Projects
Reporting on our work, for the record
Sentinel Site Synthesis for Four New England Reserves
Combining and analyzing data from 8 salt marshes at 4 New England reserves showed that marshes are becoming wetter, with low marsh areas losing plant cover and high marsh areas becoming more like low marsh over time.
Climate Stewards Lecture Series
Since 2013, the reserve has hosted guest speakers who discuss the causes, consequences, and responses to climate change.
Kennebunk River Watershed-based Management Plan
The Wells Reserve joins an effort to address water quality impairments in the Kennebunk River watershed.
Managing Young Forests to Benefit the New England Cottontail
The Maine New England Cottontail Conservation Coordinator will create 400 acres of new young forest habitat and provide technical assistance to 50 landowners.
Comparing Salt Marsh Crab Effects across New England Reserves
Abundance and impacts by crabs vary dramatically between sites in northern and southern New England. This study provides improved context for managers and researchers when considering impacts to marshes from multiple crab species across the region.
The Laudholm Census
Volunteers from York County Audubon made bird counts at the Wells Reserve four times a year between 1989 and 2019. During each census, they surveyed four routes covering salt marsh, beach, forest, and meadow. Over these 30 years, the steady Laudholm Census documented changes in bird occurrence.
Developing eDNA Methods for Monitoring the Imperiled Rainbow Smelt in Coastal Streams
The Wells Reserve completed the first application of environmental DNA techniques to the detection of imperiled rainbow smelt.
Warming Waters, Female Lobster Movements, and Inshore Larval Recruitment
How will warming coastal waters affect female lobsters and inshore larval recruitment in the Gulf of Maine?
Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellowship
Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellows address key questions that help scientists and communities understand coastal challenges relating to future policy and management issues. Students receive an annual stipend for research and travel.
Hope Cemetery & Woods Mapping
Friends of Hope Cemetery & Woods wanted to capture and share the history of a Kennebunk landmark, in part by providing a resource for locating graves and preserving the stories of the people buried there. The reserve's GIS lab and students from the University of New England stepped in.