Education Fellowship Available
Scott Richardson ~ 2008-03-26
The Wells Reserve has announced a wonderful opportunity for one Maine college graduate who wants to succeed in the field of environmental education.
Thanks to the foresight and generosity of a long-time Laudholm Trust supporter, the Charles C. and Rebecca S. Richardson Post-Baccalaureate Education Fellow will become engaged in interdisciplinary programs that focus on environmental learning and helping Maine communities address complex environmental issues.
The Fellow will begin a 12-month, full-time position in early June and will…
- Coordinate summer camps
- Develop trail guide materials
- Be involved in designing new interpretive exhibits
- Help develop an Environmental Leadership Program
- Gain experience in the breadth of programs offered by the Wells Reserve
- Gain exposure to other environmental education, research, and stewardship centers throughout the region
- Receive considerable opportunities for networking with regional environmental organizations and agencies
The application window for this unique experience is short. If you or someone you know feels qualified to fill the position, please respond by April 13. Visit the Wells Reserve website for more details.
EstuaryLive Wednesday and Thursday
Scott Richardson ~ 2007-09-25
The North Inlet-Winyah Bay and ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserves are hosting live-stream video programming on estuaries from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm Wednesday and Thursday, September 26 and 27.
To check it out, click here
Maine's Dragonfly and Butterfly Surveys
Sue Bickford ~ 2007-06-26
The Wells Reserve couldn’t run without its army of volunteers. They help with every aspect of activity here. One task that I never have problem getting volunteers to help with is going out into the field with insect nets and catching dragonflies and butterflies.
In 1999 the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife start a state-wide survey of dragonflies. That survey concluded in 2004. This year starts the first year of a survey for Maine’s butterflies. MDIF&W relies on citizen scientists to go out and collect specimens in as many different places in state as possible. To increase our knowledge of what kinds of insects we have at the Wells Reserve, we established several sites to sample here as part of those two programs.
According to the Maine Butterfly Survey website one of the goals of the survey is “Acquiring a solid baseline of the distribution and abundance of Maine butterflies.”
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
“Because of their short generation times, sensitivity to environmental insults and often narrow habitat requirements, insects can be effective sentinels of environmental change. As the specter of global warming looms, wildlife biologists and ecologists need to be able to monitor the direction and rate of changes in plant and animal populations. The use of any group of organisms to monitor population changes requires a firm baseline of information against which changes can be judged.
With over 115 species native to Maine, butterflies contribute a colorful and conspicuous component to our state’s biological diversity. Butterflies play an important role in terrestrial and wetland ecosystems by serving both as pollinators of many wildflowers and prey (both caterpillars and adults) to larger species ranging from dragonflies to birds.”
Monarch Caterpillar
For more information on both these programs, visit the Maine Damselfly and Dragonfly Survey site and the Maine Butterfly Survey site.
July Calendar
Scott Richardson ~ 2007-06-26
Summer is here and with it the Wells Reserve calendar becomes quite full. Our complete summer calendar will be ready in a couple of weeks. For now, you can download a listing of programs and events happening in July.
This PDF will print three slips on letter-size paper, so you can post one and share two with visitors.
Don’t forget you can always get more information and the latest updates on the Wells Reserve web.
Overcoming barriers to science education
Scott Richardson ~ 2007-02-12
Education Coordinators from throughout the National Estuarine Research Reserve System are working very closely with the non-profit Teacher Education Resource Center (TERC) to determine how often teachers educate their students about estuaries and what barriers prevent them from teaching about estuaries more frequently.
They hope to use the information to build highly effective curricula that will allow students to learn basic science concepts by studying estuaries and using real research from the reserves.
The NERRS and TERC are looking for the thoughts and opinions of classroom teachers and informal science educators about teaching these topics.
To participate in the anonymous, online needs assessment survey, just visit the SurveyMonkey website.
All respondents are eligible for a raffle to win memberships and educational materials donated by some fabulous professional organizations.
Teleost Tuesday
Scott Richardson ~ 2007-01-01
What’s a teleost? Let’s see what Wikipedia has to offer…
Teleostei is one of three infraclasses in class Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes. This diverse group, which arose in the Triassic period, includes 20,000 extant species in about 40 orders. The other two infraclasses, Holostei and Chondrostei, are paraphyletic.
Alright: Teleosts are ray-finned fish that developed 200 to 250 million years ago, making them evolutionarily “advanced” relative to some ancient fish species. About 80 percent of the world’s 25,000 fish species are teleosts.
When Wells Reserve scientists study fish, they invariably focus on teleosts. So as we develop a simple guide to our region’s coastal fish species—due this spring—only one non-teleost ekes its way in.