The Wrack

Back in July, Wells Reserve staff and interns teamed up with volunteers from the Sebago Chapter of Trout Unlimited and bravely struck out on an ambitious survey of road-stream crossings in the Kennebunk River, Merriland River, and Branch Brook. The teams worked hard and surveyed an amazing 81 road-stream crossings in only three days!

I led one of the survey teams and let me tell you, that data was hard-earned! Once we had located a crossing, we had to battle thick brush, mud, poison ivy and steep slopes of riprap to reach the stream. To measure the length of a crossing, we sometimes had to crawl through a culvert from one end to the other, dodging spider webs along the way. Besides being a fun excuse to go crashing through woods and splashing through rivers, this survey was an important way to gather data that will be used by town planners, landowners, conservation groups, and other stakeholders to reconnect stream habitat in these watersheds.

Last week, a group of sixteen devoted volunteers set to work to rescue the eggs and caterpillars of the Monarch Butterfly. Within the next week or two, many of the fields at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm will be mowed.?Annual mowing of select fields is necessary?to prevent important field habitat from growing up into forests, and to combat the spread of invasive species. The mowing is done in late summer, after field nesting birds like the Bobolink?have finished rearing their young.

While spending my summer as a research intern at the Wells Reserve, I have had the opportunity to participate in a project monitoring how land development in southern Maine is affecting freshwater ecosystems that provide habitat for many macroinvertebrate and fish species like brook trout. Though it has been observed that the land development occurring here has not reached the scale of the degradation found in other areas along the east coast, like the Chesapeake Bay region, it is imperative that this does not change as future development occurs. When new homes are built in an area, there are simple steps local landowners can take to help preserve the existing natural ecosystems on or around their own property.

I want to share some pictures that highlight some nice days for research throughout the local area, including the Saco River, the Merriland River, Branch Brook, the Little River Salt Marsh, and Big Daddy's Ice Cream.

I have been the Natural Resource Specialist here at the reserve for over a decade. I know the land well& or at least I thought I did.

This year, several of the staff here were certified to lead kayak trips up the Little River estuary, which forms the northern boundary of the reserve. I was one of the lucky one. This was a whole new place for me. I had seen it from the river banks countless times. But being ON the water of the river is a whole new experience. Being on the water with a small group of people is even better.

Their stories add to this story. Where they have traveled from, how they heard about this trip. What they would like to learn about this estuary.

Paddling upstream to enjoy the shade of overhanging oaks, maples, and pines providing a forested buffer along the river's edge. What a peaceful, lovely trip.

Last week, the Reserve hosted twelve middle and high school teachers from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, and Louisiana for Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE) II, a field-based workshop focused on estuary and watershed education. This is the third TOTE workshop held at the Reserve, but unlike the first two, this year's TOTE was only open to teachers who had already participated in a New England TOTE workshop at either the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), the Waquoit Bay NERR in Massachusetts, or the Narragansett Bay NERR in Rhode Island.

Some rotting wood on the outside of the cow barn needed attention, so John was pulling off the beadboard siding this forenoon. At first, he thought he was seeing things, but soon a clear picture emerged. What appeared behind the boards?

WELLS, Maine, July 25, 2012  A 34-acre woodlot in Wells is seen as a testing ground for managing timber for long-term gain while maintaining its value for wildlife, clean water, and recreation. The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve will complete a partial harvest of its Yankee Woodlot this fall while hosting a series of four workshops that will encourage participants to get involved in the process.

This summer the Wells Reserve's Interpretive Education Associate, Paige Rutherford, revamped and restructured the Guided Tours program for the season. Paige prepared all the docent training materials, organized outlines, templates, scripts, and resources, and held training sessions in late June.

The newly trained volunteers will be leading History of a Saltwater Farm, Life Between the Tides, Secrets of the Salt Marsh, and Nature Walk tours as well as other guided tours throughout the summer!