“It’s just a beautiful place,” says Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences Beverly Johnson, offering a simple but apt description of a coastal marsh where she and 乐播传媒 students have done research for more than two decades.

In recent years, Johnson’s summer research, done alongside 乐播传媒 students, has been studying blue carbon sinks at four Maine sites, including 乐播传媒 Morse-Mountain Conservation Area, the aforementioned “beautiful place,” which 乐播传媒 oversees as a place for conservation, preservation, research, and education.

Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College

Johnson’s research recently contributed to a groundbreaking report from the Environmental Protection Agency on blue carbon 鈥� the carbon sequestered in vegetated coastal areas.

The EPA report that Johnson co-authored was the first-ever regional assessment of blue carbon sinks from Long Island, N.Y., to Maine. The Maine data comprised 25 percent of the overall assessed habitat in the report, and 80 percent of that data came from Johnson鈥檚 lab. 

“I’ve been studying in BMMCA for 22 years, and it’s always quite different when I go in. I learn something new every time.”

Beverly Johnson

This summer, Johnson鈥檚 team measured greenhouse gas fluxes in salt marshes, looking at carbon dioxide going into plants and soils in healthy marshland 鈥� as well as methane, a greenhouse gas released from degraded coastal systems.   

鈥淲e’re trying to understand these degraded parts of salt marshes, if there’s an opportunity to restore them,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥�If we restore a salt marsh that is degraded right now, can we turn it back into a carbon sink? Because healthy salt marshes are very valuable.鈥�

Engaging students as research colleagues reflects a guiding philosophy for many 乐播传媒 professors. “Hands-on activities, hands-on research with students up through senior theses prepares students very well for a world and life beyond 乐播传媒.”

And it never gets old. “I’ve been studying in BMMCA for 22 years, and it’s always quite different when I go in. I learn something new every time.”

This article was prepared by 乐播传媒 College using Federal funds under award NA22OAR4170121 from the University of Maine System/Maine SeaGrant, U.S. Department of Commerce.  The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Maine System/Maine SeaGrant or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on Aug. 8 the first ever regional assessment of the carbon sequestered in vegetated coastal habitats 鈥� better known now as blue carbon 鈥� from Maine to Long Island, New York. The report was three years in the making and drew on the work of more than two dozen working groups from federal and state agencies and academia. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 groundbreaking and a true joint project,” said Beverly Johnson, 乐播传媒 Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences, a co-author of the new report. Johnson is also a member of the Maine Climate Council Coastal and Marine Working Group. “So many people pulled together data sets from up and down the coast to establish this overview of where these essential resources are.鈥� 

In the Marsh

Read about Beverly Johnson and her student researchers doing their blue carbon field work in the Sprague Marsh at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area.

Core data from Maine in the EPA report was gathered almost entirely by Johnson and her 乐播传媒 student researchers between 2012 and 2018. 鈥淐lose to 80 percent of the salt marsh data from Maine comes from student theses.鈥�

Maine and Massachusetts contain by far the most acreage of blue carbon habitat of the northeastern states, according to the report. Massachusetts has over 112,000 acres of sea grasses and salt marshes, about 52 percent of the overall habit assessed regionally. Maine has almost 54,000 acres of salt marshes and sea grasses or 25 percent of the overall habitat.

The term blue carbon was coined by global conservation groups in 2009. The Northeast region encompasses coastal vegetative habitat, such salt marshes and sea grasses (mangroves are a key blue carbon reservoir, but don鈥檛 grow in the Northeast). Maine has the most eel grass of any of the states surveyed, about 34 percent of the regional total.

While many people are familiar with the idea of trees as carbon reservoirs or sinks (green carbon), blue carbon is only now gaining greater public awareness as a key tool in fighting climate change. 

鈥淭hese are powerful carbon sinks,鈥� Johnson says. 鈥淚f you compare the same area of forest to salt marshes and other blue carbon systems in terms of how much carbon is going into the ground, blue carbon systems are moving four to 10 times more carbon into the ground than forests. So they are very effective at photosynthesis and then sequestering and storing that carbon for a long period of time.鈥�

According to the EPA, nearly half the seagrass habitat on the East Coast of the United States has been lost in the past century, with little chance of recovery in most cases. Threats to water quality, including runoff from agriculture and urban areas, create unfavorable conditions for seagrass. Preserving and restoring existing seagrass meadows and other coastal wetland habitats will be crucial to achieving carbon dioxide emissions reductions.

She鈥檚 working with a team of 乐播传媒 College students gathering more data this summer, using a state of the art assessment tool manufactured by LI-COR that measures fluctuations in greenhouse gasses. Maine Sea Grant funded the tool for the 乐播传媒 project.

鈥淚t used to take us about six hours to get one of these greenhouse gas flux measurements,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淲ith this new tool, now it takes us about three minutes. We are gathering a ton of really fabulous data from four different marshes, which will be used to estimate the carbon benefits associated with restoration.鈥�

Time is of the essence. Despite the relative abundance of salt marshes and eel grass in Maine, Johnson said this valuable resource is threatened, both by sea level rise 鈥� which can drown and destroy the marshes if it happens too rapidly 鈥� and other human impacts.

鈥滻 think of them as being on the verge of extinction,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淎nd that the decisions we make now and over the next 10 years are going to determine whether these ecosystems persist.鈥�

Having this baseline from the EPA is key, Johnson said, but the work is not done. 鈥淲e have expanded our site assessment since the data were compiled for the report and have a much better sense of blue carbon stocks and sequestration in the state of Maine. There鈥檚 much more variation in individual salt marshes than is indicated by the EPA report. We are taking a closer look.鈥�

The EPA report uses satellite imagery of coastal ecosystems to assess the carbon reservoirs as a whole. 鈥淏ut we are finding that the amount of carbon stored beneath the surface of a salt marsh is not always consistent with what is predicted by the overlying vegetation.聽 In other words, what you see at the surface is not always reflected underneath,鈥� Johnson said.

This article was prepared by 乐播传媒 College using Federal funds under award NA22OAR4170121 from the University of Maine System/Maine SeaGrant, U.S. Department of Commerce.聽 The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Maine System/Maine SeaGrant or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Five 乐播传媒 students jumped out of a pair of Subarus at Sprague Marsh in the midcoast Maine town of Phippsburg on what promised to be a hot day in mid-July. Expecting to be swarmed by biting black flies and mosquitos, they came prepared.

In an instant they pulled on pants, shirts and hoods 鈥� all made from bug netting 鈥� and  grabbed equipment. As her classmates recorded notes in yellow field journals, Fiona Wilson 鈥�25 of Barnstead, N.H., stood in the marsh and struck a pose, hands on hips, like the lead explorer on an expedition.

This summer, these intrepid students are working with Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences Beverly Johnson to gather sediment cores from four Maine salt marshes to help inform the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency鈥檚 ongoing study of blue carbon 鈥� carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that is sequestered in vegetated coastal areas, including salt marshes and seagrass meadows.

