FRIENDS OF SCARBOROUGH MARSH (FOSM) LECTURE SERIES
                                                                                                         
“Plants of the Salt Marsh”
 
Learn more about how plants knit the salt marsh together, and what we can do when invasive plants threaten to take over.  Nancy Olmstead, Invasive Plant Biologist with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, will explain why plants are critical parts of what makes a salt marsh special.
 
FREE, Tuesday, February 26, 2019  7:00 to 8:00 PM
Bessey Commons Theater Room, One Bessey School Drive, Scarborough
                    

The Friends of Scarborough Marsh Lecture Series
2019 (Lectures 7:00 to 8:00 PM at Bessey Commons, One Bessey School Drive, Scarborough)

January 22 – Doug Hitchcox, Maine Audubon Society: Birds of the Marsh
Join Maine Audubon’s Staff Naturalist, Doug Hitchcox, for a discussion on the birds of the Scarborough Marsh, the threats they face, and ways that you can help protect them.
February 26 – Nancy Olmstead, Maine Natural Areas Program: Plants of the Salt Marsh
Learn more about how plants knit the salt marsh together, and what we can do when invasive plants threaten to take over.  Nancy Olmstead, Invasive Plant Biologist with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, will explain why plants are critical parts of what makes a salt marsh special. 
March 19 – Jon Lewis, Maine Department of Marine Resources: Aquaculture in Maine and the Scarborough Marsh
Marine Scientist, Jon Lewis, will provide an overview of the rapidly expanding marine resource industry in Maine and an update on shellfish husbandry in Scarborough Marsh.

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From all of us here at Friends of Scarborough Marsh, we would like to extend a huge thank you to the over 40 volunteers that came out to help clean up the Marsh on Saturday! It was a beautiful day, and we all were amazed at the trash that was found. From car bumpers, to TV's, we wouldn't have been able to get it done without you! Keep your calendars marked for the next one on April 27th, 2019!

SCARBOROUGH MARSH LECTURE SERIES


The Friends of Scarborough Marsh (FOSM) is pleased to launch its 2018 – 2019 Scarborough Marsh Lecture Series. In its second year, the monthly series has been crafted to deliver a range of interesting lectures on topics that pertain to the Scarborough Marsh and its environs—ecology, geology, function (e.g., in art, ecology, economy, natural resource infrastructure, recreation), history, vulnerability. This season’s lectures cover subjects ranging from plants, insects, birds, shellfish and other marsh creatures to human history. You will come away from each lecture with greater appreciation for Maine’s largest salt marsh and its vital place in our society and ecosystem.


FOSM is very grateful to Bessey Commons for hosting this season’s lectures at One Bessey Commons Drive, Scarborough, Maine in the Theater on the lower level. Parking for the lectures will be on the grass behind the Bessey Commons and signs will be posted showing the entrance door to the lectures. Please visit our website for lecture updates:  www.scarboroughmarsh.org


2018 Fall Schedule (Lectures 7:00 – 8:00 PM)


2018
September 25    Brad Zitske, Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife: Returning New England Cottontails to Scarborough
New England cottontail are a state-endangered species numbering fewer than 300 individuals in Maine. Join a regional wildlife biologist to learn how the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife is managing this species from the brink of extinction in the region with habitat management and a translocation effort to increase the population of this once-ubiquitous species. 
October 23    Paula Work, Ph.D., Maine State Museum: The Giants of Maine: The Scarborough Mammoth and Other Ice Age Finds
Bring the family for a friendly romp through Maine’s last Ice Age and the important discoveries that help us unravel this history.
November 27    Jason Goldstein, Ph.D., Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve: DNA and Invasive Fish
Learn how aquatic scientists in Maine, New Hampshire and Oregon are using advancements in DNA technology (eDNA) to identify organisms living in estuarine ecosystems by the matter they leave behind. eDNA avoids the capture of live animals or plants and the logistical challenges associated with traditional monitoring approaches.

