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For over 20 years, Mitchell Center researchers have gathered data
from a variety of research projects. Some of these projects have
been on-going for a number of years, and these research data provide
an important historical record of Maine's environment and water
resources. Making this data readily available and in a format where
it can be easily interpreted has long been a goal of Mitchell Center
researchers. PEARL, and some of the accompanying projects that are
evolving at the Mitchell Center, reflect this commitment to bring scientific research information to the
public.
PEARL is expending to become the GIS-searchable on-line resource for environmental information in Maine. PEARL allows scientists, educators, community organizations, and students to find environmental information in one location. The website is evolving to include a broad range of features that include information on drinking water, flora and fauna, education, and recreation. Future versions of PEARL will house a bibliography of environmental research, and a broad range of data. Upcoming additions will include a link with MEMAP, the Maine Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program developed by post-doc Molly Schauffler, and the expansive database on biodiversity developed by Peter Vaux of the Mitchell Center and the Nature Conservancy. New features include the loon count from Maine Audubon, boat launch locations, fishing regulations, and distributions of invasive aquatic plants. PEARL is a cooperative effort initiated by the Mitchell Center and the Department of Spatial Engineering. It is a collaboration with Fogler Library, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program, Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute, State Planning Office, and James Sewall Company of Old Town. In addition to the partners listed above, funding for PEARL has come from a variety of sources including Maine Drinking Water Program, US Geological Survey, National Science Foundation, Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and other state and federal partners that work to improve natural resources stewardship and education. Education is a key aspect of PEARL. A partnership among the College of Education, the Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute (MLCI), and the Mitchell Center has created a 'Student's Portal' that integrates with the PEARL site. The goal of the student portal is to strengthen lakeside communities by fostering interaction among students and civic organizations [e.g. lake associations]. Using stories, poetry, pictures, video clips, and even field data, students of the MLCI partner schools create a rich picture of the lakes surrounding them. The portal will allow other schools to participate, providing active curricula materials to link with the state laptop program. The MLCI student portal provides an innovative method to stimulate young minds and enhances the ability of PEARL to assist with public education on water conservation and natural resource issues. With the laptop initiative in Maine, teachers and students will take advantage of these dynamic web resources as learning tools. The ultimate goal is for PEARL to become the source for environmental information in Maine, complementing other functions of the Mitchell Center such as the annual Maine Water Conference in Augusta that is already the environmental conference in Maine. |
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In 1996,
former Mitchell Center Director, Steve Kahl and colleagues at the Maine
Department of Environmental Protection had a novel idea: to link the
vast amount of information on Maine's lakes into an on-line
searchable database. At the time, information on Maine's 5,700 lakes
resided in PC and paper files in several state agencies, in
unconnected PC files of a dozen researchers around the state, and in
hard copy reports and publications. In response to this concept,
Governor King wrote a letter of endorsement, several proposals were
funded to the Mitchell Center and Department of Spatial Engineering,
and by 1997 the dream had become 