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Heritage Harvest Dinner

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By Lydia Coburn, Communications Coordinator

When we put up the raised garden beds by our Neptune Drive office last spring, the future was unknown. Over the summer, we had the pleasure of watching a variety of vegetables and flowers grow, as well as the creation of an enjoyable outdoor space for our New Mainer neighbors.

But what do you do with an abundance of fresh food and a growing community? You throw a party of course!

Wednesday October 20th, BTLT staff and board members, New Mainers of all ages, and mentors all joined together for a “Heritage Harvest Potluck.” Each guest brought a culinary dish that held a special place in their heart – tables were filled with food from Vietnam, China, Congo, Angola, Mexico, Rwanda, and Maine. We enjoyed freshly shucked oysters, Chinese chicken wings, apple pie, ceviche, fumbwa, chocolate cupcakes, Swedish meatballs, spring rolls, fufu, and so much more – not necessarily in that order!

ESL educator, and co-host of the event, Kelli Park shared her thoughts:

“The Harvest Heritage Dinner was more than just a dinner, it was a symbol of things to come for our increasingly diverse community in Midcoast Maine. The dinner featured recipes from all over the world and showed that being part of a thriving, welcoming community extends far beyond the geographic boundaries of our local towns and into the far reaches of the world. This collaborative community event was an example of the things that individuals can accomplish when they come together with an idea: to find ways to cultivate connections among individuals from all walks of life to promote a thriving multicultural community. 

“My goal is to continue to facilitate collaborative programming with active participation from my English language students, whose voices are invaluable to us as we navigate our changing community. My hope is that this is just the beginning. Thank you to everyone who made this event happen! I look forward to many more evenings like this in the future.”

Throughout the evening, I witnessed someone eat their first culinary caterpillar while someone else had their first raw oyster, taught a group of women how to make the perfect s’more, and watched kids make new friends (tag is a universal language).

The other universal language? Food. Here’s to sharing more meals with our new neighbors and community members!

Welcome Tess Davis, Bowdoin Summer Fellow

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BTLT is so excited to welcome our Bowdoin Summer Fellow, Tess Davis. 

Hello, BTLT community! My name is Tess, and I’m interning at Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust for the summer of 2021. I am thrilled to be working with such a vibrant, committed community.

To tell you a little bit about me, I’m a sophomore at Bowdoin College, and I intend to major in Environmental Studies and English. As a child, I spent the school year in Montana and the summers in Maine. Both states have awe-inspiring scenery, but it was in Maine where I truly fell in love with nature. Ocean swimming is probably my favorite outdoor activity, although kayaking, and hiking are a close second.

The environment has given us so much: nature renews our spirits, provides us with water and food, and reminds us of our humanity. We must protect the environment and make it accessible for all people.

This summer, I will strive to make BTLT more accessible and inclusive for underrepresented groups. To meet this goal, I want to highlight the fantastic conservation work that underrepresented people have done. I will write a series of blog posts about the impact of queer conservationists, BIPOC conservationists, and disabled conservationists, so look out for those! I’ll also being doing some research to help the BTLT leadership in planning for more diversity and inclusion work in the future, and I will be out on-the-ground working with young people who have limited access to environmental education.

I am delighted to be part of your community, and I hope to serve you all!