Description: The Common Loon (Gavia immer) has historically been used as an indicator species during it's summer breeding season. More specifically, loons have been used as an indicator for heavy metals, biocontamination, and acidity (Canadian Lakes Loon Survey).
Description: The goal of this project was to identify birding hotspots on Mount Desert Island. To do this, I used data from eBird to determine which birds are most common in each sector. The sectors are areas used by birders during the annual Christmas Bird Count . Birding hotspots are areas that birders go to frequently
Description: Mount Desert Island, located off the east coast of Maine, is completely surrounded by intertidal environments. Throughout the 1900s, data was collected and recorded in notebooks regarding intertidal life by numerous researchers, followed by entry into a spreadsheet by Michael Hays, a citizen scientist who worked with the MDIBL (Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory). In present day, these data can be put into a map thanks to ArcGIS Pro. These data includes large amounts of information regarding marine life around the coastal environments of MDI, such as species common and Latin names, locations observed (where on the island along with Lat. and Long.), observation year, along with some brief notes about each observation. [show more]
Description: Rockweed is a brown algae found on rocky shores. The most common types of rockweed are within the genus Ascophyllum spp. and Fucus spp. (the latter is shown to the left). They grow slowly and can live from 3 to 15 years before breakage. Rockweeds have fronds that bear air bladders. These 'airbags' help the algae to stand up straight under water. Rockweed lacks true roots, stems, and leaves, and because they lack a vascular system, absorb dissolved nutrients directly through the blades. Rockweed attaches to rocks with a disc-like “holdfast”, and regenerate fronds from remaining holdfasts after a natural disturbance that removes upright fronds. [show more]
Description: Exploring the Past to Build a Resilient Future To understand how climate change is affecting Mount Desert Island we need to look to the past. Our ancestors documented the natural world around them in stories, reports, journals, diaries, and letters, which are cared for in the collections of history museums and libraries. Increasingly, scientists are pulling observations and data from historic records to get a clearer picture of the natural world of the past to understand how the present is changing. [show more]
Description: Tourists and a horse and buggy on the grounds of the Mount Desert House in Somesville, ME. Inscription on the back reads "R. H. Hyson" in blue pen and "Mt. Desert House/ Somesville" in black pen. Black and white
Description: Second edition of a booklet on the management of deer herds on Mount Desert Island written by Lawrie Holmes. Holmes writes about the history of wildlife management and legislation on Mount Desert Island, characteristics of the deer population, how to determine the age of a deer using bone tests, and game management techniques that have been attempted in other locations. A bibliography of sources and photographs of other deer control activities are included as well. People Mentioned: Maurice Sullivan, Marvin Frost, C. C. Little, George Washington, Ira N. Gabrielson, George Shiras III, Peter Kalm, H. L. Shantz, George E. Street, Thomas Cobbet Jr., Ernest O. Porrell, H. D. Ruhl, G. M. Haskell, I. H. Bartlett, Bill Nye, Shaler B. Aldous, C. M. Aldous, John Pearce, Earl Atwood, W. J. Banks, Bob Bush, Victor H. Cahalane, W. Conklin, E. L. Cheatum, Glenn H. Morton, E. C. Cross, Ruth Drummond, W. S. Feeney, F. B. Forbs, L. F. Marcy, A. Leroy Vorhis, C. E. French, C. C. Furnas, S. M. Furnas, Richard Gerstell, Paul H. Hickie, Fred W. Johnson, Ralph T. King, Aldo Leopold, S. B. Locke, Walter Mann, Merwin A. Marston, L. A. Maynard, Gardener Bump, Robert Darrow, J. C. Woodward, Jack Miner, Glenn H. Morton, Donald McBeath, A. E. Porsild, Earl Saunders, C. J. Spiker, George M. Sutton, E. T. Seton, Harold Titus [show more]
Description: A letter from the acting director of the National Park Service, Arno B. Cammerer, to the Lafayette National Park custodian, George B. Dorr. Cammerer informs Dorr that a proposed road project in Lafayette National Park has been approved. Cammerer believes the proposed plan will provide access to more of the park and states that the planning recognized the importance of keeping some areas remote from the development to maintain their wild character. People Mentioned: E. C. Finney, Frederick Hale, Bert Manfred Fernald, John Edward Nelson [show more]
Description: A letter from Barrington Moore suggesting arguments to Harold Peabody for advancing his campaign against the further construction of roads in Lafayette National Park. Moore argues that while roads are necessary for the park to fulfill its mission of providing access to the public, certain areas must be kept wild, not only for the enjoyment of those seeking solitude in nature but also to serve as natural laboratories for scientists. People Mentioned: George B. Dorr [show more]
Description: A letter from Harold Peabody to the director of the National Park Service, Stephen T. Mather. Peabody believes that he and Mather share a similar desire to see wild places conserved and that Mather will see that the natural character of Mount Desert Island will be preserved by the National Park Service by not allowing further development of Lafayette National Park. People Mentioned: William C. Endicott