EMMA HOOPER

Emma is a Maine native who enjoys her time living on the mid-coast. She is a rising junior at Maine Maritime Academy studying marine biology and small vessel operations with the ultimate goal of working on a research vessel in the future.

Emma can always be found by the water, often spending her spare time adventuring along the coast, whether it be to a lighthouse or a beach. Her love for the ocean and passion for science sparked her interest in research and conservation. Hence why she chose QBC who puts forth strong efforts to conserve the bay.

Throughout this internship, Emma enjoyed the hands-on work within aquaculture, while also gaining new experiences with crabbing and boating. She hopes to only further her conservation abilities in greater areas in the future.

ALLIE MOULTON

Allie didn’t grow up in Maine, but she considers herself a Mainer at heart. A recent graduate of Colby College, Allie plans to use her environmental science degree to help keep coastal communities and the ecosystems they rely on happy and healthy. When she’s not busy trying to improve her oyster shucking skills or crushing mussels, Allie enjoys reading, going for runs, and swimming off the QBC dock. After her time at QBC ends, she hopes to continue working on the water, and is considering starting her own oyster farm one day!

EMILY ROTTINO

Emily has always been an avid lover of the outdoors, especially the ocean. When she saw this opportunity, she was apprehensive at first because she had no experience in aquaculture at all, just a passion for conservation. But that wasn’t a problem here at all because everything that was done was a new opportunity for learning. “I was learning new things all the way up through my last day.”

Emily had learned about the benefits of aquaculture through her studies at UNE but what isn’t always taught in the classroom is all of the hard work that goes into an oyster farm behind the scenes. “It’s something that I don’t think most people think about so knowing that now makes me more appreciative of where my seafood comes from,” says Emily after spending the summer on the oyster farm.

She enjoyed getting to share our oysters with the community; “it was so rewarding to see how much positive feedback we got on not only our efforts for the bay but the taste & quality of our oysters as well.” Whenever Emily would work on the lease at Snow Island lots of boaters would stop by to watch the process and ask questions. It showed her how truly interested so many people in the community were in what QBC is all about.

All of Emily’s prior boating experience was recreationally based through sailing or fishing or boating with friends, so being a part of the working waterfront was a new experience for her. So, what she appreciated most about this internship was just how hands on it was, “I can’t remember a day we weren’t out in the water even at least for a short while.”

“I am grateful to have had this opportunity and can’t wait to see where my new knowledge and passion takes me!”

DESTINY BELANGER

Destiny is a sophomore at Unity College studying Wildlife Biology. Most of her childhood was spent on a farm in the small town of Wales, Maine where she learned the value of hard work. Throughout high school this lesson paid off as she graduated in the top ten in her class as a high honor student and part of the National Honor Society. She grew up encompassed by avid outdoorsmen which has inevitably influenced her love and passion for the environment and the wildlife in it. Naturally, Destiny tends to spend her time outdoors doing what she loves. From fishing, hiking and four-wheeling, to hunting, kayaking and camping, you’ll find her in the woods or on the water making memories and spending time with friends and family doing what she loves most. With her intense appreciation for the outdoors, she hates to see the continuous decline within the environment and wants to work to protect and maintain it. She hopes to eventually get her Recreational Maine Guide License in hopes to share her passion with others in the beautiful woods of Maine.

With an ultimate goal of working as a biologist here in the state of Maine helping to maintain our wildlife populations and habitat through research, data collection, field work and so much more. Working towards this goal, as she does every goal, she takes advantage of every opportunity she can to help gain experience and knowledge in the field. She has volunteered to work with Maine Biologists at the moose check station where she collected data on the current moose population. This job has also been an opportunity for her to take advantage of new learning experiences and experiences in a different field where she has “learned so many valuable skills and lessons in the field” and has actually felt like she was “making a difference.”