www.wellsreserve.org/news/2001-09-10_mcec.htm

NEW ECOLOGY CENTER TO EXPAND COASTAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

The Maine Coastal Ecology Center, a new research and education facility at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, will be dedicated on National Estuaries Day, September 29, 2001. The center will enhance ecological research and inspire coastal stewardship around the Gulf of Maine.

Featured speakers at the dedication will be U.S. Representative Tom Allen, First Congressional District, Joel Russ, president of the Maine Science and Technology Foundation, and Scott Gudes, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Visitors will be welcomed with refreshments beginning at 9:30 a.m. The dedication ceremony starts at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed at 11 a.m. by guided tours of the facility. Other National Estuaries Day activities at the Wells Reserve include trailside ecology and nature programs starting at 11:30 a.m. and a beach cleanup at 1:30 p.m. All activities are free and open to the public.

The Maine Coastal Ecology Center is a 6000-square-foot facility housing a research laboratory, a geographic information systems laboratory, a teaching laboratory, exhibit areas, offices, and a meeting space.

The research lab supports several staff scientists, interns, and visiting researchers. Their subjects of interest encompass water quality, fish and fish habitat, salt marsh restoration, watershed protection, and shoreline change.

The teaching lab will promote the understanding of coastal environments through interactive, science-based investigations. It will include 14 student stations and one teacher station, each with microscopes and computers, along with spacious work benches.

New exhibits at the Maine Coastal Ecology Center will explain how Wells Reserve researchers investigate estuarine environments and how the results of those investigations influence coastal management. They will focus on salt marshes and tides, tidal restrictions, watersheds and water quality, plankton, fishes of the estuary, and research techniques. Exhibits are being designed now for installation next spring.

Opening the Maine Coastal Ecology Center culminates the third major campaign for the non-profit Laudholm Trust on behalf of the Wells Reserve. Donors contributed over $2.6 million to construct the center and to fund an endowment for its operations. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Reserve's federal partner, granted over $850,000 toward the ecology center and its exhibits. Laudholm Trust raised the balance through contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations.

Among major donors for renovations, equipment, and general support were Kennebunk Savings Bank and the Maine Science and Technology Foundation.

The Maine Coastal Ecology Center was designed to complement the historic buildings at Laudholm Farm, the site of Wells Reserve facilities. The builder, Taggart Construction, emphasized the use of local products and recycled materials.

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