[SEMCO] Reserve series continues tonight with talk about ancient forest at South Cape Beach

[Muller, Joan (DCR)]

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Joan Muller, 508-457-0495 x107 joan.muller at state.ma.us<mailto:joan.muller at state.ma.us>  or
Laurie Tompkins, 508-457-0495 x108 laurie.tompkins at state.ma.us<mailto:laurie.tompkins at state.ma.us>
Reserve Hosts Talk on Submerged Ancient Forest at South Cape Beach
On Thursday, November 10, at 7 pm, Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve continues the series, “Community Coffee House Series: Research at the Reserve” with “Studying the Past to Understand the Future: A Submerged Ancient Forest and Sea Level Rise”. Chris Maio, UMass Boston doctoral student, will highlight his research currently underway about the ancient tree stumps recently exposed at South Cape Beach.

The stumps at the South Cape Beach ancient forest site first appeared after a fierce storm in spring, 2009. The appearance of the 200 stumps along the shore has generated a lot of community interest and provides a great opportunity to learn about how local ecosystems responded to climate change in the past.  Chris Maio’s research, “A Preliminary Investigation into the Geologic Evolution of South Cape Beach” focuses on understanding how coastlines respond to sea-level rise, urbanization, and extreme weather events during ancient and historical times.  He uses a variety of state-of-the-art technologies to probe into the past.
Says Maio, “Through my research, I hope to contribute to a clearer understanding of how coastal areas have evolved over time enhancing our ability to perceive potential changes in the future.” Chris Maio is pursuing his PhD in Environmental Science at UMass Boston and is currently an instructor there for Introduction to the Global Environment.

Community members are invited to join in for a casual night of discussion and learning about Chris’s research within the Reserve and the tools he uses to decipher the ancient past. Participants will get a chance to see some of the high-tech gadgets up close in person and win a prize if they can correctly guess the age of the oldest stump in the submerged ancient forest. Preliminary results of the Carbon-14 dating will be discussed at this event.

This presentation is the second of the series on Thursday evenings in November, featuring scientists discussing their research at the Waquoit Bay Reserve. In addition to explaining the research they’re doing, they will include personal anecdotes on how they did the science and how they feel their research will make a difference to those sitting in the audience. This interactive coffee house format is designed so people feel equally comfortable asking questions and joining in discussion or just sitting back and listening to the scientists’ stories of their work.

Doors open at 6:45 with a chance to view the exhibits in the visitor center and sample some homemade sweets and coffee and tea. Participants are encouraged to bring their own mug. There will be one more presentation in this series on Thursday, November 17.

Registration is preferred but not required at www.waquoitbayreserve.org<http://www.waquoitbayreserve.org> . For more information, call 508-457-0495 x 107 or 108. Waquoit Bay Reserve is located at 149 Waquoit Highway, Waquoit, Massachusetts.


Joan Muller
Education Coordinator
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
149 Waquoit Hwy.
Box 3092
Waquoit, MA 02536
508-457-0495 x107
www.waquoitbayreserve.org

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