Description: Herring gulls are found around the world, not only by the sea, despite often being called "seagulls". There is debate over the herring gull's taxonomic status. American ornithologists lump herring gulls in North America and Europe, while European ornithologists split them. They are often described as scavengers, though there is evidence that individual herring gulls specialize on particular food sources (intertidal, aquaculture, ocean, anthropogenic, freshwater). [show more]
Description: Maine has over 6,000 lakes and ponds. These waterbodies are home to a wide range of wildlife and plant species. Maintaining high water quality in Maine’s lakes and ponds is essential to protect the health of these habitats and the species that use them.
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: Roads often intersect the habitat between forests and wetlands, leaving migrating amphibians with no choice but to cross the road. Unfortunately, many amphibians are killed by vehicles when they migrate across roads. These animals' small size and slow movements make them difficult to see from a car.
Description: The streets are commonplace to all of us. They are a playground to some and a time limit to others. Many of us would love to see the street as a safe place for communities to gather and for people to play and recreate. As long as it does not limit us to work in time. Growing up in the Netherlands I have never seen these two as a conflict, and with the help of some maps, I will show you how road infrastructure in the Netherlands can accommodate both these groups. [show more]
Description: The Rocks and Minerals class of Fall, 2021 taught by Sarah Hall has created an exhibit in the Dorr museum showcasing their collections. These collections are samples of a range of rocks and minerals found in Maine which, when viewed, show the incredible and fascinating world of geology. Should you like to learn more about the places the class collected from, this website is a supplement to the map placed in the Dorr Museum.
Description: Abortion accessibility in Maine is unique because of the state's size and rural population. With long drive times presenting a barrier for many individuals, expanding access to later abortion care should be a priority.
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: In this interview, student Vonnie Love, College of the Atlantic class of 2021, discusses her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic living in Florida and Washington, D.C. while attending remote classes. Use link in Web Resource field to access audio file.
Description: In this follow-up interview, student Micaela Sueldo Glattli, College of the Atlantic class of 2021, discusses navigating the holidays and graduation from college during the pandemic, as well as feeling about the vaccine. Use link in Web Resource field to access audio file.
Description: In this interview, student Micaela Sueldo Glattli, College of the Atlantic class of 2021, discusses her experiences during the early months of the COVID-19 global pandemic moving from Bar Harbor back home to Bolivia, while continuing classes virtually, and eventually finding a flight to Colombia to be with her partner. Use link in Web Resource field to access audio file.
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: Dengue, a mosquito-borne virus, has spread across the globe in recent years, now infecting an estimated 100-400 million people each year. Approximately forty percent of the world’s population lives in countries with a risk of dengue.
Description: According to the University of Hawaii’s Honolulu Climate Change Commission, Oahu is the most at risk from sea-level rise compared to all other Hawaiian islands. By the middle of the century, a report assembled by the commission warned that regular high tide flooding with 3.2ft of local sea-level rise would put 18 miles of coastal road and 4000 settlements at risk (Westfall, 2018).