Taxicabs idle in the parking lot, engines running against the cold, drivers watching the abandoned gas station-convenience store on the … More
Author: C. Schmitt
Maine climate assessment provides dire numbers
Consider this a “book review” of the 370-page assessment from the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the Maine Climate Council, … More
Beneath the ocean, a world of mountains
There are mountains in the sea. From tens of thousands of extinct volcanoes rising thousands of meters from the ocean … More
Snapping Turtles (a.k.a. dinosaurs)
Humans are relative newcomers to the turtle’s scene. Snapping turtles have been around for 40 million years, and their ancestry … More
Acadia’s Moth Man
Since 2016, Frank Distefano aka “Moth Man” has documented moths with photography, contributing the images to a global database of … More
The Curse of Knowledge – and Experience
Scientists often express frustration over their attempts to communicate with public audiences. Through my work training scientists in science communication … More
Nearby Nature, 130 Years Ago and Today
Nature is having a moment. Record numbers of people are visiting parks and conservation areas, overwhelming parking lots, crowding trails, … More
Nature, Near and Far
Due to health and safety concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, many local, state, and national parks have closed, including Acadia … More
Creature Feature: Striped Skunk
“Mostly, unfortunately, the human-skunk relationship is one of inconvenience, a skunk surprising the family dog or the speeding car in … More
A Plant Love Story
“Sometimes, when I’m walking along the rocky shore, Spartina far from my mind, I encounter a handful of shoots in … More
