The Wrack

Many people came out to help us mark the 25th anniversary of the Wells Reserve yesterday. We had a few special activities planned around mid day and held our annual volunteer recognition event in late afternoon. We were mostly lucky with the weather, but the "behind-the-scenes" tour participants got either wet or very wet going between buildings. Here are a few photos (and a short video) from the day.

I have received a number of congratulatory e-mails from colleagues and friends in light of our 25th anniversary. I thought I would forward one from our colleague in Oregon.

Last week, the Center for Wildlife made their?final visit of the summer to the Wells Reserve. Members of the public (including Talia Kremser, the photographer for this blog entry)?who came to this "Nocturnal Mammals" program were treated to up-close encounters with several non-releasable rescued animal ambassadors. First, Edna the albino porcupine stole the hearts of the audience. She climbed up her crate, …

Here are a few portraits shared by Jeremy Miller from the 2008 ichthyoplankton surveys.

Aboard the EPA Ocean Survey Vessel BOLD to do ichthyoplankton monitoring at sea to supplement the nearly weekly ichthyoplankton tows at Wells Harbor.

The Wells Reserve has studied fish habitat, identified pollution sources, educated residents about riverine and estuarine ecology, and helped protect land in the York River watershed.

On the heels of the?environmental?communication course with Eric?Eckl?at the Great Bay Reserve on August 3rd, the?CTP?hosted Eric and local environmental leaders and community members for a sunset boat cruise upon our research?vessel on the Salmon Falls River.

I had the chance to go to the annual Low Impact Development Field Trip this past Tuesday to do some research on how to make a difference in my neighborhood. The purpose of the trip was to showcase best management practices around the Acton Wakefield Watershed and Portsmouth, NH.

This is my final week in Maine as a research and coastal training program intern for the summer. I have mainly been studying the detrimental effects of nitrogen runoff. The three-year project that I helped start looks at Branch Brook and the Merriland River in the Little River Watershed. We selected 20 sites to analyze nitrogen runoff and how it affects the fish, the macroinvertebrates, the river habitat, and the water quality itself.

Fifteen middle and high school teachers, hailing from Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Florida, and Kentucky, attended the Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE) workshop July 11-14 at the Wells Reserve. Due to a generous B-WET (Bay-Watershed Education and Training) grant, the workshop was offered free of charge, including hotel accommodations, most meals, and a variety of educational materials and equipment?to use back in the classroom. In addition, each teacher will receive a $100 stipend and $200 to put towards a stewardship project with their students in the fall.