The students are among the first in the state to use a state-of-the-art greenhouse gas analyzer that will tell a more complete story of blue carbon 鈥渟inks鈥� in Maine salt marshes. That, in turn, will provide further evidence to show whether marsh restoration could significantly help mitigate the effects of climate change by increasing carbon sequestration in salt marshes. 

It鈥檚 work Johnson has done for the past decade to help scientists, stakeholders and policy makers, including the EPA, better understand the potential of blue carbon in the Northeast.

Blue carbon is an especially 鈥渉ot topic now that seems to capture the imagination of the general public,鈥� said Phil Colarusso, a biologist at the EPA鈥檚 Boston office. That鈥檚 because scientists only discovered recently that blue carbon sinks are far more efficient than forestland (called green carbon) at sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. 

鈥淚f you compare the same area of forest to salt marshes and other blue carbon systems in terms of how much carbon is going into the ground, blue carbon systems are moving four to 10 times more carbon into the ground than forests. So they are very effective at photosynthesis and then sequestering and storing that carbon for a long period of time,鈥� said Johnson, who is at the forefront of this research in Maine and one of the region鈥檚 top salt marsh experts. 

Johnson is a founding member of the Maine Blue Carbon Network, which provides a forum to discuss Maine鈥檚 blue carbon resources, as well as a member of Gov. Janet Mills鈥� Maine Climate Council. 

This summer, Johnson鈥檚 five 乐播传媒 student researchers worked in marshes between Wells and Phippsburg looking at historic features that restrict carbon sequestration in salt marshes, like century-old dikes with roads built across them. They also looked at the amount of carbon being stored in the marshes in real time, using 乐播传媒鈥� powerful new greenhouse gas analyzing tool, the LI-COR device. 

Specifically, the 乐播传媒 team is looking at how unhealthy marshes, or those where the tides are restricted due to development, not only function less effectively as carbon sinks, but also produce methane, a greenhouse gas, in the rotting, decomposing areas of the restricted marshland.

鈥淚f we open up the tidal restrictions and get the tides back to where they need to be, you could conceivably reduce the amount of methane coming out of (restricted salt marshes). That鈥檚 the prevailing thinking,鈥� Johnson said as she scanned Sprague Marsh.

Restoring coastal marshland in Maine also could allow more of it to serve as carbon sinks, she said. Other benefits of restoration include improving habitat for fish and birds, providing nutrients for nearshore fisheries, and offering protection from storm surges and coastal erosion. 

This summer, Johnson鈥檚 research interns used her new portable greenhouse gas analyzing system to measure the fluctuation in greenhouse gasses in designated areas in the four marshes 鈥� both in areas where the marshes are restricted and where there are no restrictions. It鈥檚 work that used to take six hours to attain a single measurement back in her lab but now, thanks to the LI-COR device, takes minutes. 

Johnson鈥檚 lab is among the first in Maine to use the state-of-the-art greenhouse gas analyzing system, producing this kind of blue-carbon data.

鈥淲ith the LI-COR, you’re getting the CO2 and methane and greenhouse gas flux readings in real time. It is brand-new technology. We are the first to use it in Maine salt marshes. That is so exciting,鈥� said Anna Sarrazin 鈥�24 of Berlin, Conn. 鈥淚 feel at 乐播传媒 we have a unique opportunity as undergrads to be a part of something that at larger institutions would be available only to graduate students.鈥� 

On that hot mid-July day at the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area, Kate Dickson 鈥�24 of Princeton, Mass., hiked into the marsh with some of that technology on her back: a 40-pound case containing part of the LI-COR device which is operated from an app on her phone.

When Dickson reached the first flagged sample area, a cylinder 10 inches in diameter was placed in the marsh and the LI-COR device placed on top of it. Soon air was cycled through it and the device started reading the amount of carbon dioxide and methane in the cylinder. After a few minutes, the readings were used to determine the amount of greenhouse gasses either taken up by the plants or released from the soils into the atmosphere at that location.

The data, at first, was slow in coming. It was supposed to appear on Dickson鈥檚 cell phone, but a momentary technological hiccup prevented the data from loading. Together Dickson and Johnson worked to sync the apps on their phones with the LI-COR system on Dickson鈥檚 back. They worked as a team, literally with their heads together, as Johnson addressed the problem with aplomb.

Dickson sought a summer research position in Johnson鈥檚 lab to provide fodder for her senior thesis. But the All-American rower said learning about the threat posed by restricted marshland gave her summer work at 乐播传媒 new meaning.

鈥淭idal restrictions and human involvement in marshes not only stops (the marsh) from being a carbon sink, but it actually releases a ton of methane, which is a greenhouse gas that is about 25 times worse than carbon dioxide. So unhealthy marshes are a double-edged sword,鈥� Dickson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a real privilege to be out there walking around in the marsh and doing some good work.鈥�

Right back at you, Johnson indicated, with a nod to her student. 鈥淭his is the most productive summer I have ever had with students. It is one of my best teams,鈥� she said.

The students started that day with Johnson taking these readings in the healthier part of the marsh, on the side closest to the ocean. In the afternoon, they took readings on the inland side of the marsh, where an 80-year-old gravel road built during World War II restricted the tides. 

As she knelt in the Sprague Marsh in mid-July collecting water samples, Sarrazin was all-in on helping Johnson pursue different lines of inquiry into blue carbon sinks. When told that the data she gathered might contribute to a future EPA blue-carbon report, the rising senior was delighted, but not surprised. 

鈥淚 think this work is really groundbreaking and I鈥檓 really excited to turn that into a senior thesis that is going to have meaning outside of an undergraduate thesis at 乐播传媒,鈥� said Sarrazin. 鈥淚t鈥檚 extremely relevant.鈥�

The student research team was funded by grants totalling around $330,000 from the Maine Sea Grant and Maine Community Foundation, as well as from smaller grants from the Maine Climate Science Information Exchange and Maine Coast Heritage Trust. 

Johnson said time is of the essence when it comes to restoring and preserving Maine salt marshes that serve as blue carbon sinks because of the threat of sea-level rise. While salt marshes can adapt to smaller increments of sea level rise, too much too quickly can literally drown them. 

鈥淭he predictions for sea level rise due to continued warming over the next 20 years will result in the loss of salt marshes unless something is done,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淓nhancing blue carbon habitats and employing other natural climate solutions, while decreasing our dependence on carbon-based fuels, will slow the warming of our planet and reduce the amount of sea level rise. But time is short and we need to act now.鈥�

This article was prepared by 乐播传媒 College using Federal funds under award NA22OAR4170121 from the University of Maine System/Maine SeaGrant, U.S. Department of Commerce.聽 The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Maine System/Maine SeaGrant or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Time spent in nature is great for mind, body and soul. But event spending time looking at images of nature can be helpful, too.

With that in mind, here鈥檚 a brief but enveloping video created by 乐播传媒 multimedia producer Theophil Syslo after a recent visit to 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area.

Besides the sites of the coastal gem, you鈥檒l hear sounds, gurgling and burgling of water, waves crashing, a cooling breeze through the pitch pine, scrub oak, and other trees.

