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WHAT'S HAPPENING AT MERI

David Gallo

January Lecture

The Penobscot Undammed: Restoring the River

Thursday, January 26, 2012
Stephen M. Coghlan, Ph.D.

A thousand square miles of river habitat will open up when the Veazie and Great Works dams on the Penobscot River come down. With the construction of a fish bypass on a third dam, 11 species of sea-run fish will be able to return to their historic spawning grounds. This is a significant step in addressing more than 100 years of damage to the river’s fragile ecosystem. Dr. Steve Coghlan from the University of Maine’s Department of Wildlife Ecology will discuss the impacts of dam removal and answer the question: Can we restore the Penobscot to its historic natural state?

December Event!

MERI Holidays for Kids!

Sunday, December 4th, 2:00-4:00p.m.

This year's event will be star spangled and star studded - with all manner of star fish! There are about 1,800 living species of a starfish in the world's oceans - plenty of inspiration for every child's imagination and MERI's aquarium and touch tank will be open for further marine world ideas. The ever popular snow-globe project will be making a come back and everyone will leave with a variety of beautiful holiday ornaments. Refreshments will include apple cider, popcorn and cookies and at 2:30p.m. the elementary school students' "Rhythm Rockets" steel band will strike up some festive and seasonal tunes.

November Lecture

A Casco Bay Perspective: Impact of Human Activities on the Coastal Environment

Thursday, November 17th, 7:00pm
Curtis Bohlen

The Casco Bay watershed is prime real estate. It is home to a quarter of Maine’s total population, houses 42 of its fastest-growing communities and is a premier recreational destination for millions of tourists each year. But what price progress? What are more people, more houses and more roads doing to the ecology of the area? What does a larger human “footprint” mean for the wildlife that rely on the Bay and its watershed for survival? Read More >

Letter from Brussels: Sparks Fly in Over Expansion of Flame Retardants

It is Day 4 of the week-long Dioxin 2011 Symposium in stormy Brussels, where flame retardants triggered quite a heated debate between scientists and bromine industry lobbyists. With hurricane Irene approaching the Northeast, I must fly out tomorrow. But today in Brussels the sparks are flying! Read More >

The Toxic Truth

September 9th, 2011

MERI was featured in a lead Bangor Daily News story last week: "More man-made contaminants discovered in Maine's harbor seals." MERI scientists were the first to report that levels of toxic flame retardant chemicals in Maine's harbor seals and their prey fish are among the highest in the world. Now they are finding "novel" flame retardants – chemical replacements for toxic flame retardants that were banned – in seal tissues, meaning they are in the food chain. "These seals are eating the same fish we eat – herring, hake, flounder, mackerel," said Dr. Shaw. Read the full Bangor Daily News article here.

"Halogenated Flame Retardants: Do the Fire Safety Benefits Justify the Risks?”

A breakthrough review article recently published in the international journal Reviews on Environmental Health questions whether many of the flame retardants added to consumer products actually save lives during fire events. Read More >

MERI Director Receives Gold Medal Award of 2011

Marine scientist joins ranks of Amelia Earhart, Jane Goodall

On May 21, MERI Director Dr. Susan Shaw received the Society of Women Geographers' Gold Medal Award joining the ranks of Amelia Earhart, Margaret Mead, Jane Goodall, and Sylvia Earle, she is the 19th woman to receive the Society's highest award in 78 years. Read More >

MERI Returns to the Gulf of Mexico

Dr. Susan Shaw continues research on toxic effects of oil spill

On the eve of the anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, marine toxicologist Dr. Susan Shaw returned to the Gulf of Mexico – to collect marine samples for toxicology analysis and to assess the impact of the damage on people’s health. A camera crew followed her journey for an upcoming Animal Planet TV documentary. Read More >
OF SPECIAL INTEREST

View our Nov/Dec eNews here

Countless gallons of toxic crude oil and dispersants have entered the Gulf of Mexico. With 20 years of experience tracking toxins in the ocean food web, MERI brings critical expertise to the crisis.

MERI's director, Dr. Susan Shaw, is a marine toxicologist. She dove in the oil slick in May to witness impacts first hand, and has since become an influential voice in the media and scientific community on the impacts of the oil and dispersant mix.

Watch Dr. Shaw's TED Talk on the Gulf

 

Learn Why Dispersants Are Harmful

Studies have shown that oil and dispersants combined are more toxic than either alone.

Read Dr. Shaw's op-ed in the New York Times to learn about the dispersant Corexit. Visit our news page to read articles and listen to interviews in which she explains the impact oil and dispersants have on every level of the ocean food web.

 

Support MERI's independent research

To assure that short- and long-term impacts of toxins in the Gulf of Mexico are fully understood, MERI has begun an independent, collaborative investigation that will examine effects at every level--from phytoplankton, fish, and birds, to marine mammals and humans. Learn more here.

 

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