VillageSoup reports on grad student’s involvement in Medomak Project
VillageSoup reported Gabrielle Hillyer, a graduate student at the University of Maine, is deploying drifters to map tidal currents in the Medomak River as part of the Medomak Project. The drifters will measure temperature, salinity, light intensity, pH and dissolved organic carbon in an attempt to better explain the river’s currents and how any potential bacteria travel, according to the article. The drifters, which float with tidal currents, can be monitored remotely, and map out how long it takes for them to leave an area. The information collected is expected to affect the clamming industry, as it could influence the closure time of the flats, the article states. “This is the next phase of the Medomak Project,” said Glen Melvin, co-chairman of the Waldoboro Shellfish Committee and leader of the Medomak Project. “The Waldoboro Shellfish Committee is using every tool we have available to clean up our river.” Hillyer is conducting her research at the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions . The Lincoln County News also published an article on Hillyer and the project in the Aug. 31 print edition of the paper.