Come hear about UNE Associate Professor Dr. Noah Perlut's study of the wildlife affected by what will be the new gap section of the Eastern trail. Join Professor Perlut as he shares fascinating remote video of nightlife and wildlife activity taken along a 1.6 mile portion of Scarborough‘s Eastern Trail. This is part of UNE’s multi-year “Gap Tracks Study” focusing on a part of the trail scheduled to be connected. Learn how environmental factors influence animal behavior. 
This UNE study has been supported by FOSM. Follow the Gap Tracks project on Facebook and Instagram.

Sustainability Series: The Birds of Scarborough Marsh with Linda Woodard
  
Wednesday, October 28 - 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Location: Zoom
Audience: Adults
Join Linda Woodard, Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center Director and Board Member of the Friends of Scarborough Marsh, for this in-depth look at the birds of Maine’s largest saltmarsh.

The discussion will be held on Wednesday, October 28th at 5:30 pm in a Zoom meeting room. All are welcome to join Zoom at https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/85963180695pwd=MTc1U01oQTJpSUViYjc3VkRHR0laZz09
See below for more details about Zoom*.

Participants will not only learn about these birds but will also receive some tips on identification and where to find them. Hundreds of bird species use this unique ecosystem as a migratory stopover, summer nesting ground, and feeding area, and a few live there year round. We will take a look at the herons and egrets that eat fish swimming in these nutrient-rich rivers and the many species of sandpipers that nest or migrate through the marsh. A variety of raptors make the marsh their home along with small songbirds. Special attention will be given to several threatened and endangered species that depend on the marsh for survival and the factors that threaten their survival. This event is co-hosted by the Friends of Scarborough Marsh.

FOSM Free Lecture – “Bringing Nature Home” - September 30, 2020 (via Zoom)

Friends of Scarborough Marsh is pleased to host a free lecture, “Bringing Nature Home”, on Wednesday, September 30th, at 6:00 PM. Like many places, the landscape of coastal Maine has changed dramatically.  Today, gardens, yards, neighborhoods and towns are playing increasingly critical roles in supporting native food webs for birds, pollinators and other wildlife.  Our individual efforts to support wildlife can be both intimately rewarding and broadly beneficial.  With an overall focus on Maine birds and their habitats, Eric Topper, Director of Education for Maine Audubon will introduce what individuals and groups can do, including what plants to choose and how to manage and maintain our gardens for their full ecological function and benefit. Eric will also discuss the large selection of beautiful native flowers, shrubs and trees we can incorporate into our yards to attract and support a multitude of birds, butterflies and other interesting native wildlife. Our hope is to raise awareness in and around Scarborough Marsh.

Please register here, and you will receive a secure Zoom link via email on the day of the lecture. 
​https://maineaudubon.coursestorm.com/course/bringing-nature-home-in-scarborough-marsh
​

Blue Point Preserve – Grand Opening Spring 2020
There has been a lot of activity at the Blue Point Preserve since the Land Trust acquired the property with an assist from the Friends of Scarborough Marsh and a lot of conservation-minded citizens.

• The road (path) down to the site has been graded and reinforced with gravel thanks to Mike Shaw and the Scarborough Public Works crew.
• The house on the property has been demolished thanks to the generosity of Risbara Brothers.
• The parking lot is in, but will not be available for parking until later since it is not being plowed.
• The kiosk is done.

The Land Trust is working on the signage and will have some benches built.   The Prouts Neck Association has given a grant to the Friends for the Blue Point Preserve and we will match it and use it to fund some benches  to provide comfortable viewing and resting along the trail.

Plan to attend the Grand Opening when it is announced and be sure to hike the trail into the preserve to enjoy the marsh views and bird and other animal life of the area.

In March of 2019, the Friends of Scarborough Marsh was a proud recipient of an ecomaine eco-Excellence Award in the Non-Profit Category for leading the charge in sustainability and eco-friendliness in Scarborough. 
A panel of ecomaine Board Members selected our nomination from dozens of nominations., and for that, we want to echo a loud THANK YOU! The committee took note of our commitment to
education about, and protection of, the state’s largest marshland, including the removal of
hundreds of pounds of trash from the marsh. (We couldn't have done it without your help!) 
We hope to continue our efforts in these areas in years to come, and look forward to sharing our continued progress.

