Duke
search
About Academic Programs Research Divisions & Centers People News & Events Facilities & Technology Career Services
nicholas news releases faculty/experts database dukenvironment magazine screening room events 2005 issues map

Global warming clouds our future. Pollution degrades our air, soil and water. Environmental toxins compromise the health of our children. Misuse threatens the sustainability of our forests, fisheries, wetlands and coasts, and the health of species that live there.

But there is reason for hope.

Through sound science and policy research, we're finding answers to these problems. Airborne lead and acid rain have been dramatically reduced. Industrial water pollution has decreased. Habitats are being preserved.

Faculty members from the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University are part of the effort to help find these answers and establish new environmental practices and policies to safeguard our natural resources for generations to come.

To contact our experts or learn more about what we're doing in states across the nation, click on the state you're interested in.

Maine
Wetlands
Wetlands are an integral part of Maine’s landscape, and cover roughly 25 percent of the state. Since colonial times, about 20 percent of Maine's wetlands have been lost to development, agriculture and forestry activities. Many remaining wetlands are threatened by habitat loss, toxic chemicals, polluted runoff, hydrologic changes and invasive species, especially in rapidly urbanizing areas. Past efforts to track and report wetland impacts have largely focused of wetland quantity – for example, the number of acres filled compared to acres restored. Until recently, little attention has been devoted to measuring the ecological health of Maine wetlands.

 

 

Contact Information

James Pahl is an expert on wetland ecology and estuarine plants. He has conducted extensive field studies on restored wetland and riparian ecosystems.
 tel:(919) 613-8007 : e: jimpahl@duke.edu