Natural History Week will focus on the waterways in the Gulf of Maine, yet the issues and advocacy needed can be transferable to environmentally sensitive waterways elsewhere.

Natural History Week will focus on the waterways in the Gulf of Maine, yet the issues and advocacy needed can be transferable to environmentally sensitive waterways elsewhere. This year, the Morning Lectures series will include:

💦 Where Rivers Meet the Sea – An overview of estuaries and introduction to Great Bay, primary concerns and solutions, role of advocates in driving change. Speaker: Melissa Paly, Waterkeeper, CLF

Keynote Speaker: Melissa Paly, Conservation Law Foundation (CLF)

Melissa Paly is Conservation Law Foundation’s Great Bay – Piscataqua Waterkeeper, advocating daily for the health of the waterways that make the Seacoast region of New Hampshire and southern Maine such a spectacular place to live, work and play. Melissa works closely with a wide range of stakeholders from state and federal environmental officials to scientists, consultants, local decisionmakers and grassroots activists to reduce pollution and restore the health of the Great Bay ecosystem.

Before joining CLF in 2017, Melissa was a principal of CrossCurrent Communications where she provided communications strategy, PR and media production services to state agencies, businesses and nonprofits focused on environmental and social issues. She previously worked for USEPA Region 1, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and World Resources Institute. Melissa holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from Yale College and the Yale School of the Environment, respectively. She serves on the boards of Kittery Land Trust, Coastal Conservation Association-NH, and Maine Conservation Voters, and is a former trustee of Maine Island Trail Association and Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

For more information visit: https://www.clf.org/serving-new-england/new-hampshire/

Melissa Paly invited and organized the following panels of guest speakers and topics for NHW’s morning lecture series:

💦 Becoming a Changemaker – Learn to harness the power of your personal stories to impact policy at local, state and federal levels.

Guest speaker: Lynn Vaccaro, Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Lynn is the Coastal Training Program Coordinator at the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. She returned to New Hampshire in 2021 after working for 12 years at Michigan Sea Grant and the University of Michigan Water Center facilitating and supporting stakeholder driven research and restoration.  She has extensive training as an educator and a scientist and experience working with researchers, decision makers and local communities in the Great Lakes region. Just before coming to GBNERR, Lynn was the collaborative research manager for the NERRS Science Collaborative where she ran research competitions, facilitated sharing between projects, organized workshops and learning opportunities, and lead communication efforts about the NERRS Science Collaborative. 

For more information visit: https://greatbay.org

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💦 Advocating for the Ocean – Advocating for the Ocean – Explore key issues in the Gulf of Maine including national marine sanctuaries and efforts to protect critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales.

Guest speakers: Jennifer Felt, Ocean Campaign, CLF and Chloe Fross, Attorney, CLF

Jennifer Felt is CLF’s Ocean Campaign Director and works to advance ocean habitat protection in New England. Prior to CLF, Jennifer was at the Marine Conservation Institute, where she worked for five years in Washington, DC, and New Hampshire. Previously, she worked for Humane Society International in Latin America and the Caribbean and served in the Peace Corps in Honduras. Jennifer holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Vermont and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of New Hampshire.

Learn more at: https://www.clf.org/making-an-impact/permanently-protect-cashes-ledge/

Chloe Fross, Conservation Law Foundation,

Chloe is a staff attorney on the Ocean Conservation team. Chloe received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law, during which time she supported the enforcement program of the California Coastkeeper Alliance, as well as served in her law school’s Environmental Law Practicum and Environmental & Energy Law Society. Prior to law school, Chloe served as a Research Associate for CLF’s Strategic Litigation program. Chloe also holds a B.S.F.S. from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service in Science, Technology and International Affairs.

Learn more at: https://www.clf.org/strategies/protecting-special-places/

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💦 Pushing Back on Plastics – How can you reduce plastic use in your life and your community? Guest speakers: Christina Dubin, Beyond Plastics and Jen Kennedy, Executive Director and Founder of Blue Ocean Society. Jen Kennedy will also lead NHW in a coastal clean up on Star Island.

Christina Dubin, Beyond Plastics.

Christina Dubin began her career as an educator and artist. After cutting her teeth on local fossil fuel related campaigns, she served multiple terms as Campaigns Coordinator for Surfrider Foundation’s New Hampshire Chapter. In 2022 she joined the Beyond Plastics team first as a national community organizer and later transitioned to support fundraising efforts. 

In 2024, Christina co-led NH’s first reusable takeout container pilot in four Seacoast restaurants, publishing a case study to help others initiate reuse pilots in restaurants. She holds an MS in Education from Simmons University and a Master in Public Policy from UNH. 

