But the Wells Reserve celebrated its fortieth year of operation in 2024. I like to think that, each night, the coyotes are singing “Happy Birthday” to this protected place we all cherish. (Maybe it’s the only song they know?)

Coyotes are survivors. Over centuries, they’ve adapted to forests, marshes, suburbs, even cities. In their howls, I hear resilience, curiosity, and connection—qualities that we, too, will need to navigate this changing world. As this eventful year draws to a close, I invite you to add your voice to their song that echoes across the bright lands and dark nights we share.

Please consider answering the coyote’s call and supporting the Wells Reserve. Your year-end gifts go directly to initiatives here that balance nature and progress, the past with the future, the land and the sea. Your generosity doesn’t just keep this place a sanctuary of beauty and peace; it’s an investment in the next forty years of coastal science, education, and conservation in Maine. With your help, we are making a difference – just look inside the newsletter to see. Thank you for being a part of saving and sustaining this important place and its work.

Donate Today

And… happy howl-days.

Sincerely,
Nik Charov, President

PS. The coyotes are making their cold calls. Please make your year-end donation by December 31st to support the wild voices that inspire us all. Call us at 207-646-4521 or visit wellsreserve.org/support. Thank you!

Download the Fall 2024 Watermark

• 4 and 40 More Years
• Biggest NERRS Meeting Ever
• Five Years of Phenology
• What’s Next for Coastal Training
• Wells Tide Tracker App
• Infrastructure Weak
• It’s Mourning in America

Download the Fall 2024 Watermark

In Kennebunkport on October 24, 2024, in front of 300 delegates from all 30 of the National Estuarine Research Reserves around the country, the Wells Reserve at Laudholm officially marked 40 years since its designation as a reserve. Among colleagues and national leaders, reserve staff pledged to continue the mission of this humble, protected place on the coast of Maine: to understand, protect, and restore coastal ecosystems through integrated research, stewardship, environmental learning, and community partnerships.

Yes, we passed a major milestone this year. Like many readers’ 40th birthdays, it felt to us like it arrived too soon and yet still with all the attendant aches and pains, tribulations and satisfactions that four decades bring. It’s also easy to feel that, for the Wells Reserve, life is just beginning.

And then two weeks later, the presidential election returned Donald Trump to the White House. He campaigned on promises to slash environmental regulations and climate change research, and even to dismantle NOAA, the Wells Reserve’s operating partner. Those threatened cuts didn’t happen in the first Trump Administration; time will tell whether the Wells Reserve will weather this latest political storm.

We can say that we have spent 40 years building the Wells Reserve, and our cash reserves. We are now a more resilient organization (two organizations, really) than we’ve ever been. We think it’s nonpartisan, even inarguable, to state that the environment is changing rapidly and that centers for coastal science, education, and conservation are more important than ever. (Just read through these pages and see!)
To wit: we’re not going anywhere, except bravely and boldly into the future. And we’re so glad you’re with us, for the next four years and the next forty too.

Nik Charov
President, Laudholm Trust
Chairman, Wells Reserve Management Authority

The Colony Hotel and Nonantum Resort offered impeccable accommodation, providing spectacular and serene settings for both relaxation and productive discussion. Every detail, from the comfortable rooms and breathtaking views to the outstanding event facilities, made for a seamless conference experience. The support and kindness from the staffs went above and beyond, ensuring that every attendee’s needs were met even here at the tail end of tourist season.

We also want to thank the local businesses and townspeople for welcoming us with such open arms. The shops, restaurants, and warm interactions throughout the town enriched our stay and conveyed the charm and friendliness that make our little corner of Maine so special. Generous Southern Maine businesses For the Love of Food and Drink, Ledgemere Transportation, Sharper Events, the KKA Chamber of Commerce, Spinney Creek Oysters, SoPo Seafood, Maine & Vine, and Batson River, Northwoods, Tributary, and Rising Tide breweries, helped make our visit one we’ll not soon forget.

