Matt Bibeau '03

Environmental Science Major

matt2Hi! My name is Matt, and I graduated from the University of New England with a bachelor of science in environmental science in May 2003. As an environmental science major, I was required to partake in an internship, and during the summer of 2001, I drove cross-country to work at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. My work included tree ring sampling and dating for fire history reconstruction, tree mortality surveying, vegetation mapping, and bear management (visitor education and bear chasing!)

I also went to fire school and became a forest firefighter, enabling me to work with a hand crew for the parks first prescribed burn since 1999. For this job, I helped the crew cut firebreaks, monitor burn flanks, and ignite sections of the 166-acre burn area located in a giant sequoia grove. Our goals of this project were to reduce the amount of accumulated ground fuels to levels of a natural fire cycle and to aid the fire-dependent sequoias in regeneration. Yes, they love fire, and understory burns release nutrients to the soil and reduce competition for sunlight required for the sequoia seedlings to grow.

Freshmen year, my English professor and I created an annual literary magazine named Zephyr, which is currently in its fifth year of production, including a wide body of poetry, prose, artwork, and photography. Every year the club enrollment for it has increased, and it has been exciting to see new faces join the editorial staff. And likewise, its a lot of fun to experience the diverse artistic talents of the UNE community.

I was also the president of the Scuba Club, and the group recently joined forces with a professional dive instructor, bringing expertise, opportunity, and affordable gear and lessons to the school. Twice a year the club holds dive certification lessons from Universitys classrooms, indoor pool, and ocean nearby. Biddeford and Kennebunk offer miles upon miles of shoreline to explore, and the club also has the capability to do island dives using the schools boats to get there.

matt3My hobbies include painting, hiking, and photography, and with so many sanctuaries, reserves, and forests nearby, there is an inexhaustible source of places to explore for inspiration and enjoyment. Even the main campus has such places, being located a few hundred feet from the coastal woods, cliff-side waters of the Saco River, and sandy beaches looking out to the vast Atlantic Ocean. As if that werent enough, the University owns a 400-acre parcel of forest across the street, loaded with long trails and various habitats of Maine wildlife. Amongst the mosaic of oaks, maples, aspens, birches, pines, firs, and hemlocks live the amphibians of vernal pools, moose, deer, coyotes, songbirds, and many other animals and plants that have a place and a function in this wondrous ecosystem.

I encourage anyone considering the Environmental Science Program at UNE to come and take a look, not only at our campus, but also the campus surroundings. Dont forget to bring your camera!
   
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