Moving to Maine???

[AustinB]

"My concentration is conservation/sustainability, but I have a background in community planning and development"

Check with The College of the Atlantic or maybe Unity Colledge. They may be able to steer you in some directions for job opportunities if you wish to pursue your education.
The state isn't hiring right now and most of the cities (planning and development) may not be hiring either. Maybe the Sewall Company in Old Town could use somebody with your skills.

[BozemanBound]

Bydand

Thanks for the picture! I have heard from some people that it is like driving in rain, but then others say it is completely different. I would imagine the visibily is the same as during a hard rain, but that driving would be much slicker then rain. Honestly, the driving is what makes me the most nervous. I will most definitely take it slow...hope I dont go so slow that I make the locals mad! Better to annoy them then hit them, right?

AustinB

Thanks for the advice on the schools. I went ahead and sent them some emails this morning!

[do-i-move?]

Just don't fall in to the trap of having 4-wheel drive or all wheel drive and thinking your invincible. It may help you plow thru the snow easier, but it doesn't help you stop any easier. Even some New Englanders don't get that point, sadly enough. Just take it easy and slow, watch the corners until you get a feel for it, and you'll be fine. It's really not like driving in the rain. At least IMO.

Good luck. I'm looking at moving from MA to ME. Maybe I'll see you up there!

[forest beekeeper]

Once you master driving safely while hydroplaning, that skill should serve you well.

I prefer when the roads have a good base of ice and snow on them. The potholes are filled, and the frost-heaves aren't bad; the road surface is smooth, so it gives a nice smooth ride. Just avoid townships that have too much budget, they dump salt on the roads, which removes some of that base and exposes the potholes.

We prefer the towns that don't have that much budget.

[puntin]

Originally Posted by Maineah

Bydand makes some good points about the envrionmentalist field in Maine. Envrionmentalists are going to be blamed for the current spike in energy costs by standing in the way of reasonable development for the last 20-30 years. They are becoming as popular as a porcupine in a balloon factory!! My stepson has a degree in envrionmental management with a concentration in conservation similar to you and he is working for a large food distributor buying produce.
He could not find anything in his field and has pretty much decided with that with the growing animosity against envrionmentalists by the general public he plans to steer clear of that field for the forseeable future.That degree was a good investment at $180,000
As far as winter goes if you have never been through one you will not like it. Snow is wonderful until Christmas and then the love affair quickly becomes just another problem to deal with. For a test lock yourself in the house for 7 months and read books, sew , knit, play with your cat, cook and if you're still sane after that time you just might make it through a Maine winter.

My sister has a degree in environmental studies, I'm not exactly sure what her concentration is though. She doesn't want to work for the state or a large corporation. So after years of college she's a waitress.

[forest beekeeper]

As some of us have become involved with Maine's LURC; it is very obvious that there are environmentalist groups who wield a great deal of power in the state. And they have been exerting their power in zoning and land use regs in Maine.

I am entirely in fair of sustainable lifestyles and I am striving to move in that direction. However I do not feel comfortable when environmentalists try to force me to leave my land, or when towns are forced to be abandoned.

I do not see it as appropriate to blame all of Maine's woe onto environmentalists, only those portions of woe which are the fault of environmentalists.

Bozemenbound - if you were to move to Maine, seeking to work with the local culture and folks who earn their living from the Maine environment; then I am certain that you would be welcomed here.

If you to move to Maine, seeking to work for out-of-state PACs, to develop further anti-human regulations, with the purpose of reverting Maine to non-human habitation; then you might find Mainers less welcoming.