Sea to Trees tells the stories of the science happening in and around Acadia, from the rocky shoreline to the evergreen forests to the granite mountaintops. In Season Four, we’re getting up close and personal with three areas in Acadia: freshwater wetlands, granite-topped mountain summits, and boreal forests.
Sea to Trees is generously sponsored by the Cathy and Jim Gero Acadia Early-Career Fellowship, a partnership among Schoodic Institute, National Park Foundation, and the National Park Service.
Place-based Science | The Coastal Spruce Fir Forest
Along the coast of Maine a special cold-adapted forest ecosystem thrives: the coastal spruce fir forest. The cool air that blows off the ocean provides an ideal environment for these colder species, but their future, like many, is uncertain. In this episode, we’re traveling through time to understand how coastal spruce fir forests in Acadia have changed over the past sixty-six years.
21 Jan 2026
Place-based Science | The Mountain Summit
High atop Acadia’s mountain summits are sweeping views, subalpine plants, and an ecosystem under threat. Come with me as I take part in each step of a field season and learn about how scientists are working to help restore these unique places.
17 Dec 2025
Place-based Science | The Freshwater Wetland
This episode explores the restoration of Acadia National Park's Great Meadow, revealing how soil coring visualizes ancient landscapes and how Indigenous approaches restore relationships and food sovereignty.
19 Nov 2025
Place-Based Science | Trailer
The podcast trailer introduces Season Four of "Sea to Trees," which explores place-based science through research stories from freshwater wetlands, mountain summits, and boreal forests in Acadia.
17 Dec 2024
Past, Present, and Future | Ferrying Frogs and Measuring Mice
During warm, wet nights in early spring, thousands of amphibians shake off their winter grogginess and take to the roads. Hardy small mammals scamper along the forest floor and make extensive homes within the cracks of Acadia’s mountains. Some of the park’s smallest creatures, that play outsized roles in nature’s food web, are also some of its most mysterious. Learn about two survey projects asking what it’s like to take the pulse of Acadia National Park on Season 3 Episode 3 of Sea to Trees.
20 Nov 2024
Past, Present, and Future | How Fame Changed MacArthur’s Warblers
In 1956, Robert MacArthur sat in a spruce-fir forest of Acadia National Park and tried to understand the truth behind warbler diversity. How could there be so many different species coexisting, when theory seeks to crown “one warbler to rule them all?” Learn about MacArthur’s study, how it changed the field of ecology, and the scientists revisiting his work over half a century later on Season 3 Episode 2 of Sea to Trees.
16 Oct 2024
Past, Present, and Future | Historical Aerial Photography
Tucked away on the University of Maine campus is a treasury of film that chronicles New England’s landscape from 1946 to 2015. We’ll hear from the researcher who is digitizing thousands of aerial photographs and making them accessible online. What can these photos tell us about the history of Acadia and how can they influence the future of land stewardship? Find out on the season three premiere of Sea to Trees.
University of Maine Sewall Company
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/sewell_aerial/
18 Sept 2024
Past, Present, and Future | Trailer
In Season Three of Sea to Trees, we’re learning about research that delves into the past, seeks to understand the present, and charts the future of Acadia. We’ll walk through the same spruce forests as MacArthur’s warblers, try to understand how human activity is affecting some of the smallest creatures in the park, and illustrate the power of sea level rise with a group of young scientists. What can we learn from the past and present to help our future? www.Schoodicinstitute.org
20 Dec 2023
Restoration | Wild Bird Chase (part 2)
Episode 3 begins with naturalist Laura Sebastianelli, who has dedicated her summers to recording all the bird songs in Acadia National Park. We follow Laura on her chase to record the American Bittern, learn why it’s so important to record Acadia’s birdsongs, and talk to all sorts of ornithological experts along the way.
16 Nov 2023
Restoration | Wild Bird Chase (part 1)
Bird song is so much more than just bird-song. In this episode, we’ll learn all about birds, their songs, and what we can do to keep them around.
12 Oct 2023
Restoration | The Great Summit
From social trails to heavy rain events, the summits in Acadia National Park are experiencing a lot of degradation. In this episode, we’ll discover how a backpack full of dirt can help bring life back to Acadia’s mountains.
Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park:
https://schoodicinstitute.org/
23 Mar 2023
Citizen Science | Project ASCO
Maya Pelletier calls rockweed, a type of seaweed, “the van Gogh of the intertidal.” How can citizen science help paint a picture of the state of rockweed on Maine’s coast?
Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park: www.Schoodicinstitute.org
Project ASCO 2023 Interest Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSebLgZFFoGSiW8uoz1tRMk5RRe2x4IHzjr3FlPc5d0guIE0dw/viewform
Schoodic Notes: https://schoodicnotes.blog/
16 Mar 2023
Citizen Science | Landscape of Change
In the 1880s, the Champlain Society documented the flora and fauna on the land that would become Acadia National Park. If the Champlain Society were around today, would they use iNaturalist?
Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park: www.schoodicinstitute.org
Olivia’s Balsam fir observation on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/146220670
Dragonfly wing coloration study: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2101458118
Schoodic Notes: https://schoodicnotes.blog/
9 Mar 2023
Citizen Science | The Dragonfly Mercury Project
The nation’s largest assessment of mercury contamination started as a project between scientists, teachers, and students at Acadia National Park. How has the help of more than 6,000 citizen scientists improved our understanding of mercury pollution across the US?
Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park: www. schoodicinstitute.org
The Dragonfly Mercury Project: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/citizenscience/dragonfly-mercury-project.htm
Schoodic Notes: https://schoodicnotes.blog/
16 Feb 2023
Citizen Science | Trailer
In season one, we’re exploring the ever-growing field of citizen science–the participation of non-scientists in research at any level–and how it can help answer questions about our changing world. Can citizen science shape our relationship with nature?
Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park: www. Schoodicinstitute.org
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5.0 / 5
19 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
9 ratings
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