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The Wrack

The Wrack is the Wells Reserve blog, our collective logbook on the web.

Why "The Wrack"? In its cycles of ebb and flow, the sea transports a melange of weed, shell, bone, feather, wood, rope, and trash from place to place, then deposits it at the furthest reach of spent surf. This former flotsam is full of interesting stuff for anybody who cares to kneel and take a look. Now and then, the line of wrack reveals a treasure.

  • For Peat's Sake

    | October 25, 2014 | Filed under: Opinion

    Three hundred and fifty million years ago, the supercontinent Pangaea floated where you sit today. It was a warm, wet world, bathed in oxygen and soupy seas. The Carboniferous period was a time from which we get a lot of the fossil fuels we now use to power our society.

  • New England Estuarine Research Society Fall 2014 Meeting

    Amelie Jensen
    | October 21, 2014 | Filed under: Program Activities

    At the New England Estuarine Research Society Fall Meeting in Avery Point, Connecticut.

  • A Golden Opportunity

    | October 14, 2014

    Wells Reserve at Laudholm has set a goal like no other organization in Maine.

    We are well underway in securing solar power to run our operation, said Paul Dest, director of the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. Our goal is to become 100 percent self-sufficient on solar power.

    For those who know the Wells Reserve at Laudholm, it is no surprise that it would chart such ambitious goals. It has a rich history of development and progress.

  • Fair Weather King Tide (2014)

    | October 9, 2014

    crab playset by Sue BickfordBright and beautiful at the seashore today. People were out. A few of them even talked to Vivien Leigh, reporting from Wells. We know at least a dozen folks took pics and imagine many more will send to the contest.

    Email your best one or two before October 15 at 11:59 pm to:

    contest@gulfofmaine.kingtides.net

    See the winning entries, finalists, and additional images from around the region.

    Several of us scattered across estuaries stretching from Ogunquit to Kennebunk, documenting the sea's level and considering the consequences.

    We'll start sharing our thoughts with a collection of photos from the day. Up top is Sue Bickford's shot of a submerged crab play set. Below will be&

    1. Drakes Island Road by Nik Charov
    2. Mile Road shoreline by Kristin Wilson
    3. Mile Road, Wells by Sue Bickford
    4. Webhannet Drive, Wells by Kristin Wilson
    5. Welcome to Drakes Island by Nik Charov
    6. Little River Estuary by Suzanne Kahn
    7. Barrier Beach Overlook by Annie Cox
    8. Ankle Deep by Sue Bickford
    9. Laudholm Beach walker by Scott Richardson
  • On Death and Defiance

    | October 4, 2014

    Which side are you on?Figure 1: A chart of the scientific consensus on climate change (97% of scientists agree that humans are driving global warming), and how much attention the minority opinion seems to receive in the media. Or is it a graph of the amount of America's wealth controlled by the top 3% (54.5%), vs. the bottom 97%?

    ?

    The following was published in the Biddeford-Saco?Journal Tribune Sunday edition, 10/5/2014.

    Two weeks ago, my family and I were perched on the steps of the grand fountain in Columbus Circle, Manhattan, watching 300,000 people march past. They sang, they shouted, and they carried thousands of messages, all communicating one thing: world leaders, its time to do something about climate change. A week of action followed. Further protests spread around the world, corporations declared carbon reduction goals, and even presidents and prime ministers frankly spoke of addressing the need to revise a framework for negotiation.

    Thats some progress, anyway.

  • The Yankee WoodlotA Demonstration Forest

    | October 2, 2014

    The Yankee Woodlot Trail & Demonstration Forest was dedicated with a ceremonial watering of a newly planted American Chestnut seedling and a guided hike along the trail.

  • Thanking Heidi

    Wells Reserve Contributor | October 2, 2014
    Heidi Hubbard originally came from Germany but moved to Texas where she was an art and German teacher for many years until her retirement. She has used her retirement years volunteering around the world and …
  • Dedicating the "Isabel Lewando Estuary"

    Tin Smith
    | September 29, 2014

    Isabel Lewando circa 1953Last Thursday, I was fortunate to be among about 75 people who gathered at the Footbridge Beach parking lot in Ogunquit to unveil a rock dedicating the estuary in memory of Isabel Lewando who died in 2011. Isabel came to Ogunquit in the 1950's and established herself as a model, artist, writer, and photographer. She was also a life-long defender of the environment, particularly the Ogunquit River and beach.

  • The Age of Climate Decision

    | September 26, 2014

    "What an impact! Verifiable scientific information--not political lies! Excellent! A must see and hear program for ALL! Really relevant! Outstanding! Data rich and easily understood!" These are comments written on evaluation forms at the end of Dr. Paul Mayewski's Climate Stewards evening lecture in Mather Auditorium last week. Mayewski talkMayewski, the Director and Distinguished Professor of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, took us on a "journey into climate," sharing results from research he and others have conducted over the past forty years in Antarctica and the Arctic. Did you miss the lecture? Don't fret! Kate filmed it and you can watch it in its entirety here.

    Short on time? Below is a sampling of the many nuggets of information Mayewski shared:

  • Tidal Rave

    | September 20, 2014

    Little River estuary salt marsh. ? Jeff Stevensen

    The following was published in the Biddeford-Saco?Journal Tribune Sunday edition, 9/21/2014.

    With a too-short summer and the back-to-school fracas, anyone would be pardoned for missing the official Congressional resolution naming this coming week National Estuaries Week, the annual celebration of the places where rivers meet the sea.

    Before you get too excited, please understand that the resolution is merely pending, and that estuaries dont get the whole month. According to Congress, the entire 30 days of September have, in recent years, been reserved for Gospel Music Heritage, Bourbon Heritage, Prostate Cancer Awareness, Childhood Obesity, Honey, and even Self-Awareness. (And you thought our legislators didnt do anything  shame on you.)

    Resolved or not, 1/52nd of a year certainly seems like a worthy amount of time to devote to estuaries, those humble places of mud and marsh that do so much.