14 Princeton PICS Interns (past and present) gather via Zoom on 5/12/21

On May 12th, 2021, 14 Princeton Interns In Civic Service (PICS), gathered via Zoom with Beth Alling, Larry Morris, Clare McMorris, Kath Blanchard, and PICS Program Director, Caroline Savage.  The videoconference was a wonderful way to reminisce, connect and share current activities
QLF’s 2021 PICS Interns, Grace Tan and Taylor Bacon, pictured top and bottom corner on the right.

Living Rivers Newsletter, Volume 3, November 2020

QLF Partner, Intervale Associates, founded by QLF Senior Consultant Kathleen Blanchard, is a not-for-profit organization incorporated in Newfoundland and Labrador. Its mission is to conserve biodiversity, interpret heritage, and protect the integrity of rural livelihoods. Intervale conducts programs that focus on fish and wildlife conservation and the recovery of species at risk, working with regional networks of communities, industry, development associations, university, and citizens.

Intervale has recently published the third volume of their newsletter, Living Rivers. Living Rivers is a multi-year, collaborative project for the conservation of rivers and Atlantic salmon populations in Newfoundland and Labrador. The work engages volunteers and partnering organizations, including the Quebec Labrador Foundation. . Click the link below to read the third volume of the Living Rivers Newsletter.Living Rivers Newsletter Vol. 3-2 Nov 2020

QLF Alumna Kathryn Olmstead publishes, Stories of Aroostook

For nearly thirty years, Echoes magazine brought the culture, heritage, landscape, and people of Aroostook County to readers in Maine and across the United States. Publisher Kathryn Olmstead, who founded the magazine along with Gordon Hammond, once told a newspaper: “In our experience, a place like Aroostook County is the kind of place most people can only imagine.” Olmstead and Hammond, both “from away” set out to share the experience of living in an area where people not only leave vehicles unattended and unlocked, but running in the winter to keep the engines warm. But what started as a portrait of a place, quickly evolved into a magazine with a mission—affirming the value of living simply with respect for nature, not as an escape, but as a way of life. Stories of Aroostook is a curated collection of articles and essays from the pages of the beloved quarterly magazine, all capturing the spirit and sense of place that makes Aroostook County unforgettable. For additional information and purchasing

QLF Alumnus Greig Cranna exhibits portraits of President Obama taken by former White House photographer, Pete Souza in the window of his BRIDGE Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Photojournalist and longtime QLF friend Greig Cranna shares a new exhibit of President Barack Obama portraits at his BRIDGE Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The exhibit, “An Intimate Portrait of the Obama White House” showcases the works by the former White House photographer, Pete Sousa, who served the Obama administration for 8 years.

Greig Cranna, in front of his BRIDGE Gallery, Cambridge, MA

Greig is a longtime friend of QLF and has been documenting the impact of QLF’s Internships in Conservation across Eastern Canada for more than 40 decades. Greig has traveled extensively in the Canadian Maritimes, photographing seabird research, Atlantic salmon research, aquaculture, environmental issues, and ecotourism. Greig has participated in and photographed countless QLF programs, from Canada to Long Island Sound, Hungary to Argentina, and has played an invaluable role in promoting the QLF mission. Greig’s interests also include education, agriculture and architecture.

Recommended reading: Compass, the QLF Annual Newsletter, 2015 edition – an article written by Greig, with accompanying photographs, on his experience with QLF

Visit the exhibit, “An Intimate Portrait of the Obama White House” at the BRIDGE Gallery, #5 Pemberton Street in Cambridge, MA

For more information, visit the gallery’s website or Greig’s photography website.

 

Gallery founder Greig Cranna said about 50 people drop by each day. DAVID L. RYAN/GLOBE STAFF

Released Back into the Environment: On the Road to a Blue Future

Last year, QLF coordinated a research internship with Friends of Sebago Lake and Friends of Merrymeeting Bay focusing on researching information on the impacts of reservoir dams and flow regulation on lake, river, estuarine, and ocean systems.

The winter edition of Friends of Merrymeeting Bay’s newsletter, Merrymeeting News, features an article written by our former research intern, Kiran Yendamuri. Click on the image below to read the full newsletter.

Friends of Sebago Lake was founded in 1992 to promote an understanding of the interconnected harmful impacts of unnatural freshwater flows by dam regulation and to advocate for the restoration of natural freshwater seasonal water flows from inland waters to the seas.

