is directed at women from Maine. Women Mind the Water is a group dedicated to bringing together women with different connections to the water through storytelling. Founder Pam Ferris-Olson of Freeport is an educator, writer, and artist. The purpose of the group is to grow and strengthen the network of women with connections to the water in order to find new opportunities for ocean conservation. Ferris-Olson has created a series of podcasts and video clips on her website that capture the voices of women from around the world ranging from photographers to musicians to teachers, just to name a few. These can be accessed at womenmindthewater.com.

As this is a Maine-based discussion group, it is fitting that the starting text is Rachel Carson’s “The Sea Around Us.” Most famous for her book Silent Spring, Carson wrote “The Sea Around Us” more than a decade before. It was her second published book but was the one that got her noticed as a voice for the sea. She later wrote a third book in what has become known as her “sea trilogy.” “To stand by the edge of the sea,” the name of the discussion group, is a quote from Carson’s book.

While this book is the framework for the group, it will be followed by less familiar authors from other parts of the world and periods of time including a documentary exploration of race and surfing called White Wash and A negro explorer of the North Pole, the story of a Black Arctic explorer Matthew Henson, and finally a photo essay about indigenous people involved in conservation called Full Moon Rising.

The topics to be covered are quite wide-ranging, focused on the relationship we have to the ocean and each other, and promise to open up questions about access and environmental justice and encourage discussion among all participants. Anne Schlitt, the executive assistant at the Chewonki Foundation, a Wiscasset-based outdoor education organization, will be facilitating the discussions.

The Maine Humanities Council is providing funding for all the texts and materials for anyone who registers for the four-part discussion group. Discussions will take place by Zoom on Thursday evenings from 6:30-8 p.m. March 4 and March 18 and April 1 and April 15. The group is open to anyone in Maine, although space is limited. Register now so that materials can be mailed to you, free of charge, in time for the first meeting.

For more information on and to register for the Women Mind the Water Discussion Project contact Pam Ferris-Olson at womenmindthewater@comcast.net.

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