The Reserve System, of which the local Wells Reserve at Laudholm is but one of 30 such protected places, is grateful to have been able to convene in such a beautiful coastal location during a flawless fall week. Thanks to all involved for being such gracious hosts and for showcasing the very best of Maine. I know many conference attendees look forward to future opportunities to return and experience more of our wonderful region.

With gratitude,

Nik Charov

President, Laudholm Trust
Member, Host Committee of the 2024 National Estuarine Research Reserve System conference

This gathering, led by Hogfish arts company, is geared toward those experiencing grief and loss (perhaps anger, fear, dread? emotions you can't put a name to?) due to the evolving climate crisis, offering a communal space for processing these feelings that are often held privately. The first iteration of this event was held this past winter at SPACE Gallery, following the devastating January storms. Members of our community and staff found it to be such a powerful, cathartic experience that we were inspired to invite Hogfish to lead a second iteration designed for the natural setting here at the reserve.

In our calls spent preparing for the event we have spent nearly equal time on logistics as on discussions of the topic itself. What is a grief ritual? Who is this for? What do we mean by climate grief? What do we hope folks take away from this experience? Those discussions have been thoughtful and nuanced and have deepened our connection to each other, while informing the experience we are planning. To help answer some of these (and perhaps your) questions, organizers Matt Cahill and Lucy Dhegrae sat down and shared some of the ideas, inspiration, and intention behind the event in the following video.

They’ve also weighed in below with some thoughts.

MC: With Hogfish, and the idea of “regenerative arts” inspired by “regenerative agriculture”, we are constantly asking ourselves, how can the arts like agriculture go beyond sustainable to regenerative, go beyond being the least amount of problem to being part of the solution? And with efforts to help and heal our coastline and our community after the winter storms of 2024, how could the arts be part of that work?

It was at this time that my dear friend and colleague Lucy Dhegrae, who had recently finished her certification in leading grief rituals under Francis Weller, one of the current seminal leaders of grief rituals in the United States, asked if my husband Edwin and I would like to join her for a small grief ritual. We had no idea what to expect, and to be honest were a little trepidatious.

I learned that the ritual part, was not fancy at all, but really just about doing what we were doing with love and intention. And bringing that love and intention to sharing grief that I had and witnessing and supporting that of others, was like a hot bowl of soup for a hunger I didn’t know I had. It took me a few days to process it all, but I felt lighter, more grateful and connected and full of hope than I had been in a long time.

So I thought, maybe we can bring this work to the Maine Coast community. There is so much grief around climate change in general, and the damage caused by these storms in particular, that maybe a grief ritual would help our community too, to find a way back to hope and connection and gratitude amidst all that has been lost. We were not sure if this was a crazy idea or if anyone would be interested. We announced the event and within three days all the 75 spots were taken. After the ritual, we received several testimonies of deep gratitude, hope found, and connection regained.

Several people also expressed hope that we would do this again - like planting seeds in the garden, they wanted these new seeds of grief tended and gratitude found to be tended in community over time, to let them grow, and see what bears fruit. When Wells Nature Reserve reached out with interest in continuing the series, it seemed like a natural fit with their combination of ecology and grief work. We look forward to presenting this second iteration of this secular but sacred community work, this time with access to the beautiful scenery at the Wells Reserve and a chance to work on the coast itself. We hope the community will continue to find this work rewarding, and that for newcomers, it is a chance to plant the first seeds of comfort with grief in community, and see how that can bring so much joy to our lives, and for returners, we hope this is a chance to build upon their work from last time, to continue composting the soil of their hearts, and bear the fruits of their labor.

LD: The beauty of a grief ritual is that we learn how to hold each other and our own grief simultaneously. For most of us, grief is such a private act. We avoid it for as long as we can, and then when we let it in, it feels bottomless. Part of what we will do in the grief ritual is to plant our feet together while we all drop into our grief. The connection to the earth and to each other is what keeps it from feeling like an endless pit. Grief builds up in the body and becomes this solid, rock-like formation. I think we all know the feeling of grief making us feel stiff, stuck, and unable to participate in this beautiful life. This ritual helps to move out that stiffness, to warm and knead the grief so that we can be more supple, more responsive, and to live more fully in our everyday lives.

