October in New England is a busy time! In addition to all the apple picking and leaf peeping that has to happen everyone is busy cleaning up and putting summer away while getting things ready for winter. In addition to the tribute to founding director, Dr. Kingsbury, that was sent out earlier this week, we want to briefly share a few highlights of what fall at the lab has been like these past weeks.
You will see below that SML staff have been busy with a combination of major facilities upgrades, research-related activities, and preparations for what should be a fun night at the Thaxter Hotel, scheduled for November 1st – I hope to see you there! We were fortunate to host Britney Schmidt and her research lab from Cornell for a visit to Appledore this month. They are field-testing an autonomous vehicle before its intended deployment under the Antarctic ice sheet. Have a look at her lab’s webpage - pretty amazing stuff!
We are also happy to announce that we surpassed our summer fundraising goal for a new inflatable boat and will be adding two new 16 ft. inflatables to our fleet! Captain Steve and crew are grateful for the support from all who contributed!
Wherever you are this fall, I hope you are enjoying a bit of the changing seasons. Know that we are busy at work here at the lab, closing up shop from the summer while simultaneously getting prepared for next year. Take care and stay in touch!
Best,
You Float Our Boats!
The results are in…and thanks to you,
SML is getting 2 new Zodiacs.
We announced an exciting and important campaign in August to replace our inflatable boat fleet. Thanks to a generous Cornell ’79 and SML ’77 alumnus who committed $6K in matching funds to support this effort, your matching gifts were enough to purchase 2 new Zodiacs for SML.
Our staff, students, and faculty will benefit most from this impactful gift -
we can’t wait for summer 2024!
Thank you to everyone who contributed- you are amazing!
Enjoy a magical evening of art and history, celebrating the legacy of Celia Thaxter’s Appledore Island Salon.
You are invited to “Appledore Revisited: Cigar Box Painting Returns to Celia’s Salon,” a benefit exhibition by past SML Artist-in-Residence (AIR) artists featuring cigar box paintings and framed studio works all either painted on or inspired by Appledore.
The event will be held Nov. 1st, 5-7pm atHotel Thaxter, Portsmouth, NH. Ticketholders will enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres, beer, wine, and specialty cocktails courtesy of Nichinan. A brief talk about Appledore, past and present, will be given along with a screening of a short documentary about the project.
Our cigar box artists departing Appledore Island
Photo by Terry Cook
This is a truly rare chance to support the important dialogue between scientific exploration and the arts as 50% of the proceeds will benefit Shoals Marine Lab, its invaluable research and educational programming. Limited tickets are available, so learn more about the event here and click the button below to purchase tickets. If you can’t make the event, paintings will be available for purchaseonlineon November 2nd.
Please note, “Appledore Revisited” is organized by a committee of generous artists and community members committed to seeing SML thrive. Although the proceeds of the event will benefit Shoals Marine Lab, the tickets and art sales are not considered a charitable deduction.
Shoals is Represented at the International Waterbird Society
Dr. Liz Craig, along with research collaborators and students, shared results from the Isles of Shoals Seabird Ecology and Conservation Program at the International Waterbird Society annual meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida this month. In addition to the extensive monitoring of tern nesting behavior that Liz directs each summer, she and her team of collaborators have expanded the scope of seabird research at SML in recent years.
Presentations at the Waterbird Society meeting included the use of satellite telemetry to understand tern migratory behavior (by Aliya Caldwell) and the use of DNA analysis of feces to estimate the contribution of different prey species in the diets of seabirds (by Dr. Gemma Clucas). These research efforts help build a broader, more comprehensive picture of the health of marine ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine and beyond.
Island Infrastructure is Getting an Upgrade
Through a combination of funding from the Economic Development Authority and the Office of Naval Research, SML is in the midst of a significant upgrade to our green grid. This includes a major upgrade to our battery bank (upper left photo), new ground-mounted solar panels, and upgraded technology to support the new components of the grid. In addition, roof repairs to Dorm Three and repairs to the Commons are underway. Needless to say, Ross, Zach, and crew have had a busy October!
One Robot's Pitstop at Appledore
The @icefinrobot team preparing Icefin for a test deployment off the floating dock on Appledore. The group of researchers, lead by Britney Schmidt, are preparing for a field mission to Antarctica where they will study conditions under the icesheet near Troll, the Norwegian Polar Institute's field station.
