Press Herald cites UMaine researchers in article on Maine park studies
The Portland Press Herald cited several University of Maine researchers in the article, “Maine’s parks are fertile places for research.” Sarah Nelson, an associate research professor in the School of Forest Resources, spoke about her research in Acadia National Park. Nelson, who began studying mercury and acid rain chemistry as a graduate student, started sampling the larvae of dragonflies in Maine streams and waters for mercury, with help from high school students. In 1998, she began sampling within Acadia, where 80 species of dragonflies can serve as bio-sentinels for mercury pollution, according to the article. Nelson said conducting research in national parks provides a greater chance to gather accurate data on a long-term basis. “You know you will be able to come back in 20 years and be able to get to the same site,” she said. “We don’t have those confounding effects like there is suddenly a mall in the middle of a site.” The article mentioned other ongoing projects in Acadia by UMaine professors, including studies of bird migration on Mount Desert Island and the Schoodic peninsula, bird use of rockweed, ecosystem response to climate change, and forest recreation management by students in UMaine’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism program.
Shawn Fraver, a professor in the School of Forest Resources, spoke about a 2013 tornado that blew through the northwest corner of Baxter State Park. The tornado created the opportunity for a multi-year study on beetles and how they responded to the blow-down situation over 400 acres, the article states. “Virtually all the trees were uprooted or blown over,” Fraver said. “That type of wind damage is really unusual in Maine.”
Alison Dibble, an assistant research professor with UMaine’s School of Biology and Ecology, spoke about her contribution to “The Plants of Baxter State Park.” The comprehensive guide has welcomed researchers and volunteers to photograph more than 700 species of plants that grow within the park’s boundaries, the article states.