The Wrack

The following was published in the Biddeford-Saco?Journal Tribune Sunday edition, 8/17/2014.

Around the time I was twelve, I went through what my parents called the Indiana Jones stage. I wore an officially licensed brown fedora, carried a homemade clothesline bullwhip, and definitely expected to be an archaeologist when I grew up. I even talked my way into a field expedition to the Caribbean island of Grenada, though I was two years short of their minimum age requirement. Rules didnt matter  in search of lost tribes, buried treasure, even whip-cracking adventure, I dreamt only of piercing the jungles dark heart. Cue the trumpets!

The following was published in the Biddeford-Saco?Journal Tribune Sunday edition, 7/20/2014.

If the Wells Reserve at Laudholm had an oil well and a refinery and a power plant on site, we could keep the lights on, fill up our heating oil tank, and top off my Volkswagen every day for cheap. But we dont. Thats just one of the drawbacks of fossil fuels: the infrastructure needs are enormous. Add the geopolitical strife, the pollution, and the finite supply of oil, coal, and natural gas, and its a wonder that our society uses the stuff as greedily as we do.

We cant live without energy. Fossil fuels power the global economic engine, and theyre immensely profitable to their producers. If only they didnt have those annoying consequences. If fossil fuels were as vast, inexhaustible, and reliable as the sun that rises daily over our heads, theyd be great.

If we look around, we can watch the natural world disappearing right before our eyes. The good news is that those rates of loss have been worse in the past. The bad news is that what we see disappearing isnt the only thing were losing. It turns out, the sounds of the natural world are fading too.

The following was published in the Biddeford-Saco?Journal Tribune Sunday edition, 6/15/2014.

When Facilities Manager John Speight watched a pickup truck accidentally drive into what hed thought was a well-protected propane tank at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm last weekend, his first thought was: I hear the hiss, so Im still alive.

His second thought was: lets keep it that way.

The following was published in the Biddeford-Saco?Journal Tribune Sunday edition, 6/1/2014.

My son and I were simultaneously awakened at 4am this past Sunday by the call of the wild. At first we heard what sounded like a howl, but then as the fog of sleep cleared, the noise resolved into the distinct calls who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-for-you-all.

The following was published in the Biddeford-Saco?Journal Tribune Sunday edition, 5/18/2014.

Hey, parents! Psst  come over here. Ive got something for ya. Something I think youre gonna like.

What if I told you I had something that supercharged your kids test scores and GPA, made them more attentive and cooperative, improved good cholesterol and blood circulation, lowered obesity and stress? How much would that be worth to you? What would you pay for this wonder drug? $100? $1,000?

Well, its not for sale. Actually, its free, its legal, and youve already got plenty at home.

I get to meet many scientists. While its hard to understand them sometimes, they are all very decent (and underpaid) people. And they are all as astounded as I am that more than half the country does not believe them when they say climate change is real, that it is happening, and that it is man-made.

Let me introduce you to the Wells Reserves favorite, and most vexing, local bunny.

The following was published in the Biddeford-Saco?Journal Tribune Sunday edition, 3/30/2014.

Even though I work for the Wells Reserve at Laudholm, a coastal research and education center, Id never thought too deeply about flood insurance  that is, until a crack addict knocked on the door of my home one Saturday night this winter.

Once invasive species get into an ecosystem, it's nearly impossible to get them out.