Where can residents of small coastal and island communities in Maine turn for help with critical, labor-intensive projects? Residents of the Mount Desert Island town of Tremont recently turned to Island Institute Fellow Brianna Cunliffe. She spent two years helping them create a Community Resilience Plan to prepare the town for challenges related to climate change. Bringing her technical and communications skills to the project, Brie coordinated local efforts to draft the plan and begin its implementation.

Brie conducted her work supporting community-driven climate solutions with A Climate to Thrive (ACTT), a nonprofit based on Mount Desert Island. In partnership with ACTT, she spent much of her fellowship time supporting Tremont residents as they grappled with issues such as rising sea levels and energy insecurity. Her work included direct communication with community members—hosting listening sessions, gathering input from her neighbors, and elevating their voices.

Sarah White, Chair of the Tremont Sustainability Committee, worked closely with Brie during her time on the island. "Brie’s impact on me and the town of Tremont is beyond measure!” says Sarah. “She collaborated with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, A Climate to Thrive, and most importantly with the people of Tremont, to write our town’s COMMUNITY resilience plan.” The plan has been accepted by a town vote and now is in effect.  

Island Institute Fellows also impact the organizations they support. Johanna Blackman (ACTT’s Fellowship Advisor and Executive Director) described Brie’s work in Tremont. “She wove together the discoveries, the people, the place, the relationships, the hopes, the possibilities - into a cohesive story in which we are all somehow better able to see ourselves and each other,” said Johanna. “Brie has changed the way we approach and understand community engagement by living engagement during her time with us.”

Island Institute Fellows provide critical capacity for community-based projects. Over the past 25 years, the Institute has placed 148 fellows in 29 coastal and island communities. Island Institute Fellows have provided over 492,500 hours of capacity to municipalities, school systems, and community organizations through the flagship program. The Island Institute Fellows program isn’t just important for the communities served. It is also a special experience for the Fellows. They receive the full benefits of Island Institute employees and housing within the communities they serve. The Institute and the sponsoring organizations provide mentorship and training, helping each Fellow succeed at creative and complex work while developing a professional network.

Providing this robust programming in rural and often remote coastal communities comes at a cost. Helping to fund the work is where USDA Rural Development comes in. The program is currently funded in part by a $201K  USDA Rural Community Development Initiative Grant awarded to Island Institute in November, 2023 (one of just two RCDI grants in Maine at the time).

When announcing that award, USDA Rural Development State Director Rhiannon Hampson remarked on the impressive resiliency planning several Island Institute Fellows were already coordinating. “This work shows how powerful the combination of diverse local volunteers, town leaders, nonprofits, businesses, and students can be with the added capacity of a Fellow,” she said. “Small towns are just as committed to climate response and community resiliency as more urban areas, but often don’t have the staff necessary to realize their goals. USDA Rural Development is here to recognize and meet that need.”