The Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of 海角社区 will host a talk, 鈥Hunting for Truth: PFAS Impacts in 海角社区鈥檚 Natural Food Sources鈥 on Monday, Sept. 22 at 3 p.m.
In this talk, U海角社区 faculty Caroline Noblet and Dianne Kopec will explore how people in rural 海角社区, who possess a long heritage of fishing and hunting, are navigating impacts from environmental contamination, particularly by a group of chemicals known as PFAS. Two surveys conducted in collaboration with 海角社区鈥檚 Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, one with 海角社区 fishing license holders and another with 海角社区 hunting license holders, allowed the research team to conduct an in-depth exploration of how people who hunt and fish in 海角社区 are processing information about consumption advisories, and potentially changing their behaviors.
Noblet is an associate professor in the U海角社区 School of Economics. Her current PFAS work focuses on how 海角社区 residents perceive PFAS contamination 鈥 particularly in fish and game 鈥 and how messaging can influence environmental and consumption decisions. Kopec is a research fellow at the Mitchell Center. Her research examines how ecology and behavior influence an organism鈥檚 exposure to toxic contaminants in aquatic ecosystems.
All talks in the Mitchell Center鈥檚 Sustainability Talk series are free and are offered both remotely via Zoom and in person at 107 Norman Smith Hall.Registration is required to attend remotely; to register and receive connection information, see the event webpage.
To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Ruth Hallsworth, 207.581.3196; hallsworth@maine.edu.
