The Wrack

At this nationally recognized historic site that serves as a center for our activities, we are a great example of change and adaptation. We reveal so well that as our society changes — our economies, our values — so do the places we inhabit. Thus these 19^th century buildings designed for farming have been adapted to serve our 21^st century mission of coastal science, education, and stewardship.

I have always felt our Reserve, located on the south coast of Maine, is a great example of the meeting of the past and the present — of natural ecosystems and cultural landscapes. They exist side-by-side, but are also interwoven. This place also illustrates for us that landscapes continually change; they are never stagnant. Natural systems and human actions change what we see around us — whether it is our contemporary efforts to keep our fields from reverting to forests through mowing or burning, or the natural forces of rivers and coastal currents that alter the shape and contours of our beaches. Change happens.

The Woods Hole Research Center, with support from the Wells Reserve, has just put up a series of web pages focused on the loss of open space in southern Maine. Their intent is to slow the pace of development and sprawl that has been rapid in our region over recent decades. The site includes sections on farms and forests, housing density, and impervious surfaces. By showing maps and graphs of both past and projected change, the real and potential landscape changes become easier to grasp.