Tickets are available on a sliding scale basis: $10-50 here.

This event is made possible by a generous grant from the Onion Foundation.

But even then, the 36th Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival exceeded all expectations and stretched the seams of our little site. A record 5,500 attendees came to see a record 143 artists -- what a show it was, 10% larger than any we’ve ever had! We’re still tallying the revenues and expenses of this largest fundraiser of the year, but already we know that you helped us raise more than $110,000 in one weekend. This vital support will continue to expand the Wells Reserve’s science, education, conservation, and preservation programs in 2025. By the next Crafts Festival, you’ll see more site improvements, new programs, and some surprises too, we promise. Thank you.

It's such a thrill to put this show on every year, to work on it for months and see it grow and evolve over time. There's nothing quite like bringing thousands of people together to support the arts and nature, wonderfully presented against the stunning backdrop of the Wells Reserve’s Laudholm campus. To the visitors, artists, volunteers, vendors, sponsors, and staff that made the show such a grand success, I extend my deepest thanks and admiration. Putting up an annual spectacle feels like a family affair, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

On the quiet ride home on Sunday evening, I thought about the hugs exchanged, the promises to reunite, the smiles and laughter that abounded. There are longer term effects of the spirit and joy shared by the Crafts Festival's visitors, artisans, and volunteers. The Wells Reserve knows that the way to meet the challenges of the future is to build stronger communities today. The bonhomie and kindliness that arise from a group of artists and volunteers coming together once a year to showcase the creativity of humanity feels formidable. We see similar strong bonds arise in our yoga classes, winter cribbage nights, citizen science efforts, gardening projects, and among our weekly volunteers. These pop-up communities are weaving fabric that will hold together in even the strongest storms. Our changing world needs more of that, I say. I know this friendly neighborhood national estuarine research reserve will always cherish and cultivate these homespun efforts; a look at our calendar reassures me that there’s so much more to come.

Cheers,

Nik Charov

President, Laudholm Trust

The Laudholm festival features a selection of 140+ juried artisans, showcasing fine art, ceramics, jewelry, fiber crafts, mixed media work, and more. An array of local food and beverage offerings, including cider donuts and oysters, will round out the lineup to make for a fun and festive weekend in this historic seaside setting. Over 100 dedicated volunteers help to make the show a success, and nearly 5,000 attendees are expected. While on site, visitors will enjoy a stop at the reserve’s Coastal Ecology Center gallery to view “Consider the Lobster,” an exhibition of lobster-inspired works of art.

“In this 40th anniversary year of the Wells Reserve, we’re looking forward to welcoming a record number of artists and thousands of attendees to the best little crafts show in Maine,” said Nik Charov, president of Laudholm Trust, the nonprofit that has organized the festival since 1988. “Food, drinks, and more make the show our most popular event and our largest fundraiser of the year for this center for science, education, and conservation.”

Funds raised from the event support the Wells Reserve’s ongoing research, education, and conservation initiatives. This year’s event is sponsored by Kennebunk Savings, The Fabulous Find, Evergreen Home Performance, Maine Community Bank, and Sevigney-Lyons Insurance Agency.

Tickets for the Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival are available in advance online or at the gate with cash or card. $10 per person, $5 for Laudholm Trust members.

I’ve had the honor of teaching many returning campers, some of which have been coming almost as long as I have! In my nine years as the Summer Camp Coordinator, I’ve heard and seen just about everything. This summer there were a few special “camp records” that were broken that I feel are worth mentioning. To some of you these will seem minor and unimportant, but to a group of excited children they meant a lot.

Our first camp was for 9–12-year-olds and the theme was Stream to the Sea. This camp started the summer out by breaking many standing camp records. This great group of young minds were the fastest walkers we have ever had. They never once complained while walking to the river, salt marsh or to the beach. In fact, they never seemed to get tired! The second “cool” thing they did was find a “mystery creature” at the Merriland River. We spent some time comparing it to the eels we had seen and caught earlier. No campers had an idea of what it was, but I did, having grown up in Michigan and being surrounded by the Great Lakes. At the end of the day, with the help of a cellphone, we were able to confirm its identity as a larval sea lamprey. This was the first sea lamprey ever found during my camp tenure, by our campers.

