VCE Presentations from the 2021 Northeast Natural History Conference

Graphic courtesy of Eagle Hill Institute.

VCE staff members Chris Rimmer, Spencer Hardy, Nathaniel Sharp, and Jason Hill, along with ECO AmeriCorps member Julia Pupko, presented at the Northeast Natural History Conference (NENHC) April 15-18, 2021. Their presentations were pre-recorded and are now available to you to enjoy! See the list below for brief descriptions and links to each recording.

A Multi-Pronged Approach to Understanding Vermont’s Wild Bee Fauna by Spencer Hardy. Spencer introduces the Vermont Wild Bee Survey project through the Vermont Atlas of Life. His presentation includes an introduction to the online Vermont wild bee identification guide that Spencer has been developing. Watch Spencer’s presentation here or click on the video player below.

The Race to the Top: Elevational and Latitudinal Shifts in Montane Birds by Jason Hill and Jeremy Kirchman (NY State Museum). Climate change is predicted to affect montane species much faster and more severely than species whose core populations occur at lower elevations and lower latitudes. Jason presented his findings from an analysis using a decade of Mountain Birdwatch data to estimate the upslope and poleward shifts of montane birds in the northeastern U.S. Watch Jason’s presentation here or click on the video player below.

Lady Beetles of Vermont: Invasions, Extirpations, and Recent Discoveries from Community Scientists by Julia Pupko. Julia presented on the Vermont Lady Beetle Atlas, an atlas created by the VAL team to answer questions about the state of Vermont’s lady beetle fauna. She discusses why lady beetles are so important, potential causes for wide-spread lady beetle declines, model for Atlas data collection, and findings thus far. Watch Julia’s presentation here or click on the video player below.

Overwinter Status of Bicknell’s Thrush in Eastern Cuba by Chris Rimmer. Chris talked about VCE’s collaborative work to clarify the status of Bicknell’s Thrush in eastern Cuba, answering the questions: Why Bicknell’s Thrush? Why is international conservation work important for Bicknell’s Thrush? What have we learned through this work? What are the next steps? Watch Chris’s presentation here or click on the video player below.

Birder Broker: A Matchmaker Service for Curious Landowners and Experienced Birders by Nathaniel Sharp &  Bridget Butler. Nathaniel and Bridget present on the joint project between VAL and Bird Diva Consulting – Birder Broker! This new program pairs interested landowners with experienced birders, empowering landowners to learn about the birds using their property and enabling more data to be collected by birders on previously unsurveyed private property. Watch their presentation here or click on the video player below.