History & Mission

The Gulf of Maine is one of Earth’s treasures.  Extending from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Nova Scotia, Canada, from the coast of Maine eastward into the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Maine includes 36,000 square miles of one of the last remaining relatively unpolluted, unspoiled bodies of water on the planet.  It is home to myriad species of marine life of both intrinsic and economic value.  However, the encroachment of mankind is hastening the demise of the Gulf of Maine.  Pollution of rivers and ocean waters, destruction of seashores through extensive coastal development, and over-fishing, along with nature’s own variability, are threatening the Gulf of Maine.  A clearer understanding of the Gulf of Maine itself is crucial in order to preserve this precious natural resource. 

A partner of the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center,
the Gulf of Maine Foundation is a privately funded charitable organization
dedicated to preserving, studying, and learning about the Gulf of Maine ecosystem.

Formed in 1986, the Gulf of Maine Foundation (GMF) works in partnership with the Darling Marine Center (DMC), the marine research facility of the University of Maine.  Researchers at the DMC study many different facets of the Gulf of Maine, including coastal ecology, gulf geology, effects of global temperature change, fisheries management, marine archeology, aquaculture, the effects of pollution, as well as variety of specific marine organisms that live in and around the Gulf of Maine.  As a teaching facility, the DMC reaches graduates and undergraduates from the University of Maine, post-secondary students from other colleges and universities, as well as students in elementary and secondary schools in the state of Maine.   It is a growing repository for information on the Gulf of Maine and is recognized by scientists worldwide.

The Gulf of Maine Foundation’s first major undertaking was to facilitate the financing and construction of a state-of-the-art Flowing Seawater Laboratory at the DMC.  Dedicated in August 1991, the laboratory provides expanded laboratory, teaching, and office facilities for University research personnel as well as for visiting investigators.  The GMF has also funded the purchase of an electron microscope, microscopes for the teaching spaces, vessels for the research fleet, and scholarship programs for students at the DMC. As scientific funding has improved in recent years, the Gulf of Maine Foundation has been able to focus more attention to supporting a K-12 educational outreach program, which has brought in thousands of Maine students, allowing them to study the marine environment, as they never could in their local schools and communities.

Additionally, the Gulf of Maine Foundation provides opportunities for the general public to experience and learn more about the vitality, history, and value of the Gulf of Maine. The summer lecture series features local and national experts while the weekly tours of the Darling Marine Center offer a chance for a closer peek at cutting edge research. For folks who would rather experience the gulf coastal habitats firsthand, the GMF maintains a 4-mile network of trails through the woods at the Darling Marine Center along the shores of both Lowe’s Cove and the Damariscotta River, all of which are open to the DMC's visitors and the larger community. GMF educational coordinators also provide touch tanks filled with intriguing organisms from the Gulf of Maine in support of the activities of a number of local organizations.  Please see the Community section of the web site for more information about these programs.

Current board members:
Kenneth Maguire
David Kolodin
Suzanne Fossett
Elizabeth Morse
Herb T. Sears