Firefly: A Solar Electric Boat

Illustrated talk on the innovative solar-electric vessel, Firefly, presented virtually April 12, 2026, by Don Baugh, President and Founder of Upstream Alliance, and Ronnie Vesnaver, Director of Regional Programs and Partnerships.

Hosted by HLFM director Pierce Rafferty

Firefly will be the first U.S. Coast Guard-approved passenger vessel powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries — marking a major step forward for carbon-neutral transportation on the water. Get the inside scoop on the construction of Firefly and the impactful programs it will provide. The 49-foot, fully electric, aluminum catamaran is being custom built by Lyman-Morse boatbuilding in Maine. Designed to be quiet, smooth, and totally emissions-free – to get people out on the water in a clean and sustainable way. With solar panels on the roof and a wide, stable platform, it’s ideal for hands-on learning, group trips, and connecting with nature — while showcasing what the future of boating can look like. Whether you care about innovation in marine technology or empowering communities through education, Firefly is more than just a boat. It’s a flagship vessel for the Mid-Atlantic — a bold example of what’s possible when carbon-neutral design meets real-world impact. From students testing water quality to scientists studying river health, Firefly will help bring a new generation of stories to life—on the water.

Don Baugh is a national leader in environmental education programs and policies. Don’s hallmark is connecting students, educators and leaders to nature through life-changing field experiences. His career includes 38 years directing education programs at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, founding the No Child Left Inside Coalition, and leading the consulting firm Environmental Leadership Strategies. The impacts of Don’s work are far-reaching. He directed 19 education centers, providing field investigation experiences to over 1,000,000 students. The No Child Left Inside coalition Don founded brought together 2,250 environmental groups, reaching 50,000,000 constituents. The partnership begot the first ever statewide high school graduation requirement for environmental literacy. It produced historic funding advances for outdoor environmental education.

Ronnie Vesnaver is passionate about the history and environment of waterways. That passion has steered her toward a career in education and conservation. After graduating from Colby College, Ronnie taught at the Pennington School in New Jersey. While there, she earned a masters in Environmental History at Rutgers University focusing her research on coastal and ocean history. Ronnie spent summers working on the schooner Mystic Whaler and is an alum of the Williams-Mystic maritime studies program. In 2020, she moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland to join the Gunston School where she taught humanities for, and later directed, the Chesapeake Watershed Semester, a place-based experiential semester program. Ronnie has enjoyed that her career has allowed her to share the history and environments she loves with others.