And how is viewing scenes of nature helpful? The reason is explained in what’s called Attention Restoration Theory, which suggests that images of natural scenes can restore our ability to focus and sustain our attention. So, happy viewing!

(Professor of Psychology Todd Kahan points to about Attention Restoration Theory.)

Managed by 乐播传媒 for research and educational purposes, BMMCA comprises some 600 acres of permanently protected salt marshes and coastal uplands on the Phippsburg peninsula. The Nature Conservancy holds conservation easements on the property, which is owned by the nonprofit 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area Corporation.

This photo shows part of the Sprague River and salt marsh within the coastal 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area.

Fun facts are courtesy of Whitehouse Professor of Geology Dyk Eusden 鈥�80 and Professor of Geology Beverly Johnson.

1. Pooling Resources

Pools are natural features of the marsh and provide habitat for wildlife.

2. Water Way

Spring floods cover the marsh, allowing marine life to move between pools and tidal channels.

3. Long and Winding

These winding channels are naturally occurring 鈥渕eanders鈥� and help drain the marsh.

4. Last Ditch

These straight ditches were designed to drain pools and reduce standing water. People have been ditching marshes for centuries, initially to harvest the marsh grasses for hay and then more recently, in the 1970s, to control mosquitos.

5. Plugging Along

The ditches eliminated vital habitats, prompting repair efforts with earthen 鈥渄itch plugs鈥� in the early 2000s.

6. Tiding Over

A failed restoration attempt with a too-effective ditch plug resulted in this area being cut off from beneficial tides.

7. Rock of Ages

Morse Mountain granite is thought to be Paleozoic in origin 鈥� up to 350 million years old.

Granite cut from Maine quarries is found in buildings and structures around the country, including the Washington Monument.

8. Destination: Ocean

The natural channel of the 2.5-mile Sprague River winds through the marsh to the Atlantic.

9. Keeping in Dune

A large and mostly hidden dune field, known as parabolic dune field for its shape, runs parallel to and set back from the beach.

In the image below, one of the parabolic fields is at the lower center, nestled within the darker green bushes and trees:

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty Malcolm Hill announced that Caitlin Cleaver, former director of science and research at the Hurricane Island Foundation, will become director of the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area and the 乐播传媒 College Coastal Center at Shortridge effective Aug. 19.

鈥淐aitlin has extensive experience at the intersection of research, education, and conservation, making her the right leader at the right time for 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain and Shortridge,鈥� said Hill.

鈥淭he work being done at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain and Shortridge by 乐播传媒 researchers and students, as well as our partners in Maine, is important to our understanding of how a changing climate is affecting the coast. I am confident in Caitlin鈥檚 ability to carry out the pivotal mission of these two important and invaluable coastal resources.鈥�

Caitlin Cleaver, the new director of the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area and 乐播传媒 Coastal Center at Shortridge, poses atop Morse Mountain on Aug. 15, 2019. (Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College)

鈥淭he 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area and Coastal Center at Shortridge are outdoor laboratories offering an incredible backdrop for conducting relevant research and exploring solutions to pressing environmental issues,鈥� Cleaver said.

鈥淚 am excited to build on the work that has happened in the area and continue to engage 乐播传媒 students in meaningful interdisciplinary research that can make our coastal communities more resilient in the face of change.鈥�

Managed by 乐播传媒 for research and educational purposes, the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area comprises some 600 acres of permanently protected salt marshes and coastal uplands on the Phippsburg peninsula. The Nature Conservancy holds conservation easements on the property, which is owned by the nonprofit 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area Corporation.

Adjacent to the conservation area, the 乐播传媒 College Coastal Center at Shortridge sits on 80 acres of woodlands and wetlands, providing a base for academic programs and extracurricular activities including field research, meetings, retreats, and conferences.

As director, Cleaver will oversee day-to-day operations and long-term strategy; facilitate research and educational activities; and expand educational, environmental, and stewardship partnerships with an array of agencies and organizations. She will also lead efforts to attract new grant funding for the facilities and conservation work, and she will teach a new annual course at Shortridge during the college鈥檚 spring Short Term.

鈥淐aitlin not only has extensive and impressive experience on the Maine coast, but she has also secured important grants for the Hurricane Island Foundation, and her positive energy is infectious,鈥� said 脕slaug 脕sgeirsd贸ttir, associate dean of the faculty and professor of politics, who oversees the director position.

Professor of Geology Beverly Johnson uses a sediment elevation table to measure the height of the Sprague River Salt Marsh, part of the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area, in August 2018. At right is Claire Enterline, senior planner of the Maine Coastal Mapping Initiative, Maine Coastal Program. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

鈥淔rom teaching a Short Term course to obtaining grants to support the work at BMMCA and Shortridge, Caitlin will carry forward the education, research, and conservation components of the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area, and create exciting new opportunities.鈥�

A Colby College graduate, Cleaver is a doctoral candidate in ecology and environmental sciences at the University of Maine, where she earned master鈥檚 degrees in marine biology and marine policy. She also holds a master鈥檚 in public policy from Columbia University. Most recently, she was the marine science lead at FB Environmental Associates in Portland, Maine, where she studied lobster fishing gear and right whale entanglement.

In her four years as director of science and research at Hurricane Island, Cleaver collaborated with local fishermen to understand the effects of fishing-area closures on scallop populations and obtained grant funding for a related five-year monitoring project. To connect the foundation with other field stations, Cleaver co-founded, with former BMMCA鈥揝hortridge director Laura Sewall, the Northeastern Coastal Stations Alliance.

鈥淚t is critical to train the next generation of scientists and practitioners in understanding the rigor of the scientific process, but also in being able to communicate the implications of their findings to a range of audiences,鈥� Cleaver said.

Cleaver succeeds Sewall, who served as director of BMMCA and Shortridge for 11 years.

As the summer sun set over Meetinghouse Pond in Phippsburg, Maine, on July 29, the show got started.

This time-lapse video, filmed at the college鈥檚 Coastal Center at Shortridge by 乐播传媒 photographer Theophil Syslo, kicks off with the afternoon sun barreling toward the western horizon.

After a fade to black, the video picks up again around 11 p.m. with the viewer looking south. The camera then pans to the west and then north. The segment ends around 1 a.m.

All the while, the sky appears to rotate, due to the Earth鈥檚 rotation. (The camera itself is moving and rotating, too, thanks to Syslo鈥檚.) The 22-second video comprises hundreds of still images taken 40 seconds apart. The night images were taken with a 30-second exposure to effectively capture starlight.

This time-lapse video begins with the sun setting over Meetinghouse Pond on July 29. Then the night show gets started.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 cool!鈥� said Assistant Professor of Physics Aleks Diamond-Stanic after viewing the video.

He said more, in fact. A researcher who聽studies the interactions of gas within galaxies,聽Diamond-Stanic offered to be our guide to the Maine sky. (For help identifying planets, stars, and constellations, he recommends this聽.)

