High Water: Stories from Maine's Mountain Ponds

Amanda Gavin & Bryan Wentzell
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  • Natural Sciences

High Water: Stories from Maine’s Mountain Ponds is a series conversations exploring the science, ecology, and conservation of Maine’s beloved mountain ponds. Scientists often describe these ponds as our local “canaries in the coal mines”, because these ponds record a story of a rapidly changing environment. Through conversations with scientists, educators, conservationists, and trail managers, we uncover what these ponds can teach us about resilience, refugia, and stewardship, and why people continue to return to them generation after generation. © 2026 Amanda Gavin & Bryan Wentzell. Editing by Alice. Music by Lana Cooney. Art by Ryan Smith. All Rights Reserved.

Episodes

  1. Jun 1 ·  Bonus

    BONUS: Trout Spawning at Mountain Pond

    On a blustery November day, we stumbled upon brook-trout spawning in Mountain Pond.  © 2026 Amanda Gavin & Bryan Wentzell. Editing by Alice. Music by Lana Cooney. Art by Ryan Smith. All Rights Reserved.

  2. Jun 1

    Episode 5: Julia Daly and Rachel Hovel of University of Maine Farmington at Mountain Pond

    Episode 5 takes us west to Mountain Pond in Rangely to get out on the lake with Julia Daly and Rachel Hovel, professors at University of Maine Farmington. In 2007, Julia got a wild idea to put a temperature buoy in Tumbledown Pond, and now nearly twenty years later, Julia and Rachel have continuous temperature and ice monitoring data across 9 ponds. We learn about how Julia’s background in geology and Rachel’s ecology background come together to form research questions and study design. They also tell us about how they are mentoring the next generation of scientists to think about lakes and ponds as sentinels of change. © 2026 Amanda Gavin & Bryan Wentzell. Editing by Alice. Music by Lana Cooney. Art by Ryan Smith. All Rights Reserved.

  3. Jun 1

    Episode 4: Sarah Nelson of Appalachian Mountain Club

    In episode 4, we travel north to talk with Sarah Nelson, Director of Research at the Appalachian Mountain Club, who has played a key role in keeping Maine mountain pond research rolling and relevant for over 15 years. Sarah tells us about mountain pond sampling from a helicopter as a graduate student and we learn about how acid rain and climate change impact pond ecosystems. © 2026 Amanda Gavin & Bryan Wentzell. Editing by Alice. Music by Lana Cooney. Art by Ryan Smith. All Rights Reserved.

  4. Jun 1

    Episode 3: The Founders of Maine Mountain Pond Research

    Join us for a conversation with Matt Scott, Linda Bacon, and Steve Kahl, the founders of the High-Elevation Lake Monitoring Project. From this oral history of Maine mountain pond research, we learn about why they started this project that pioneered long-term monitoring in remote areas and how they made a lasting impact on lake science and stewardship across the state.  © 2026 Amanda Gavin & Bryan Wentzell. Editing by Alice. Music by Lana Cooney. Art by Ryan Smith. All Rights Reserved.

  5. Jun 1

    Episode 2: Hawk Metheny of Appalachian Trail Conservancy at Speck Pond

    Join us on a bluebird September day as we hike up to 3,685 feet to meet Hawk Metheny at the highest pond in Maine- Speck Pond. Hawk is the Vice President of Trail Management at the Appalachian trail Conservancy that has been working Speck Pond for over thirty years. We talk to Hawk about his approach to maintaining the balance between quality recreational experiences while protecting natural resources. He answers important questions, like why the backcountry infrastructure at Speck Pond is better for maintaining water quality than primitive, dispersed camping and what it means to find solitude at a mountain pond that sees thousands of visitors a year. Hawk talks about his personal connection to Speck Pond and the transformation of people who visit Speck as a hiker and leave the pond as a steward. Hawk leaves us with an abundant, forward looking vision for inclusive, public access to the mountains and protecting freshwater resources through forest conservation and Indigenous stewardship. © 2026 Amanda Gavin & Bryan Wentzell. Editing by Alice. Music by Lana Cooney. Art by Ryan Smith. All Rights Reserved.

  6. Season 1, Episode 1 Trailer

    Episode 1: Introducing High Water: Stories of Maine's Mountain Ponds

    Welcome to High Water: Stories of Maine's Mountain Ponds, a four-part podcast series about Maine's mountain-top gems and the people who have studied and stewarded them for decades. In this introductory episode, meet your hosts, Amanda Gavin and Bryan Wentzell, and get a preview of the stories ahead. © 2026 Amanda Gavin & Bryan Wentzell. Editing by Alice. Music by Lana Cooney. Art by Ryan Smith. All Rights Reserved.

  • 1 Trailer
    5 Episodes

Trailer

About

High Water: Stories from Maine’s Mountain Ponds is a series conversations exploring the science, ecology, and conservation of Maine’s beloved mountain ponds. Scientists often describe these ponds as our local “canaries in the coal mines”, because these ponds record a story of a rapidly changing environment. Through conversations with scientists, educators, conservationists, and trail managers, we uncover what these ponds can teach us about resilience, refugia, and stewardship, and why people continue to return to them generation after generation. © 2026 Amanda Gavin & Bryan Wentzell. Editing by Alice. Music by Lana Cooney. Art by Ryan Smith. All Rights Reserved.

Information

  • Creator
    Amanda Gavin & Bryan Wentzell
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Amanda Gavin & Bryan Wentzell. Music by Lana Cooney. Art by Ryan Smith. All Rights Reserved.
  • Show Website
    High Water: Stories from Maine's Mountain Ponds