Many returning campers were eager to ask me “have you caught any blue crabs this summer?" After finding and catching a few last summer, this was the “must-do” activity for many campers, new and returning. Some of you might be thinking “blue crabs, like the ones they have in Maryland?” And you would be correct. These amazing and beautiful creatures are making a home in the estuaries of southern Maine, which adds another exciting critter to our “might see” list. We did in fact catch two females our first week of camp, but it wasn’t until our second to last week of camp that we caught our record-breaking blue crab.

The 12-14-year-old campers were eager to explore the waterways in the estuary, keeping their eyes peeled for a flash of blue. I soon spotted a large crab, funny enough, cozied up against a crab trap set by our research department. Lucky for us, it was too big to fit in the trap! We quickly set up a perimeter and passed out gear, nets and buckets. No one was equipped with a net big enough to catch this crab, so we made a plan to use our biggest bucket to catch it in. Blue crabs are more aggressive and faster swimmers than green crabs. Armed with this knowledge and our determination, we nervously moved forward. Soon screams of concern and excitement and splashing from campers moving forward and backward in the water could be heard. Cries of “where is it?!” and “did we get it?” filled the air. After what seemed “like forever,” we successfully caught our target.

One of the first things we did was check to see what sex the crab was (male) and to look for special markings that indicated if the crab had already been caught by researchers (no, it hadn’t). One camper thought it was fitting to give everyone a high five saying “great teamwork.” And it’s true, we couldn’t have caught the crab if we hadn’t worked together. The campers then named the crab “Voldemort” or “Mort” for short, since they felt saying his name out loud would bring more blue crabs out.

There were many other records made this year, including discovering 20 salamanders on one hike, hundreds of fish in one seine net run, three blue crabs, a glass eel, finding a live sea jelly, and catching nine sub-tropical fish called White Mullets, which were a new species at camp.

Some might wonder why I come back each summer. There are so many reasons. Teaching kids how to treat living things with kindness, to ask questions, to observe what is around them, and to always ask “why.” But my number one reason is to be a positive, enthusiastic, and safe role model for our children. I want to show them that adults can be curious, silly, and “wowed” by nature. You’re also never too old to learn new things or find new things. If you stay optimistic, you never know what you might find, or catch, or see. You just have to come back again next year to find out. And I think I might.

I started my summer at the Wells Reserve on June 10th after a week of training with Maine Coast Heritage Trust. During this training we learned about invasive plants, land acquisitions and conservation easements, and other various aspects of land trusts and reserves. There were a total of 11 interns through this program who were all stationed at different land trusts and reserves though the coast of Maine. Once I got to the Reserve, I got started on projects right away. Though there were many smaller projects, such as organizing the Wells Reserve species inventory, building and installing water stations in Spurwink marsh, and providing assistance to others projects, there were three main projects that I was a part of. Those were the invasive plants team, the eco-acoustics projects, and working with the facilities team.

The Invasive Plant Removal Team (a.k.a. “Wildlife Warriors”)

I presented to the potential volunteers on two separate occasions early in my time here about safety and the invasive plants we worked with this summer. After those presentations, every Thursday and Friday from 9:30am to 12:30pm I led a team of one to five Reserve volunteers out onto the trails, to work in priority locations, predominantly on the Laird-Norton trail. While there, we used mattocks and loppers to remove invasive plants along the trail. The plants that we targeted the most were Barberry, Bittersweet, and Honeysuckle. We spend around two and a half hours removing these invasives and loading them up into the trailer. After that I drive the trailer back to the burn pile where I unload the brush for disposal later in the season. Over the course of the summer we made a large amount of noticeable progress in the areas we worked in. With the large amount of invasive plants on the reserve it isn’t feasible to remove all of them, so we focus on areas where they haven’t spread significantly, and where if enough are removed it could give the native plants a chance to compete.

