Second Century Stewardship reports three faculty members to conduct research in Acadia National Park
Second Century Stewardship reported three University of Maine faculty members have been awarded fellowships to conduct research in Acadia National Park. The faculty members are Rachel Fowler, laboratory coordinator with the School of Biology and Ecology; Bonnie Newsom, assistant professor of anthropology; and Jay Wason, assistant professor of forest ecosystem physiology. Fowler aims to develop an early warning system for detecting blooms of cyanobacteria, a kind of algae that thrive in warm, nutrient-rich waters and can be toxic to people and animals, the article states. Newsom will analyze existing archaeological collections from shell midden sites in the park to chronicle past occupation and use, and generate a baseline data set for future studies of Indigenous peoples and their connections to the region. And Wason plans to study coastal spruce-fir forests in Acadia. The fellowships are part of Second Century Stewardship, an initiative of the National Park Service, Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, and the National Park Foundation.