SEARSPORT — Friends of Sears Island and Carver Memorial Library will be hosting a presentation given by Julia Hiltonsmith titled “Historical Memory of Land Use Proposals at Sears Island” at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 21.
University of Maine doctoral student Julia Hiltonsmith explored the history of how people have used Sears Island, from time before the arrival of European colonists through the many attempts to industrialize the land since the 1960s. Informed by local news archives and conversations with community members and state planners, this talk provides a brief history of Sears Island ranging from pre-settler contact to the most recent plan for a floating offshore wind port. With this historical context in mind, this presentation will explore how persistent tensions around land-use proposals are shaped by historical precedent, contested meanings of progress and differing visions for the future of the island.
Hiltonsmith is an energy anthropologist who holds a PhD in anthropology and environmental policy from the University of Maine. Her dissertation work explored how modernist logics shape ongoing environmental conflicts related to energy transitions at Sears Island. Currently, she helps to coordinate the Offshore Wind Research Consortium for the Maine Department of Energy Resources.
This program will be held at Carver Memorial Library at 12 Union St. in Searsport and is free and open to the public. Advance registration is not required.