The Sounds of the Reserve (Eco-acoustical monitoring)

The Reserve has recorded a large amount of audio files from a variety of habitats over the past seven years as part of a national project to develop eco-acoustic monitoring capacity within the Reserve system. Most of this data had not been analyzed and were stored on hard drives. During a ride to a field site one day I mentioned that I had experience with a statistics program called R, skills necessary for analyzing the backlog of eco-acoustic data. I was immediately assigned to start working through the SOP of how to set the files up for analysis and how to analyze the files. I then used this to analyze days of data that were deemed important. I spent several days formatting and analyzing data, and documenting the results. I also reviewed relevant scientific publications to learn more about how to interpret the results and more deeply research the field of eco-acoustics and soundscape ecology. The results of my work will be used to inform future use of these methods at the Reserve

Making Everything Look Pretty

Every Tuesday from when I arrived until 12:00 pm I would help with various projects that needed to be done around the Reserve. For the most part this meant the widening trails which had become overgrown, mostly the Musky trail. I would do this mostly with a string trimmer but I also occasionally used a brush saw. Another project I assisted them with was the expansion of the Chestnut Grove. In order to give the younger chestnut trees room to grow and expand, we greatly increased the area of the grove. I assisted with the removal of the brush and bringing it to the burn pile, along with the planting of grass in the area.

The Maine Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, in partnership with an array of local organizations, will direct this funding toward coastal resilience and adaption projects, with special emphasis on working waterfronts and underserved coastal communities. We are honored that the Wells Reserve will be the recipient of a portion of this funding. This will be put to use promoting nature-based solutions along the coast and establishing a coastal resilience training program - the Resilience Training Academy.

Coordinated by our Coastal Training Program, in collaboration with Maine DEP, the Resilience Training Academy will build upon a decade of community-engaged and practitioner-focused climate resilience trainings. Knowledge sharing, peer-to-peer learning, and respect for diverse ways of knowing will guide workshops, demonstration projects, and skill-building activities. Learning topics will include coastal habitat restoration practices, designing projects for meaningful community engagement, effectively communicating risk, the CoastWise Approach to designing tidal crossings, community-led planning to move out of harm’s way, and building resilient infrastructure. We look forward to sharing more as this project develops—stay tuned!

To celebrate the big announcement, Governor Janet Mills, members of Maine’s congressional delegation, NOAA administrators, and local industry leaders gathered at Portland’s Fish Pier for a brief program, fittingly set against the backdrop of the working waterfront. Speakers included Governor Mills, Senator King, Representative Pingree, a representative from Senator Collins’s office, and Drs. Rick Spinrad and Jeff Payne from NOAA, all affirming their commitment to addressing climate change in Maine and beyond.

Curt Brown, a commercial lobsterman and marine biologist at Ready Seafood, spoke on behalf of the commercial fishing community:

The increased frequency and devastation of such "100-year storms" was a prominent topic in all remarks of the day. Speakers also highlighted the importance of shoring up the working waterfront, and placed focus on both the environmental and economic opportunities afforded by this funding. Despite the acknowledged challenges of the work ahead, there was a sense of optimism in the air.

More photos from the event are below, and you can read more about this grant for Maine in the Portland Press Herald and learn about all 19 funded projects on NOAA's website.

Images: Portland Mayor Mark Dion and Governor Janet Mills on Portland fish pier; Representative Chellie Pingree, Senator Angus King; Curt Brown and NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad.

Butterflies use chemoreceptors in their tiny feet to “taste” the plants’ leaves and determine whether the plant will be a good food source for their caterpillars. They gather nectar from deep in the blossoms, curling and uncurling their long proboscises to sip the sweet liquid. Imagine if our feet could taste!

Monarch butterflies are specialists on milkweed and require leaves on which to lay eggs and feed their caterpillars. The above named species are home garden friendly, unlike common milkweed which sends shoots underground that turn up wherever they please - like the chipmunks in my garden!

