Skidompha Library welcomes Carla Skinder, chair of the board of Friends of Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, to speak at Skidompha Library on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 10 a.m. Carla’s talk will take place in Porter Hall; please allow time for parking.
 
Carla has a long history of working on behalf of wildlife preservation. Her organization, Friends of Maine’s Seabird Islands, ensures the future of healthy seabird populations on the coast of Maine. Of the 4,600 coastal islands in Maine, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have designated 294 as nationally significant seabird nesting islands. There is some form of federal, state, or private protection for 169 of these nesting islands thanks to the hard work of private groups such as the Nature Conservancy and the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, conservation-minded individuals, and federal and state agencies. The remaining 125, however, are under increasing pressure from coastal development and recreational uses. Seabird survival depends on suitable nesting habitat.
 
From 1971 to 1981, Carla worked at the New England Aquarium where she ran the Marine Mammal Stranding program rescuing and recovering seals, dolphins and whales from Maine to Florida. She also had the pleasure of taking care of Andre the seal. After leaving the Aquarium she went on to get her degree at Simmons College in nursing and then attended Boston University for her master of public health. While residing in New Hampshire, she was a state representative from 2006 to 2010 serving two years on Fish and Game. She has traveled extensively around the world doing both volunteer work and photographing the magic of the natural world; she enjoys the opportunity to share her photos with others. Carla resides in St. George with her dog, Hannah.
 
Chats with Champions, which is held in the Porter Meeting Hall, is presented by Skidompha Library and is sponsored by Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop.