FARMINGTON — Western Maine Audubon is proud to present its third and final Fall 2024 talk on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. The talk “Mountain Lakes as Sentinels of Change in the Northeast,” will be presented by Dr. Rachel Hovel and Dr. Julia Daly in Thomas Auditorium in UMF’s Preble Hall at 173 High Street in Farmington. The talk is free and open to the public.

High-elevation lakes in the northern Appalachian Mountains are unique in several regards: they exist in a more forested landscape than alpine lakes in other mountain ranges, and they experience fewer direct anthropogenic impacts and colder climatic zones compared to lower-elevation lakes in the northeast. Due to their remote nature, these lakes can help illuminate regional signals in changing climate and atmospheric deposition, and their elevation and size can contribute diversity in lake characteristics across the landscape.

In this talk, Drs. Hovel and Daly will share background on a research program on nine lakes in the western Maine mountains, present long-term trends in water chemistry, and explore interactions between water chemistry, temperature, and biological response. As these lakes recover from the impacts of atmospheric deposition of pollutants (“acid rain”), new climate conditions are shaping seasonality and productivity. Their talk will also discuss the recreational attributes of these lakes and share opportunities for community science involvement.

For more information visit www.mainemountainponds.wordpress.com.

Dr. Rachel Hovel is an aquatic ecologist who studies fish and invertebrates across a range of freshwater habitats. Major themes of her research include species interactions, the timing of ecological events, and biodiversity of species and life histories. In particular, she is interested in how changes to freshwater environments – especially climate change – influence aquatic organisms and ecosystems. Rachel’s research currently takes place in the Canadian Arctic and the lakes of Maine.

Dr. Julia Daly is a geologist at UMF with a focus on geomorphology and climate change. She is broadly interested in the connections between changing climate and the signature of this change in both modern watersheds and the geologic record. An interest in the mountains of western Maine led her to begin collecting data in the mountain ponds around 2010. In addition to the mountain ponds project, she works with UMF students to document changes associated with dam removal in Temple Stream.

For those who cannot attend the talk in person, it can be accessed live via Zoom. The link for the sign in will be posted online at https://western.maineaudubon.org/events/ and on the Western Maine Audubon Facebook page. Both postings will be available on the day of the talk. A video will also be recorded and posted on the website’s “Video” page.