The Wrack

Just one of many projects underway in the research department at the Wells Reserve this summer is the environmental monitoring of the Mousam and Kennebunk Rivers in support of an ongoing initiative, the Mousam & Kennebunk Rivers Alliance (MKRA).

The new issue of Watermark is in the mail to Laudholm Trust members and it's now available online, too. This issue contains information and images about&

I participated in a watershed hike this past Tuesday in the York and Kittery Water Districts. Not only did we see the beauty of the trails around Mount Agamenticus, but concepts about the larger context of the watersheds were discussed. Water district staff and operators attended along with watershed groups, land trusts, and other municipal staff involved with source water protection. After a quick introduciton and history talk on top of Mt. Agamenticus, the group embarked on a 1.5 mile hike through the York and Kittery Watersheds.

At this nationally recognized historic site that serves as a center for our activities, we are a great example of change and adaptation. We reveal so well that as our society changes? our economies, our values? so do the places we inhabit. Thus these 19^th century buildings designed for farming have been adapted to serve our 21^st century mission of coastal science, education, and stewardship.

I have always felt our Reserve, located on the south coast of Maine, is a great example of the meeting of the past and the present? of natural ecosystems and cultural landscapes. They exist side-by-side, but are also interwoven. This place also illustrates for us that landscapes continually change; they are never stagnant. Natural systems and human actions change what we see around us? whether it is our contemporary efforts to keep our fields from reverting to forests through mowing or burning, or the natural forces of rivers and coastal currents that alter the shape and contours of our beaches. Change happens.

Rain didn't dampen spirits during the ceremony for the new exhibits! About 50 people enjoyed locally made refreshments before touring the rooms.

A small envelope in the Laudholm archives holds two postcards dating from the early 20th century. They were passed along to Mort Mather by Ellie Carberry perhaps around 1992.

To celebrate the summer season, natural resource outreach leaders held a meeting atop Mt. Agamenticus on the first day of summer, June 21st. Mt. Agamenticus covers about 30,000 acres in Southern Maine and proved to be the perfect meeting place to discuss the watersheds of the area. Subjects such as riparian buffers, sustainable development, and water health were?discussed?in the learning lodge on top of the small mountain. Ideas were shared and traded such as concept mapping. Concept mapping is starting with an idea, such as healthy water, and then branching?connected?ideas from that main subject. It is a unique activity that shows how others may think. What comes to your mind first when you think of a healthy watershed?

Last Tuesday, June 7, the Reserve's education team made a morning low tide?visit to Laudholm Beach as part of new staff training. They were treated to a most amazing sighting of a bright red, approximately 15 inch long Sea Raven! David Word, a Wells Reserve visitor from Kentucky, was nearby and had his camera. Below are two images of the fish?that?David so?generously emailed today. …

In planning for new Visitor Center exhibits, it was pre-determined we would not make significant changes to the historic farmhouse that contains them. But it also became clear early on that something needed to be done to improve the "flow" through exhibit rooms. Before long, a simple solution arose: Move the main entrance to another door.

My first day on the job as an intern at the Wells Reserve included a field trip tour of my new home with fellow new interns, Veronica Spolarich and Kathryn Rosengren. Coastal Training mentors Annie Cox and Chris Feurt drove us all across York county to talk about the history of the watersheds in the area.