Susan Hand Shetterly is a writer and the co-chair of the Alewife Committee in the town of Surry. She has worked with a group of townspeople over the years to reestablish the alewife run on Patten Stream. As they did this work, they learned more about the fish and also the history of dams and culverts on rivers and streams in Maine that destroyed the runs of a number of species of fish. Many of these these streams and rivers are once again running free, and the fish return, and when the fish come back so do the wild animals that depend on them for food.
Susan has lived on the downeast coast of Maine for most of her life. She writes about wildlife and wild lands, and spends time working with others to protect and restore valuable habitat. Her latest book, Seaweed Chronicles: A World at the Water’s Edge, was longlisted for the 2019 PEN/E.O.Wilson Literary Science Writing Award and shortlisted for the 2019 New England Society Book Awards in the Specialty Title Category. Susan has written for Down East Magazine’s Room With A View column,taught witing workshops, and gives readings.
Her talk at the library will be about the work involved in restoring a fish run, the value of townspeople getting together to save places of environmental richness in their neighborhood, and how to take one’s experience and turn it into a book.
Vassalboro Community Read 