Hybrid 

This is a discussion group usually held on the first and third Fridays of each month, covering local, national, and world news. The discussion provides an opportunity to share your observations and opinions on the news and to learn from other participants.

Articles of interest are distributed among the group by email in the week before each meeting, and topics to discuss are selected by the group at the beginning of each meeting.

March 6, 20, 2026

April 3, 17, 2026

May 1, 15, 2026

June 5, 2026

10 am - 11:30 am

Paul Mullin is the facilitator for this discussion group.

In-person

Participants will meet once a month for lunch at various restaurants in the Farmington area. Reservations must be firm one week before the date. Participants will order from the standard menu and receive separate checks.

First Thursday of the month

February 5, 2026

March 5, 2026

April 2, 2026

May 7, 2026

June 4, 2026

11:30 am.

Location: TBD

Patricia Overall has been a long-time member of GLI.  She is a retired high school mathematics teacher who later worked in hotel management and other occupations, including NACA, now NASA, and as a bartender. She has lived in 18 states and obviously enjoys eating out.

In-Person

In this session, presenters John Rosenwald and Ann Arbor will show photos and discuss their experiences, observing changes since their first trip in 1987 and their many visits since.

John and Ann will comment on new developments nationally and locally, and describe some remarkable personal opportunities as they taught and learned during their two-month visit.

Date: February 26, 2026

10:30 am- 12 pm

Location: Ed Ctr, room 106

Ann and John have been fortunate to spend nearly four decades teaching and learning in the People's Republic of China. 

They have traveled widely, talked at nearly thirty universities, created a significant collection of Chinese peasant art, held major exhibitions of photographs of Chinese culture, and were among the first to translate contemporary Chinese poets. 

One reason for their return this year was to celebrate the opening of a five-thousand-volume literature library they had donated to Hangzhou Normal University.

In-Person

Shake off the winter blues! Each session, led by GLI members who are veterans of many outdoor adventures, will be a walk or snowshoe on trails, roads, or woodlands in the greater Farmington area. The travel time to the trailhead will generally be between 30 and 45 minutes.

Participants should plan to explore for 1 to 2 hours. Efforts will be made to avoid difficult terrain. Make-up dates are hopeful, but as Spring is such a tricky time for planning outdoor activities, some cancellations may occur.

February 27, 2026

March 25, 2026

April 21, 2026   

May 22, 2026

10 am

Location & Time: TBD

Barbara Toner, Sam Horine, Sarah Carlson, Billy Proctor, and Margaret Cox have been involved in Gold LEAF over the years. Each one respects nature and enjoys sharing what Maine has to offer with others.

In-Person

Dr. Barton will explore how wildfires work, the history of wildfires in Maine, and whether fire risk is likely to increase in the state as temperatures warm.

March 11, 2026 (Snow Date: March 27 at 10:30)

10:30 - 11:30 AM

Education Center, Room 107

Andrew (Drew) Barton is a forest and fire ecologist, science writer, and professor of biology at the University of Maine at Farmington.

His research focuses on how forests are responding to changing climate and wildfire in the Southwest USA, northern Mexico, and Maine. Drew is an author of The Changing Nature of the Maine Woods and co-editor of Ecology and Recovery of Old-growth Forests in Eastern North America.

He’s worked for many years with Maine science and environmental groups, including the Science Subcommittee and Emergency Management Working Group of the Maine Climate Council, the science advisory board for Maine’s Ecological Reserve System, the Mt. Blue-Tumbledown Conservation Alliance, and the UMF Sustainable Campus Coalition.

After nearly three decades at UMF, Drew continues to greatly enjoy teaching courses in ecology, conservation, and forests.

In-Person

County government in Maine is our oldest form of governance. Counties were created even before towns, intended to deliver essential services that individual communities could not provide on their own.

Today, that framework is both rooted in history and unexpectedly forward-looking, as smaller towns face new pressures in education, fire and police protection, and the demands of a changing economy.

Date: March 19, 2026

1 PM - 2:30 PM

Location:  Franklin County Emergency Management Agency, 140 Main Street, Suite 1, Farmington, ME

Amy Bernard, MPA, is Franklin County's Administrator, and Fenwick Fowler is a County Commissioner representing Farmington.

In-Person

This is a quest to understand a dynamic river and its impacts on communities along its 73.3-mile corridor. Come and hear what experts say and what concerns residents.

In February 2025, 50 local and regional partners met to address worsening floods in the Sandy River Watershed. Following major 2023 floods and over 100 events in 230 years—including three recent FEMA disasters—farmers reported erosion and land damage. Professionals cited outdated flood maps, past river modifications, and climate change.

The group called for updated mapping, a geomorphic assessment, and coordinated, large-scale solutions beyond piecemeal fixes. How would this impact citizens, and what are their ideas?

Four forums took place across the Sandy River Watershed. These forums were centered on the community—designed not only to help residents understand the characteristics of the Sandy River, but more importantly, to listen to their stories, concerns, local knowledge, and history.

March 26, 2026

1:00 P.M.

Location: Franklin County's Emergency Operations Center, 1 County Way in Farmington.

Amanda Simoneau, Franklin County Emergency Management Director, will be joined by Sara Bickford, Somerset Emergency Management Agency Director, to describe what impact the flooding has had and mitigation suggestions moving forward.

Hybrid

This presentation by licensed forester Ted Wright will provide information on an innovative new program to ensure annual revenue for forest landowners through the generation of carbon credits from their growing trees.   

In short, getting paid to let trees grow. Ted is a consultant for Renoster, a carbon removal supplier. The company is collaborating with owners of Maine working forests to encourage longer tree growth cycles for more market value while earning annual revenue through committed carbon credits. Ted will also discuss how carbon credits are generated, supplied, and traded, and cover integrity issues in the current carbon markets. 

See Renoster's announcement here:  

https://www.renoster.co/resources/blog/launching-apollo-a-new-era-for-nature  

Date: March 31, 2026.  Snow Date: April 1, 2026 

Time: 10:30 am - 12:00 pm 

Location: Education Center, room 107 

Ted Wright has dedicated over 25 years to advancing responsible forestry practices and sustainable management of forest resources in Maine. His deep commitment to working forests and rural economies allows him to connect Maine's woodland owners with carbon finance opportunities.

Ted is the owner of Ted Wright Forest Services https://tedwrightforestservices.com in Brunswick.