What is habitat anyway? Habitat for humanity? Habitat for migrating birds? Habitat for aquatic life?

They are all inter-woven. Enter, the Sargasso Sea, situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean; it is the birthing place of the American Eel. It is the apex of the Atlantic; all waves rotate around it in a clockwise direction; all currents rotate around the it in a clockwise direction as well. Who is there to protect it?

The many young American Eels make their way from the Sargasso Sea in mile long convoys; each eel being attached to the tail of the one in front of it. Who would of thought? Certainly not me! And who would of thought that the American Eel was being considered for Endangered Species Act Protection? Again, not me! But it is beingconsidered . That is where research comes in.

The same holds true of our river systems and lakes. They are part of enormous water sheds that collect, disperse and cleanse water in a multitude of ways. The ground provides filtration, the river provides oxygen and UV rays for cleansing, the lake provides a reservoir of clean sparkling water; well, that is if things go as nature intended. Research is the only way we can gain an understanding of nature's jewels.

What we do in our back yard effects the water and creatures around us. We may not know how, but it does!

When growing up next to The Pool, a clam flat in Biddeford, Maine, I dreamed of harvesting clams for a family feed. I was not able to do so; due to polluted beds, the flat remained closed for years. As the area developed, overboard discharge systems were identified and removed. Defective septic systems where also upgraded. But, the beds remained closed for a number of years; the research needed to open them was not funded.

A retired Biddeford resident decided to make a concerted effort to open the flats. He contacted the city, and then the state, to determine what type of water sampling was needed to open the flats. He became involved, and he personally monitored water quality. Due to his efforts, the flats were finally opened to clamming.

I find this to be a very exciting time for the Maine Atlantic Salmon and other species of fish and aquatic life. Dams are being removed and habitat is being opened for salmon, shad and alewive migrations. Isn't it great!

Maybe, you foresee a way to provide information or the labor that will help the environment, help the habitat. If you do, post your ideas in the comments area at the end of this section. I want to hear what other conservationist are thinking!

I recently wrote Patrick Keliher, Executive Director of the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission, concerning this issue. I wrote to him expressing my interest in spearheading an effort to use Maine's volunteer spirit for research. And, although I did not hear back from him, I did hear from Noble Smith of Harpswell. He has recently created the Maine Environment Corp. He is also looking to hear from you.

The Maine Environment Corp has worked closely with Volunteer Maine to work out a system of information and data sharing, each supportive of the other's interest and concerns. MEC already has received letters of intent from the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Conservation; Noble expects similar letters from the Departments of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Department of Marine Resources.

What a great effort Noble! He needs more people to come forth like you. If you would like to become involved in this effort, contact nobilesmith@suscom-maine.net .

If you need to reach me, post a comment below. Have fun fishing by taking care of the habitat around you!

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