This region teems with life, as it sits near the mouth of the Neponset River estuary, where salt water meets fresh, and life begins for many species. UMB has been actively engaged in studying this environment. The Fox Point Landing, with its new information booth, tables, benches, and tent is used by dozens of UMB departments and community groups to study and appreciate this region. The new area was built collaboratively by UMB's Division of Marine Operations and Facilities Department. A grant, awarded to the Division of Marine Operations, funded the tables and benches.
Efforts are underway to replace the temporary tent with a more permanent canopy next season.
People on the Point Dr. Curtis Olsen, Director of the Environmental Coastal and Ocean Sciences Department at UMB , was appointed director and chair of the Environmental Coastal and Ocean Sciences Department to chart the course for ECOS into the new millennium. He received his PhD. in biogeochemistry from the Department of Geological Sciences, Columbia University, New York. His doctoral research was conducted at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and his thesis focused on the dispersal and fate of contaminants and particulate matter in the Hudson River watershed and adjacent urban coastal environment. He has been the author or co-author of over 60 papers and documents, including two in Science magazine and one in Nature. The director has considerable experience linking the nation's research agenda to university research.