Bar Harbor Citizen Science

The purpose of this project was for the Worcester Polytechnic Institute 2018 Citizen Science Team to increase citizen science within Acadia National Park. Citizen science helps to bridge the gap between scientists and volunteer citizens, as well as create an opportunity to increase informal learning within the park. The team found that using the already established social media platform of iNaturalist was the best platform to use as an introductory citizen science program. The team created an umbrella project for the entire National Park in order include the 26 peaks within the park and establish boundaries within iNaturalist. The project is meant to track the increase in iNaturalist participants, as well as log the vast biodiversity that occurs on Acadia’s mountain trails

Monitoring Vegetation Change by Using Remote Sensing: An Examination of Visitor-Induced Impact at Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park

Cadillac Mountain, the highest peak along the eastern seaboard in the United States, is a major visitor destination at Acadia National Park. Managing vegetation impact on the summit of Cadillac Mountain is extremely challenging given the number of users and dispersed nature of visitor use at this fragile environmental setting. Since 2000, more intensive management strategies based on placing physical barriers to protect threatened vegetation and leave no trace signs have been employed to reduce vegetation impact and enhance vegetation recovery in the vicinity of the summit loop trail. A number of different change detection techniques and high resolution remote sensing datasets were utilized to identify vegetation impact and recovery from 1979 to 2007. The detection of spatial pattern of vegetation impact and recovery was at a much larger scale than typical recreation ecology studies. Study results showed detailed measurable vegetation regrowth and reduction at distances up to 90 meters from the summit loop trail, indicating overall positive effects in enhancing vegetation recovery in the vicinity of the summit loop trail compared to a nearby control site with similar environmental conditions but no visitor use. As expected, the vegetation recovery was higher as one moved away from the trail itself, and recovery was observed at a higher rate in the intermediate zone where visitor disturbance and ability for sites to regenerate would be higher than more natural variation of regrowth in the outer buffer zone with less visitor activity. It should be noted that overall minimal gains in vegetation regrowth was observed from 2001 to 2007, but compared with the time period of 1979 to 2001 there was more regrowth and less observed vegetation loss but total vegetation has not recovered to 1979 levels. The results also showed that, although with much less resolution than typical recreation ecology studies, vegetation diversity was lower at the experimental site at the level of plant family, suggesting limited success with enhancing vegetation diversity during the analysis time frame. Vegetation change detection using high resolution remote sensing datasets offers an approach for monitoring vegetation change dynamics and to some degree plant diversity, especially for a recreation setting in a sub-alpine environment with limited overstory vegetation such as the case at the summit of Cadillac Mountain. Remote sensing analysis could provide valuable baseline information for future visitorinduced impact monitoring programs and especially for dispersed recreation sites such as Cadillac Mountain

The Physiological Ecology of Seasonal Interactions: How Do Wintering Ground Events Constrain Breeding Success in Neotropical Migrants?

Migratory birds breed throughout the temperate regions of North America but winter in very different habitats further south. Although 1000 km or more may separate wintering from breeding areas, recent research has revealed that ecological conditions during winter can influence subsequent reproductive success. The major objective of this research is to investigate the underlying physiological factors linking winter events with an individual\u27s ability to breed. The American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) is an excellent study animal: its ecology and behavior during the wintering and breeding periods have been intensively studied. The degree to which redstarts prepare for breeding, and the factors that influence this, while still on their winter territories will be investigated by analyzing the links between natural and experimentally induced variation in winter habitat quality (food availability), the birds\u27 energetic condition (body mass, fat stores, plasma indicators of energy storage and use), and their breeding status (reproductive hormones) before they leave the wintering grounds. Similar measures of energetic and reproductive condition will also be taken in redstarts as they arrive at the breeding grounds. Stable-carbon isotopes, as markers of winter habitat origin, will be used to link winter and summer events. This research provides greater understanding of how different periods of an individual\u27s life cycle interact to influence reproductive success, will contribute significantly to our understanding of how migrant bird populations are regulated, and will ultimately help resource managers direct conservation efforts more efficiently. The broader impacts of this research include the opportunity to greatly enhance the breadth of professional training of many students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, through its integration of physiology, behavior, and ecology and a variety of lab and field methods, and will strengthen ties with conservation groups in Jamaica