At the video’s 10-second mark, Diamond-Stanic notes that 鈥渢he Milky Way extends across the sky, more or less vertically, from the constellation Sagittarius, near the horizon, to the constellation Sagitta, near the top of the screen.鈥�

Also prominent, he says, is Jupiter, 鈥渢o the right of the Milky Way, lower in the sky, a bit above the star Antares. Saturn is visible to the left of the Milky Way.鈥�

At around the 20-second mark 鈥� nearing midnight 鈥� 鈥渨e see the blue star Vega high in the sky, while Jupiter disappears from our field of view,” he says. Meanwhile, low in the sky at right is the Big Dipper (Ursa Major). 鈥淲e see the star Arcturus about to set below the horizon,鈥� and, since the view is now to the north, 鈥渢he North Star (Polaris) is at top right.鈥�

Four items in the night sky above the Coastal Center at Shortridge; (1) the Milky Way; (2) Jupiter; (3) the trail of a passenger jet during the 30 seconds of the image exposure, with red dots indicating its flashing beacon; and (4) light from the city of Portland, made prominent by the long exposure. (Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College)

Besides heavenly bodies, viewers of the video can see occasional streaks of light. Those aren鈥檛 meteors but the paths of passenger planes with their beacons flashing, likely heading toward Europe.

In fact, the nighttime skies over Maine are a popular route for jets traveling east toward Europe. And in the morning, jets often pass overhead traveling west, arriving from Europe. (U.S. airlines typically fly more overnight routes to Europe so their planes can make return flights on the day they arrive.)

Meanwhile, the diffuse light seen on the western horizon comes from the city of Portland, about 25 miles down the coast. While Maine has some of the聽 鈥� perfect for stargazing 鈥� light pollution worldwide continues to increase. It’s becoming 鈥渄ifficult for people to be able to see and appreciate the beauty of the dark night sky,鈥� says Diamond-Stanic.

鈥淭he clear view of the night sky shown in this time lapse motivates human curiosity about our place in the universe.鈥�

Seen in 2017, Assistant Professor of Physics Aleks Diamond-Stanic works with 闯辞蝉茅 Ruiz ’19, who graduated in May with a physics degree. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

About an hour鈥檚 drive from campus in Phippsburg, the 乐播传媒 College Coastal Center at Shortridge sits on 80 acres of woodlands and wetlands. The center provides residential support for academic programs and extracurricular activities, including facilities for field research, meetings, retreats, and conferences.

Adjacent to the center is 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area, comprising some 600 acres of permanently protected salt marshes and coastal uplands that 乐播传媒 manages for research and educational purposes.

It鈥檚 safe to say that whoever is running the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area (and, nearby, the college鈥檚 Coastal Center at Shortridge) has a lot on their plate.

Any director of the site has 鈥渢o have their eye on student learning, faculty engagement, and coastal research,鈥� not to mention 鈥渨hat signage is needed to keep dogs off the beach,鈥� says Darby Ray, who as head of 乐播传媒鈥� Harward Center supervised the conservation area director for a number of years.

Since 2008, that director has been Laura Sewall, who is retiring this summer, to be succeeded by marine scientist Caitlin Cleaver, who starts work on Aug. 16.

鈥淟aura has been a tireless advocate for 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain,鈥� says politics professor 脕slaug 脕sgeirsd贸ttir, an associate dean of the faculty who now oversees the area鈥檚 management. 鈥淪he has been incredibly creative and enthusiastic about working with our faculty and students who do research there.鈥�

With Seawall Beach in the distance, the Sprague river and marsh are shown from the summit of Morse Mountain. (Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College)

In its 600 acres located about an hour from campus on the Phippsburg peninsula, 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain incorporates two salt marshes, two rivers, a rare stand of dune pitch pines among its many trees, and the eponymous small mountain. Accessed through the conservation area but not part of it is Seawall Beach, a real beauty that鈥檚 the last undeveloped barrier beach in Maine.

乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain is owned by a nonprofit corporation, protected in perpetuity from new development, and managed by 乐播传媒 under the eyes of The Nature Conservancy, which holds conservation easements on the area.

It鈥檚 valued by locals and tourists for its beauty, and by scientists, including several from 乐播传媒, as a place to observe how diverse ecosystems are responding to unprecedented natural change.

鈥淟aura has, with great finesse and diplomacy, balanced the needs and interests鈥� of those stakeholders, says Ray, and in doing so has given the research mission primacy at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain.

Laura Sewall, who retires this summer as director of the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area, observes the area from a small plane in June. (Brittney Lohmiller for 乐播传媒 College)

A writer who holds a doctorate in visual psychology from Brown University, Sewall has deep family roots in the peninsula. A former professor at Prescott College in Arizona, she is the author of the book Sight and Sensibility: The Ecopsychology of Perception (1999), which her publisher describes as 鈥渢he first definitive guide to the new field of ecopsychology.鈥� She has also served as a lecturer in environmental studies at 乐播传媒.

Sewall鈥檚 retirement plans include more book work. She wants to finish a volume on perception that until now has been relegated to her spare time. In addition, encouraged by interest from an academic publisher, she鈥檚 working with 乐播传媒 faculty and alumni on a compilation of research from 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain. That鈥檚 where we start our interview.

Who are the faculty taking part in the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain book?

Don Dearborn and I are co-editors. Joe Hall, Mike Retelle, Bev Johnson, Brett Huggett, Dyk Eusden, Don, myself, and a few alums are all contributing chapters. There are three still to be written. Then we鈥檒l meet at Shortridge to synthesize the climate understanding or awareness we鈥檝e gotten from our individual observations and disciplines, so we can write a summary chapter that will make a strong statement about coastal climate adaptation.

Laura Sewall (center) and, to her left, former 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain director Judy Marden 鈥�66, lead alumni and friends on a hike at the conservation area during Reunion 2019 in June. (Theophil Sylso/乐播传媒 College)

What attracted you to the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain job?

Oh, boy, there is so much. One is the place itself, Morse Mountain. I live next door to it on what was my grandmother’s property, and in visiting her summer house from Arizona, I kept looking into the marsh and thinking, If only I could take care of the marsh with students. And so 10 years later, in 2008, my predecessor, Judy Marden 鈥�66, said, 鈥淟aura, I鈥檝e got a job for you.鈥�

This was an opportunity like none I鈥檇 had for bringing a regional awareness to stewardship.

You鈥檝e worked with 乐播传媒 geologist Beverly Johnson and her students on measuring “blue carbon” 鈥� carbon stored in the marshes. It amounts to hundreds of tons each year.

I think the most important thing I鈥檝e learned was how valuable the salt marshes are, including the degree of carbon storage.

Professor of Geology Beverly Johnson uses a sediment elevation table to measure the height of the Sprague Marsh, part of the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area, in August 2018. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

Robert Costanza, an ecological economist who’s well-known for developing valuations for different ecosystem types, estimates that per hectare because of ecosystem services, which include things like storm buffering, water filtration, fisheries support. That makes the Sprague Marsh, at 74 acres, worth $5.8 million per year. This doesn’t even include carbon storage.

You have a strong history of engaging 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain with initiatives or organizations that have similar interests.

