Photo:1969 Porch lecture on lobsters by Steve Anderson

This newsletter includes the following topics: 

Greetings to the Shoals Community:

 

February has always felt like the peak of winter to me. While I appreciate the longer daylight hours, we’ve had a long cold spell and lots of snow this February. The river in front of my house is frozen over, and we have at least 2 feet of snow still in our yard. It was really odd for me to see people cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on the river, especially after living beside the Niagara River for more than two decades. Despite trepidation, my husband and I cautiously, and successfully, ventured onto the river last weekend.

 

Our preparations for the 2025 season continue rapidly.  We have completed the hiring for most of the seasonal staff and hope to finalize the rest before the next newsletter, the academic team is getting students in queue for course registration and scholarship support, various team members are involved in training to support island operations this summer, our student intern selection process is well underway, and the facilities and waterfront teams are preparing for projects starting next month.  Our biggest news is that we have hired a new Director of Facilities and Sustainability. Following an open and extensive search, Zach Charewicz was offered and has accepted our offer to lead the facilities and sustainability efforts on the island.  Zach will start this position next month to overlap for several weeks before Ross Hansen retires.  We are also in the final stages of hiring our new lead captain.

 

Shoals will celebrate a big milestone this summer, our 60th season. We are working on some “retro” t-shirt designs for the store (will a Montagnes reappear?). The Shoals Alumni and Friends Association (AFA) is working on plans for our reunion weekend at the end of August. We are also planning to increase our local seafood meals (including lobster) on the island this summer, a throwback to the early years at the lab. I look forward to contributing to the catching, filleting, and smoking of local fish efforts that Eugene Won, Dave Buck, and many others have been leading over the last few summers. We will be working with our seasonal staff to prepare for a “waste inventory” as a sustainability initiative to help us focus on Reduce, Reuse, and Repair/Repurpose as much as possible before Recycling and/or throwing away.

 

I am enjoying the opportunity to share information about the Shoals Marine Lab programs, our long roots and history at both UNH and Cornell, and the amazing educational and research opportunities we provide and community we create with a number of audiences in the area. It is wonderful to get people interested in the work we are doing on the island.

 

I’m looking forward to getting back to the island soon, and hope to see many of you there or on the mainland,

At the heart of Shoals Marine Lab is a passionate team where collaboration and 

connection are part of our staff culture.  Zach's strong work ethic and 

commitment to SML's sustainable mission have prepared him for this important role. 

Zach has a deep history with the lab, both as seasonal and permanent staff. 

As Lead Engineer working with Ross Hansen for the last 2 years, he's learned 

the ins and outs of our island systems and is ready to tackle the critical needs our  infrastructure to serve the next generation of Shoalers. He has demonstrated teamwork with and mentorship of many members of the SML staff, and we look forward to his dedicated leadership as our new Director of Facilities and Sustainability.  

Shoals has three major fundraising initiatives through the year that strengthen our most vital resource, the SML Annual Fund. Cornell Giving Day, UNH 603 Challenge, and our end of year annual appeal, help sustain critical resources that support the hallmarks of the Shoals experience, including immersive educational opportunities, diverse academic offerings, and our expert faculty. By granting unrestricted gifts, 

the annual fund provides SML the most flexibility to support everything from scholarships, facilities, and research, to just keeping the boats running! 

 

Mike and Flora Sigler are loyal donors to SML's Annual Fund through Cornell Giving Day - their matching funds inspire others to maximize their giving during this campaign. Mike's passion for SML started in 1978 when he was a student at the lab and has continued as a current mentor to our SURG (Shoals Undergraduate Research Group). Flora, known as the “island mom," started volunteering three years ago and 

loves everything Shoals has to offer. (photo bottom left)

 

Mike Coburn, Cornell ’78 and SML Alum, served as chair of the AFA from 2018-2024 and is an annual member of the Navigator Circle. By designating his gift to the annual fund through Cornell Giving Day, it allows SML the flexibility to make 

an immediate impact. (photo bottom right) 

 

Spring migration is one of the most exciting times for bird watchers.  Many bird species are seen enroute to northern breeding grounds, birds are sporting their breeding plumage, and males are singing to attract females, which also makes them more evident to bird watchers.  

Migration and the Isles of Shoals will provide participants the opportunity to explore Appledore and the Isles of Shoals with experienced trip leaders helping to see the migrant birds moving through the area and to see species breeding on the island, including gulls, eider, egrets, ibis, and guillemots. More than 120 species of birds have been captured at the station in the spring. The weekend will be led by a team of experienced and enthusiastic ornithologists, Sara Morris, Becky Suomala, and Janet Anderson. 

 

Meet Max Zeltsar, SML SURG (undergraduate researcher) and Middlebury College graduate 2025. Max joins a lineage of Shoals alumni-- his SURG mentor and honors thesis advisor is Alexis Mychajliw, a former TA and summer intern. His research on muskrats on Appledore in summer 2024 was the basis for his honors thesis, and he proudly represented SML during his college graduation weekend on the slopes! (see photo below)

As for many, the Isle of Shoals have been inspirational for David Montagnes, as a biologist and artist. For four summers starting in 1978, David was a student at SML and later was a TA for FMS. His iconic art, including a copepod, a whale, and a brittle star, have donned SML

 t-shirts, mugs, posters, and cards – many of which are still sold in the island store.

During the field seasons of 1985 and 1986, David lived on Appledore conducting research for his master’s thesis on microzooplankton in the Gulf of Maine. This invaluable opportunity launched his career as a plankton biologist at the University of Liverpool, UK. In retirement, his most recent project is an illustrated book about species introduced to the British Isles. Where Are You From? An A to Z of our Flora and Fauna 

 highlights contemporary issues and offers alternatives to some of our more 

dogmatic opinions regarding ecological change and conservation, 

while subtly addressing sociopolitical problems.