Is it possible that Maine was once home to the woolly mammoth? And were remains of such an enormous animal actually found near the Nonesuch River in Scarborough? Gary Hoyle, former Curator of the Natural History at the Maine State Museum shares his recently published book in this joint lecture with FOSM and Scarborough Public Library. The discovery of an unusual tusk in Scarborough led Gary to years of research and an excavation on the property where the tusk was uncovered.
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Brad Zitske, Wildlife Biologist, Bird Group at Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, presented on Maine's Shorebirds 10/26/22 in this talk that was co-sponsored by Friends of Scarborough Marsh and Scarborough Public Library. Shorebirds are a diverse group of birds that include sandpipers, plovers, turnstones, knots, curlews, dowitchers, and phalaropes. North America has the greatest diversity of shorebird species and largest numbers of shorebirds in the world.
Over thirty shorebird species spend some portion of their annual life cycle in Maine, with eight species breeding here. Shorebirds are an important group for management consideration, because large numbers of these birds concentrate in discrete areas of coastal habitat where they are highly susceptible to disturbance, development, and environmental contaminants. Scarborough Marsh supports many thousands of individuals by providing abundant feeding and roosting habitat. On the sandy beaches of Maine, the endangered Piping Plover can be seen during the summer months. Brad Zitske discusses some of the species found in Maine in this virtual talk. He also presented some interesting research happening in the state and along the Atlantic coast, why it is important given widespread population declines for many species, and how you can help conserve them. Brad has served on the Friends of Scarborough Marsh Board. Watch the amazing camera footage for research being conducted by students at UNE on the wildlife along the proposed new Eastern Trail Close the Gap section to Portland. This study assesses the wildlife community in the Gap of the Eastern Trail and Nonesuch River before, during and after trail construction. This lecture was presented by FOSM and the Scarborough Public Library on 4/27/22. |
Scarborough Marsh Lecture Series
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