In my first four or five years I attended a lot of meetings pertaining to coastal issues 鈥� professional conferences, and meetings with state agencies and environmental NGOs.

People saw that the director of the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area was showing up, and so opportunities to engage in various projects opened up. And it made 乐播传媒 more visible as a partner in environmental work in Maine.

This pitch pine dune woodland at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain is a globally rare ecosystem and possesses a rare beauty, as well. (Laura Sewall/乐播传媒 College)

In fact, the Northeastern Coastal Stations Alliance was your brainchild 鈥� and one of the people who helped get it off the ground was your 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain successor, Caitlin Cleaver, who was then at the Hurricane Island Center.

That鈥檚 the partnership I’m probably most proud of. It’s a , ranging from Shoals Marine Lab, on Appledore Island off Kittery, to the College of the Atlantic stations off Mount Desert.

It’s a loose, grassroots organization with a great mission. The idea is to collaborate on basic monitoring so that we can track changing conditions in the near-shore zone across the expanse of the Gulf of Maine.

What other accomplishments at Shortridge and 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain are you proud of?

The Shortridge Summer Residency for students has proven to be a solid use of the facility. They鈥檝e done field research, and shared that work with the public and policy makers.

Seen in 2015, Professor of Geology Mike Retelle reviews time-lapse photography of beach erosion with Ian Hillenbrand ’17 and Nicole Cueli ’16 at the college’s Coastal Center at Shortridge, adjacent to 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain. (Josh Kuckens/乐播传媒 College)

They鈥檝e done thesis work, been artists-in-residence, been interns for local land trusts. More than 60 students have done the residency since 2009. Shortridge has been busy overall 鈥� 560 乐播传媒 people used it during the last academic year.

Also, I鈥檓 really proud of the way the two gatekeepers, the caretaker, and I have coordinated our work and been a really good team.

How is rapid climate change affecting 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain?

It鈥檚 mostly about higher tides. So the causeway across Sprague Marsh floods more frequently than it used to 鈥� we now warn people that high tide may cover the causeway and they should expect to wait or wade.

There has also been quite a bit of erosion on the dune front along Seawall Beach 鈥� about 11 meters in the center of the beach since 1992. Mike Retelle has been tracking that. I’ve seen a lot of erosion up in the marsh.

The dune pitch pines are dying back. It would be hard to say without putting in wells to measure hydrology and salinity, but their root system is the closest to the seawater.

“People love 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain, and I think everyone who’s a stakeholder has felt 乐播传媒 has taken good care of it.”

Some parts of the marsh are healthy and luxuriant, and in other areas you now see muddy patches among the vegetation 鈥� little hillocks of plant growth with mud around them. I鈥檝e been told by a salt marsh researcher from the University of New Hampshire, David Burdick, that it鈥檚 an early sign of conversion to mudflats.

The 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain bylaws require us to let nature take its course. So we鈥檙e able to observe without interference 鈥� the hemlocks are slowly dying because of hemlock wooly adelgid, and we need to witness it.

Holding a hemlock branch infested with invasive and destructive hemlock woolly adelgids, Assistant Professor of Biology Brett Huggett observes hemlock trees during a Short Term 2015 field trip at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain. (Josh Kuckens/乐播传媒 College)

I created a sign to educate visitors about the die-off. You walk up the mountain from the marsh and see a dying mess in the forest. It鈥檚 a visible sign of climate change, and it鈥檚 a teachable moment.

You鈥檝e brought some of Beverly Johnson鈥檚 research techniques to the marsh near your own home 鈥� a sediment elevation table to measure changes in the level of the marsh surface, and a system for monitoring vegetation changes over time.

Bev and I installed the sediment elevation table right in front of my house in the Sprague Marsh, and I do a vegetation transect in that area every year. Both provide measures to help us predict the response of the marsh to sea level rise. We installed three additional SETs, along with vegetation transect sites, further up the marsh as well.

How has this job helped you make sense of your life?

I have always been purpose-driven. In my life, I chose every step along the way because I saw a more interesting purpose or a closer way to take care of some bit of the Earth.

Seen in December 2017, Isobel Curtis ’17 works on a project to establish forest survey plots at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain. The project is part of a multi-group effort to monitor significant Maine ecosystems in the face of climate change. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

That’s what 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain has been 鈥� a great opportunity to take care of a place. This has given me the opportunity to satisfy that yearning.

It’s also been satisfying to feel that I’m of service to the community there. People love 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain, and I think everyone who’s a stakeholder has felt like 乐播传媒 has taken good care of it during my tenure and Judy鈥檚, too. That feels really good. A big part of that has been the opportunity to educate, too 鈥� both students and the public.

You have quite a family history in this region 鈥� your house is on property that once belonged to your great-great-grandparents. Did you know the conservation area well before you became director?

When I was teaching in Arizona, I would finish up in May and I’d come back here. In the early evenings, I’d ride my bike over the mountain, which was, of course, against the rules. I didn’t know that 鈥� I saw very few people and no one ever stopped me. I certainly knew Seawall Beach, and the Sprague Marsh from paddling into it, but that was about it.

One of two rivers within the 乐播传媒-Morse Mountain Conservation Area, the Morse River flows into the ocean near Popham Beach. (Brittney Lohmiller for 乐播传媒 College)

Your great-great-grandmother, Emma Sewall, was one of Maine鈥檚 earliest female photographers. She photographed working people, including workers in the salt marshes.

My sister Abbie Sewall is also a photographer, and she took many of Emma鈥檚 glass plates and published them in a book, Message Through Time. Emma also wrote a little book, The Rivers and Marshes of Small Point, Maine. It鈥檚 funny to think that I’m simply following in her footsteps, like my sister 鈥� both of us carrying Emma鈥檚 work into this era.

With a 乐播传媒 alumna playing a central role, the college has joined The Nature Conservancy and state agencies in a long-term effort to monitor significant Maine ecosystems.

You could call it a story with seven plots 鈥� forest survey plots, that is. Small circles of terrain within larger tracts of protected land, the plots represent distinct ecosystem types. The aim is to give researchers, through periodic inventories of plants and soil, an ecological baseline for comparing conditions in unprotected woods.

The Maine Natural Areas Program, The Nature Conservancy, and other organizations have designated numerous such plots in Maine, maintaining information about them in the state Ecological Reserve Monitoring Database. And now 乐播传媒 is making its own contribution to this valuable resource.

Isobel Curtis ’17, assistant to the director at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain, points out a so-called witness tree intended to help locate the center of a forest survey plot. The “W” mark stands for “witness” and faces the plot center. The witness tree is a spruce, but the plot is located in the hemlock grove at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College).

Since last fall, as part of a portfolio of research and outreach projects she has conducted as assistant to the director, Isobel Curtis ’17 has been the point person in creating forest survey plots at the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Area, plots that will be represented in that shared ecological reserve database.

“It will be great to add 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain to the information that we currently have,” says Nancy Sferra, director of stewardship and ecological management at The Nature Conservancy.

