It is a rite of spring often upstaged by the season’s first wildflowers or migrating birds. Yet it is an event no less dramatic than either. Scattered in woodlands across the Northeast, small wetlands erupt with life, notably the carnal adventures of frogs and salamanders. These wetlands are vernal pools.
VCE combines its expertise in research, mapping and community engagement in the identification, monitoring and conservation of these small but valuable wetlands and their unique array of species. Currently, our vernal pool work comprises four projects: the Vermont Vernal Pool Mapping Project, the North Atlantic Vernal Pool Data Cooperative, Mercury and Vernal Pools, and the Vermont Vernal Pool Monitoring Project. For more information on those projects and for resources for vernal pool conservation, click on the links below.
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Vermont Vernal Pool Monitoring Project
VCE is coordinating a community science effort to annually monitor vernal pools throughout the state. Data from the project is available online for use by conservationists, regulators and all interested parties. Learn more »
Vermont Vernal Pool Atlas
We cannot protect what we don't know. In a classic display of our work with volunteers, VCE is mapping vernal pools across Vermont. Our new interactive map is a powerful tool for landowners, municipal officials, conservation leaders and any Vermonter interested in these amazing wetlands. Visit this project »
North Atlantic Vernal Pool Data Cooperative
VCE coordinated a regional effort to compile a master database of known and potential vernal pool locations from Virginia to Nova Scotia, and worked with the University of Vermont's Spatial Analysis Lab to develop an innovative approach to identifying vernal pools remotely using LiDAR. Visit this project »
Mercury and Vernal Pools
Working with collaborators at Dartmouth College, VCE examined the effects of landscape characteristics on mercury accumulation in vernal pools, and assessed its bioavailability to breeding amphibians and the terrestrial foodweb. Visit this project »