Founded in 1975, Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) takes a holistic approach to protect Merrymeeting Bay, combining research, education, advocacy, and land conservation. With approximately 375 members, one staff person, and 125 volunteers contributing over 3,000 hours of service annually, FOMB is the only conservation organization in the area implementing these diverse tactics to achieve biological and cultural protection of the Bay as a whole.

 

QLF hosts first Conservation and Cultural Exchange Program with Mongolia

With support from the Trust for Mutual Understanding and in partnership with the Mongol Ecology Center (MEC), a QLF East Asia Conservation and Cultural Exchange Program was convened in March 2019. It was QLF’s first exchange with Mongolia, and first partnership with the MEC, a non-governmental organization. The Director of Public Administration & Management in the Ministry of the Environment and Tourism of Mongolia, the Director of the Ulaanbaatar Environmental Department, and a MEC board member represented the delegation of three.

The theme of the exchange was Sustainable Communities ~ Urban to Rural. Sustainable communities are defined here as economically viable, environmentally and socially responsible, and culturally respectful. Conservation challenges in Mongolia include habitat loss and fragmentation, loss of biodiversity and, climate change and its impacts. In addition, wildlife plays an important role in traditional Mongolian culture, with reverence for animals and nature remaining important today, especially among rural communities.

Appalachian Trail, Harpers Ferry, WV From right to left: G. McHugh, O. Batkhuu, T. Purev, L. Potteiger, B. Erkhembayar.
PHOTO BY C. WILBUR

Over the course of seven days, we had opportunities to see and hear how the protection of nature can be both an economic and community asset from federal, state, and local governments, the private, academic, and non-profit sectors and the public in New England and Washington, D.C.

Our meetings and site visits were with individuals encompassing a broad cross-section of professional, community, and cultural backgrounds. We learned about US organizations and their programs, and about their collaborations with other institutions and the public.

U.S. Department of Interior, Washington D.C. B. Erkhembayer (left) and T. Purev
PHOTO BY O. BAKTHUU

In 2019, QLF managed the first Conservation Exchange Program with conservation leaders from the public and private sectors in Mongolia.  The program was held in partnership with the Mongol Ecology Center.

Download the full report on the Exchange here.

Announcing The Robert A. Bryan Legacy Fund

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY of QLF Archives
Bob Bryan with some of the first QLF Volunteers, Harrington Harbour, Québec, Canada, 1963

We can all share in a Tribute to The Ven. Robert A. Bryan in celebration of a life well-lived to causes well-served; to people and community; to friends and family; to land stewardship, fisheries, and wildlife conservation; to the rivers of eastern Canada; to the schools where he taught and coached; to Mike Dodge and Bert and I; and finally to the organization he founded nearly 60 years ago – the Quebec-Labrador Foundation.

Only once in a very great while do organizations benefit from a singularly important leader who boldly steps forward, offering a unique brand of inspiration and impact that is both transformative and enduring.  QLF’s Founder, Robert A. Bryan, is quintessentially that remarkable individual.

Since the organization’s founding in 1961, Bob Bryan has held his conviction that QLF has a higher purpose in today’s world through service to community and conservation.  Thus, in acknowledgment of Bob Bryan’s extraordinary accomplishments; in recognition of his unwavering support for QLF’s mission and purpose; in honour of his dedication and lifelong commitment to people, community, and conservation; QLF is pleased to announce The Robert A. Bryan Legacy Fund established In Memory of Bob Bryan, Founder, Quebec-Labrador Foundation – U.S. and Canada.

Inspired by the enthusiastic encouragement of the Bryan family, The Robert A. Bryan Legacy Fund carries the endorsement of QLF’s Governing Boards and Management, and serves as a Tribute to Bob Bryan’s lasting vision and his positive influence in all of our lives.

The Robert A. Bryan Legacy Fund provides ongoing support for QLF’s operations with emphasis on established, flagship conservation programs for which our Founder was a true champion.  Bob Bryan knew that philanthropic investment in QLF’s programs stretches far beyond the program duration, and represents a proven, high-impact investment in the next generation of conservation leaders.

Join us with a gift to The Robert A. Bryan Legacy Fund; and click here for a PDF brochure.

Lawrence B. Morris III Named 2019 Horace Dutton Taft Alumni Medal Honoree

QLF’s President Emeritus Lawrence B. Morris is the recipient of this year’s esteemed Horace Dutton Taft Alumni Medal.

