Julie-Ann Baumer
P.O. Box 82
Lisbon Falls, ME 04252
jabaumer@gmail.com
facebook.com/groups/UMaineClass1986/
Greetings, Class of 1986! It was an easy winter here in my corner of Maine. The plow guy only visited once, signifying just one unmanageable snow storm. It was a great winter to get outside every day and I did a lot of that. Ice fishing is really about walking across beautiful frozen bodies of water and I highly recommend it as you make plans for the winter of 2021-2022.
It was slim pickings in the alumni news envelope, and apparently, our classmates sometimes write the news instead of make it! I’m happy to see that Jessica Lowell is now covering business and economic development for the Kennebec Journal. In addition to this and general news, she frequently moderates the Morning Sentinel/Kennebec Journal Business Breakfast Forums. Jessica has worked for newspapers in New Hampshire, upstate New York, and Wyoming, and won awards for investigative and explanatory journalism. She is a Fellow of the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism and the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources.
Alexander Diotte was promoted to deputy director of land surveying at Nitsch Engineering. He will continue to serve as senior project manager on projects while taking on additional responsibilities. Alex has more than 36 years of experience in land surveying, including fieldwork, research, calculations, drafting, and project management for surveys ranging from Boston-based projects, to airports, college campuses, and bicycle trails.
After 29 years of dedication to wildlife science, education, and research, Jonathan Jenks G retired from South Dakota State University in January, 2021. Jonathan earned his master’s degree in wildlife management from the college of our hearts always in 1986, and then went on complete his Ph.D. in wildlife and fisheries ecology from Oklahoma State University. His esteemed career of educating, writing, and mentoring has spanned many subjects and species of wildlife, but he’s most enjoyed bighorn sheep, whitetail deer, and the mountain lions that have recolonized the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Badlands of North Dakota. Much of his work has influenced South Dakota’s Game, Fish, and Parks’ management strategies and will be carried into the future through the many students he’s taught and mentored. He says he will miss teaching, but plans to spend more time with his hobbies of hunting, fishing, and traveling the country with his wife, Gail.
Retirement! It’s hard to believe it’s happening to us — I would love hearing about your plans for it. Take care and don’t forget to raise the steins a few times this summer!