For more information visit: https://www.beyondplastics.org/

Jen is Executive Director and co-founder of Blue Ocean Society. She has a Master of Science degree in Resource Administration and Management from the University of New Hampshire and a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources from Cornell University.

Although Jen grew up far from the ocean, she has always loved the water and being outside, and has had an interest in whales from an early age. Jen has worked in an educational capacity over the last 26 years through her work with Blue Ocean Society and aboard local whale watch and tour boats. She became involved in marine debris issues when Blue Ocean Society adopted Jenness Beach in Rye for monthly cleanups through what was then the National Marine Debris Monitoring Program. Cleanups at this one beach evolved into our Adopt-a-Beach Program, group cleanups, and partnerships with NH Sea Grant and other organizations to study and mitigate marine pollution in the region. Jen enjoys managing the day-to-day operations and teaching people about the ocean while getting out to the beach or on the water as much as possible. 

For more information visit: https://www.blueoceansociety.org/

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💦 Advancing Climate Action in Troubling Times. Speaker: TBD

For more information visit: https://www.clf.org/serving-new-england/new-hampshire/

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💦 Ocean Solutions to Climate Change

Coastal communities are on the front lines of climate change, and they are also at the forefront of innovation and action. This session highlights how communities are using science, planning, and collaboration to respond proactively to rising seas, stronger storms, changing coastlines as well as emerging and invasive species. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of how community driven, site specific adaptation planning, as well as innovative research and marketing, can build resilience, strengthen coastal ecosystems, and create hopeful pathways forward in a changing climate. Speakers: Dr. Jenn Seavey, Director, Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Jennifer Seavey, Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. Dr. Jennifer Seavey is the Executive Director of the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. Prior to joining the Wells Reserve she served as Chief Programs Officer at the Island Institute, and for nearly a decade was the Executive Director of the Shoals Marine Laboratory, the country’s largest undergraduate marine lab operated by Cornell University and University of New Hampshire on Appledore Island, Maine. She co-founded regional initiatives such as the Northeast Coastal Stations Alliance and has held board and leadership roles with the Regional Association for Research in the Gulf of Maine, the New Hampshire Nature Conservancy, and the Working Waterfront Coalition in Maine.

Jennifer holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Conservation from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, an M.S. in Wildlife Science from the University of Washington, and a B.S. in Biology from Lewis & Clark College. Her work has been featured in national outlets including PBS NewsHour, CBS Sunday Morning, Science Magazine, Maine Public Radio, and National Audubon Magazine. For more information, visit: https://wellsreserve.org

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💦 Star Island Ecosystem Restoration Project Sean Mahoney, Naturalist and Author of Star Island Sacred Landscape Design

Sean is a lifelong Shoaler and former pelican. He has a deep connection to the Rutledge Marine Lab. The place is named after his great, great grandfather, where his parents met, and where he worked as the Island Naturalist. During his time as the Island Naturalist, as he observed the island as a holistic system, he began to see how integral human beings are to the natural history of this place. He realized that we humans are a part of the ecosystem of star island, but largely believe ourselves to be separate from it, and that this has led to a situation where we are unconscious of our role as members of the ecosystem, who can choose to play a positive role in the environment. This realization led Sean to a globetrotting adventure to learn about permaculture and indigenous land relationship practices—all with the goal of helping the holistic environmental health of Star Island. This culminated in writing a piece directed at sparking continued conversation among Shoalers about how we as humans can be the most beneficial members of our beloved environmental community that we can be.

You can read an introduction to Sean’s Sacred Landscape Proposal here: https://nhwstar.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Star-Island-Sacred-Landscape-Design.pdf

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💦 Exploring Star Island’s Wildlife Through the Writings of Celia Thaxter. Presented by TJ Cullinane, Educator, Historian and Naturalist

T.J. Cullinane makes his home in Derry, New Hampshire where he serves as a Heritage Commissioner and the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Robert Frost Farm. A native of Massachusetts, he retains his connection to his home state by serving as a Board Member at Large for the Friends of Lynn and Nahant Beach and as an active member of the Massachusetts Marine Educators. He has authored, Forward, Steady, Stay Cool, a book on Derry’s Civil War Veterans and is hard at work on another project titled Small Town, Great War on the town’s World War One veterans. During Natural History Week, TJ will reacquaint us with the unique natural history of Star Island by looking at it through the eyes of Celia Thaxter. Poetry and Nature lovers, this one is for you!

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💦 Turning Knowledge and Passion into Action – How will you harness the week’s learning to becoming a more effective champion for clean water and healthy oceans? Speaker: Melissa Paly, Waterkeeper, CLF, Melissa will facilitate a wrap-up on Saturday morning.

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The goal of this conference is to encourage Active Hope to engage people of all ages in recognizing the critical needs of the water around us and, more importantly, to find the inspiration and energy to be part of healing our water, our planet, and ourselves.

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