• About VCEStaffKent McFarland

    Kent McFarland – Conservation Biologist

    Kent holding a few type specimens collected by Alfred Russel Wallace and housed at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

     

    A co-founder of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, he is a conservation biologist, photographer, writer and naturalist with decades of experience across the Americas. Kent’s writing and images have appeared widely in magazines, newspapers, books, and mobile field guides. For nearly 7 years he was a co-host of Outdoor Radio, a monthly natural history series on Vermont Public Radio. He has co-authored many scientific journal articles, book chapters, and field guides.

    He has received many honors for his work during his career. In 2022 he was awarded the SciSTARter Boost Award for his work with citizen science from SciStarter.org. He was awarded the U.S. Forest Service Wings Across the Americas International Research Partnership Distinction in 2019. In 2016, Kent was presented with the Sally Laughlin Award for the Conservation of Endangered and Threatened Species by the State of Vermont Endangered Species Committee. He was made an Elective Member of the American Ornithologists’ Union in 2007. He received the Partners in Flight Investigation Award in 1999 for his contribution of outstanding research on Bicknell’s Thrush.

    He completed his M.S. degree in Conservation Biology at Antioch University New England in Keene, NH. He completed his undergraduate degree in environmental studies at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. He was a Peace Corps volunteer working with rural farmers in Caazapa, Paraguay from 1989-1992. It was the bright birds of Paraguay that attracted Kent to conservation biology. After a few months in the country he bought a cheap pair of binoculars and a bird guide and became a fanatic. Kent has lived in Vermont for more than 30 years, developing a deep understanding of the land and biodiversity.

    PUBLICATIONS

    Visit my ResearchGate page to download or request PDF reprints.