BIOREGIONING
Working together to build regenerative systems across the Northeast Woodlands Bioregion
"The future will be bioregional."
- Joe Brewer, Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth
As CEBE expands its reach through the Community Resilience Partnership and other collaborative projects, we are increasingly discovering ways to support and connect with other communities with similar aspirations across our bioregion. Through knowledge-sharing and collaboration, we are working to develop systems of care and resilience beyond the Western Foothills.
A bioregion is a geographic area not based on political boundaries, but on the needs of its human and more-than-human inhabitants, as well as the life-supporting capacity of its ecological systems. A bioregion must be large enough to sustain its biological communities but small enough to feel like home (adapted from Lawrence London's "What is a Bioregion?"). A well-functioning bioregion meets the needs of its human residents—such as clean air and water, healthy food, safe shelter, good education and health services—in ways that are regenerative, life-affirming, and community-strengthening.
Fully realizing the vision of a thriving, regenerative culture at the bioregional scale is not work that CEBE can, or ever will, carry on its own. Thankfully, both the Northeast Woodlands Bioregion and our more-immediate Western Maine Foothills subregion are rich in regenerative practices and practitioners. Land trusts, conservation groups, educators, farmers, activists, builders, artists, cultural knowledge-bearers (and frankly anyone who is interested in participating) all play a role in this work. When everything needs to change, everyone is a potential change maker.
Current Projects
Northeast Woodlands Bioregioning Collective
CEBE is a co-founder of the Northeast Woodlands Bioregioning Collective (NEWBC), a network co-led by an intertribal alliance that’s working to develop a bioregional regeneration strategy. NEWBC hosts convenings and learning opportunities, and is developing a network of bioregional learning centers and finance facilities aimed at supporting just, systemic and regenerative projects and connectivity across the Northeast.
Inland Flood & Drought Active Monitoring Project
Since 2024, we’ve been working with partners to develop the Inland Flood & Drought Active Monitoring Project (IFDAMP). IFDAMP supports inland communities, watershed groups, emergency managers, and others in monitoring and documenting the rapidly-changing conditions in Maine’s most flood-and drought-vulnerable inland areas.
Bioregional Coherence Project
In 2025, we began developing the Bioregional Coherence Project in collaboration with Northeast Woodlands Bioregioning Collective. Taking our cues from ecology-based economist David Fleming, we are developing an online platform where users will be able to post and find regenerative projects, opportunities, and offerings – think WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) or similar online make-your-own-adventure resources that support ecotourism, volunteer abroad or gap year opportunities.
Our “large-scale framework” will support the just transition towards a regenerative economy in the Northeast by uplifting an interconnected system of “small-scale solutions.”
Users of the Coherence platform will be able to post requests for help with their regenerative projects, and search for volunteer and learning opportunities, such as community-based projects, internship and skill-building opportunities, educational and cultural events, and community science projects. The platform, once built, will connect learners, volunteers, and adventurers to regenerative practitioners and opportunities across the Northeast. It will also serve as a conduit through which financial resources can flow, supporting the development of a richly-networked bioregional finance facility in the Northeast.
Phase 1 - In 2025, we began by sharing the vision, collecting input from our community and partners, bringing together a design team, and pursuing funding to support the additional phases. While sharing the vision, gathering input, and pursuing funding will be ongoing parts of this work, we’ve moved on to Phase 2.
Phase 2 - In 2026, the Coherence Project design team is working to articulate project goals, guiding values, and timeline; researching regenerative opportunities to include in the network; working with web developers to design the platform infrastructure; and engaging in ongoing outreach and convenings with potential partners, collaborators, and funders. Phase 3 - Identify and design Coherence pilot project(s), for example, providing support for an array of small community-led food foresting projects in western Maine; secure funding to specifically support the pilot project(s). Phase 4 - Launch the platform and provide ongoing support for two or more pilot project(s). Pilot projects led by CEBE and by our NEWBC partners will provide an opportunity to promote the platform, enroll users, evaluate engagement, and test and improve the system. Phase 5 - Based upon the evaluation of the pilot project(s), identify next steps required to scale up the Coherence Project. Phase 6 - Scale up! Continue to support the ongoing outreach, research, technical support, and evaluation needed to keep the Coherence Project growing and thriving. Phase 7 - The Coherence platform is now growing and creating regenerative opportunities and connections across the Northeast! Share our model and technology with other bioregions.