 FRIENDS OF SCARBOROUGH MARSH (FOSM)
FREE LECTURE SERIES
 
“Marsh-Friendly Lawn Care”
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
6:30 – 7:30 PM
Study Center, Scarborough High School
​
Friends of Scarborough Marsh (FOSM) is pleased to host a Fall Lecture about marsh-friendly lawn care practices with Jami Fitch, Scarborough’s Sustainability Coordinator, on Wednesday, October 23rd from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. Jami will draw on her extensive experience with healthy lawn care for this free lecture. 
The Town of Scarborough is partnering with FOSM on this lecture as part of the Phillips Brook Restoration Project. The Town recently received a grant to begin restoration work in Phillips Brook, which flows from the Dunstan area into the Scarborough Marsh. Keeping the marsh healthy is of great importance and this lecture will provide details on how the community can affect the quality of marsh water. Join us in the Study Center at Scarborough High School for this free event. Use the front entrance off Durant Drive and follows signs to the lecture. 

Funding for the Phillips Brook Restoration Project was provided, in part, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. The funding is administered by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in partnership with EPA.

The Friends of Scarborough Marsh help complete the closing for the Blue Point Preserve

Betsy Barrett, Board Treasurer and Stephanie Smith, Board President
attended the closing for the Whitten Property, which was the marsh
frontage in the new Blue Point Preserve. The Friends and the
Scarborough Land Trust shared equally in purchasing this portion of the
reserve from the Town of Scarborough.

The preserve is now owned by the Scarborough Land Trust, and they
will be creating trails and improving the access to the property.
By spring we should all be able to enjoy walking, bird watching,
picnicking or just enjoying the marsh from the preserve.
This is a beautiful piece of land abutting the marsh which is now
preserved for posterity.

The Cell Tower controversy has been resolved.
The Friends of Scarborough Marsh joined with the Prouts Neck Association, the Scarborough Land Trust, Maine Audubon and many others to oppose the original plan by Verizon to place a cell tower at the edge of the Marsh.
Happily, after a lot of work and effort by a number of committed residents and the planning board, Verizon has agreed to install a concealment tower with no external antennas, place the tower in a more wooded location farther from the edge of the marsh, limit the height to 110 feet, and paint it a neutral gray tone which makes it less conspicuous.
The Friends of Scarborough Marsh thanks everyone who has been involved in reaching this compromise.

The Friends of Scarborough Marsh would like to thank everyone for stopping by our booth at this years Summerfest celebration. We also would like to congratulate David Hemingway on winning our booth raffle! We hope to see you all there next year!

FREE LECTURE SERIES

“From Volcanoes to Glaciers:

The Geologic History of the Scarborough Marsh Region”

The surface of the Earth is a dynamic and constantly changing landscape that
contains many clues about its history if we know where to look. From this
we can understand the physical, climatic and biological changes that shape it
over eons. Steve Pinette will discuss the geologic history of the Scarborough
Marsh using geologic information that many of us drive or walk by on a
regular basis. You will also learn about the role of the Saco River in Marsh’s
past.

FREE, Tuesday, May 28, 2019 7:00 to 8:00 PM

Bessey Commons Theater Room, One Bessey School Drive, Scarborough

FRIENDS OF SCARBOROUGH MARSH (FOSM) 
 
“Herring Gulls in Portland and Beyond”
                               
Gulls historically nest on islands—but they are also nesting on roof-tops in Portland.  Come learn about the costs and benefits of roof-top nesting by Herring Gulls—a species that is in population decline in the Gulf of Maine from Noah Perlut, PhD., Department of Environmental Studies, UNE.
Dr. Perlut will also talk about how he and colleagues are tracking their migration patterns using traditional and modern tools.

FREE, Tuesday, April 23, 2019     
7:00 to 8:00 PM
Bessey Commons Theater Room, One Bessey School Drive, Scarborough

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 on shellfish husbandry in Scarborough Marsh.
FREE, Tuesday, March 19th, 7:00 to 8:00 PM
Bessey Commons Theater Room,
One Bessey School Drive, Scarborough

      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