The Horace Dutton Taft Alumni Medal is the school’s highest Alumni honor and is given each year to a person whose life work best typifies the school motto: Not to be ministered unto but to minister. Read the full article on The Taft School’s website.

Here is an excerpt:

“Larry Morris is an outstanding choice for the 2019 Alumni Medal. His life has been dedicated to the protection of critical and irreplaceable natural resources and the education of people, young and old, about the importance of that mission. His leadership has also transformed the QLF into an organization of international prominence, with influence far beyond its home communities. It is an honor to bestow the award upon Larry this year.”

— Holcombe Green ’87, Outgoing Chair of the Horace Dutton Taft Alumni Medal Committee

The Garden of Wisdom: Earth Tales from the Middle East recognized for several prestigious awards

The collection of entertaining and humorous children’s stories that grew out of a decade-long collaborative effort between partners in QLF’s Middle East Program—The Garden of Wisdom: Earth Tales from the Middle East—has recently been recognized for a number prestigious awards.

  • The Garden of Wisdom has received the Storytelling World Honor Award (Storytelling Collections) from the National Storytelling Network
  • After being considered along with hundreds of new releases, The Garden of Wisdom has also been nominated for the prestigious Green Earth Book Award
  • The book is also a finalist for the Foreword Indie Award, which is one of the most notable indie publishing awards that a book can receive

The traditional folklore in The Garden of Wisdom conveys life lessons that have been handed down through the generations: protection of endangered species, habitats, and water quality, knowledge of healing plants, and the virtues of truth, justice, and generosity. Time-honored wisdom shows children how to live in kinship with Earth and humankind while celebrating the wonder and beauty of nature. Stories are arranged by theme: Animals, Plants, Friendship, Stewardship, and Wisdom. A special section for parents and teachers reveals the sources of the stories, suggests lessons to teach, shares the journey behind this unique book, and includes a firsthand account of nature and environmental issues in the Middle East.

The book, which was edited by QLF alumnus Michael J. Caduto, is available online worldwide in paperback, hardcover and eBook formats. Signed, personalized copies can be purchased directly from Michael at: www.p-e-a-c-e.net

Little Egret (©2018 Dr. Anton Khalilieh)

Hoopoe (©2018 Dr. Anton Khalilieh)

QLF Alumnus Greig Cranna opens photograph gallery and first exhibit of 40 years of photographs

Photojournalist and longtime QLF friend Greig Cranna unveiled a new exhibit, Forty Years, Forty Moments, and his new BRIDGE Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The exhibit showcases one photograph from each year that best represents the evolution of Greig’s distinguished 40-year career. A number of these photographs were taken while on assignment with QLF.

Greig Cranna, in front of new BRIDGE Gallery, Cambridge, MA

In 1978, a QLF assignment sent Greig to the Quebec North Shore along the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Lured by the rugged coastline and the people in remote rural communities, Greig was inspired to document the impact of QLF’s Internships in Conservation across Eastern Canada. Thus began his long association with QLF. Greig has traveled extensively in the Canadian Maritimes, photographing seabird research, Atlantic salmon research, aquaculture, environmental issues, and ecotourism. In 1982 when he moved to Boston, Greig’s interests expanded to include education, agriculture and architecture.

Recommended reading: Compass, the QLF Annual Newsletter, 2015 edition – an article written by Greig, with accompanying photographs, on his experience with QLF

QLF President Beth Alling and President Emeritus Larry Morris had the opportunity to stop by BRIDGE Gallery to see Greig’s exhibit, including a number of photographs which were taken during his QLF assignments. 1995’s moment beautifully captured a Northern Gannet on Bonaventure Island in Québec while on QLF assignment. In 2003, Greig photographed Helen Hays on Great Gull Island, the largest nesting colony of Common and Roseate Terns in the Western Hemisphere. Helen is the Director of the Great Gull Island Project of the American Museum of Natural History. Later in 2007, Greig traveled to Punta Rasa, Argentina to follow Great Gull Island’s terns and researchers, and captured a photograph of the mist netting in early evening.

See Greig’s new exhibit, Forty Years, Forty Moments, in person at BRIDGE Gallery

Greig has participated in and photographed countless QLF programs, from Canada to Long Island Sound, Hungary to Argentina, and he has played an invaluable role in promoting the QLF mission for more four decades. To see the exhibit up close, you can visit BRIDGE Gallery at #5 Pemberton Street in Cambridge until December 15, or purchase the collection Forty Years, Forty Moments.

For more information, visit the gallery’s website or Greig’s photography website.