Chewonki to offer free coastal ecology kayak expedition for high schoolers

WISCASSET — Because of special grant funding provided by the Maine State Department of Education’s Summer 2023 Coastal Science & Marine Trades initiative, Chewonki is accepting applications for the summer 2023 Coastal Ecology Kayak Expedition.

The program is free for participating students, including travel and equipment expenses, and will provide 10 Maine high school students the chance to travel the mid-coast region in ocean kayaks and explore marine ecology, as well as marine careers and research opportunities, according to a news release from nonprofit organization.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for high school students to experience the amazing mid-coast region up close and on the water. We are very grateful that the Maine Department of Education is making this program possible, and we applaud the effort to open up this kind of programming to families that might not otherwise be able to afford it, or have access to the ocean,” said Cullen McGough, Chewonki communications director.

According to McGough, the grant-funded program has placed an emphasis on selecting students from communities that lack access to the marine environment, because of economic, geographic, or cultural barriers.

“We especially hope that students who live inland, upstate, or who have never engaged with the marine-sector before will consider applying,” said McGough. “Maine has fantastic career opportunities in marine construction, fishing, tourism, and scientific research — this program will help highlight many of those possibilities, and give the participants some valuable hands-on experience on the water.”

The students will gain valuable hands-on experience traveling and living off the grid in the marine environment, and get a taste of living and working on the water for an extended period of time. The students will also gain experience handling small watercraft, practicing navigation, learning about wind, weather and tides, identifying common plant and animal species, and building their exploration and survival skills, all of which are valuable for careers in the marine sector.

Over the course of the three-week summer program, slated for July 21 to Aug. 12, the group also plans to take several side trips and explore the historic, current and future state of Maine’s marine economy and ecology, visiting a series of fisheries, museums, marine research and construction centers, dive into coastal ecology and conservation projects, and learn about the network of agencies that operate in the marine environment, including Fish and Wildlife, the Coast Guard, and the Marine Patrol.

Interested families must submit an application via camp.chewonki.org before Sunday, May 7, and the 10 participating students will be selected based on a simple scoring system base on a letter of interest in exploring coastal ecology, marine science, or a marine career.