Congratulations to Raffle Winners!
Friends of Scarborough Marsh offered raffle entrants the chance to win a pair of Gift Certificates for one hour kayak or canoe rides on the marsh. We thank the participants from Summerfest, Farmer’s Market and Summer Concerts. We encourage everyone to spend time enjoying the beauty of the Scarborough Marsh and congratulate the winners who will have a free hour to view the scenery on the waterways - Maureen Jordan, Judith Roy, Halina Loft, and Anna-Joy Bannon.

In Spring 2018, Friends of Scarborough Marsh (FOSM) contracted with Normandeau Associates to develop a strategy for mitigating the spread of the invasive plant Phragmites (Phragmites Australis) in the Scarborough Marsh. Left unchecked, Phragmites spreads into marsh pools and pannes, creeks and intertidal channels where native saltmarsh habitat can be choked out for aquatic species and birds, including the threatened salt marsh sparrow.
 
Efforts to control this invader are not new. Maine Audubon Society’s landmark 1999 assessment of the Scarborough Marsh identified the spread of this invasive plant as a major threat to the marsh’s biologic diversity and productivity. Mitigation measures, such as plugging of man-made ditches on the marsh plain and targeted treatment of dense Phragmites stands with herbicides have been employed over the last two decades in attempts to control this pernicious intruder. But its invasion continues.
 
During the first phase of the study this summer, Normandeau will map the current extent of Phragmites and other invasive plants in the marsh and evaluate potential causes of the individual patches. Concurrently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be conducting a habitability assessment of the marsh north of the Eastern Trail near Route 1 focusing on the salt marsh sparrow. Using findings from both studies, coupled with research and best practices developed for other salt marshes, Normandeau will develop recommendations for habitat improvement strategies and priorities for Phragmites treatment. Project completion is scheduled for December 2018. A report will be available for download on the FOSM web site. FOSM also plans to host a public workshop to discuss the project findings after the report is released.
 
Funding for the Normandeau study is being provided by FOSM and grants from the Davis Foundation, the Maine Communities Foundation.

Friends of Scarborough Marsh is once again proud to offer the upcoming 2018-2019 SCARBOROUGH MARSH LECTURE SERIES focusing on the interesting and unique aspects of the Marsh. In its second year, this series will provide eight monthly lectures to educate the public about this environmental treasure.
Starting in September, join us to learn about ‘Marsh Inhabitants’, including birds, insects, fish and shellfish, plants and flowers, aboriginal peoples, geological history and more.  You will come away from each lecture with greater appreciation for Maine’s largest salt marsh and its vital place in our society and ecosystem.
This season we are excited to be holding our lectures in Bessey Commons, the recently renovated 1927 Elwood G. Bessey School building at One Bessey Commons Drive in Scarborough, which is listed on the National Historic Register. Bessey Commons is an example of excellence in preservation, a perfect location to promote the preservation of the Scarborough Marsh. Watch for the listing of dates and topics, and see you in September!

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SCARBOROUGH MARSH LECTURE SERIES
January 2018 Lecture
Abigail Carroll, Nonesuch Oysters: Oysters & Merroir
(Oyster tasting 6:30 – 7:00!! Lecture following)
January 24th, 2018
6:30-8:00pm
Cabela’s Scarborough, Maine Store (100 Cabela’s Blvd.)
Lecture held to the left as you enter, in the Penobscot room.
Borrowed from the vintner expression “terroir” to refer to the effect of land on wine grapes, Merroir refers to the characteristics of the marine environment in which an oyster is grown, and its effect on the oyster itself—especially taste. Listen to our board member, Abigail, and learn why oysters raised in Scarborough Marsh waterways differ from those raised elsewhere in Maine and the world. And find out how the little oyster can truly help save the aquatic world! Make sure to arrive early for a chance to taste some of these delicious oysters provided by Nonesuch Oyster.
 
FOSM is very grateful to Cabela’s of Scarborough for hosting this month’s lecture.

Our new document available for download called "Stream Crossing Survey of the Scarborough Marsh Watershed". This survey was put together by Friends of Scarborough Marsh board member Steve Pinette. The compiled data from this report will be used by the Friends of Scarborough Marsh to help guide future efforts related to safeguarding and improving the ecologic health of the Marsh.