Scott T Grierson, born May 2, 1967 grew up in a log cabin on Mount Desert Island surrounded by Acadia National Park on three sides. The son of avid naturalists, Scott’s free time was spent assisting  his father rehabilitate orphaned or injured wildlife, raising rabbits, pigs and other farm animals, fishing, hunting, exploring wild lands, and camping, while dreaming of playing for the Red Sox.

Scott traveled to Peru at age seventeen, learning Spanish while living with a family in the Upper Amazon for nine months.  He worked summers in landscaping and carpentry, helped build a cabin for himself on the Grierson Family land, traveled extensively in Latin America, and dabbled in studies at the College of the Atlantic until the spring of 1988 when he first heard of a long distance backpacking adventure from a classmate.  Within a month of learning of the Appalachian Trail, he was on it, toting a 75lb pack, new boots, and sleeping bag purchased at LL Bean on the ride south.  Scott’s passion for backpacking was born and he hiked the entirety of the Appalachian Trail that year from Georgia to Maine and then completed two more end to end hikes including a speed record attempt in 1991 of 55 days, 20 hours, and 34 minutes.

Outdoor adventure, wild camping and outdoor challenges became part of Scott’s core.  A pudgy youth, Scott transformed himself into an above average ultramarathon runner and athlete, running ultras for 14 years and finishing in the top 15 percent at the grueling  and prestigious Hardrock 100 Miler in Colorado. Scott finished Liberty University’s annual 50 Mile Mountain Masochist Trail Run 7 times and the masochistic nature of enjoying the pain and discomfort of a long hard slog is part of his make up.

After his father’s death in 1992, Scott created the Natural History Enrichment Program in memory of his late father and volunteered teaching lessons about wildlife and nature at local elementary schools in and around Mount Desert Island. Within a year or so Scott was reaching over a thousand students a month throughout Hancock County, one classroom at a time with hands-on animal and nature lessons.  The thrill seeking outdoorsman needing a physical challenge became the observant naturalist and educator.  In 1999 Scott founded the Stanley Grierson Nature Foundation and in 2000 SGNF received its IRS 501 (C)(3) status.  In 2020, Clean Maine Shores was created as an initiative of the Stanley Grierson Nature Foundation and the entity now operates primarily as Clean Maine Shores, DBA.  In 2004, with a wife, two young sons and an extended family to look after, Scott made the tough decision to switch gears and seek his daily living with his hands and hard work and efforts in the schools were scaled back.

Over the years Scott has adventure guided in Peru, wrote a weekly nature column for the Bar Harbor Times fro nearly a decade, worked three seasons as a stern man in Bass Harbor, served as a Tremont Selectmen for two terms and Chairman for three years, coached and/or umpired baseball for 15 years, and for the past two decades  earned his living as a Property Manager for private cottages on MDI. 

Over fourteen summers Scott Grierson also assisted the late Philanthropist, Peter Blanchard and his crew on the Ruddy Turnstone.  Several times a month, Scott would pick the marine debris from the shore of islands primarily in Blue Hill Bay, while Peter documented vegetation, handled easement work, and pursued nature art.  The crew battled invasive Eurasian Bittersweet and Barberry.  The creation of Clean Maine Shores is in part inspired by the many ‘trash talks” and years together with Peter Blanchard on the Ruddy T. 

As retirement age approaches Scott’s objective is to spend as much time as possible cleaning the wild Maine shoreline with his beloved wife Rina Grierson and to exponentially magnify debris removing efforts throughout Maine by involving volunteers, business partners and outreach efforts, about the ever growing problem and need.