The Island View
Monthly Newsletter
June 2019
“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.” ―  Rachel Carson
 
The other day I sat in NH Public Radio’s recording studio, learning how to speak directly into the microphone and what to expect during the live call-in talk show The Exchange . I was among three other guests (& SML partners) from NH Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, NH Fish and Game to discuss the May 6 th Global Assessment report the United Nations . This report states that one million species around the world are threatened with extinction. I was glad to be there representing marine systems, as this critical issue has been slow to get out of science literature and into public discourse. Our wellbeing is at stake and we need to take action. I believe that the inspiration to act is rooted in a personal connection to nature. We can know all the facts, but if we are not inspired, we will fall short. Place-based experiential education is proven to powerfully connect people to nature.

We know the Shoals experience will create more scientists. This is critical to taking wise action and measuring our success. Scientists can also call on us to look at nature more deeply and act; I point to Rachel Carson, Aldo Leopold, E.O. Wilson, and many others for examples. I also know that the Shoals experience can also personally connect thousands of people, from our students to our garden tour participants, with the natural world. Time spent at Shoals can induce a deep connection to the awe of nature. Here, we are all are steeped in a community that is passionate about nature; this feeling is contagious! I am luck to witness every day someone's amazement over marine ecology and nature more broadly. This connection to wonder, respect, and inquiry into nature will light our way forward. I hope you can join us this summer. Whether on a day tour, a university course, or a public program, come connect to the magic of this salty wonderful world.
With deep appreciation and warm wishes,
Jennifer Seavey, Ph.D.
Kingsbury Executive Director
Shoals Marine Laboratory
603 Challenge: Scholarship Success!
SML supporters came out in full force to increase support for student scholarships and take advantage of generous bonus funds for SML alone and fun challenges from UNH.

We are thrilled to share that we received 122 individual donations during the (603) Challenge! With generous match funds and university challenge funds applied, this year SML raised $28,648.10 , a record-breaking number for SML in the (603) Challenge! All of this will go directly to supporting student scholarships! THANK YOU!
Remembering Rozzie Holt
During volunteer weekend, the crew was able to roof and close in most of a new multi-purpose building that will be used for research, physical fitness, and lab storage. The materials for the project were provided by donations from the bird banders in memory of Rozzie Holt. Rozzie was a long-time contributor to the Appledore Island Migration Station, where she dedicated herself to data recording. Her attention to detail was a real asset in keeping the banders on task and ensuring the data was complete. For those who didn't know Rozzie, she was a formidable force. She worked on Star Island, rising to the positions of lead housekeeper and ultimately Assistant Manager. 

After retiring, she migrated to Appledore and volunteered tirelessly for SML. She did what needed to be done from cleaning bathrooms and sewing curtains, to providing donations for the reach-in refrigerator, the main kitchen stove, and the first check toward the R/V John M. Kingsbury. She was the type of person who wanted to do things that were needed more than doing something that would bring recognition. The banders wanted to honor that spirit by helping with one of the island projects that wasn't funded by other sources. The project still needs additional funding to provide overhead doors that can close and workout equipment that do not require need electricity. Please reach out to Jennifer if you would like to help finish the job!

-provided by Sara Morris, Canisius College
Shark Cradle Needed!
Shoals is looking for your support to build a shark cradle this summer (pictured left, photo by Ian Davenport). Why does the top predator in the ocean need a cradle, you ask? This is a tool to safely move sharks from the water to the deck of the Research Vessel John M. Kingsbury . SML engineers and shark researchers Dr. Heather Marshall and Dr. Ashley Stoehr have worked together to develop a design that ensures the safety of the people and the animal, with special attention to limiting the time that the animal spends out of the water. 

Last season SML premiered an undergraduate course focusing on Shark Biology and Conservation, along with its continuing high school counterpart, Introduction to the Biology of Sharks, Skates, and Rays. Almost forty students so far have worked to explore and contribute to the local and global understanding of shark species and populations. SML will be continuing these wildly successful courses in 2019, both shaped around a full day of shark tagging. This provides critical experiential learning to future ocean scientists and contributes data to the broader network of shark conservation biology.  
 
We are looking for donors to help SML fabricate this instrument. The costs is $2,000 and it will be used for many years to promote the research of these critically important ocean species. We be sure to put the donor’s name on this device and send you a photo on the completed cradle (hopefully with a shark in it!!). Please contact Jennifer if you can help.
Alumni Corner
Gull call on Smuttynose
Luke DeFisher (student '10-'11, bird bander and TA '12-'14) was recently featured in Family Business Magazine for founding a cidery and distillery started after he graduated Cornell in 2013. In an email to us, Luke said SML "taught me to work hard and efficiently, how to research, set up, and execute projects, and how to get the most work done with a small group of people -- all highly valuable skills when I started a business!"

Have some alumni news you'd like to share with us? We want to hear from you! Click the button to send us a message!
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Shoals Marine Laboratory is a joint partnership between
Cornell University and the University of New Hampshire.