Program Recording Available!

Do you love the Maine coast? Ever notice mounds of white shells in your travels? These shell heaps (aka shell middens) are archives of Indigenous lifeways and are an important part of Maine and Indigenous history. Unfortunately, this irreplaceable record is threatened by climate change impacts. Learn more about Native American shell middens on the Maine coast and the efforts underway to preserve the important information they contain.

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Alice Kelley

Geoarchaeological Researcher

Photo: An eroding shell midden in Mid-Coast Maine.

If you enjoy spending time along the coast of Maine, you have probably come across Indigenous cultural spaces including shell heaps (also referred to as middens), made of layers of shells and soil. Once thought of as simply "Indian trash heaps," these features are archives of Indigenous lifeways and paleoenvironmental information and are an important part of Maine and Indigenous history. Unfortunately, this irreplaceable record is threatened by climate change impacts acting on the Maine coast. On Tuesday, November 14, join geoarchaeological researcher Dr. Alice R. Kelley in person or virtually to learn more about Native American shell middens on the Maine coast and the efforts underway to preserve the important information they contain.

Dr. Alice R. Kelley is an Emerita faculty member of the University of Maine School of Earth and Climate Sciences and the Climate Change Institute and is still active in geoarchaeological research.

This presentation is free of charge and can be attended in-person or virtually. To attend virtually, register using the button below.

This program is part of the Wilson Museum’s program series Connecting to Collections: Curiosity, Culture, Climate made possible through the generous support of Bangor Savings Bank.