Environmental Health and Protection Commons^™

Coral Restoration: Comparisons In Space, Time, Impacts, And Costs, Allison Fargo

Honors College

Seventy-five percent of coral reefs globally face crisis due to anthropogenic disturbances, prompting heightened global coral restoration initiatives to preserve these vital ecosystems. Various regions employ diverse active coral restoration methodologies, including coral gardening, transplantation, micro-fragmentation, artificial reefs, and sexual propagation. Of these methods, coral gardening stands out as one of the most common and highly successful methods, alongside widespread transplantation practices. Restoration efforts predominantly focus on acroporids due to their relatively rapid growth and asexual fragmentation; however, a diverse range of coral species, including large, slow-growing varieties, is also employed in these endeavors. Costs vary significantly, ranging from $10,000 …

University Of Maine 2020 Clery Fire Safety Report, University Of Maine Police Department

General University of Maine Publications

The Higher Education Opportunity Act requires that each campus report on fires at student housing facilities as well as publish a fire safety report which is to be available to the public after October 1 of every year. A copy of the annual report is available from the Safety and Environmental Management Department.

Interglacial Expansion Of Alpine Glaciers In Garwood Valley, Antarctica, Laura Mattas

Honors College

It is important to understand the response of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) to ongoing global atmospheric and oceanic warming to anticipate future sea-level change. There are several contrasting views in this regard. Harig and Simons (2015) concur with the IPCC (2013) conclusion that, in recent decades, outflow across the peripheral grounding lines of the ice sheet has exceeded increased accumulation on the interior surface of the ice sheet. In contrast, Zwally et al. (2015) suggest that recent surface accumulation in the interior East and West Antarctica has outpaced peripheral losses. They further suggest that this recent positive imbalance adds …

The Effects Of Flooding On The Microbial Communities Of Sparrow Eggs In A Temperate Maine Salt Marsh, Mattie Paradise

Honors College

Microbial infection has been shown to reduce hatching success for the eggs of tropical birds. In these ecosystems, humidity and temperature encourage bacterial growth and the transport of microbes through the pores of the egg shell. A single study in a temperate ecosystem found no noticeable change of microbial communities during the length of the incubation cycle, and thus no increased risk of microbial infection by the time of hatching. This study, however, took place in the arid Mediterranean type climate of California, a locale that likely diminishes the abilities of microbial communities to colonize and grow on egg surfaces. …

Effect Of Forest Vegetation On Nest-Site Selection By Spruce Grouse Across Two Spatial Scales, Nathaniel Scott Parkhill

Honors College

The spruce grouse (Falcipennis canadensis) is a gallinaceous bird that is threatened or endangered throughout much of the southeastern limit of its range. Generally associated with short-needled conifer forests like those characteristic of northern Maine, this species may be particularly sensitive to recent changes in timber harvesting practices. I examined nest-site selection to better understand spruce grouse habitat associations in northern Maine. In the summer of 2013, I located the nests of 12 female spruce grouse in commercially-managed forests of north-central Maine. I measured vegetation characteristics at nests and at sampling points 30 meters from nests, as well …

Biodegradation And Feasibility Of Three Pleurotus Species On Cigarette Filters, Raymond Updyke

Honors College

This study was designed to evaluate the biodegradation and feasibility of growing three oyster mushroom species - Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus citrinopileatus, and Pleurotus djamor - on three different cigarette filter waste substrates: intact cigarette filters, blended cigarette filters, and smoked, intact cigarette filters. Cigarette filters are a common waste and are made primarily of cellulose acetate. Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.) have been shown to degrade synthetic polymers similar to cellulose acetate. In the experiment, the substrates were inoculated with mushroom spawn and placed in a growth chamber maintained at 24° C. After a six-week period, mycelium …

University Of Maine 2012 Clery Fire Safety Report, University Of Maine, Department Of Environmental Health And Management

General University of Maine Publications

The Higher Education Opportunity Act requires that each campus report on fires at student housing facilities as well as publish a fire safety report which is to be available to the public after October 1 of every year. A copy of the annual report is available from the Safety and Environmental Management Department.

Lake Site Assessments: Us Epa Time-New England Lakes, Sarah J. Nelson, Adam Baumann, Alesha Coffin, Ken Johnson, Catherine Schmitt, Kristin Strock

Forest Resources Faculty Scholarship

TIME (Temporally Integrated Monitoring of Ecosystems) is a statistically selected population of lakes in New Eng- land and the Hudson Valley (31 lakes) and the Adirondacks (43 lakes) that were selected from the original 1991 EMAP-SW (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program–Surface Waters) population with acid neutralizing capacity less than 100 meq/L (Young & Stoddard 1996). Samples are taken annually, during a summer base-flow ‘index period’. This sampling strategy is used to reduce hydrologic impact on water chemistry and hence provide an assessment of trends in chemistry with the least number of samples (e.g., Stoddard et al. 2003).

The EMAP program …

Tracking Beach Erosion Could Help Management, Maine Sea Grant

Maine Sea Grant Publications

Although sandy beaches represent only about one percent of Maine's 3500-mile coastline, they are vitally important to the state's economy as recreational resources, provide crucial wildlife habitat, and buffer the coast against storms. However, many of Maine's beaches are threatened, mainly by erosion from coastal engineering and natural forces. Engineering structures-such as jetties and seawalls-built to create navigable harbors and protect, beachfront property, may impact the recreational beach. They can interfere with the natural distribution of sand and cause beaches to erode more rapidly or sand to accumulate in unwanted places. Some towns try, often without success, to fix their …

Maine's Salt Marshes: Their Functions, Values, And Restoration, Michele Dionne, Erno Bonebakker, Kristen Grant

Maine Sea Grant Publications

This illustrated resource booklet for Maine residents educates the reader about the properties and functions of salt marshes. It also facilitates leadership and participation in restoration efforts by providing information for further resources.