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
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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
                    

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.