With a love for nature firmly instilled, Tin entered the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He described himself as a “typical lost college student” who often found himself “in trouble” spending so much time out of doors it was hard to find time for schoolwork. Throwing himself whole-heartedly into rock climbing, hiking and caving with the Outing Club, he feels lucky to have been inspired by one of his U. Mass professors. At the time, you couldn’t major in Environmental Sciences, but you could choose your own degree if you found a professor to sponsor you. Dr. Haim Gunner was that professor. Finding him still listed just a few years ago, Tin wrote to tell him how much his support and help had meant. Dr. Gunner received Tin’s letter on his 95th birthday. He wrote back delighted to hear from his former student.

Tin and Jane attended the same high school and after she transferred from Keene State to U. Mass at Amherst, she even went so far as to take part in some of Tin’s tricky Outing Club caving adventures. This involved having to squat along narrow passages with only a headlamp to light your way. Where one wrong move could (and sometimes did!) land you in deep water on your bottom. “She was a good sport”. Married in April 1976 and living on Martha’s Vineyard at first, Tin and Jane moved to Wells in June 1978 without jobs. They decided to build their own house because they “were too poor to do it any other way”. Luckily Jane got a job teaching at Sanford Junior High in August. They planted a garden right away, but their apple trees (for cider!) and haying the fields with his horses came just a bit later.

Tin knew Mort Mather through their time together at MOFGA. So when Mort was spearheading the effort to save Laudholm Farm from developers in 1978, it wasn’t long before Tin was on board. The original plan was to make Laudholm an organic demonstration farm. Learning they needed 2.1 million dollars, they looked to the federal government and the National Estuarine Program that had recently been created.

Wells was selected as a possible site. Then the real work began. They needed to convince NOAA to award the money. Always willing to pitch right in, Tin went to Washington DC to plead their case at the offices of George Mitchell, Bill Cohen, and Olympia Snow. Their new plan that the Wells site be BOTH an organic demonstration farm and a national research reserve was eventually nixed by the government. They would be awarded the money, only if the farm was taken out of the plan. The course was set.

In 1996 Tin was hired by the Reserve’s first Research Director, Dr. Michele Dionne. Serving for 21 years as Stewardship Coordinator of the Wells Reserve at Laudholm, Tin helped develop a unique approach to harvesting trees on the Yankee Woodlot, worked to manage rainwater in a changing climate and was instrumental in bringing together conservationists and citizens to discuss lessons from Superstorm Sandy to name but a few of his accomplishments. Tin’s favorite place at the Reserve is the research dock where the pontoon boat is tied up and where he spent so many hours with fish weirs and kayaks.

At nearly the same time he was helping save Laudholm, Tin was helping form Great Works Regional Land Trust where he took an immediate leadership role “harnessing up every day for conservation”. Being someone who thinks outside of the box has served him well when working with landowners and towns to find ways to protect vital natural places. “He looks for new ways to do things, he asks ‘how can we do this?’” So said Jean Demetracopoulos of the Great Works Regional Land Trust describing her nominee and eventual recipient of the 2006 Land Heritage Award, Tin Smith.

Always quick to downplay his own contributions to these far-reaching projects, he says “Conservation is really a team effort, a lot of people have put in a lot of work. I’m happy to be part of that effort”. Still, it’s undeniable that Tin also joined with others to establish the Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative that has conserved over 15,000 acres, helped found the Maine Land Trust Network and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the EPA’s New England office.

So, from all of us at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm - for not only helping save this incomparably beautiful and vital estuary on the southern Maine coast, but for his quiet, yet untiring efforts to save fast-disappearing natural spaces all over Maine – thank you, Tin! You have helped protect Maine for generations to come.

• Nik's Notebook
• 40 years, In Brief
• A Look Back from Paul Dest (Read the full Downeast Article referenced)
• Preserving A Reserve
• Program Highlights: Research, Education, Stewardship, Coastal Training Program (CTP)
• Thanks to YOU
• 2024 Happenings

Download the Summer 2024 Watermark

Time is a funny thing. Science doesn’t really know what it is. It’s been compared to a landscape through which we move, a river in which we bob, a series of photos in which we’re posed. No one knows for sure; yet everyone, and every place, changes with its passage. Some mark time with a birthday or a new calendar. I get an annual eye exam that sends my reading glasses another quarter step down into the cellar of myopia.

