The Wells Reserve at Laudholm is a timeless place, but these are changing times.

Look how fast this year has gone; marvel at how much the kids have grown; just try to predict the weather or migrations or year-to-year ocean temperatures nowadays. The world keeps spinning, spinning, spinning into the future. None of us can afford to be ill-prepared for whatever lies ahead.

Another year is almost done, but even as we look back, were looking forward too. Two eyes are better than one, and around here, each needs to peer keenly into the future. Eye-deally, we should be looking in the same direction and at the same challenges and opportunities.

Heres the proof that we are.

Every five years, the Reserve Director and staff submit the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve Management Plan to our parent federal agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Laudholm Trust, the Wells Reserves local nonprofit partner in Maine, exists to support and advance the mission of the Reserve. Thus, the Trusts plans are also created (on average) every five years and necessarily align with the long-term strategic goals described in the Management Plan. After more than a year of community meetings, late-night head scratchings, interviews with local luminaries, leading lights, and superlative staff, the trustees and President produced and approved a new strategic plan.

Both are worth reading. We hope youll ponder the plans, ask us questions, and get involved.

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• 2014-2018 Management Plan for the Reserve (3.5MB) (see particularly pages 26-27)
• 2015-2019 Strategic Plan for the Trust (250KB) (public version)

Since our two organizations are operating under mutually reinforcing 5-year plans that are commencing at roughly the midpoint of this second decade of the 21^st century, we thought it best to project our strategies out to the year 2020. And really, who can resist a good pun?

If all goes according to the plans, by 2020, we should be in an even better position than we are now (and well still be in this great place). Take a look and tell us what YOU think  after all, its your Reserve.

Sincerely,

Nik Charov
President, Laudholm Trust
Chairman, Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve Management Authority

Paul Dest
Director, Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve