BELFAST — The Penobscot Bay Stewards, a signature program of Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition, invites applications for the 2023 program. The program will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays between May 9 and June 15 and is free of charge.

“It only requires a good pair of shoes and an eagerness to learn about a range of topics including Penobscot Bay history, marine habitats, the culture of the Wabanaki, water quality, and current regional issues with environmental impact,” said the Stewards, in a news release.

Past year’s participants visited an oyster farm, seaweed business, fish hatcheries and other aquaculture sites, explored the research center at Hurricane Island, learned, first hand and on-site, about river herring ecology, visited Indian Island to experience Wabanaki culture, and visited a sustainable lumber operation.

Although not required, past Penobscot Bay stewards have used their knowledge to volunteer in different ecology-oriented organizations of their choice. Two major initiatives in the state and in Belfast, banning single-use plastic bags and getting discarded cigarette butts off the street, have been driven by Penobscot Bay Stewards. Water quality monitoring and local elementary school education programs are other ways in which Penobscot Bay Stewards have contributed.

For more information and to apply, please visit http://belfastbaywatershed.org/pen-bay-stewards.php 

The application deadline is March 31.