To pass some time and unearth some history, I recently sat on a memorial bench with Wells Reserve founder and first Laudholm Trust president Mort Mather, watching the bobolinks cavort in the new summer grasses. We talked of many things: of farms, and boards, cabbages and Lords, why the sea is boiling hot, and why this place has wings. Laudholm presidents from Mort to Liz, Kathryn, Susan, and Diana, along with dozens of committed staff members; partners local, state and federal; thousands of donors and tireless volunteers; and likely more than a million visitors, built this place. They built it for then, and now, and for the forty years and more to come. They built it to withstand the tests of time, and so far, it has. And how!

Ultimately, though, Mort grew annoyed by my questions about the past. With his trademark grin, my old friend and mentor delivered to me this message: the present is the gift, and there is no gift better than the present. The present, Mort said, is Laudholm, is the Wells Reserve, and “it turned out better than I ever, ever expected.” Amen, and thanks to all who helped, and continue to help, make this place and its work the gift that keeps on giving.

Nik Charov
President, Laudholm Trust
Chairman, Wells Reserve Management Authority

Foxglove beardtongue makes a great home garden plant. It tolerates a wide range of conditions from moist to dry, sun to part sun, and keeps a neat appearance throughout the season.

The species digitalis refers merely to the resemblance of the flowers to the foxglove plant, Digitalis purpurea, which is toxic to humans and animals. Foxglove beardtongue does not contain the toxin and is not poisonous.

Foxglove beardtongue brings to mind little foxes that sneak into the garden at night and slide the flowers on their little fox feet and then head for a night out in the woods. Be on the lookout!

We are pleased to share that $2.87 million of that funding will go toward a Wells Reserve project in partnership with the Town of Wells. This funding will support the construction of a more resilient Drakes Island bridge and the conservation and restoration of 18 acres of coastal marshland. Paul Dest, Executive Director of the Wells Reserve, shared, The Drakes Island project represents the best of what the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has to offer Maine and the nation: It will construct a new bridge that should better weather future rising seas and storms, develop a plan to restore tidal habitats for a range of wildlife species, and protect a beautiful keystone parcel that connects to a landscape of conservation lands in one of Maines fastest growing communities. The Wells Reserve will be sharing more about this exciting project in the months ahead.

Other funded projects in Maine include restoration planning work for Scarborough Marsh and upgrades to culverts and tidal flow infrastructure in Brunswick and Perry. To make the announcement, leaders from NOAA, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, Hannah Pingree of Governor Millss Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, and representatives of Senator Collins, Senator King, and Congressman Golden convened at the Eastern Trail crossing in Scarborough. Under a crisp blue sky with the marsh as a backdrop, speakers emphasized the Biden Administrations commitment to climate action and commended Maine for taking the lead in this work. Arati Prabhakar, Policy Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology reaffirmed the message that, Nature is not only a catalyst for reflection; it demands action.

All of the speakers called attention to the unprecedented storms Maine has seen over the past winter and the resulting devastation to coastal habitats and communities. Given the location and nature of the funded projects, the dignitaries also highlighted the important role marshes can play in mitigating the effects of such weather events. As Representative Pingree stated, Weve really started to learn that marshes arent something that we just go to visit, go for a hike, take a canoe, but these are the places that protect our critical coastal habitats and its very important for us to protect them.

Following the remarks, Andrew Mackie of Scarborough Land Trust and Steve Pinette, President of Friends of Scarborough Marsh, led attendees on a brief tour of the marsh via the Eastern Trail and explained the potential restoration projects in more depth. The afternoon concluded with a panel discussion at Scarborough Town Hall featuring local leaders closely tied to each funded project, as well as NOAA representatives. Panelists weighed in on the challenges and opportunities of climate work at the municipal, state, and federal levels. Carol Murray, Wells Public Works Director, and Jacob Aman, Stewardship Director of the Wells Reserve, joined in on the panel, representing the Wells project. The Wells Reserves current Margaret A. Davidson Fellow, Helen Cheng, also participated, adding her perspective as an early-career scientist.

