Photo: Ron Sher

This newsletter includes the following topics: 

Greetings from a bustling Appledore Island!

 

Since our May newsletter, two blocks of classes have come and gone, a third block is underway, the migration bird banding station has closed for the summer, there are gull chicks all over the island and very few nests that still have eggs, our research interns are deep in their studies, the boats have been hagfishing and trawling, the weather has turned from cold and rainy to warm, and we are now regularly having swim calls.

 

This season, we were able to offer classes earlier than usual, with our first block of classes starting right after Cornell’s finals and UNH’s graduation. Field ornithology, a return of biological illustration, and the brand-new field bioacoustics and soundscape ecology class was a great combination. The classes were able to integrate activities where they overlapped, and the ornithology and bioacoustics students completed a joint project related to gull calls. The block ended with a symposium of those two classes, followed by a gallery show of the biological illustration projects. We intend to offer this combination again at the beginning of our next season!

 

Our second block of classes has developed coordinated activities as well. The faculty of marine parasites and diseases and of marine mammal biology coordinate several of their activities, including their intertidal exploration, visit to the seal colony, whale watch and whale watch preparation, and dissections. The kitchen must be careful about the menu after the students have seen all the parasites in fish and mammals during the dissections. The coffeehouse to end that block was quite energetic and entertaining.

 

This year we are ending each class block with a lobster dinner. The students seemed quite excited to have this tradition revived, especially when they learned that the lobsters were caught here in the Gulf of Maine by local lobstermen.  We have also worked on bringing more seafood into our menus throughout the summer.

 

Our garden tours and walking tours have just begun. We were thrilled that Celia’s garden and Terry Cook’s work as the Celia Thaxter Garden Steward were featured on the front page of the Boston Globe last week.

 

Our island community is truly enjoying the island and ocean views, sea air, and fabulous food. Our 60th season is off to a fantastic start! I hope to see many of you this summer, including at the 60th celebration.

Each year Shoals Marine Lab welcomes a dedicated group of interns for 3-10 weeks to Appledore Island. These interns are called SURG students (Shoals Undergraduate Research Group), and they work directly with faculty mentors and SML scientists to conduct research experiments and projects, combining new areas of discovery with ongoing, long-term monitoring. The SURG program provides invaluable experience and helps students develop skills that will increase their marketability when it's time to apply to graduate school or pursue their career aspirations. Here are some updates on what our 2025 SURG students are currently researching.

Intertidal Ecology SURG Sophia Kuzminski shares: “I’m deploying a mussel biosensor off the dock that uses magnets and sensors to measure how often and how much mussels gape to see how they respond to heat stress.” (above left)

 

Riley Smith's first lobster from traps (above right)

Kiersten Jewel says: “We (finally) caught mackerel so I'm starting to dissect the fish. I'm extracting, counting, and measuring didyzomoid trematode worms. These are a parasite found in the mouths of mackerel that have only been described in the literature once before, and almost all of the fish we've caught are infected!” (above left)

 

Stella Risinger, Gull Population Biology SURG, checks nests and takes chick growth measurements. (above right)

Muskrat SURG Ariel Zhang sets up camera traps (above left)

 

Caitlin Panicker, Seabird Ecology and Conservation SURG, says her highlight of last week was seeing this guillemot and her eggs inside a nest at Broad Cove! (above right)

Would you like to learn about the muskrats we share Appledore Island with? How did they get there? How well do they survive on a rocky island? How does one study these fetching rodents? We are proud to share that research done by Shoals alum Dr. Alexis Mychajliw, 2024 muskrat SURG Max Zeltsar, and several Shoals alumni has been published in Ecology and Evolution! You can read Muskrat Island: Behavioral Shifts of an Insular Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) Population in the Gulf of Maine by following this link. 

photo: Max Zeltzar 

John Munier and Dorothy Fitch first visited Appledore on a New Hampshire Audubon birding trip in 1988, where they were introduced to the island birds and the bird banding station. In 1994, they took “Dangle, Tangle, and Drudge,” which provided an introduction to bird banding, identification, and extraction. They quickly became regular assistants (band-aides) at the Appledore Island Migration Station (AIMS, the banding station), training under Sara Morris as she completed her graduate studies, and were soon licensed to run the station, which John did extensively in 1997. After building their skills on Appledore, they initiated several banding projects at NH Audubon's Massabesic property, including a continent-wide, collaborative effort to study bird breeding success and a nest box project to attract Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows. Several of the people they trained on their projects migrated to Appledore and continue to be band-aides and banders there, including Lindsay Herlihy and Jeff Ott (so they can also take credit for the years Charlotte Ott served as SML head chef!)