Managed by 乐播传媒 and used primarily for research, the 600-acre preserve in coastal Phippsburg encompasses a variety of forest systems. For example, there’s a stand of Eastern hemlocks that’s of interest to researchers because it’s infested with the destructive hemlock woolly adelgid.

Established in 2000, Maine’s Ecological Reserve System protects and monitors wild ecosystems meeting certain criteria. “These are meant to be a benchmark of natural conditions 鈥� sites that don’t get harvested, so instead natural processes can take their course,” Sferra says. The Nature Conservancy, in turn, designated areas within its reserves to serve a similar function.

This pitch pine dune woodland at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain is a globally rare ecosystem and possesses a rare beauty, as well. (Laura Sewall/乐播传媒 College)

乐播传媒’ participation in the ecological reserve program is especially important, Sferra says, because the coast is underrepresented in the database. Correlating BMMCA data with data from similar plots elsewhere will, in effect, increase the sample size that is available to researchers and increase the statistical significance of their findings.

A double major in environmental studies with a focus on ecology and in biology 鈥攕he studied the woolly adelgid infestation for her senior thesis in that field 鈥� Curtis undertook the BMMCA Forest Survey in her role as assistant to conservation area director Laura Sewall.

The forest survey, says Sewall, serves a variety of purposes. One, of course, is contributing to the statewide reserve effort, “and by virtue of that, we also invite researchers from other institutions.”

Second, the plots will facilitate efforts by 乐播传媒 researchers. “Having baseline data for distinct types of coastal forests sets the stage for long-term monitoring and study,” she says, “and in particular will help advance our understanding of climate impacts to coastal systems.”

Isobel Curtis ’17 en route to inventory a forest survey plot in December, before the snow flew. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

The plots are circles about 15 meters in diameter (or about 36 meters when the subject trees are especially big). To make them findable, there’s a marker at the center of each plot, and geographical coordinates for that point are recorded. Within the plots, Curtis and Sewall assessed tree health and density, the types and quantities of other plants, and soil types and condition. In keeping with established practice, the plan is to re-inventory the plots about every decade.

The seven 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain plots represent:

• a pitch pine dune woodland, which is globally rare;
• a pitch pine woodland, in soil over bedrock instead of sand;
• two spruce-fir sites, doubly represented because it’s the dominant habitat type at the conservation area;
• an early successional forest;
• a red maple wetland;
• and the hemlock grove.

As for the hemlocks, while no one would argue that the woolly adelgid infestation at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain is a good thing in and of itself, it’s also true that studying that situation for her thesis gave Curtis an entr茅e for her work as 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain’s assistant director.

This hemlock branch at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain shows the presence of woolly adelgid. Note the tell-tale white woolly masses on the undersides of the twigs. (Josh Kuckens/乐播传媒 College)

Biology professor Brett Huggett, a plant physiologist who studies how trees respond to different types of stress, discovered the pest at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain in 2015. With Huggett as her thesis adviser, Curtis assessed the severity of the infestation, finding that some 60 percent of trees had the bugs but their density per tree was generally light.

That hemlock study led Curtis to another project at the conservation area, as she discovered that there was no formal habitat map of the entire conservation area 鈥� a surprising gap considering both the amount of research that 乐播传媒 does there and the fact that the property has been protected under Nature Conservancy easements for about 40 years. (乐播传媒 manages the conservation area with oversight by TNC and the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain Conservation Corporation.)

With an internship from the environmental studies program, Curtis used her senior-year Short Term to create a comprehensive habitat map that she hopes to make publicly available. “The thinking was, if we know what is out there 鈥� for instance, we do know there are interesting features such as vernal pools 鈥� that might help stimulate further student research,” she says. “And it’s just a great resource for the land managers to have.”

The moss shows what happens when a stone is too big to roll. The setting is a patch of spruce-fir forest at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain. (Isobel Curtis ’17/乐播传媒 College)

With a strong representation from the geology department, research at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain tends to focus on the salt marsh and the beach. For instance, geologist Mike Retelle has a longstanding project conducting topographic surveys of the beaches at BMMCA and nearby. Geochemist Beverly Johnson and her students study the potential for carbon storage and sequestration in the salt marsh.

Yet, Curtis says, “there’s not a whole lot of understanding of what is in the upland forested regions,” which are particularly vulnerable to climate change.

Sewall hired Curtis as her assistant in August 2017, and the recent 乐播传媒 graduate quickly became an expert in the conservation area’s woodlands. In addition to the ecological reserve work, Curtis worked with 乐播传媒 students on developing a management plan for the adelgid-ridden hemlock grove; developed a “story map” of the entire property displaying locations of previous research; and throughout, engaged with the public about the forest at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain.

As part of doing a inventory at a forest survey plot, Isobel Curtis ’17 samples a tree core at 乐播传媒-Morse Mountain in December. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

Curtis found that straight scientific studies have been the rule over the years at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain 鈥� although one student, Ellie Kreischer 鈥�03, made beautiful oil paintings to illustrate her investigation of the zonation and moisture preferences of marsh plant species. “It was really rich in information, but took a completely different form,” Curtis says. “That was really cool to see.”

For Curtis, her time at 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain has served two ends. She points out that, one way or another, much of the research done there speaks to climate change 鈥� from Johnson’s investigations of “blue carbon” to the beaches being transformed by rising Atlantic waters.

“Climate change is the biggest problem of my generation,” Curtis says. And 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain, still in something like a wild state compared with so much of the Maine coast, is proving its value as a laboratory for studying its real-world effects.

The better we monitor those changes, Curtis says, the better we can “understand how to anticipate them and mitigate them and prepare ourselves for them. Understanding how it will impact that peninsula, in particular, is going to be very valuable.”

“The other side of that is education, and getting people as involved and invested in protecting the environment as possible,” she says. “Actually connecting students to the landscape that they’re studying 鈥� so not just giving them a data set, but allowing them to go into that space, observe it in its complexity, and hopefully come away with a land ethic.”

This marker is helping to identify a permanent survey plot that a student created in the 乐播传媒鈥揗orse Mountain pitch pine dune woods in 1996. (Laura Sewall/乐播传媒 College)

Welcome to a 乐播传媒 New Year’s tradition: Sharing favorite images taken by 乐播传媒 Communications photographers during the past year.

This year’s selection features images from three perspectives: that of veteran Director of Photography and Video Phyllis Graber Jensen; Josh Kuckens, who concluded his two years as the college’s photography/video fellow last spring; and new fellow Theophil Syslo, a Minnesota native who offers another new way of looking at 乐播传媒.

Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

Finding the Key

鈥淎fter spending 90 minutes photographing Isobel Curtis 鈥�17 as she took tree core samples at the 乐播传媒-Morse Mountain Conservation Area, where she鈥檚 doing mapping work in cooperation with the Nature Conservancy, we headed back to our vehicles. That鈥檚 when I noticed my car key was missing. My heart sank: It was lost in the woods, never to be found. Isobel, however, who had spent hundreds of hours walking, working, and observing within those woods, begged to differ. She led me back into the forest, and we retraced our exact steps. Within 15 minutes, she spotted my black Toyota key fob nestled on the mossy forest floor. Hugs all around.鈥� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

Light and Lace

“Photographers try to make their own good luck. During Back to 乐播传媒, I was photographing the Shabbat evening service and dinner in the Benjamin Mays Center. Brooke Drabkin ’18 had just lit two Shabbat candles and was listening to the service leader, and her lace dress was kissed by candlelight. What could have been an ordinary photo of a religious service became a little more meaningful with some creative camera framing and pretty light. Beauty is in the details.鈥� 鈥� Theophil Syslo

Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College

Good Sportraits

鈥淗ow does the saying go? 鈥楩ind a job you love and you won鈥檛 work a day in your life?鈥� This fall at 乐播传媒 we decided to have some fun, adding so-called sportraits to the traditional job of taking roster photos. Besides fun, it was a learning experience for me (creating an ad-hoc studio in places like Underhill Arena or Gray Athletic Building) and for the athletes, who were game to try out different poses. As a 乐播传媒 newcomer, it was a chance to meet students while taking some cool pictures of them. It鈥檚 great to feel as though I have contributed to the team, even if it鈥檚 just creating some fun content, like this portrait of soccer All-American Katherine Cook 鈥�18. Go Bobcats!鈥� 鈥� Theophil Syslo

Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College

Spires in Silhouette

鈥淔oliage on Campus Avenue frames the Chase Hall weathervane, a 乐播传媒 beacon. (The vane鈥檚 twin B鈥檚 are said to stand for Benjamin 乐播传媒.) This iconic building ends up in many of my photographs, and I approach it with the reverence and respect due any storied member of our community. The early morning fog and the longest lens I had available 鈥� 400mm 鈥� contributed to this result.鈥� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

Happy Mace

鈥淧hillips Professor of Economics Michael Murray is the senior member of the faculty. As such, he bears the mace on major ceremonial 乐播传媒 occasions. Here, as he leads the academic procession to Convocation, he projects appropriate authority and gravitas. But we know the real Michael Murray, and we also feel the warmth and welcome that he radiates with every step he takes.鈥� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

Up

鈥淲ell, we鈥檙e not in Kansas anymore. As a flatlander who grew up in the Midwest amidst corn, beans, and the Mississippi River, I hoped one day to land somewhere less vertically challenged. Well, I鈥檝e arrived. The first step in making a photo atop a mountain 鈥� in this case during an AESOP Orientation trip in the White Mountain National Forest 鈥� is deciding that you are willing and able to carry an extra dozen pounds of camera gear up that mountain. The second is having quick access to that gear. The last thing you want to do is reach for your camera and realize it鈥檚 packed behind all of your food, sleeping equipment, and tent.鈥� 鈥� Theophil Syslo

Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College

Ice, Ice

鈥淎fter an ice storm last January, this cherry tree next to the 乐播传媒 Communications Office caught my attention. Half of the tree鈥檚 ice had already melted, and the still-frozen half created an interesting contrast in the background.鈥� 鈥� Josh Kuckens

Josh Kuckens/乐播传媒 College

Almost a Prizeless Moment

鈥淎fter 乐播传媒 defeated Bowdoin for our fourth straight CBB title and the celebration began on Garcelon Field, we waited for the CBB trophy to appear. I had photographed it just two days before to promote the game. Even as the team gathered for the traditional singing/shouting of 鈥楾he Fight Song,鈥� the trophy was still nowhere in sight. Oh well, I thought, it鈥檚 a no-show. But as the players dispersed, team captain Frank Williams 鈥�18 suddenly appeared, trophy in hand, and the celebration began anew.鈥� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

Quiet Light

鈥淜halil Muhammad delivered the 2017 keynote address on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at 乐播传媒. For big events at 乐播传媒, there are often two photographers working. On those occasions, I feel freer to look for quiet moments. The morning light was pouring into Gomes Chapel, illuminating Muhammad and his glasses as he waited in a pew to deliver his address.鈥� 鈥� Josh Kuckens

Josh Kuckens/乐播传媒 College

Ready and Willing

“A couple of hours before the Boston launch of The 乐播传媒 Campaign last May, I joined trustee Geri FitzGerald 鈥�75 for a cab ride to the event venue, the Museum of Fine Arts. I could tell she was feeling the enormity of what was ahead: In a short while, she and other college leaders would share their 乐播传媒 stories with some 700 guests, gathered in a majestic setting, to kick off the college’s biggest fundraising effort ever. We headed to the event’s green room, where President Clayton Spencer, host Bryant Gumbel 鈥�70, and other participants had gathered. Several were reviewing their prepared remarks, though Geri alone stepped outside the room to practice her speech in a sculpture-filled hall. I don鈥檛 believe she saw or heard me. Pre-talk jitters aside, she addressed the crowd with the characteristic warmth, confidence, and conviction that many of us have come to know from her decades as a 乐播传媒 volunteer.” 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

It Smarts

鈥淎sk any photographer: Smartphone cameras have been a game changer. Everything (much to the dismay of my husband) is a picture possibility. Exiting Commons on a foggy winter night, I pulled the iPhone 7 Plus out of my pocket to photograph a Dining Services staff member walking on Alumni Walk while on his break. You never know if a photo will measure up to your expectation, but this surreal image exceeded mine. When you factor in the marriage of Instagram filters and the photo editing app Snapseed, you鈥檝e arrived in the photographers鈥� promised land.鈥� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

Cheer Up

鈥淚 had seen Don Robitaille leading cheers at 乐播传媒 basketball games before. I figured he was a player鈥檚 parent or grandparent. One evening, I was doing a 鈥樌植ゴ� at Night鈥� feature and decided to dig a little deeper. It was a treat to learn that he wasn’t a parent, grandparent, or even alumnus but an enthusiastic Lewiston octogenarian who loved to lead cheers. It was yet another aspect of the unique atmosphere and home-court advantage of Alumni Gymnasium.鈥� 鈥� Josh Kuckens

Josh Kuckens/乐播传媒 College.

Out of the Fog

鈥淭he first women’s lacrosse game of 2017, on March 1, was a dominating performance by the Bobcats. It also featured an overwhelmingly dense late-winter Maine fog. After a long and snowy winter, this outdoor game, just the second of the 鈥榮pring鈥� season, seemed to wake the campus from slumber.鈥� 鈥� Josh Kuckens

Josh Kuckens/乐播传媒 College

Telling Details

鈥淧hotographing the nude figure drawing class in the Olin Arts Center was a challenging assignment. There are times when you are limited in how you can photograph a subject 鈥� in this case, limited for reasons of taste and to respect the model鈥檚 privacy. I was looking for small details within the limitations, and Meghan Cleary鈥檚 purple Converse high-top sneakers stood out from the otherwise neutral background.鈥� 鈥� Josh Kuckens

Josh Kuckens/乐播传媒 College

Snow Bubble

鈥淐all it a winter wonderland. Or call it Narnia, as did a student who commented on this photo on Instagram. February can manifest itself in a host of ways, and this way, with a blanket of snow covering the Historic Quad and students passing through as if walking on clouds, evokes a magical, mystical Age of Winter where anything is possible.鈥� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

