It has been quite a month at Shoals. The chill in the air each morning is a clear indication that fall is coming and that our season is winding down. Our classes have ended for the summer, and we are hosting our public programs and a variety of user groups. Earlier this month we held our annual symposium at which our research interns shared the results of their summer-long research that included: comparing current songbird populations with those of the 1970s, studying the intertidal biodiversity on Appledore, studying the effect of GPS tags on breeding Roseate Terns, investigating the impact of gulls on nesting Black Guillemots, determining the importance of seabirds for rock pool ecosystems, developing a sustainable lobster bait from fish processing waste, investigating the effect of temperature on haul out behavior of seals with shark bites, determining ledge preference and cohabitation of harbor and gray seals, and studying this isolated population of muskrats. We hosted a brunch to thank the UNH Marine Docents for leading the garden tours and walking tours that provide the opportunity for people to take day trips to the island. Bird migration is underway, and the Appledore Island Migration Station (AIMS, our songbird banding program) has opened and is hosting most of our visiting groups. We have had to say good-bye to our student staff and to some of our seasonal staff who are headed to grad school, which we knew was coming but is painful nonetheless. The bonds forged on Appledore are strong.
Next week we will host a memorial/tribute for Dr. John M. (Jack) Kingsbury, our founding director, who passed away on May 27, 2023. Our Alumni and Friends Association has been hard at work helping to plan the event and develop the guest list of people who knew Jack best to invite to Appledore, while still being an intimate gathering for his family. The event is scheduled to begin at 10:30 on Friday, August 30, and anyone who would like to livestream the tribute can register for the zoom webinar below. We will also be recording the tribute. Jack’s vision and perseverance created something truly special on Appledore, and his hand is evident in most of our daily activities at the Lab. Jack’s daughter, Joanna, recently gave the lab a number of mementos that she felt should be here on Appledore including his classic portrait by Peter Randall, his signature cap, a tie embroidered with the Shoals logo, a handkerchief embroidered with algae, the cork from the christening of the R/V John M Kingsbury, the original Shoals flag, and even the wheel from the R/V Wrack, one of the lab’s earliest vessels and a workhorse during the construction years. These items will be on display at Kingsbury House (K-House), which also honors Jack’s legacy.
The magic of Appledore that Jack began and that the Lab has nurtured is alive and well. Last week, we turned off the lights on the island to allow our students to experience the night sky without light pollution (or as little as we could manage). I’m not sure how many of us converged on the floating dock to see the bioluminescence as we swirled the water with a paddle and to lie down to watch the Perseid meteor shower. Most of the students had never seen bioluminescence, so many stars, or meteors. We lay there in silence enjoying the show and occasionally gasping in unison when a particularly bright meteor flashed across the sky. The shared experience of wonder and beauty has long been a hallmark of a Shoals experience. This is a learning island, and it is heartening to see that students at Shoals continue to choose to do something extra or see something new at every opportunity!
It has been an amazing first summer for me as executive director. Thanks to all who have helped the magic of Appledore continue.
SML invites you to honor the life and legacy of
the lab’s founding director,
Dr. John M. Kingsbury
(July 4, 1928 – May 27, 2023)
Join us remotely for this special event from Appledore Island
Earlier this month, the Shoals Undergraduate Research Group had their symposium where they presented the research they had done throughout the summer, studying everything from seabirds, to the intertidal, to muskrats! These young scientists did amazing work, and we want to highlight their accomplishments and contributions, as students who spend a majority of their summer here with us on Appledore. Thank you SURGs for living and learning with us!
And thank you to everyone who came to the symposium and our community at large, for continuously and proudly nurturing the next generation of marine stewards.
Sea Change: the Gulf of Maine
Check out this documentary about change in the Gulf of Maine - featuring work done by our very own Dr. Liz Craig! This media premiered on PBS this summer and is available for your viewing here. Raising awareness among students and our community about marine science and conservation issues is a large part of our work here at Shoals Marine Lab, and we are honored to continue this in a variety of forms!
Thanks for continuing to be so
JAW-some!
What a success! Since posting our SML ‘wish list’ last month, 5 items have already been donated. Our staff can't thank you enough for making life on Appledore even better!
If you are interested in donating one of these items,
please contact Amy Fish at amy.fish@unh.edu
NEW White Island field station propane fridge ($2,000)
NEW LED ceiling fans for K House - 2 ($600)
NEW K House screen doors - 2 ($400 each, $800 total)
Ferno NAJO Lite Spineboard ($540)
Spinning rods for student fishing - 3 ($660)
Student Recreation Fund ($1,500)
Mooring Balls ($475) Donated
AIS (automatic identification system) for the R/V John B. Heiser ($800)Donated
Blackout Fabric Honeycomb Blinds for commons dining room ($1,100)Donated
Winter boat electric motor ($4,000)Donated
New Winter Boat ($5,700)Donated
The Future Is Bright for Rachel Lewis
When Rachel joined the SML staff last fall as our Communications Coordinator, it was a match made at sea. Rachel has been a part of the Shoals community since the summer before her freshman year at UNH. Her first exposure to the lab and the SML community was through Dr. Jessica Bolker’s Marine Immersion course. Since that summer, Rachel has explored the breadth of academic offerings at the lab, enrolling in Field Ornithology, Marine Mammal Biology, Shark Biology and Conservation, and then as a post-bac student, our Applied Science Communications course. Her experience in our Shark Biology and Conservation course made her the ideal candidate for a teaching assistant position in our pre-college Introduction to the Biology of Sharks, Skates and Rays. She has served as a TA for that course for three years now! Her experience in the Applied Science Communications course, coupled with her total familiarity with the island and our academic offerings gave her the advantage of knowing what inspires this community, and as a direct result, significantly increased our social media and newsletter presence. One of her biggest accomplishments was interviewing many of SML’s scholarship recipients to learn how their experience impacted their academic and future career choices, to translate into impact reports for our most loyal supporters.
Rachel will continue her education at UNH this fall as a graduate student in Marine Biology. Her work involves using bioacoustics (passive acoustic monitoring) and environmental sea ice data to understand shifts in bearded seal breeding phenology and calling behavior in relation to climate change in Alaska.
We couldn’t be prouder of this future scientist and her commitment to marine conservation.Thank you, Rachel, for all your hard work and commitment to SML! Wishing you fair winds and following seas…
Did you know SML has an online store?
Did you miss getting the Shoals merch you wanted when you were on Appledore this summer? Want to look for different sizes or colors?
SML has an online store with our merchandise in a variety of colors and sizes we don't offer in person. Check it out here!
