Posts by Kent McFarland 
Long Live the Queen!
Each year in the bumble bee kingdom, only a queen will carry the colony’s torch through winter to produce the next generation. Everyone else – workers, drones, and the old queen – dies with the onset of fall frost.
September iNaturalist Vermont Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Susan Elliott for winning the contest with her image of an Autumn Meadowhawk.
Outdoor Radio: In Search of the Endangered Timber Rattlesnake
This month on Outdoor Radio biologists Kent McFarland and Sara Zahendra head to western Vermont in search of the endangered Eastern Timber Rattlesnake.
Plight of the Grassland Birds
From the fields of New England and Canada to the vast plains of Montana to the deserts of Mexico, grassland birds are losing their habitats at an alarming rate. VCE is co-hosting a special pre-screening of this documentary on Thursday, September 24th at 7 pm in the Moore Psychology Building at Dartmouth College, Room B023.
August iNaturalist Vermont Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Roy Pilcher for winning the August 2015 iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month contest.
Vermont eBird Update
A lot of exciting developments have happened recently with Vermont eBird and we wanted to share those with you, as well as express our gratitude and appreciation for all that you Vermont eBirders have helped bring to life.
Historic Spring Bird Sightings Digitized at Record Pace
Just over 3 months ago we announced an exciting new web site that allowed us to connect with volunteers virtually to help us enter thousands of historic bird records that only existed on paper. Volunteers have digitized thousands of pages of spring bird records. We’re 90% done. The final push is on!
July iNaturalist Vermont Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Julie Filiberti for winning the July 2015 iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month contest.
Illegal Deforestation Continues in the Dominican Republic
Sierra de Bahoruco National Park is a vital haven for some of the rarest endemic birds in the Caribbean Basin. But its cloud-forest habitat is being illegally logged and cleared for crops. And conservationists say the government of the Dominican Republic is doing little to stop it.
Help Find Missing Turtles
Painted Turtles are one of our most common turtle species. Yet, there are 64 towns without a verified Painted Turtle observation.
State to Hold Meeting on Proposed Endangered Species Law Updates
The Agency of Natural Resources will hold a meeting to discuss proposed changes to Vermont’s threatened and endangered species law. The meeting will take place August 5, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. at the Pavilion Auditorium, 109 State Street, Montpelier, Vt.
Vt. Adds to Threatened and Endangered Species List
Vermont has added nine species, including three bumble bees, to its list of threatened and endangered species thanks to data from the Vermont Atlas of Life.
