Thursday, December 8, 12 pm

Lunch n Learn: Studying Whales in the Gulf of Mexico. How has the largest oil spill in United States history affected whales in the area where the disaster occurred? Whales absorb chemicals through the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the food they eat, making them ideal animals to study for the presence of toxic substances. Join Bob Kuech, professor of science education at the University of Southern Maine, as he shares his experiences researching whales in the Gulf of Mexico. $2 suggested donation. Wells Reserve at Laudholm 207-646-1555 wellsreserve.org

Monday, December 12, 6 pm to 7:30 pm

Wassailing for Wildlife. Join us for a festive evening of caroling by moonlight on the wooded trails of the Wells Reserve at Laudholm.

A special holiday present is now playing in a theater near you.  It’s Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo,” a glowing fantasy lovingly dedicated to the earliest days of motion pictures.  

Hugo (14-year old Asa Butterfield, who played Mordred in the British TV series “Merlin”) is an inventive orphan lad, leading a secret life amid the gigantic clockworks of a Paris train station in the 1930’s.  His late father (Jude Law) was a clockmaker who left young Hugo with a peculiar puzzle to solve:  a human-looking automaton, sitting poised with pen in hand, ready to write something but unable to function.