Last Impression
This past summer, University of Maine Earth
science students Elizabet Metcalfe, above, and Laura Brothers kayaked
along miles of quiet coves and windswept peninsulas to get the best view
of the Maine coast. But this was no leisurely sightseeing trek. Working
with UMaine marine geologist Joseph Kelley, the students — Metcalfe,
Brothers and Peter Leach — mapped fragile bluffs and gathered related
data in an effort to help preserve Maine's famous coastline.
While many associate the state's seascape with
scattered boulders and craggy outcroppings, Maine's soft coast of sand,
gravel and other loose substrates is eroding rapidly. In fact,
development pressures threaten the very existence of the state's
picturesque and ecologically important bluffs.
The students' data gathering is funded by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency. Their geological findings are being
compiled in the Maine Geological Survey's online database as part of the
Maine Natural Resources Protection Act. By the end of the research
project next year, students will have mapped the nearly 3,500-mile tidal
shoreline.