 

Although they have moved to Arizona, they have remained interested in Shoals and the migration research on Appledore.  Wanting to ensure that the banding station could continue, they established an endowment at Cornell to support AIMS and avian migration research, and they have also developed a planned gift agreement to enhance the opportunities for others to train at the station and to support the banding activities and the Shoals Marine Lab into the future. Their endowment currently supports the hire of an intern throughout the spring migration season.

 

A full description of their work and their contributions to the station, including several innovations still in use today, will soon be available on the SML website, where we hope to profile stories of our supporters.

 

photos provided by John Munier and Dorothy Fitch

One beautiful thing about Shoals is that the island always meets you where you're at. Through life’s phases, curiosities, and lessons, Appledore has a way of sharing and teaching that is hard to duplicate anywhere else. The wide range of opportunities that can be found at Shoals is exemplified in the experiences of SML alumna and volunteer, Steph Walsh.

 

Steph first experienced Shoals as an undergraduate student in the summers of 2011-13. While working towards a B.S. in Zoology at UNH, she studied Anatomy and Function of Marine Vertebrates, Evolution and Marine Diversity, and Underwater Research. The goal at the time was to pursue a career in marine mammal research. To this end, Steph also enjoyed the summer of 2013 as a Marine Mammal Intern, and contributed as a Teaching Assistant for the 2014 UWR course while also working full time as a commercial diver away from Shoals.

Over the next decade, Steph built a career in operations and simultaneously completed her M.S. in Recreation Management & Policy at UNH, exploring the impact of offshore wind development on coastal recreation in NH. This ultimately resulted in her current career at a local renewable energy company. In the years following her formal roles with SML, Steph has routinely participated in Volunteer Weekend, assisting in prepping the island for the season: “It’s so rewarding to give back, and to know that my weekend of volunteering has a direct impact on welcoming that summer’s visitors. And, what a privilege to have any excuse to set foot on Appledore!”

 

While she is no longer actively pursuing a career in marine research, the passion and interest remain. Stepping on a Shoals vessel, connecting with the SML community and staff, or simply gazing across the water from the deck of the Commons will always bring joy. Best of all, Steph now enjoys Appledore from a new perspective, as a novice but avid birdwatcher and photographer. “While I’ve always been drawn to animals and nature, my interest in birding bloomed just recently. This year, I was counting down the days to bring my new camera and lens with me to Volunteer Weekend and enjoy birding in my down time.”

 

There is no doubt that Shoals will continue to grow into new interests and experiences for those that love it. Appledore is a rare and wonderful place that always feels, somehow, both new and exactly as you left it. What a gift to always be welcomed back to the island just as you are in that moment. 

photos: left-seal observation as a Marine Mammal intern, center- Eastern kingbird, right- Steph (in bright hat) with Shoals friends at 2024 Volunteer Weekend

photo: Jim Coyer

We invite all those with a connection to Shoals Marine Lab, past or present, to join us for a very special weekend. We are planning some amazing activities for all participants. Explore the island, enjoy SML educational programming, take advantage of a swim call, participate in a "fire line" to bring supplies on island, play games, enjoy the unique natural environment that only the Isles of Shoals can provide, reconnect with old friends, and meet new ones, and enjoy some good old-fashioned Shoals shenanigans! 

Day trip, 1-night, and 2-night options are available. Don't delay! Space is limited!

An anonymous and very generous donor has made a $60K dollar gift to the lab and is challenging members of our community to meet their gift in honor of SML’s 60th season!

Help us reach the ambitious goal of raising $6M for the 60th to support our key initiatives:

Please reach out to Amy Fish at amy.fish@unh.edu or donate online by clicking on the button below.

We are often asked if we have any needs to make the staff, student, and community experience even more impactful. Here are some current items we would love to have!

Let us know if you can help! Please reach out to Amy Fish, Director of Community Relations, at amy.fish@unh.edu if you are interested in making a donation designated toward any of these items. Thank you! 

 

Belonging at SML | Student Courses | Research Internships | Public Programs

Alumni & Friends Association | Contact Us | Give to SML