14 p o r t l a n d monthly magazine Clockwise from top left: hillary morin peterson; abbe museum; maine transportation authority Roots to the Past P ow e r h o u s e Let’s hear it for the ladies. “From 1997 to 2017, Maine ranked No. 1 among the 50 states for rev- enue growth among women-owned business- es, and No. 2 for job growth, according to the seventh annual State of Women-Owned Busi- nesses Report for American Express,” reports the Portland Press Herald. Data collected since 1997 shows that women-owned businesses in Maine generate $13 billion per year and em- ploy 49,900 workers. A new exhibit at Abbe Museum hopes to knock you off your preconceptions. “Emergence–Root Clubs of Penobscot Nation,” on display in March 2018, “will feature 75 Penobscot root clubs from the 18th to the 21st century,” says Abbe museum curator Julia Gray. “Visitors will learn about the cultural significance of this uniquely Wabanaki art form. They’ll also see how root clubs are created and will have the opportunity to handle a club. The exhibit, curated by Penobscot root club carver and scholar Stan Neptune, will show how steeped in time root clubs and dispel the misconception that root clubs are only tourist art.” Happy Birthday, Maine Turnpike! Our state’s 47-mile superhighway turned 70 this year. The Turnpike, which runs from Kittery to Portland, was unveiled on December 13, 1947, and became the nation’s second superhighway. “The Turnpike was Maine’s first roadway with a posted 60-mph speed limit. Few New Englanders in 1947 had ever driven that fast,” says Maine Turnpike’s Erin Courtney. Brunswick native Hillary Morin Peterson, a graduate of UMaine, has discovered a new breed of wasp during her fieldwork study in Harpswell, according to the Associated Press. Happily, this wasp has no sting. Peterson named the 2.7 mm-long insect Ormocerus dirigoius to honor Maine’s motto, “Dirigo,” meaning “I lead.” “There’s been a huge flurry of interest in Maine because of it,” says Charlene Donahue, President of the Maine Entomological Society, who supported Hillary’s efforts. “It’s really special when someone with all of the Maine connections that Hillary has is the one who found it, identified it, and named it.” “The wasp is a fascinating part of the Maine ecosystem,” says Peterson. “There’s so much diversity in the Maine woods.” Creating a Buzz Did You Know?