Conference 2008 - Integrating Science and Mathematics Education Research into Teaching IV: Resources and Tool for Improved Learning

The Center for Science and Mathematics Education at the University of Maine continues its series of national conferences on providing professional development and resources for integrating mathematics and science education research into teaching. The first part of the conference consists of three days of parallel presentations and discussions by nationally recognized experts along with short workshops. The workshops provide first hand experience with either research-based STEM curricula or cutting edge STEM research projects that can serve as a basis for classroom instruction. The purposes of the conference include bringing together 150 participants in all aspects of STEM education (researchers, teachers, administrators, and preservice students) to exchange ideas about research, curriculum and assessment, to help teachers integrate research based instructional strategies in their teaching, and to build sustainable collaborations between participants. The second part of the conference is a two day summer academy in which about 60 participants have the option of (1) working on implementing a module of technology-rich curriculum in their classroom; (2) developing plans, curricular materials and assessments for involving teachers and students in a STEM research project; or (3) adapting and implementing a research-supported curriculum in their teaching. The academy continues throughput the year. A focus on research-based strategies that advance the successful participation of underrepresented groups is embedded in all activities

Fostering Coastal Destination Resilience in Maine: Understanding Climate Change Risks and Behaviors

Tourism is an increasingly important global industry. Coastal and nature-based tourism destinations are especially vulnerable to climate change. Trends in visitation are expected to shift under changing climate conditions, influencing tourist travel behaviors related to destination selection, timing of visits, and activity participation. Tourism suppliers’ adaptation and mitigation behaviors have the potential to alleviate negative shifts in visitation and respond to negative climate change impacts, while also enabling suppliers to take advantage of emerging opportunities. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand how tourism stakeholders, including tourism suppliers (i.e., business owners, managers) and consumers (i.e., visitors), perceive their risk from climate change and how that impacts their behavioral responses. Applying theories of risk perceptions and community resilience, we used a mixed methods approach to understand factors that influence destination resilience and stakeholder climate change risk perceptions and actions. We employed in-depth interviews, archival evidence, and a visitor survey to gather data from study participants. In chapter 2, we used a phenomenological methodology to examine how tourism stakeholders in Machias, Maine are experiencing and adapting to climate change. Findings indicate that social networks centered around shared values, beliefs, and sense of place, as well as engaged local governance, active knowledge sharing, and a sense of self-efficacy all contributed to agency in addressing coastal flooding. In chapter 3, we used a survey to measure drivers of visitors’ climate change risk perceptions in Acadia National Park, Maine. Significant predictors included identifying as female, having higher belief in climate change, having more first-hand experience with climate change impacts, and having a higher altruistic values orientation. In chapter 4, we used a case study methodology to understand the influence of supplier and visitor climate change risk perceptions and behavioral responses on destination resilience. Our findings show where areas of overlap between tourism supplier and visitor experiences, perceptions of threats, and behavioral responses can contribute to destination resilience. The ability of Maine’ tourism industry to assess their risk from climate change, adapt to impacts, and anticipate socio-ecological changes will influence system resilience to respond to climate change and potentially other shocks and stressors

European Expectations of Acadia and the Bermudas, 1603-1624

Acadia and the Bermudas differed greatly in natural environment and in their human history prior to European colonization. Yet this study finds that European expectations of the two colonies were closely comparable during the earliest decades of the seventeenth century. During this exceptional period, differences in economic and environmental potential were obscured by prevailing assumptions, arising from geographical concepts and from the influence of the Spanish colonial example, and by the common effort to reconcile the fundamental conflict between commercial and colonial aims. The resulting similarities of experience between Acadia and the Bermudas were short-lived, but genuine. L’Acadie et les Bermudes différaient fortement au point de vue du milieu physique et de leur histoire avant la colonisation européenne. Cependant la présente étude révèle que les attentes des Européens dans les deux colonies furent très comparables lors des premières décennies du XVIIe siècle. Pendant cette période exceptionnelle, les différences des possibilités économiques et physiques furent voilées par les prétentions dominantes nées des conceptions géographiques et de l’influence de l’exemple colonial espagnol, et par un même effort de concilier l’opposition fondamentale entre les objectifs commerciaux et politiques. Les similitudes entre les expériences de l’Acadie et des Bermudes furent brèves mais réelles