Atlantic Salmon Watersheds
This "Focus Topic" provides easy access to data from Atlantic salmon watersheds in Maine – in particular the Downeast region. In addition to viewing tables of water quality and biological data from the salmon rivers, there are a series of information “digests” — summary graphics, charts and text that provide convenient synopses of key topics. There is also an interactive mapping feature that allows users to view data and create customized maps for all or part of the Downeast region. For users that wish to “drill down” further into the PEARL data bank, there is a direct link into the main data search feature of PEARL.

Lakes Guide
This "Focus Topic" provides a user-friendly, non-technical view of a variety of information about Maine’s lakes and ponds. There are three main parts to this topic.

1. Understanding Water Quality focuses on the information that volunteer lake monitors and scientists collect in order to describe water quality and evaluate how lakes and ponds are changing through time. Users will be able to see how the data are collected and analyzed. They will then be able to extract from the PEARL data bank any available water quality information for any selected lake.
2. Create a Lake Overview. This feature will enable the user to select a lake and then create — with just one button-click — a one- or two-page overview of that lake. This summary will include the following information: location, lake area and depth, primary water quality characteristics, fish species present (including species stocked), mussel and crayfish species present, and a list of studies that have included the lake in question.
3. Anglers’ Page will provide a quick and easy way to get information that is likely to be of particular interest to anglers in Maine, including fish species lists, stocking history, and maps showing where Maine’s 60+ freshwater species are to be found.

Freshwater Biodiversity
The Maine Aquatic Biodiversity Project has compiled information about Maine’s aquatic plants, invertebrates, fish, amphibians and reptiles – information about over 3,000 species that comes from 15,360 sites across the state. By Spring, 2005, much of this information will be integrated into the PEARL data bank and will be accessible via the normal data search features of the site. In addition, the Freshwater Biodiversity "Focus Topic" will provide an alternative approach to viewing parts of this extensive data resource. Users will be able to view a wide range of information summaries and access distribution maps for many of the plant, invertebrate, fish and amphibian species.

Penobscot River Synthesis
The announcement of the Penobscot River Restoration Project has many people wondering what we know and don’t know about the river. People who live in the communities along the river – and across the country – will be paying more attention as the project advances. As scientists begin to address the changes that will result from dam removal, they will need baseline information on status and trends, and past research in the Penobscot River ecosystem.

This PEARL “Focus Topic” will provide direct access to a broad array of information from the Penobscot River basin. It will feature output from a literature review being carried out by Catherine Schmitt of the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental & Watershed Research / Maine SeaGrant. The review will consist of a collection of papers, reports, books, videos, recordings, published research, and other information on the Penobscot River. This Synthesis is designed for use by anyone interested in the Penobscot River Restoration Project. Complementing the literature review will be direct access to Penobscot-associated data from the PEARL data bank.

This project is funded by the U.S. Geological Survey through the Maine Water Resources Research Institute grant program. For more information about the Synthesis, to contribute information, please contact:

Catherine Schmitt
207-581-1434

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Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research
5710 Norman Smith Hall • Orono, ME 04469 • 207/581-3244 • PEARL@maine.edu
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