Ditty Bag
Guardians of the Planet
Staff Facts
What's in a name?
100
You have held alligators, sea stars and lobsters, shucked and eaten oysters, collected periwinkles, spotted a porcupine, spotted a baby seal on the Damariscotta River, plucked alewives from a moving stream, saw three guys floating down the river in an inflatable boat at Popham beach and seen deer outside Carlton. However, this animal gallops away with the title of “most unexpected animal interaction for S26!”
What is the runaway horse in Lubec!
100
This young Indigenous leader, also a WM and Williams alum who got his start at a Louisiana community college, focuses on community resilience in the fight against storm damage and sea-level rise in southern Louisiana. He works as a coastal resilience analyst for the Environmental Defense Fund.
Who is Devon Parfait F18, Chief of the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw?
100
This cheery staffer has a dark side--they once held Grover hostage for a whole month.
Who is Jenna?
100
This 85-mile stretch of land contains more than 200 petrochemical plants and refineries, many in majority-Black districts.
What is Cancer Alley?
200
1974 is the current number of individuals in this dynamic community.
What is the WM alumni body (now including you)?
200
This pragmatic leader is the granddaughter of Aroostook County potato farmers and was the first woman in her state to serve as Attorney General and as her home state's chief executive.
Who is Governor Janet Mills?
200
This staff member has a colorful past: they were cast as a "New England prostitute" in the Steven Spielberg film, Amistad, filmed at Mystic Seaport.
Who is Anna?
200
This beloved Williams-Mystic mascot, the first of any "official" house mascots, arrived in the fall of 1992.
Who is Grover?
400
These two snack items resemble each other, but are distinctly different species.
What are dried mangos and sweet potato chips!
400
This U.S. agency tracks hurricanes, maps the world's oceans, manages the nation’s fisheries and has employed dozens of WM alums, including one that spoke in your Marine Policy class.
What is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)?
400
This wild and crazy staffer has climbed to the top of the Morgan (110 feet!) without a harness and took the fast route down by burning the backstay.
Who is Laurie?
400
This candy-striped beacon in Lubec, Maine stands on traditional Passamaquoddy land and marks the easternmost point in the continental United States, where dawn first reaches the U.S. each morning on Passamaquoddy Bay.
What is West Quoddy Head Light?
800
The marine dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans is one of many marine organisms that cause this well-known and beautiful phenomenon.
What is bioluminescence?
800
This Williams-Mystic alum has the unique title of Lobster Biologist for the State of Maine.
Who is Kathleen Reardon S99?
800
In the "They Just Can't Stay Away" category, these staffers have worked for WM more than once.
Who are Laurie, Amanda & Anna?
800
This six-masted schooner, once the largest wooden sailing vessel built in the United States, is commemorated by a full-scale “ghost ship” sculpture at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, tracing her full 450-foot length.
What is the Wyoming?
1000
Despite defecating as often as every 5-10 minutes, these birds can travel up to 70% farther if flying together in v-formation than if flying alone.
What are Canada geese?
1000
This Cajun alligator wrestler and wildlife educator from Zam’s Swamp Tours gained national attention after appearing on television's Swamp People, Wife Swap and Naked and Afraid.
Who is Zamariah "ZZ" Loupe?
1000
This multi-talented staffer once had "interview Santas" as part of her job description.
Who is Amanda?
1000
Akonting, bangie, guitjos, banza and bonjaw were common terms used in past centuries to describe this musical instrument.
What is a banjo?