Despite the acknowledged challenges of climate change, the day ended on a hopeful note. Collaboration was the name of the game, with all panelists citing the importance of partnerships within and across communities to share information, ideas, research, and opportunities. Carol Murray from the Town of Wells may have said it best: After 40 years of this work, I know the first thing on any project is - go find a smart person to work with. Luckily, the Wells Reserve was there.

Read more about the announced NOAA funding in Maine, across the national estuarine research reserve system, and across the country.

Nancy is recently retired from a celebrated career in the biological sciences. She has her own Wikipedia page highlighting her accomplishments in science, research, and scientific photography, and is a four-time finalist for the Nikon Small World photomicrography competition, blending art and science by photographing objects under a microscope.

She is the owner of what she describes as an itchy brain, a restless and excellent curiosity that brings both benefit and challenge.

I never outgrew the why? stage. Most people graduate to more important questions like How much is this worth? Will you marry me? What does my retirement fund look like? Instead, Im like, Why? It can be tiring. Try getting to sleep with an itchy brain!

Nancy uses her masterful microscopy skills as a research lab volunteer, working at an activity known as fish picking.

I was invited to help with the fish picking over at the lab. The staff put out plankton nets [at Wells Harbor] and volunteers sift through the debris, pick out the good stuff and count it. I now can identify the different subsets in the life of a crabthe zoea stage and the megalopa stageall these cool words that I didnt even know before.

Nancy enjoys being outside after spending years in hospitals and research labs. She is an avid gardener. Her favorite tree is the dawn redwood, a deciduous conifer with soft needles that turn dusty orange and drop in the fall. She recently planted one as a memorial to her father.

My father was a gardener, my grandfather was a gardener. Every year as a birthday present to my father, my aunt would get a subscription to Organic Gardening and Farming magazine. I remember reading the ads in the back. Of course as a child I didnt have any money, but I thought, Wouldnt it be cool if I could get these plants? Now I have far too many plants!

As a volunteer Ranger walking the trails at the Reserve, Nancy noticed too many plants of another typeinvasives.

I knew I wanted to do something about invasives here. I live in The Forest, an HOA in Wells. I was on the all-volunteer Landscape Committee. I organized people, I baked cookies, and we did the physical work of cutting and removing the bittersweet, barberry, honeysuckle and glossy buckthorn. The more we did, the more we realized the extent of the problem. We rented invasive-eating goats through EcoScapegoats. That was a hoot! They did a terrific job, which did not eliminate our job, since they didnt pull up the roots. They werent that well trained!

Last year, Nancy worked weekly through the summer and fall as a stewardship volunteer, removing tangled networks of invasive vine, stem, thorn, bush and root. She also collects water samples with fellow volunteer Susan Kaagan for the Maine Healthy Beaches program and is one of the 130 volunteers that make our annual Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival possible.

I love it here, I love the resources, the opportunities. I like to be outside, but a lot [of the motivation to volunteer] is guilt. Guilt for my species. I feel that we humans have kind of messed things up. The environment is out of whack and it is our fault. I can do a bit to push things back in the right direction. If I can help more people see how to mitigate the damage done by invasives, that will carry on.

The work is ongoing and volunteers are needed in several areas, including working alongside Nancy as part of the invasive removal team (as well as docents and event volunteers).

The extent of the number of invasives to remove is daunting. We need more people, more help. If you have the time and the energy and you like to be here, why not help? With the invasives, there is a whole spectrum of ways you can help. If you like cookies, we often have cookies. We have camaraderie! We have a nice group of people. It is a good way to meet local people that have diverse interests and diverse skills. Come help defend your favorite place!

The Reserve is lucky to have the support of volunteers like Nancy, who bring not only their professional and life skills, but take on multiple roles, greatly expanding the capacity to get things done. Thank you, Nancy! And thanks to all our wonderful volunteers as we prepare for another busy season, working together to support and preserve this special spot on Maines southern coast.

Do you have questions about volunteering? Want to know more about volunteer opportunities at the Reserve? Contact Lynne Benoit at lbenoit@wellsnerr.org or call 207-646-1555 extension 118.