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committee, with additional members who may be involved in specific areas of research,reviews all proposals for research projects at Morse Mountain. Camille Parrish, of the BatesEnvironmental Studies Department, is developing a system of GIS maps to keep track ofvarious projects, to ensure that no one’s research will encroach upon or adversely impact otherprojects, or the environment.Phippsburg SchoolsA program in North Atlantic Studies, involving archaeology studies in the Shetland Islands,gave Bates the opportunity to share a unique resource with the children of PhippsburgElementary School. Two archaeologists, Bob Proctor and Sue Remington, came to the schoolfor two days in May. They set up extensive displays in the library, tailoring the explanations ateach session to the age group present, beginning with the Kindergarten. The first class was onbones, and children were able to handle and compare bones from widely different animals tosee their similarities and differences. The children learned how being able to identify bonefragments at prehistoric sites gives archaeologists insight into food, habits, climate, and otherimportant information about the people who lived there. The second session featured artifactsand tools, and the archaeologists described how they examined ancient sites, how humans usedvarious materials for tools, and how tools were made.Migrating Birds and Endangered SpeciesOnce again the spring weather was inhospitable to arriving birds and breeding populations.Piping Plovers lost many nests early in 2005 because of unusually high tides coupled withfierce storms. Consequently, when they did have successful nests later in the season, they lostmore eggs and chicks to predators. There were also four adult fatalities in Maine in 2005,which impacted the number of adults who came back to breed in 2006. “It can take severalyears for a population to recover from two years of bad weather,” said Jody Jones, coordinatorof Maine Audubon’s Piping Plover and Least Tern Recovery Project. The Piping Plovers thatnest on Seawall Beach are especially vulnerable to predators. A high fox population, andvigilant crows and gulls, seem to be the most persistent enemies.In a recent article in Audubon magazine, Steve Kress, famous for his efforts to restore AtlanticPuffins to historic nesting islands in the Gulf of Maine, said “What we’re trying to do, asseabird stewards, is to replicate sustainable seabird communities in a world that’s beenradically changed by the activities of humans we work with rare and endangered species inan area of the country where the balance of nature has been seriously altered. Thus we’vecome to the sobering conclusion that we’ll never be able to pack up our tents and leave theseabirds to their own devices. The predators simply won’t let us.” The article went on to say“Before the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, plume hunters seeking feathers to adorn ladies’hats slaughtered gulls by the thousands. The newly organized National Association ofAudubon Societies worked against extremely difficult odds to keep the last gulls in Mainefrom being killed. Now, with tons of free food in the form of garbage, fishing waste, anddiscarded lobster trap bait, gulls are thriving, outnumbering other coastal bird communities inMaine, and causing serious problems ” Piping Plover productivity at Seawall Beach isaffected by the same issues.

Recent statistics:1999: 8 pairs of Piping Plovers nested, there were 10 confirmed fledglings, 14 nesting attemptsand 9 failed nests. Twenty nesting pairs of Least Terns arrived at Seawall, but relocated toLaudholm after nesting attempts were disrupted by predators.2000: 9 pairs of Piping Plovers nested, there were 7 confirmed fledglings, 15 nesting attemptsand 9 failed nests. No Least Terns nested at Seawall in 2000.2001: 6 pairs of Piping Plovers nested successfully at Seawall Beach. While some Least Ternswere observed, apparently the only nests occurred at Wells, primarily at Crescent Surf.2002: 6 pairs of Piping Plovers nested, there were 9 confirmed fledglings, and 11 nestingattempts. High tides and predation were responsible for some of the nest failures. No LeastTern colonies located at Seawall Beach in 2002.2003: 5 (possibly 6) pairs of Piping Plovers nested, producing 3 confirmed fledglings from atotal of 12 eggs. The monitors reported that eggs and chicks suffered unusually high mortalityin 2003. Several nests were washed away by high tides, others were predated by foxes, andeven other Piping Plovers. No Least Terns nested in 2003.Piping Plover eggs in a scrape: Photo by Bryan Watson2004: though 13 adult Piping Plovers were seen, only 4 pairs nested, producing 7 confirmedfledglings after 8 nesting attempts. Least Terns were seen in the area; a colony attempted tonest at Reid State Park for the first time in recent years, but was not successful.2005: 10 Piping Plover nesting attempts were counted (some pairs attempted nesting twicewhen their nests were destroyed) and three chicks were observed, but apparently no chicksfledged successfully. A colony of Least Terns attempted to nest at the Morse River end ofSeawall Beach on July 4, with two nests observed, but both eggs and terns had disappeared byJuly 7.2006: Observers saw five pairs of Piping Plovers, with 8 nesting attempts (several tried twicewhen their eggs were destroyed). Four fledglings were counted, with two more late-season

