The Wrack

Strangely for a New England farmhouse in the holiday season, the windows in this picture are mostly dark. I'll explain why at the end of this post.

Dr. Christine B. Feurt, coordinator of the Coastal Training Program at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), was presented with the 2012 NERR System and NERR Association Award at the annual NERRS/NERRA meeting held in West Virginia in November. The award is given annually to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the reserve system.

Last night's Wassailing for Wildlife program brought children and adults alike out onto the Reserve's trails for a festive evening of caroling. Participants met indoors to enjoy holiday treats, and then wrote wishes for wildlife to hang on the Reserve's Christmas tree. Several participants even dressed in costume as wolves, an otter, and a polar bear!

Karen Stathoplos, Laudholm Trust Finance Coordinator and professional singer/actor, led the group in song& all the way to Laudholm Beach! It was a beautiful night, especially at twilight with the sunset's colors illuminating the trees.

We held our annual meeting, volunteer recognition, and holiday party together this year, packing Mather Auditorium with good stories, tasty treats, and merriment on December 5. Here are just a few of the highlights and people who took part&

Contents of the Fall 2012 issue of Watermark include&

Unprecedented flooding in New York City rekindled the national debate regarding climate change, sea level rise, and the fate of coastal communities. While the deniers and alarmists take turns needling one another no end, many others have begun to unify around meaningful planning for an uncertain future.

I stopped short on the wooden boardwalk of the Laird-Norton Trail. The fog of my breath flew a few more feet ahead of me, dissipating slowly in the still air. It was my first time at the Reserve, and I was alone in the woods.

And something was coming towards me. Something big.

I tried to swivel my ears in the direction of the sound. Picture a grown man in a business suit, in a ski hat with pinned-up earflaps, trying to swivel his ears.

Crunch-crunch, crunch-crunch, crunch-crunch it came, approaching quickly.

Truthfully, I'm more of a Thanksgiving person than a Christmas person. I prefer rich food to rich presents; giving thanks to getting gifts (though I never say no).

I'm thankful that the United States Postal Service is still solvent (as of this writing). Because they are, and because of our great partners at local printer Edison Press, Laudholm members should shortly receive in their mailboxes our latest gift and thank-you: the fall issue of our Watermark newsletter and one-of-a-kind greeting card.

T'is the season, so in the Watermark package?we're also asking our friends and members to send a contribution to our Annual Fund before December 31st. Even if you've never given to us before, you can start by signing up as a member on Giving Tuesday (November 27) or any time this holiday season.

Watermark went to press before we could put in a mention of something else we're recently thankful for: some great new friends at the Corning plant in Kennebunk.

Nearly four months after their Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE) II summer workshop at the Wells Reserve, eight middle and high school teachers from New England reunited for an exciting day of professional development and comradery. In the morning, the group reconvened at Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Falmouth, MA, where they reported on their student-driven stewardship project progress. This team of TOTE II teachers is a truly inspirational bunch. They are fostering a sense of stewardship in their students while getting outside and teaching with a systems-based approach. Their students are becoming agents of change within their watersheds and local communities.

Hi Everyone,

Thought I would share some numbers from our System Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) weather station here at the Reserve, and compare them to some values from around the area. First off, it seems we got "lucky" with rain fall totals. Both the Reserve station and the Portland International Jetport weather station reported just over an inch of rain on Tuesday. However rainfall totals varied a bit depending on where those "bands" of precipitation hit& pretty minor event as far as actual rainfall goes, but when that rain is being blown sideways at close to 60mph. Speaking of wind&