Picturing Puck

“In photographing a performance, you may feel you鈥檝e been given something of a head start. The various artists offer you their visions of lighting, scenery, and acting. But the photographer still has to have her own vision. This gorgeous set, designed by Judy Gailen for A Midsummer Night鈥檚 Dream, directed by Martin Andrucki, provided the backdrop for a vanishing Puck. His simple step personified this 鈥榤erry wanderer of the night.鈥欌�� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

Double Fisted

鈥淲hen you arrive late to a sports contest, you can often tell how it鈥檚 going even without knowing the score. Arriving midway through a tennis match last April, I could tell by their fist-pumping demeanor that Ben Rosen 鈥�18 and Chris Ellis 鈥�17, 乐播传媒鈥� first doubles team, were in contention despite being underdogs. When the duo stunned their Bowdoin opponents with a win, the Bobcat supporters felt and shared that rush of adrenaline and pride.鈥� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

Missing Person

鈥淭rue, a rainy day enhances the colors of the Clifton Daggett Gray Athletic Building, and I do enjoy the saturated simplicity of this picture. And yes, the historic entrance and timeless ivy seems to conceal a world behind closed doors. But truth be told, I feel it鈥檚 missing something. Whenever I look at it, I鈥檓 reminded that I would love to improve it by adding a person, perhaps President Clayton Spencer. I鈥檇 have her wearing a red blazer, standing in the right third of the image, thus converting a still life to a portrait.鈥� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Helping Hands

鈥淢y assignment at a downtown nonprofit, the Center for Wisdom鈥檚 Women, was to photograph two students, Grace Jurkovich 鈥�18 and Ali Rabideau 鈥�17, as they worked with the center to create and market herbal products. As I photographed, it was clear that a group portrait was needed to convey the power of their partnership with women at the center, which offers safe haven, support, and community. And what better way to show the collaborative nature of their entrepreneurial venture than through a study of their hands?鈥� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

Gotta Wear Shades

鈥淚 like to try to show something different from what people are expecting to see. It can be a challenge, but it motivated me to create variety. After snapping a few photos of first-year 乐播传媒 students in front of a lighthouse during a trip to Portland Head Light last August, I decided to start playing around with the frame, which eventually led me to see the lighthouse reflected in Perla Figuereo鈥檚 sunglasses.鈥� 鈥� Theophil Syslo

Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College

Winter Ball

“On April 3, opening day for Major League Baseball, Leahey Field looked more suitable for Nordic skiing than for the national pastime. Even so, pitcher Anthony Telesca 鈥�17 happily agreed to pose for a portrait. As with all the athletes I photograph, I admire his focus and composure. And his grace, evident even as he stands completely still.鈥� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

Banner Day

鈥淥n some assignments, you know exactly what you鈥檙e looking for and what you鈥檒l see; on others, you have to be a little bit more creative and opportunistic. During Orientation, I had a little of both on my plate: assigned subjects as well as found features. I was looking for something that would help elevate the story of Orientation: families on the cusp of a huge change. I was pleased when I stumbled upon this moment, a first-year daughter and father pinning a 乐播传媒 banner on the wall of her room.鈥� 鈥� Theophil Syslo

Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College

Hammocking It Up

鈥淎nnie Gundeck ’21 and Esme Goldfinger ’21 had indulged me as I photographed them in a borrowed hammock on the Historic Quad. And they gamely complied when I asked if they would hang their hammock in another place for a different background. But in setting up in the new location, the hammock got the better of them, and down they fell, laughing all the way. I appreciated their good-natured cooperation, and I think that my intrusion into their reality yielded a better picture.鈥� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

Reflective Moment

鈥淓ach week, I work on 鈥樌植ゴ� at Night,鈥� a photo story about students and their evening activities. Before I visit, I try to create a dialogue so I鈥檓 not just doing a drive-by photo. I let people know what I鈥檓 trying to accomplish, and I try to learn what the students are trying to accomplish. This helps me visualize what the story might be and how I wanted to show it. This moment, as students and faculty of a dance repertory performance class appear in a mirrored wall in the Marcy Plavin Dance Studio, captures the feelings and intimacy that develops as dancers prepare for performance. I thought this photo was a nice overall scene-setter, a glimpse of life inside the studio.鈥� 鈥� Theophil Syslo

Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College

Power Tennis

鈥淚鈥檝e attended class with Maisie Silverman, where she sits observant and unassuming. And I鈥檝e photographed her on the tennis court, where she radiates power as her racquet connects with the ball. Her strength, focus, and intensity embody the game of tennis, a sport I have played and loved all my life.鈥� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

Leafing Nothing to Chance

鈥淎s the first leaves change color, the annual foliage watch begins. It鈥檚 inevitable, it鈥檚 gorgeous, and it鈥檚 a photographer鈥檚 challenge 鈥� what can you make of this today? 鈥� that persists until November, when the grounds crew rakes, mows, and blows all the leaves into beautiful piles that extend the length and width of the Historic Quad before vacuuming them up and carting them away. This year, I saw something new when I chased Mike Lecompte in circles, trying to focus on him rather than the leaves blowing around him. I found one sharp frame.鈥� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

Smile

“This photo captures a humorous moment in the play Gruesome Playground Injuries. Doug (Gavin Schuerch ’18) raises his hand in victory after kissing Kaylee (Charlotte Karlsen ’20). It was a funny moment, and funny photographs are hard to capture yet they are, well, fun to take. They offer a change of pace. It鈥檚 a great feeling to leave an assignment smiling and feeling that you want to share what you鈥檝e photographed and maybe make other people happy.鈥� 鈥� Theophil Syslo

Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College

In the Swim

鈥淏eyond capturing the action, photographing sports gives you the chance to tell the whole story of the competition. This photo of swimmers celebrating their victory in a dual meet is a kind of Hail Mary: I鈥檓 holding the camera over my head and hoping that something nice happens and that I hit my focus points. Much like in football, relying on the Hail Mary is far from a sure bet. But it鈥檚 worth the gamble for its high payoff.鈥� 鈥� Theophil Syslo

Theophil Syslo/乐播传媒 College

Throw a Smile

“To find a feature for Instagram late one November afternoon, I headed to Merrill Gym, where I knew I鈥檇 find students practicing myriad sports or just working out. Out on the Slovenski Track, I photographed runners and pole vaulters before heading over to the throwers. In focusing on their efforts, I didn鈥檛 notice Zach Campbell鈥檚 hot pink socks, nor his brilliant smile, until I returned to the office and edited the take.鈥� 鈥� Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College

Broom for Improvement

鈥淚n one of the more entertaining assignments I had at 乐播传媒, I discovered what broomball is. I also discovered that you don’t need skates to move on ice. (Whether you can move effectively without skates is another story.) To help illustrate the movement of broomball, I used a slow shutter speed while panning in the direction these players were moving. And this was one of the few frames where all the broomball players were upright.鈥� 鈥� Josh Kuckens

Josh Kuckens/乐播传媒 College