chicks observed on the last day of August, assumed to have fledged successfully, bringing thetally to 6. No Least Terns attempted to colonize.Seawall Beach and the marshes of the Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area arerecognized as critical staging areas for migrating shorebirds, which nest in arctic and sub-articregions and winter as far south as South America. The area provides protected feeding andresting habitats for migrants, and breeding habitat for a diverse variety of other birds, animals,insects, and fish. Areas such as this along the New England coast have become increasinglythreatened by degradation from development, environmental contaminants, and human-relateddisturbances, making the protected complex kinds of habitat in the Conservation Area evenmore crucial to the survival of a diverse array of life.Invasive Species: Purple LoosestrifeEach year, staff members from The NatureConservancy and Bates-Morse Mountainstaff members monitor vegetation plots inthe area behind the dunes where a sectionof marsh has been invaded by PurpleLoosestrife. They collect vegetation datafrom ten plots, and compare the data fromyear to year. On June 22, 2006, their datacollection was hampered by the spring’suncommonly wet weather.When they went back to check in August,not only had the plots dried up, butapparently some seeds had been transportedby water to more widespread locations.The loosestrife was flowering abundantly.Though we cut flower heads on multipledays to help contain the spread of seeds,more radical control measures may becomenecessary.

Other eventsTwo major alterations happened at Morse Mountain during 2006, one intentional, and theother, natural.In April, the bridge on Morse MountainRoad spanning the Sprague River wascompletely replaced, by Mark Hawkes’crew.Just before Thanksgiving, a “microburst,”or small tornado, skipped across thepeninsula, felling trees at Flat Point, thenacross Morse Mountain Road and in a linefurther into the woods, blocking the roadand taking down power and telephonelines. Dan Gurney removed over thirtylarge fallen trees.OutreachThe Friends and Neighbors of Morse Mountain met twice during the calendar year, once inJune and again in December. At the June 19th meeting, the group (which is comprised ofadjoining landowners, members of the Small Point Association, Town officials, members ofthe St. John family, members of the Bates-Morse Mountain Corporation, staff members fromthe Nature Conservancy and their volunteer easement monitor, and representatives from BatesCollege) discussed the charge of the committee, the upcoming summer, and the potentialimpact of increased development in the area. David Scobey introduced the new AssociateDirector of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, Anna Sims Bartel, to the group.The second meeting, in December, reviewed the summer’s visitor statistics, and introducednew Harward Center staff member Ellen Alcorn, Coordinator of Service Learning. Ellen hadjust come from a meeting with the Principal at Phippsburg Elementary School. With abackground in education, she is looking forward to facilitating close collaboration with thePhippsburg teachers and students.

A new program, the “Bates-Morse Mountain Forum Series” began in June 2006, building uponthe College’s desire to share ongoing academic work and information generated at MorseMountain with the Phippsburg community. The first Forum, held at the Popham Chapel Housewith the help of Bill Murray and Elizabeth Watson, was presented by Andrew Stowe’66. Hespoke about his breeding bird surveys, particularly his thesis work on Sharptailed Sparrows.Drew spent early mornings throughout the summers of 2004 and 2005 studying and recordingbirds, both at Morse Mountain and Atkins Bay. His exceptional research won him theprestigious Watson Fellowship, which he is using to track the Arctic Tern in its around theworld migration patterns during 2006-2007.The second Forum, held at the Phippsburg Town Hall, was the occasion of Geology ProfessorMichael Retelle’s second presentation to the Phippburg community. Mike has a long history ofbringing research, classes, and field trips to the Phippsburg area. His presentation last year wason many years of tracking beach erosion and deposition on Seawall Beach, but this year, Mikeand his Limnology Class collaborated with the town and the Phippsburg Land Trust on acompletely different kind of project. They studied four fresh water lakes and ponds inPhippsburg: Silver Lake, Meetinghouse Pond, Big Pond, and Sprague Pond. They usedmorphometry (measurement of lake size and shape), water column studies, and sediment corestudies, and will share their findings with the Town and the Land Trust. A related part of theirproject compares characteristics of lakes in central Maine and in the White Mountains.In November, David Scobey and Judy Marden met with the Phippsburg Board of Selectmen todiscuss renewal of the College’s letter agreement with the Town. As a tax-exempt property,the Conservation Area pays no property tax, but has, instead, agreed to a payment-in-lieu-oftaxes to cover town services. The meeting resulted in a third five-year agreement, with a selfrenewal for another five-year period if neither party asks to renegotiate. Both the Selectmenand the Bates representatives reaffirmed the importance of connecting Bates faculty andstudents with the Phippsburg Elementary School and other local educators and students. Theinclusion of the Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area within the Harward Center forCommunity Partnerships increases the numbers of opportunities for Bates and Phippsburg towork together on educational projects. The annual Morse Mountain Workday, now heldannually in May, brings other members of the Bates Community to Phippsburg to work withvolunteers, Maine Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, the St. John family, and others to learnabout endangered species and to erect protective fencing and signage at nesting areas onSeawall Beach. Bates looks forward to increasing these opportunities to learn and worktogether for mutually beneficial collaboration.Respectfully submitted.Judith A. Marden, DirectorBates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area

Geology: First Year Seminar "Exploring Maine Geology" (FYS 327), Professor Dyk Eusden Geology: Sedimentary Environments and Processes (GEO 210), Professor Mike . Two archaeologists, Bob Proctor and Sue Remington, came to the school for two days in May. They set up extensive displays in the library, tailoring the explanations at